The Weights Area is a Scary Place

Just for a bit of context, I'm a girl, the kind who really likes girly stuff, so never did I think that I would be into the (gasp!) manly pastime of lifting weights. Since then, it's no longer just a pastime, but a passion. Here's my experience in the weights area, and how you, whether you're a girl, or anybody thinking of trying weightlifting, can do just the same. 

The first time I decided that I wanted to lift weights, I was terrified of going to the weights area in the school gym. As far as I was concerned, it was filled with sweaty boys who hissed and grunted a lot while they heaved dumbbells that sometimes seemed too heavy for them. It was more than a little terrifying, because here I was, a total newbie when it came to lifting, and I wanted to try lifting weights, but I didn't know what weight to use or what to do with it. 

My mind was paralysed with fears, mainly to do with embarrassing myself since I didn't know what to do or how heavy a weight I should carry. "What if I drop a dumbbell on my foot/face/hand/head?" "What if the boys just keep staring and wondering why I'm standing in the weights area? It's not a place for girls!" "What if my pants rip when I bend over?" 

Since I've been lifting for over a year, nothing truly embarrassing has really happened to me, and I've come to realize that some guys in the weights area are equally self-conscious, and most don't really notice girls there or care anyway. I've also done the following things in the gym:

• Drop weights/plates on my finger/hand/toe/foot while using them (still happens all the time);

• Trip on my own feet while walking and fell down;

• Jumping awkwardly while attempting to grab the pull up bars, and missing;

• Put a little box in front of the pull up bars so I can grab them, then falling off the box after letting go of the bars;

• Sit in the squat rack, then knocked my head on the barbell when I got up;

• Hit my boobs with a dumbbell while doing rows; and

• Bench pressed with no spotter, got stuck on the last rep, panicked for a while, then rolled the barbell down my chest, stomach and legs with great difficulty and managed to sit up and get the bar off. 

All sorts of embarrassing things can occur, whether you are in the gym or not, and sometimes no one really notices or cares. The point is, none of this should ever stop you from going to the weights area and doing what you want to do. You are your biggest critic. 

Nevertheless, the first time stepping into the weights area can still be scary, so here are some tips. 

1. Go prepared

Go to the gym with a plan in mind. Know what exercises you want to do, and how to perform them. Write it down on a piece of paper, or bring the book you are referring to, and just use a really light weight first. If it's too light, you can always increase the weight. 

2. Go with a friend

Ask one of your guy friends if you can join him, and ask him to show you which weights to use, or how to perform an exercise. You could go with a girlfriend too, but it's more likely that both of you can be equally lost if it's the first time in the weights area for both of you.

Yeah! Curl together! 

3. Go early in the morning or at non-peak hours

Less people to get in your way. Or if you are really worried about embarrassing yourself, then less people to see you embarrass yourself.

The SMU gym is empty in the mornings

4. Ask the gym staff

Ask one of the gym staff to show you around or how to use the equipment. They're more than willing to help you out, and they know their way around.

What guys think

I started in the gym alone, and I've gotten accustomed to just getting in the gym, getting my workout done, then getting out. You don't really need to notice other people there, nor be concerned with what they think. Everyone is simply there to do their own workouts.

However, over time I've gotten to know some guys in the gym and it's been nice to learn that despite the prima facie scary grunting, they are nice people when they're not grunting. Some of these people are now my training buddies, I've asked them to weigh in on what they think about seeing girls in the weights area:

"I feel that every girl out there shouldn’t be intimidated by the weights that the guys are carrying. Be confident of yourself when lifting those weights and the only way to build that confidence is to keep repeating those actions until it becomes a habit. As time goes on, you will realize that this confidence will have a major carryover in your daily life because it reflects how strong you become not only physically, but mentally as well.  Also, do not be afraid to ask or seek opinions about your technique. Practice makes permanence." – Daniel Ong

"Strength is not gender based. As long as he or she is looking to improve, we welcome them equally. For every douche giving a girl a weird look or a hard time (behaving like a girl shouldn't belong there in the weights section) is a guy who is there to help correct her form and pass on the correct knowledge. Yes the gym can be intimidating at times but everyone starts somewhere. Same goes for guys. Everyone is there to get their workout in and if you are there to get yours done, don't be affected by what others do." – Max

"There is no such thing as gender in the weight room. Besides dumb jocks and douches, one thing that encompasses the weight room is respect. It doesn't matter if you're male or female, what colour your skin is, whether you're bulking or cutting, you will always get a spot if you need one, some friendly advice if ever your form seems off. This may seem to contradict my first sentence, but i have even more respect for girls who lift (as compared to guys). If you're willing to venture into the unknown, ignore the judging (or pervy) glances from douchebags, and lift, then you enter a universal fraternity of men AND women who have decided to take control of their physical condition. And that commands respect, even from the curling douchebags. 

You know the saying; "if you've got it, flaunt it"? In the weight room, that only applies to your strength, not your assets, no matter how ample. Dressing like a hooker in the gym only serves to allow guys to objectify you and judge you as such. Also, you do NOT stand around and talk chit chat. It's distracting, annoying, and can wait for after the training session. With the don'ts out the way, DO ask for training advice or a spot if you need to. Guys might look physically intimidating, but you must understand that in the weight room, even the most aggressive, bad tempered person has a channel for release: the weights. So no, just because the atmosphere is testosterone charged does not mean the guys are aggressive or unapproachable." - Abel

"There are so many myths being perpetuated about women lifting weights in this day and age that most females relegate themselves to the confines of the treadmill and stairmaster. This is a gross injustice to themselves, as many of the myths are not only false, but logically unsound. Although many of the guys at the weights area may seem intimidating, it's nothing more than a gruff facade, as many of us would actually be more than happy to oblige any woman that comes to us for advice regarding lifting." – Twain

"I think that it is great to see girls breaking out of the norm- cardio, and start lifting some weights because it takes a lot of courage for them to do so, venturing into unknown territory, and they deserve respect for that. One tip I would give is to practice good form with lighter weights first, ask the gym staff for help if you're unsure or you can check with Youtube, there is tons of information out there. Do not be afraid to ask for demonstration of good form!" – Sam

"Girls who lift weights kick ass because they are showing us guys that they can train just as hard in the gym! That is a huge inspiration for guys to train harder! Don't worry about other people looking at you and judging you in the gym. If they do that, they are either curious or just wasting their own time. Don't sweat over other people's opinions, the only thing you should be sweating over is your own workout!" – Tim

"Girls who lift tend to develop a sense of independence and tenacity, both qualities I have much respect for. I think guys understand how much effort it takes just to step into the weights area, so don't be afraid to ask if you need help with anything." – Bryan

As you can see, guys are really not that scary nor mean, and they can be very helpful if you ask. So don't let the guys in the weights area scare you off from trying to lift weights, because life is too short for you to refrain from trying something you want to do because you fear what others think of you.

10 Reasons Why Girls Should Lift Heavy

1. Lose fat.

Weightlifting offers higher resistance training than cardio, and lifting weights taxes your body more, thereby requiring more energy to heal. A girl who lifts heavy weights will expend more calories in the post exercise period than a cardio bunny girl, ensuring that she will calories even after the workout is done.

Muscle also needs more energy to be maintained than fat, and hence having muscle increases your metabolism.



2. “Toned” muscles.

Weightlifting does not make you bulky. Testosterone helps to build muscle. Guys get "bulky" because they have much higher levels of testosterone, but girls have much lower levels of testosterone so we don't get bulky. Would you call her bulky?


Jamie Eason

Also, muscle takes up less space than fat
: 

5 lbs of muscle vs 5 lbs of fat

You will not look like a female bodybuilder unless you take anabolic steroids or testosterone. Ever since I started lifting, I’ve lost body fat while still indulging in my favourite desserts, and I’ve gained muscle definition in my arms, abs, butt, and legs that I never got in my years of dancing, or doing any other sort of cardio. I’ve also noticed a dramatic reduction in my cellulite with heavy squats and deadlifts.

3. Functional Strength.

You can't lift weights without getting stronger and better at it. I can now lift that bag of rice in the supermarket, carry gallons of milk myself to the car, and change the water dispenser in the office. Nope, no guys needed. Girl power FTW!
(Which leads to the next point…)

She's so strong she can carry groceries WHILE eating them!

4. It is empowering!




Being able to lift heavy makes me feel incredibly powerful- it has increased my faith in my own abilities to do something that I set my mind to. There is this rush of euphoria each time I see an improvement and I experience this exhilaration every time I set a PR. 

Lifting heavy makes me feel strong and capable of taking care of myself. I love lifting weights because I know that if I set my mind on the goal, and I work towards it, I will be able to accomplish what I set out to do.

5. Helped me to love myself for what I can do and not what I look like.

Nothing wrong with loving yourself for what you look like, but face it, our physical looks are temporal. Who doesn't love that sexy flat stomach when you wake up but hate it when it bloats up after breakfast?

Lifting weights has helped me to enjoy what I do and to accept that looks aren't everything. It helped me to love my body for what it is capable of, be it pull ups, squats, or simply being able to move pain free.


We come in different shapes and sizes but we are all beautiful.
Don't ever let anyone tell you otherwise. 

 6. Because cardio and crunches don't work.

If cardio and crunches worked, then why isn't everyone around you a size 2? We have all been down that path of endless hours on the elliptical/bike/treadmill and we all follow the routines in magazines like this:


Lifting heavy helps you to build the body you want.

7. Stress relief.

Nothing more liberating than going to the gym and deadlifting all your troubles away. When particularly frustrated with exasperating group mates or colleagues, or with relationship problems, deadlifting and wall balls really help me release my irritation and annoyance with every clang of the barbell against the floor.



Wall balls

8. Helps build patience and perseverance in achieving long term goals.

Rome wasn't built in a day. Neither can you squat your body weight the first time you step into a squat rack.

Setting long term goals and working towards them weekly taught me the value of perseverance and diligence. It translated into other qualities which I could use outside the gym- like setting long term goals, short term goals, planning to achieve these goals, discipline in executing my plan, and a doggedness not to let anything stop me from giving my 110%. Weightlifting is perfect for building this way of thinking because it offers am objective way of measuring progress. Either you lift it, or you don't.



9. Health benefits.

Weightlifting is a form of resistance training, which helps to increase bone density, thereby staving off osteoporosis in old age. Turning 50 is a couple of decades away, but what you do now in your 20s can affect you when you’re much older. My mum got osteo-arthritis in her hands when she was 40+, and that made me all the more sure that I want to keep myself strong and fit so I can take care of myself when I’m older.

I still want to be deadlifting like this awesome grandma when I'm 75 years old. 

10. Because you have nothing to lose.

If you’ve tried doing 100 crunches a day, or an hour running, and you don’t see results, then why not trying weightlifting? It’s scary, but it’s awesomely fun when you get to know it. You have nothing to lose but everything to gain by trying something new!