To begin, it is important to realize that acknowledging sexism in an area of my life does not turn me into a feminist, a man hater, or someone who preaches on fairly rare inequality for hours. I am none of those things, but this is a subject that has been aggravating for a good chunk of time now, and is important to address. It begins in the gym...
In the past few months, I’ve turned into a gym rat of sorts. I work for a local gym, and therefore have a free membership that I put to very good use 5-6 days a week. It’s my home away from home (for all intents and purposes).
Other than kickboxing (which I highly encourage you to check out if it sounds interesting, great workout), weightlifting is my favorite thing to do. I’m in the weight room usually around 3 days a week, and love the feeling of lifting heavy to the point of exhaustion, and walking out of there knowing that you went your absolute hardest. It’s a beautiful feeling, and being able to see muscle progress is just plain ol’ satisfying.
However, there is a negative side to my days of weightlifting. As a chick who haunts the weight room, I have noticed that many of the gym going men have an extreme problem with patronizing the females that cohabit the area with them. For months, I have had to be on the receiving end of disgusting or condescending looks, guys feeling the need to adjust my gear for me when I clearly knew what I was doing, having weights swiped from me and more.
Today was a classic example that notched up my frustration a bit. I claimed my favorite weight bench by setting my water and gear on it, and was standing beside it to answer a quick text before going and grabbing heavier weights. Completely disregarding my presence, a guy walked over, sat down...and began his set...totally ignoring me. I quickly spoke up and kindly let him know that I was in the process of using said bench, to which I received a nasty look and growled response. I ended up telling him to just keep using it, and with much eye rolling behind his back, grabbed the empty bench next to him to continue with my set and not get into an argument.
You may have reached this point and are wondering why I am spilling out all my gym woes to you. It is not for other ladies to read and empathize, having similar experiences, and it is certainly not for pity. This is my chance to beat something into the heads of you men for just a second.
If you are a fellow gym junkie, read carefully. Just because a woman is in the weight room does not mean that she is lost, an object for you to look at while you try to get through your workout, untrained in how to use things or looking for guidance for her workout. It most definitely does not mean that she is weak and that the weight room is a “cute” attempt for her to get stronger. No. Not one bit.
Please acknowledge the fact that women deserve your respect, but 9 times out of 10, do not need your help. Realize that many of the women that are in the weight room potentially have the capacity to outlift many of the guys in there, maybe even you. And whatever you do, please beat into your skull that they are not there to just stand and look pretty while you hog their equipment. Common courtesy and gym etiquette don’t just apply to other dudes, you need to keep these things in mind when it comes to the females you share the weight room with as well.
With that being said, hopefully this post enables the ladies at your gym to have a more pleasant weightlifting experience. Try to keep up-they definitely have the potential to kick your butt.
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