Venturing Off The Treadmill And Into The Unknown

Whether you frequent the gym or have attended once with no intentions of returning, you know that all the mirrors and free weights are hogged by an array of boys in tank tops checking themselves out (sorry, but it's true). This is not just my observation here at the various gyms of State College, but it is my observation at the multitude of gyms I have been to of various sizes and in various states. Understandably, these scary boys in the mirrors can be a bit intimidating and a little bit territorial. A lot of the girls that I have talked to that go to the gym at college share the same feelings about attempting to use free weights, and thus begins the vicious cycle and crippling stereotype that girls should be stuck on the elliptical or treadmill for hours. Don't get me wrong, there's nothing like sweating it out on the treadmill, BUT it should not be out of default or fear of venturing into different areas of the gym and trying new things. While I am specifically speaking to girls here about the typical gym territories attributed to us, this goes for anyone who feels nervous about venturing into the gym and lacks the confidence to try something new.

 

source

At my hometown gym, I was in no way scared to go anywhere. Contrarily, I felt empowered and known by most of the people that went regularly around the same time I did everyday. It felt much like a community, and I never second-guessed lifting in a the mirror with my 10 pound weights next to the bulky guys ands their 50 pound dumbbells. However, when I came to college that all changed. Of course the strangeness and newness of everything was uncomfortable, but I did not expect to see such a segregation in the gym. I quickly realized that the entire downstairs of the IM Building weight room, where all the squat racks were, did not have a single girl in it. I quietly retreated to the upstairs portion and ran dicouragingly the entire time. Admittedly, this went on for the first few weeks being at school but there was a little piece of me still nervous to do my typical workout which would involve weights and body weight circuits. There came a time where I needed decide enough was enough, and I began to venture a little more with the help of some trial and error type remedies for this awkwardness and male-dominated anxiety.
 

 

My number one absolute biggest piece of advice I wish I could yell into a megaphone for all the girls that dread the gym or feel confined to one area- be confident! Act like you belong, strike some power poses, wear what you feel comfortable in, and walk up to whatever machine or area you want to use with an unmistakable purpose. What I found while doing this is groundbreaking and oh so important- not a single person cares what you do. To my own happiness and many others, most people are so absorbed in their own heads, music, workout, and how their hair looks in the mirror to even think twice about the girl doing lateral raises. And, to be honest, if someone is watching you it is either out of admiration or their own insecurities. Another major way to overcome the uncertainties of the unfamiliar parts of the gym or a good way to try out a new workout is by planning ahead. I find that if I go into the gym with a plan, typically saved in the note section of my phone, I am more motivated to complete the entire workout and I am able to navigate the gym with a specific purpose in mind. This way, if my note says go do squat sets, I have no choice but to venture into the "boy-dominated" part of the gym and stake my claim on a squat rack. Pre-planning makes the workout mindless and almost theoretic, allowing you to take some of the anxiety-filled aspects out of the gym experience.