Only girl in free weight section

hotpoison
hotpoison Posts: 6 Member
edited November 20 in Fitness and Exercise
I'm the same in my gym to I don't feel intimidated I pay the same as the guys I'm there to train I say hi and all the guys are fine now they all help me out when I need help so it's all good
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Replies

  • professionalHobbyist
    professionalHobbyist Posts: 1,316 Member
    Lots of women in the free weight section of the gym I go to. Some are quite expert in leg booty workouts and I ask them questions and learn new things each month

    The gym is an even ground experience now.

    I like it that way.

  • IsaackGMOON
    IsaackGMOON Posts: 3,358 Member
    About 4 women come to the free weights section... to grab a barbell and take it to the body weight section.
  • sidricks
    sidricks Posts: 32 Member
    IsaackGMOON wrote: »
    About 4 women come to the free weights section... to grab a barbell and take it to the body weight section.

    Why do you love to poke your nose into every post with something sarcastic? OP I was always in the free weights section. Sometimes lifting more than the guys ;) not all the guys lol but some
  • barryplumber
    barryplumber Posts: 401 Member
    I usually go to the gym in the morning maybe it's the timing lots of ladies use the free weights section
  • yirara
    yirara Posts: 9,944 Member
    edited June 2015
    I only have access to the tiny sports room belonging to the housing complex I live in. I use the (rather rubbish) barbell and power rack there if the room is not closed for whatever reason. Quite often I see people training there with a personal trainer, and two of them really make me angry: they have their clients do exercise with 1kg weights, always 20 reps, then they let them do pushups with the bumm sticking up and no regard for form, repeat a few times and put them on the threadmill accoding to fat burning HR. Plus they comment on my exercises and that their clients should not pay attention to me. They will get bulky if they do the same *sigh* I can't believe anyone is actually paying for their service.
  • LKArgh
    LKArgh Posts: 5,178 Member
    For me it is a matter of timing. When I go to the gym on weekends or early evenings, I am the only woman in the free weights section. When I go in early morning or very late evening, usually there are several others.
  • IsaackGMOON
    IsaackGMOON Posts: 3,358 Member
    edited June 2015
    sidricks wrote: »
    IsaackGMOON wrote: »
    About 4 women come to the free weights section... to grab a barbell and take it to the body weight section.

    Why do you love to poke your nose into every post with something sarcastic? OP I was always in the free weights section. Sometimes lifting more than the guys ;) not all the guys lol but some

    My nose needs stimulus.
  • annekka
    annekka Posts: 517 Member
    edited June 2015
    I'm the only woman in my free weight section, too. But then again that has partially to do with where I live and the culture I live in's attitude toward beauty. Being that I'm an expat I stand out like a sore thumb. :smiley:
  • Karen_can_do_this
    Karen_can_do_this Posts: 1,150 Member
    edited June 2015
    when I go to the gym after the school run I usually have to fight the rush of mums lol. If I'm late say 11am there are lots of "big scary muscley men"
    I've started dropping the kids off a bit earlier which gives me 1/2 an hour of the weights to myself. Then after I finish there I usually get conned into doing a strength class with the other girls. The instructor is my old personal trainer - she uses me as an example of correct form :smiley:

    edited for selling errors
  • FitPhillygirl
    FitPhillygirl Posts: 7,124 Member
    At the new gym that I joined there is an equal amount of Woman who lift as well. A lot of them have personal trainers with them to show them how to lift correctly. I'm a woman lifter also, but decided to watch videos to show correct form instead of paying someone else. Either way, it's good for woman to lift as well.
  • Goooosfraba333
    Goooosfraba333 Posts: 51 Member
    I would get dirty looks from guys when I'm lifting the same as some of them. But it was Planet Fitness after all. :D
  • kindrabbit
    kindrabbit Posts: 837 Member
    Over the 2 years that I've been in the free weights section I have noticed more and more women in that end of the gym. I've also noticed the personal trainers are introducing more women to the free weights and spending less time on either the weight machines or cardio machines. I love seeing more women in there. There's more people to get advice from and a few people that I can offer advice to.
  • hotpoison
    hotpoison Posts: 6 Member
    Haha yeah I suppose it could be the time it does not bother me anyway I have some of the guys asking me advice as I can lift more than most of them lol but it's ok I like my gym and the people are all good as you get to know everyone you don't feel uncomfortable :)
  • arditarose
    arditarose Posts: 15,573 Member
    Well that is very good for you.
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  • motorola10
    motorola10 Posts: 76 Member
    I see more in the free weights. Good for them! Ladies are learning more ways to be healthier and stronger. Pretty awesome, Equally working to be healthier. Cheers to gym gains!
  • Jelaan
    Jelaan Posts: 815 Member
    I finally got my courage up and went into the free weight area by myself. No one looked at me twice. Funny thing was that as soon as I started lifting the other day, three other women appeared right beside me and started their routines. I'm sure it was just coincidence but for a moment there seemed like a safety in numbers thing. Everyone lifts heavier than me it seems, so I'm pretty sure I'm not intimidating anyone other than when I am red faced and sweating and looking like I may not live through my last set lol.
  • ckspores1018
    ckspores1018 Posts: 168 Member
    My gym has a women-only free weight area, which is great and usually empty. I use it more for the space and lack people competing than because I'm uncomfortable in the regular area.

    I have used the regular area when there is a particular trainer working because she tells me I need to use lighter weights and higher reps Or I'm going to look like a man. I find her lack of knowledge really annoying.
  • OhioGuy37
    OhioGuy37 Posts: 99 Member
    Nice high jack of a photo hot poison. The tattoo is a dead give away
  • Sunny_Bunny_
    Sunny_Bunny_ Posts: 7,140 Member
    I am very interested in using weights but have no idea how to do anything and I don't know anyone to help me get started. I use Planet Fitness since it's cheap and the closest to me, but the staff isn't that great. Though, I haven't actually met with the trainer yet... I plan to give them a shot.
    I only use a few machines because they are the only ones I know how to set up. I've asked different staff a couple of times if they could show me different ones and how to use them properly and basically get a generic "See this diagram here? Just sit like the guy in the diagram" and they act like it's just that simple. But I've approached some for the first time and couldn't even figure out how to adjust it to fit my height. Then I end up feeling like an idiot and go back to something I know or back to the elliptical...
  • ckspores1018
    ckspores1018 Posts: 168 Member
    I use "the art of lifting for women" and have found it easy to follow and very effective, especially as a beginner with no confidence in personal trainers. You can buy it from Amazon for $12 and most libraries have it too.

    I'm much more comfortable now with free weights than I ever was with the machines. I don't follow the nutrition plan in the book, just the lifting.
  • arditarose
    arditarose Posts: 15,573 Member
    Sunny_Bunny_ wrote: »
    I am very interested in using weights but have no idea how to do anything and I don't know anyone to help me get started. I use Planet Fitness since it's cheap and the closest to me, but the staff isn't that great. Though, I haven't actually met with the trainer yet... I plan to give them a shot.
    I only use a few machines because they are the only ones I know how to set up. I've asked different staff a couple of times if they could show me different ones and how to use them properly and basically get a generic "See this diagram here? Just sit like the guy in the diagram" and they act like it's just that simple. But I've approached some for the first time and couldn't even figure out how to adjust it to fit my height. Then I end up feeling like an idiot and go back to something I know or back to the elliptical...

    Planet Fitness can be a tough gym for running a proper lifting program. Many of them don't even allow you to dead lift. Anyway, you're not going to be wanting to use the machines very much. It's much better to start with a free weight program, using the barbell and compound lifts.
  • ireadlabelsdammit
    ireadlabelsdammit Posts: 64 Member
    I tend to keep my head down and stay focused, but yes I do notice often being the only woman. I can usually ignore this, but admit it can make me anxious :/
  • kindrabbit
    kindrabbit Posts: 837 Member
    OhioGuy37 wrote: »
    Nice high jack of a photo hot poison. The tattoo is a dead give away

    Bella Falconi. That's some serious motivation! Something to aspire to.
  • Ironmaiden4life
    Ironmaiden4life Posts: 422 Member
    Karen_libert wrote: »
    OhioGuy37 wrote: »
    Nice high jack of a photo hot poison. The tattoo is a dead give away

    Bella Falconi. That's some serious motivation! Something to aspire to.

    THIS^^^ why does it matter OhioGuy37 who she chooses to use as her profile pic and Bella Falconi ......great choice! :)

    Love reading threads about women feeling comfortable in the free weights section. It makes me do a snoopy happy dance :):):)

  • s2mikey
    s2mikey Posts: 146 Member
    Its good to see more women doing good old strength training. Its very good for their body composition and IMO a well built female with some "meat" on her bones is 1000% more attractive looking than a marathon-runner rail. ;)
  • richln
    richln Posts: 809 Member
    Rock it, and then spread the knowledge to the cardio-only girls who are complaining that they aren't happy with their physique.
  • blobby10
    blobby10 Posts: 357 Member
    I go to the gym at 5am and am often the only woman there with anything from 1 to 8 men! Very frequently I'm the only female in the free weights area and just get on with it. It helps that I'm a middle aged old bag and the men are only in their 20s so technnically young enough to be my son but we all laugh and joke together about the crap music, or their impressive weights (50kg dumbbells) compared to mine (10kg!). or the fact that we are all yawning our heads off! x
  • misslisaaahh
    misslisaaahh Posts: 10 Member
    There are a few other women at the gym that I go to now, but there weren't always. The first time I started lifting it was a little intimidating, but I've found that having a plan helps a lot. If I always go in knowing which exercises I'll be doing with free weights, I feel less like I'm just a guest in the area and more like I look like I'm supposed to be there. Now that I've been doing it for a little while, it's not a big deal to just go into the free weight section and own my workout like I would anywhere else. It's a big confidence booster, and when I am the only girl with a bunch of guys I feel like I get to show them women are just as capable and get just as much out of lifting as they do!
  • whatatime2befit
    whatatime2befit Posts: 625 Member
    Unless i'm there late a night, i've never been the only woman in the weights section of my gym. There are alot of women into lifting in my town.
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