Struggles From The Weights Room

Hello peeps,

Sorry for not keeping in contact over the last few days, I spent Easter with my family. You can follow my doings over on Twitter but I’m getting round to replying to you all – promise!

I recently did a post that gave advice for women and weights, and it seemed to get a lot of comments based on the weight room itself and me calling it ‘the male area‘. So I’m curious if people feel the same (or different) to some more of my thoughts…let me know in the comments peeps!

1.”Male Zone Only”

 

Every girl, or guy for that matter, would’ve felt the initial intimidation of the weight room. A room filled to the brim with testosterone and armpits. I dunno where armpits came from but it’s true, they’re everywhere. Some manage to grab the bull by the horns first off and dive right in, while others (ME) avoid it for as long as possible.

Initially it was the fact that I didn’t know what I was doing. A scary prospect for all. But a stronger issue I found, was the uncomfortable stares from guys – normally under 18’s. I would take it as a compliment, but it gets to the point where I’m having to turn around and ask them if they’re ok…I want to finish my workout without feeling uncomfortable.

I’m ok now, but the more girls in the weight room the easier it gets. COME ON. 

2. Taken benches

HEAVEN.

As a girl who likes to use free weights as opposed to machines, having a free bench is just as important as having available weights. I like to have my own space until I decide that I’m done. I think that space is normally claimed by the placing of a water bottle or towel. 

So when you see the signs of every bench taken…you’re now dealt with the task of keeping yourself busy whilst keeping an eye out for when a bench becomes free.

3. The awkward resting time eye contact

When lifting heavy weights and wanting to exhaust your muscles, the rest period is an essential, yet awkward one. Where do you look?! I mean, I get pretty bored of looking at myself as it’s non-stop when working out to correct form. So when I’m not lifting weights, my sweaty mug is the last place I want to look. I’m sure it’s the same for everyone else seeing as everyone ends up looking at each other or their phones ready for the next set…am I right? 

4. The noises

You know the ones, the cavemen-like grunts when it gets near to the end of a set. I’m all for letting off steam, but the screams that come from grown men sometimes can be a little excessive. Well, for a public gym open to anyone it is. Perhaps it’s different in a specialised body building gym but I’m quite content with just a puffing of the cheeks and gritting of the teeth when it gets tough.

Not to mention how distracting it is. 

5. Wanting to refill

As mentioned earlier, leaving something like a bottle or towel where you’re working out can help to ‘claim‘  your area. However, when you need to leave to refill your bottle, a.k.a your chosen apparatus to mark your territory, things get a little complex. I’m not entirely sure what I do when it comes to this situ. Maybe I finish a set and find a good place to stop incase someone nabs my bench (just like I would do).

6. Putting Weights Away 

If you’ve done any arm work, you know the struggle of having to re-lift those weights to put them back on the rack for others to use (if you’re a good gymmer). I, more often than not, end  up putting one at a time away due to me being physically unable to lift them both up. They feel like 100lb dumbells! Signs of a good workout though right?

7. TV zombies

This isn’t so much a thing to moan about (SHOCKING FOR ME I KNOW), it’s more just a funny observation.

Whenever there’s an important match on, I’m often found being the only one actively moving. The rest are stood at their machine or bench, mouth open, swaying a little without taking a single blink, some dribble. All over a sports game. When really, the sooner they get on and finish their workout, the sooner they can go home to watch it on their sofa!

So there’s a few thoughts I’ve moaned about in my head for the past couple of years and now outloud on my blog. If any of you have thought the same or have other struggles in the weight room – feel free to share below, we’re all friends here. 

Love Life, Lexi!