WOMEN IN THE GYM: OWNING YOUR SPACE
Women belong in the weights room too
Heavy lifting and getting strong are as much for women as for anyone else
Own your space in the gym
I hear girls and women tell me all the time:
“I don’t want to take up space when someone else wants it more than me/can do it better than me/know what they’re doing more than me”
Two solutions:
Learn, practice until you feel confident. Invest, financially and with time, to become knowledgeable
DO THE THING! Feel the fear and do it anyway.
It is as much your right, in your gym, or wherever you are, to work towards your goals and get confident in your space
Dealing with unsolicited advice
Part of becoming confident in the gym space is accepting that more-experienced others, whether it’s well-intentioned or not, will want to give you advice.
One of your biggest fears might be doing an exercise “wrong” or having others look at you and it can feel like those worst fears are confirmed when someone randomly, unprovoked, suggests a different way to be training or attempts to give you advice they think is going to work for you.
It can even feel awful when others are encouraging you - maybe it makes you feel patronised or as if all attention in the world is on you.
These suggestions are generally coming from places of friendliness.
Solutions:
Respond: Tell them “this is how my trainer has shown me to do it, so I’ll keep doing it this way for now thanks”. Or “I’m happy doing everything the way I am, appreciate it though.” Then put your earphones in and keep going.
Ignore them! Simply pretend you haven’t heard… much easier if earphones are in.
Remember that we can’t control other people’s actions, only your reactions to them. Remind yourself that they won’t remember you tomorrow, and keep going.
Learn gym etiquette
So you can feel really confident in your space, make sure you’re:
Putting your weights away - every. time.
Using a towel
Wiping down equipment after you’re done with it
Looking around or double checking with people close to you if a bench that has weights sitting on it is still being used
Not hogging machines, especially in peak times
Not using the squat rack to do bicep curls, or the deadlift platform to do lunges
Ask to “work in” with another gym-goer if they’re using the same equipment you want. While they’re resting, you can use it, and vice versa. This works especially well for if you’re alternating two different exercises.
Paying attention to the rules of YOUR GYM. Every gym has slightly different rules, so just check with the staff first to make sure you know everything you can!
Reassessing your goals - strong not skinny
The most empowering and fastest way that you’re going to build confidence in the gym is by changing your goal from “getting skinny” to “getting strong”
If you are training in a way that is challenging your muscles, you’ll pretty quickly establish yourself in the space, in your own mind and in the mind of others.
Being unafraid to challenge yourself, pick up heavy weights and try new things will have you fast-tracking your way to building your confidence in the gym. The more you try, the more you learn, the more comfortable you feel trying more.
So, reassess what you want.
Do you really want to take up less space? Or do you want to be efficient with the space you do take up? Is it that you want to lose weight, or is it that you want to move with more ease, confidence and power? Lifting weights to tone your muscles and your whole body will achieve those things. You can still create a lean & fit body by challenging yourself in a different way - and you’ll build your mindset and resilience too.
Set some new goals. How great will it feel when you can run faster, pick up shopping bags with ease, climb the stairs without puffing, and sleep better, all just because you decided you could and would own your space and start to build your strength?
GO lift girls
Grace x