Free Weights - Survey & Feedback Requested From Women O...

Meli:

Your comments coincide with an angle I'm taking in the introduction of my article, regarding men attempting to pick up women at the gym. In a survey published in the March issue of Men's Fitness, 37% of respondents said they tell a woman she's beautiful (okay, can you say awkward and uncomfortable?) to get her attention, and 35% said they catch her eye and maintain eye contact (in other words, they stare). Only something like 7% said they ask her for a spot (which I personally think is the best approach because of 1) the humor factor and 2) it's non-invasive.

Do these guys think all women are at the gym to find a date? I mean, it's obvious which ones are (look for the beautified woman just walking around aimlessly - she might as well have "look at me" or "ask me out" stamped to her forehead) and which ones are there to work out. Yes, if you're single, the gym is a great place to meet someone with the same interests you have in staying fit, but HELLO! There's a way to get a girl's attention without being a total jerk and/or creeping her out. Asking her advice would work better than assuming she's too stupid to know how to lift weights, don't you think?
 
How cool is it to be part of a survey for an article?! :)

1. Yes!
2. B
3. C
4. B
5. A
6. n/a

I do all my weight workouts at home. A couple years ago I belonged to a gym- for the first time in my life. Let me add here that I've been working out with Cathe- cardio and weights- for 4 years. I felt like I knew WHAT to do with the free weights, but didn't feel comfortable using them without an instructor to follow. I also felt very self-conscious because I'm overweight...and well I was afraid that to other people at the gym I didn't look like I knew what I was doing with the weights. Lastly, there were never ANY women in that area...just young hot guys. They were, of couse, fun to watch, though. ;)

Hope that helps! :)
 
>1) Do you regularly use free weights and resistance training
> (dumbbells, barbells, cable apparatus, weighted lunges/squats,
>etc.)?
YES

>If yes, go to question 2; if no, proceed to question 6.
>2) How often do you use free weights/resistance training?
> b) 2-3 times per week
I WOULD LIKE TO DO IT 3-4 TIMES A WEEK IF I COULD, BUT TIMES DON'T ALWAYS PERMIT.

>3) Generally, how long are your free weights/resistance
>training sessions?
> c) 45-60 minutes

>4) How heavy do you lift? (Use the included poundage as a
>guide only)

> b) I lift moderate weight (10-20 lb dumbbells; unplated
>bar)
> c) I lift heavy (20-25 lb dumbbells; plated bar)
COULD I GIVE TWO ANSWERS TO THIS AS IT DEPENDS ON THE PROGRAM I AM TRAINING WITH, EITHER ENDURANCE OR STRENGTH.

>5) What body parts do you work with free weights?
> a) I work 'em all, baby! Legs, butt, core, arms, big toes,
>etc.

Comment:

I think women don't like to build muscles as it's a stereotypical image that we see in the media that women who look soft and slim are the 'ideal woman'. I had friends over for dinner one night a few weeks back and I showed them Cathe's Gym Styles Chest and Triceps. As soon as they saw they said 'No, way! She's too muscular, she looks like a man!' Now I've been using Cathe's workouts for a long time and I think I may be accustomed to her physique (also, she does look more buff in her heavy weight training workouts than endurance and cardio), so I was surprised when they made such a fuss about it. I really like Cathe's physique and aim for that one day.

Yen
 
>So, for women who are intimidated by the men, just know
>this...they don't know what they're doing most of the time. I
>bet most women know more than they do.

A confession. Secretly, I love to show off. Dont ask me again, because I will deny it.

I think I intimidate the men in the free weights area of my gym. I can outlift, weight wise, some of the newbie men for the lower body (but only until they get experienced). I also throw in all the techniques I learned from Cathe - plyo and endurance stuff like pulses and diffferent rep speeds and balance work. A lot of men at my gym are all about low-rep and hi-weight. Challenge them to Cathe-style endurance lifting, and I see respect in their eyes. Some of the regulars in the free weights area will spot for me. I also found that many heavy lifters in my gym tended to ignore low back. They learn and borrow my moves from Cathe DVDs like superman and planks.

~* Vrinda *
 
Absolutely!

One of the main reasons that I refuse to go to the gym is the amount of "gym bunnies" that are there. (And maybe this is my poor choice of gyms in the past...) But the women that are completely made up, wearing loads of jewelry and their fashion workout gear that stand around and talk with a towel hanging over their shoulders....they just kill me!

They all would stare at me as if I were crazy when I would be not talking to anyone and actually breaking a sweat.

Naturally, this set me apart from them, and sometimes drew over men while I was working in "their" section (free weights).

On a few occasions, I would have guys approach and actually talk to me about what I was doing, routines I would use, etc... And I was much more likely to engage in converstaions with them, than the guys that were all macho and trying to be super buff!
 
RE: Free Weights - Survey & Feedback Requested From Wom...

1) Do you regularly use free weights and resistance training (dumbbells, barbells, cable apparatus, weighted lunges/squats, etc.)?
YES

2) How often do you use free weights/resistance training?
b) 2-3 times per week


3) Generally, how long are your free weights/resistance training sessions?
c) 45-60 minutes


4) How heavy do you lift? (Use the included poundage as a guide only)
c) I lift heavy (20-25 lb dumbbells; plated bar)


5) What body parts do you work with free weights?
a) I work 'em all, baby! Legs, butt, core, arms, big toes, etc.

I do all my lifting at home. I just recently canceled my gym membership. The gym "bunnies" annoyed me too, but so did the meat heads. I had to endure their constant comments about what weight I was using etc... They really were "nice" guys, but wouldn't leave me alone when I was working out in "their" area. I will probably never go back. I am much happier at home! :)
 
RE: Free Weights - Survey & Feedback Requested From Wom...

When I dont want to be disturbed at the gym, I plug in my ear phones and listen to my iPod. I mouth "sorry" and point at my ears to anyone who tries to talk to me despite this.

~* Vrinda *~
 
1) Yes
2) b) 2-3 times per week
3) c) 45-60 minutes
4) c) I lift heavy (20-25 lb dumbbells; plated bar)
5) a) I work 'em all, baby! Legs, butt, core, arms, big toes, etc.
Comments - I work out at home, but when I do go to the gym I use the free weights section, it takes all of my willpower to not correct other people's form.
 
2)b
3)d
4) c or D depending on what I'm working
5)a
6)n/a

There are a few ladies who come over and lift pretty heavy and I vow one of these to make friends with one of them as I would love someone to train with here and there for encouragement.

I think women would be much less fearful if they only knew the bad form with which their male counterparts lifted with on a regular basis. Ouch!
 
1) Do you regularly use free weights and resistance training (dumbbells, barbells, cable apparatus, weighted lunges/squats, etc.)?
Yes!

2) How often do you use free weights/resistance training?
b) 2-3 times per week <====

3) Generally, how long are your free weights/resistance training sessions?
c) 45-60 minutes <===

4) How heavy do you lift? (Use the included poundage as a guide only)
c) I lift heavy (20-25 lb dumbbells; plated bar) <===

5) What body parts do you work with free weights?
a) I work 'em all, baby! Legs, butt, core, arms, big toes, etc. <===

6) For those who don't work out with free weights, why not?
a) The free weights section of the gym is too intimidating
b) The men in the free weights section of the gym are too intimidating
c) I don't know how to use free weights
d) I'm afraid of getting "big" muscles and bulking up
e) Working with free weights isn't part of my fitness goals
e-1) What are your fitness goals?
f) Other - please fill in.

Additional Comments? Please include them.
I rarely lift at the gym anymore because I am worried about illness. For years there have been reports of fecal bacteria on gym equipment because of members' poor hygiene, and now you read about drug-resistant bacterial infections acquired in places where people congregate, including gyms. The whole idea grosses me out and I feel much safer using my own equipment, at home.

There can be other problems with lifting at the gym. Back in the days years ago when I used to lift weights at the gym, my gym only had 2-3 sets of dumbbells of each weight. Sometimes the poundage I wanted was being used and I had to wait. I would get stressed because I couldn't do my exercises in the order I wanted and couldn't get in the "flow". Also, the socializing bothered me - people would come up and talk to me, comment on my workout or the weights I was using, etc. and, again, this disrupted the flow of my workout.

Thanks for inviting us to participate in the survey! :)
 
RE: Free Weights - Survey & Feedback Requested From Wom...

Just a few things I heard other women say about weigt training be it free weights or machines

Don't want to be around men when working out
Don't know the proper way to work out
Don't want to use more than 5lb DBs cuz it makes me big (this one just kills me, I swear I've heard this more than once)
Too embarrassed by their weight to even go to a gym
Men don't like women with muscles (WTH??? I don't get this one either)

JMO but some women just simply aren't interested (hard to believe huh?)

We have a nice gym at work but as far as I know I'm the only woman that uses it. Co-workers have said they don't want to be in there with the guys...I personally don't give a hoot. I put in my MP3 and go for it.

I"ve been training for over 20 yrs and have given up on trying to get friends/co-workers to use weights. I have no patience for silliness. Guess thats why I don't have a lot of friends:D
I started working out at home because like others have said, the gym bunnies get on my nerves so bad. I wouldn't mind but they get on a machine STAY on that machine all dolled up, looking around to see who's watching and to hell with those of us wanting to use the machine and get our workout done. I"m not saying all gyms are like this, but I"ve belonged to a couple different gyms and the atmosphere was as I described. I currently belong to a gym (even though we have one at work) just to take turbo-kick and Body Attack classes weight training I do at home or here at work.
 
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