Chicks on the Boys side of the Gym....

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  • sthrnchick
    sthrnchick Posts: 771
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    More power to you. If you really want to get fit, weight lifting is necessary. You shouldn't feel intimidated at all.


    Thank you!! And I agree with it being necessary...
  • sthrnchick
    sthrnchick Posts: 771
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    I train in the gym at a local military base. While there are certainly the cardio bunnies coming through, there are plenty of female lifters throwing the free weights also.

    It so happens the lifter that I have seen there demonstrating the most impressive combination of control and strength there has been a female lifter. She's the only person there whom I have seen do the "skin the cat" on the pull up bar.

    I hope to be that chick one day!!!
  • ishtar13
    ishtar13 Posts: 528 Member
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    At my gym, depending on the time of day, there may be other women over there. One morning there was all women for about 20 mins. So, you might be surprised.

    The funny thing is, most of the men don't use the cage or squat racks, and I usually don't have to fight or wait for equipment.

    Now, if only I could get them to put away their 45 lb plates when they're done. . .

    I mean really, if you just lifted 225, surely you can pull the plates off one at a time and put them away, right?
  • wellbert
    wellbert Posts: 3,924 Member
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    At my gym, women can come into the weight section AFTER they have asked permission from each male member currently working in the area.
  • lucylou9701
    lucylou9701 Posts: 194
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    Ahahahah at first I was pretty intimidated but after awhile I just got in there and got what needed to be done done. I feel like a bad *kitten* when I lift and lifting is giving me an *kitten* I am proud to flaunt LOL I love feeling good about myself and I am very competetive so when I can deadlift more than the guy beside me it just fires me up to push harder. I am so tired of the line in the sand drawn between men and women. I am strong, fit and confident and if I want to lift weights than I am going to. Screw intimidation! "You know, sometimes all you need is twenty seconds of insane courage. Just literally twenty seconds of just embarrassing bravery. And I promise you, something great will come of it." Don't be embarrassed women... we are strong too so if you are reading this and you are intimidated to go in the weight room... don't be, the guys are not all that bad.
  • keeponkickin
    keeponkickin Posts: 1,520 Member
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    Not intimidated at all but I there is definitely a "boys side" of the gym. I just get in there and lift heavy and most guys are happy to see a girl lifting.
  • emmymae22
    emmymae22 Posts: 206
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    This is gonna sound sad, but it's the only reason I haven't added strength training to my routine. When I was really big, before I got a gym membership (75 pounds ago..) I would walk outside, and a few times these built guys would be out on a front porch and they would yell mean things/oink at me. So I avoid boys in the gym all together. And I know that's extremely stupid because I'm sure like you guys said, everyone is there to pretty much get their own workouts in and they aren't worried about anyone else...but I can't help it. I'm so scared of being that close to guys who are in good shape, lol. I will stick to Zumba, with all of the other women, for now...
  • pennypersson
    pennypersson Posts: 1
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    I have a gym that is exactly the same - girly room or he-man room. At first I too was intimidated, but last week one of the weightlifters commented on my improvement - went from a 40 lb lift to 110. He noticed because he did not have to adjust the weight after I finished!!! YES. That felt good. So 22.2 lbs down and lots stronger. The cool thing is when I started on the big boy side two months ago I was the only female over there, now there are 5 or 6 of us so I think by just doing it I freed other women up to go in there and lift.
  • sthrnchick
    sthrnchick Posts: 771
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    Some of us scare the *kitten* out of both genders. It amuses me to no end.

    GC... I WOULD so ask you to spot!! LOL!!! :)

    And do you make the boys cry!!? I cant wait to get to that point!
  • catshark209
    catshark209 Posts: 1,133 Member
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    Omg I started going at 0500 just to get away from the guys. I'd go in the afternoon after 1700 and a bunch of macho Latinos would literally pause and give me the evil eye. Before anyone gets mad, I'm Mexican myself. I get it, I should be home cooking. But no I'm here to lift.
    So I wake up super early to hang with the older crowd. No one stares there and the other morning it was me and three other women in the weight area.
    I just feel stupid cuz I use lighter weights cuz its all I can do now. I feel like a wimp! But we all gotta start somewhere right?
  • Sabine_Stroehm
    Sabine_Stroehm Posts: 19,263 Member
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    There is no "boys' side". You pay a membership, work out where you want. Don't let them intimidate you.
  • Jotell
    Jotell Posts: 139 Member
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    I used to feel intimidated but then I just ignore the boys even if they are trying to show off ;-)
  • usmcmp
    usmcmp Posts: 21,220 Member
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    There are boy and girl sides? I wasn't aware that I wasn't allowed to use the free weights. Sure I get looks now and then, but in general the same people are there every week, same time and they know I'll be there.
  • KaleidoscopeEyes1056
    KaleidoscopeEyes1056 Posts: 2,996 Member
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    My gym is a lot like that. There's a guy that goes there with his girlfriend, and she spends all of her time on the elliptical, while he tries to persuade her to come to lift with him. There are almost never any girls there, and if there are some, they're using the barbie dumbells instead of the big "manly" weights.

    The guys at my gym are really nice, though, and they never really say anything when I encroach on their territory. They're actually really nice about it, and you can always make them laugh by accidentally farting while doing inverse crunches. :laugh:
  • angelicasmommy
    angelicasmommy Posts: 303 Member
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    This is why I am happy that I go to a women's only gym :D
  • hanahlai
    hanahlai Posts: 281 Member
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    I hate cardio ( I know, I know..it's still necessary. lol) I love strength training. It keeps me coming back. I love my itty bitty muscles coming in! lol Going for a fit look, and I love the way it makes me feel :P

    Also, when I go to the gym, I am with my husband. He "trains" me so it's not so bad. I notice a girl or two on occasion working with weights with a paid trainer sometimes. Mostly, it is a bunch of dudes though, I prefer to go during the down times rather than the busy.
  • Tashia_HH
    Tashia_HH Posts: 99 Member
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    Nope, doesn't intimidate me. You're there to get work done just like they are.
  • k2quiere
    k2quiere Posts: 4,151 Member
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    When I first switched gyms, I can honestly say that I was more intimidated by the strong-*kitten* females in the weights section than I was any of the guys. Thankfully, my gym is 80% weights and 20% cardio in terms of space (other than the room for aerobics classes), so there is plenty of space for all of us to fit. Ironically, I've noticed that more of the guys use the isolated weight machines than the women...go figure.
  • gnarlynoodle
    gnarlynoodle Posts: 99 Member
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    I actually had some guy tell me I was doing some "badass stuff" last week, which was awesome :)

    That would make me feel like a BAD *kitten* and I would LOVE it!!

    I did orientation at the Y 2 weeks ago to learn how to use all the equipment since I've never used weight equipment. He decided I was ready for squats with weight and I was crazy, crazy nervous about it. A guy was working near us and when I finished my practice set he was all "Wow, that was really excellent form. You sure you're new to this?"

    I swear to goodness it made the entire month of June stand out for me. LOL
  • sthrnchick
    sthrnchick Posts: 771
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    I hate cardio ( I know, I know..it's still necessary. lol) I love strength training. It keeps me coming back. I love my itty bitty muscles coming in! lol Going for a fit look, and I love the way it makes me feel :P

    Also, when I go to the gym, I am with my husband. He "trains" me so it's not so bad. I notice a girl or two on occasion working with weights with a paid trainer sometimes. Mostly, it is a bunch of dudes though, I prefer to go during the down times rather than the busy.

    I so hate cardio so much too!!! The weights make me happy...hopefully I will get more confident with time!

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