Thanks for all the niceness that flowed toward me after yesterday’s post. I received some wonderful comments and emails yesterday and it really made my day better. Thank you all so much for the support and love when I’m feeling down (whether I can help it or not). Sometimes I worry about sharing the less than positive aspects of my life, but in the end it always seems worth it. I’m usually comfortable and happy with myself but sometimes I’m not. Sometimes I have bad days. Sometimes I have “fat” days. Sometimes I have to fight against what is going on inside me body to feel good. I think sharing those experiences is just as important as the successes. So thanks!
Today I was dreading my workout because I wasn’t happy with my gym. But I’m back and I have to say it was an awesome workout.
I got really lucky with my gym situation. You might remember that I was deciding between gyms and went with the cheaper option that was a gym filled with lots of free weights and big dudes using the free weights. The first week or so that I used the gym I only did cardio and group exercise classes because I was too overwhelmed by the free weights section.
I know my way around a gym after working at several and being a member of others, but I admit that I didn’t feel comfortable in this gym. I didn’t want to find my own place in the free weights section to get my strength training done. Part of the problem is that we went during the busiest time of the day and the free weights section was packed with guys. I didn’t feel comfortable using that area and I was regretting my membership there because what good is a gym if you aren’t looking forward to using it and don’t feel comfortable enough to use it?
But I lucked out big time. The gym changed! Literally, they changed the layout and vibe of the gym over the weekend. They told us when we joined they would be closing temporarily for renovations and this past weekend they did it.
Originally when you walked into the gym you walked directly into the large free weights section. Not once did I see women in there and that is partly why it was so intimidating to me. The women stuck to the other rooms off to the side that housed the cardio equipment and the class studio. But in this new layout you walk into the big open room with the cardio machines and a few weight machines. I think for the first time I finally saw women in that room! The huge free weights section is then off to the side and the room for classes is upstairs. It’s a much better layout in my opinion because it brings all the gym members together and it’s much less intimidating.
Thanks to the new gym layout I was comfortable and I finally did a strength training workout. It felt nice to be able to do my thing and work my muscles in the new area they had created. I’ve got everything I need available and I don’t even need to venture over to the free weights area except for access to a few cable machines. I was able to complete a great upper body workout and 30 minutes of cardio in a space where I felt comfortable. This gym might work out for me after all. I’m going to get strong!!
Have you ever felt uncomfortable in a gym? How did you fix the situation?
I felt the same way in the gym that I belonged to. The free weight area was way too intimidating for me, so I never used it! There were also some other machines and equipment that I avoided because I didn’t know how to work them and was too embarassed to ask. Stupid, I know!
I’m glad that things worked out for you at the gym and you’re feeling better :D
I get very intimidated by the free weight room, too. Especially during busy hours. I’m glad your gym moved things around and you’re better able to get your strength training in! Hooray for getting strong!!
In the beginning I simply went to the gym very early or very late – and I practically had the gym to myself.
As I built up some strength and the huffing and puffing was replaced with “normal” heavy breathing I found it comfortable enough to hit the gym in the afternoon.
What further pleased me when I worked out when the gym was full was that I seemed to be the only one following a plan and the rest of the gym just seemed to be winging it. As a result I was in and out of the gym faster than everybody else.
Since you’ve been to the gym with me (*pause for happy memory*), you know that I claim my space in the free weight area. I wasn’t always that way, but working with a trainer and learning how to do things properly gave me the confidence to just grit my teeth and stand my ground. It’s definitely one of those situations in which I got more comfortable with it the more I did it.
Yes, I have felt uncomfortable in the gym, particularly when I was first introduced to the equipment and learning how my body worked and my limitations. Also, anytime I hit my head on equipment like a big moron in front of a crowd. This seems to happen somewhat frequently. :)
Besides all of that, I have truly found myself in the gym, in particularly in the free weights section. Maybe it’s all of those months of uncertainty and learning that got me to where I am and helped create new confidence, I’m not really sure. But, I mist say I relish it when there are only guys hitting the weights. I almost feel like it’s my duty to show the rest of the women in the gym, “hey! This area is for us too ladies!” And you know the guys just move out of the way a bit and make room. And, I’ve met some really nice guys too, even though I am still working my fat off and am far from goal. They think it’s cool that a girl like me is trying and sweating her ass off. I hear that a lot.
I’m very glad you didn’t give up on your gym. If they wouldn’t have changed the layout around, I would have recommended that you maybe go at a slower time. Usually if you ask the workers there they can tell you the best times to go for less traffic.
Yeah if they hadn’t changed the layout I was going to start going during the day when it wasn’t as busy. The biggest part of the problem was that the time we were going it was packed with people and I couldn’t even imagine where to being to stake my claim because there basically wasn’t any free space. But luckily they changed it around so I can go any time of day and still get what I need to do done without being cramped and fighting for the regular space.
Mary, I am with Cammy… i just learned my stuff & made my way around & did not let any guys intimidate me. If you show that right up front, they will respect you & if they don’t , I give them a piece of my mind as we all have a right to be there. With time, you will knock those guys senseless! :-)
There’s a lady in my gym who wears a wife beater with no bra every single day. On top of that, she also has incredibly high shorts. Incredibly.
She’s also on the treadmill. And is like 65.
Dislike.
Oh, and yes, it makes me uncomfortable. I just avert my eyes.
Hahahaha.
I totally have felt that way before… so I avoid co-ed gyms at all costs, I generally only go to one if it has a class I want.
Guys walk around the gym like neanderthals (no stereotype intended).
At womens-only gyms I feel very comfortable and able to workout in peace. I don’t feel as pressured to dress is super nice gym clothes and wear make-up to the freakin’ gym.
Guys stare. Guys are intimidating.
…and my boyfriend wonders why I won’t go to the gym with him – it’s because of the other guys.
I’m glad you feel much more comfortable now without breaking your wallet. I’m lucky because my boyfriend’s sister teaches classes at the gym I go to (Goodlife) and I get a Friend’s membership for $200/year – really saves me!
I have a lot of fun in the weights section because I honestly love the shocked looks that the beffy guys give me when they see me there. Some give me snarky “go back to the treadmill” looks but for the most part they get really friendly and smily. I don’t know, I just find it really amusing.
I really hate it when people think of the cardio section as the ‘ladies” area and the free weight section as the ‘men’s’ section …both men and women can use weights and cardio, build muscle, lift heavy, run fast, etc. Basically a body is a body. In fact, I find that most of the gyms in the ‘men’s’ free weight area don’t have any idea what they are doing…they just do it with confidence (and ignorance :) ). And the guys don’t care that you are there, in fact, most people at the gym aren’t paying attention to anyone but themselves….think about it: Are you paying attention to the other people? If you are, then you aren’t working hard enough!! :)
I love working out in the free weights section. I read The Body Sculpting Bible for Women a few years ago, and it shows all the correct form (it even comes with a DVD) for most free weight exercises and has great 3-day full body workouts; so once I hit the free-weights I wasn’t nervious because I knew what I was doing.
The best thing you can do to feel confident is to know what you are doing. Get a personal trainer for a few weeks, or a good book that shows proper form and make a workout for yourself, or go to the gym with someone that knows their stuff.
And by “most of the gyms” I mean “most of the guys”…..
I agree. I hated that about this particular gym because there is a clear divide between people that I’ve not had at my other gyms. And since I’m in a new country with a different culture, I’m not the one to be shaking things up, you know?
I agree that knowing what you are doing helps. I do know what I’m doing but even with the knowledge I was still intimidated by the gym’s setup and culture and pure business/lack of space during the time I went. So even with the knowledge of proper form and knowing how to do exercise and use free weights I still got nervous about it!
My advice is to just force yourself to do and you’ll eventually get over the embarrassment. I felt that way when I first started working out. Especially getting into a swim suit and showing off my 250+ pound body! Talk about humiliation. But I knew humiliation was a small price to pay for getting healthy and losing that 100 pounds!
It’s not embarassment or humiliation. Maybe for most women and you it is/was, but that wasnt my problem. Please reread or read my previous comments. ;)
The scariest types in the “scary guys room” in my gym is actually the women. They are fitter than most the men there and seem a whole lot more dedicated than the men.
Congrats to you for your new gym. Very good article. It always come down to good content that people are interested in. Thank you for the guidelines.
I agree with some of the other ladies…you just have to stake your claim! I’ve found that a lot of guys sort of welcome a girl who’s confident using weights!
We do go to the gym together. LOL.
That’s cool that you are doing pullups! Who cares what anyone else thinks!
No doubt that I have been uncomfortable in a gym before. I mean, what is the deal with that???
Now, not so much. But it took a while.
Thanks Mary!
WeighDownSouth.com
glad to hear you’re enjoying it now!! i know what it means to feel uncomfortable. i use the workout room in our apartment building and it’s usually pretty dead except me – and some random grunter. and it’s SOOO uncomfortable because it sounds like they’re making sex noises (can i say that?) like….why? if the exercise is that strenuous, go to a lesser weight! for pete’s sake, don’t hurt yourself! :P
I just joined a gym and it is so intimidating and crowded! Ah scary! I am not sure if I even want to go back. Everyone around me seemed so fit!
I have always loved the gym I have been too.
Apart from the time when the swimming pool is crowded :(
I have only been a member of one gym and I’ve never felt uncomfortable there, though I’ve never used the free weights section, hardly any women did. I just stuck to the cardio/weight machines.
I felt uncomfortable the first time I tried joining a gym, yrs ago..i wasn’t into exercising, so I felt like a fraud, which I was. I actually went only to watch tv. Lol. Couple yrs later, I joined for real, and I did feel a little uncomfortable the first couple days, but they gave us a free personal trainer for the first few sessions to let everyone learn how to use a gym, and after the first couple sessions with him, I felt comfortable using the gym myself. Since then ive never felt uncomfortable, even when trying out gyms or visiting gyms. Then again, I don’t use free weights, just weight machines, cardio machines, and classes. All free weight work I do is done in my classes. I do think its almost all guys in the free weights section, but I don’t avoid it because of them, just because I don’t feel strong enough to use those weights the right way on my own. My best friend is one of those strong muscle guys on the free weights (as well as the cardio machines, etc), so I know first hand, theyre just concerned about doing their own workouts, not about watching/making fun of/judging random people/women who come over there to do their own workouts. If anyone thinks people are watching you at the gym, they probably aren’t. its in your head. Well, maybe I have felt slightly out of place before, in the womens only sections of some gyms..i prefer being out in the general gym population, but that’s probably cuz im women-phobic lol.
Oy, I find the trainers at my gym totally intimidating… :-O
I think the most important thing when you look of a gym is a place where you feel conformable other wise you going to hate to go to the gym