More and more women are occupying spaces in the gym that had been reserved for men until now. Free weight rooms intimidate them and make them feel uncomfortable, but many have found a way to dare to occupy these spaces: to be accompanied by their gym sis (training partners). Weight rooms are no longer the exclusive territory of gym bros; the rise of women posting strength-training videos on TikTok is encouraging many others to jump in, even if they need to be accompanied by friends to feel safer.
Gender stereotypes continue to dominate gyms: for them, buzz and pilates; for them, the iron and some kind of bicycle. The situation is changing, but with difficulties. Force work does not necessarily have to be exclusive to men. More and more women are interested in strength training, but do not dare to enter the free weight rooms for fear of being watched and receiving sexist, condescending comments and even having their photos taken.
Júlia Mayral (23) joined the gym at the age of 16. She started with cardio exercises and activities such as zumba or cycling: “Almost all the girls started like that”. Later she started with strength exercises and entered the free weight room, but the change was difficult for her: “I felt very insecure. I was just starting out and didn’t know how the machines worked; I felt judged”.
Andrea Morillas (22) also started with cardio exercises and guided classes. “At 18 I started with strength training”, but entering the fitness room was also a challenge for her: “It’s a very masculine environment. I felt intimidated. It seems silly, but I didn’t dare to take the plunge until I went there with friends.”
Mayral explains that, being a girl, you get a lot of looks “because we’re still few” and that it’s an environment that enhances your insecurities: “Before I thought they were looking at me because my cellulite was noticeable or my belly was visible , but now I’ve gained more confidence in myself and if they look at me I think it’s because I’m lifting a lot of kilos”.
Jordi Bertran, personal trainer, explains that “before the weight rooms were almost exclusively men’s territory and women didn’t feel included. This is changing, although there are still many men who make them uncomfortable with looks and comments.” According to this Inefc teacher, “the young population has very sexist attitudes that are reflected in their attitude at the gym”.
Bertran believes that gyms should do more to integrate women into the fitness room. He assures that strength work “is one of the best antidotes for the prevention of osteoporosis, to improve posture, hormonal secretion and weight loss”.
For Bertran, “the aesthetic pressure affects a lot when it comes to sports, especially young people. In TikTok, an aesthetic specific to La isla de las tentaciones is promoted. He claims that this promotes stereotypes in sports activities: “Men work abs, backs and arms, and women tend to focus on the glutes.” Mayral adds that she has heard many people call men “gay” for attending yoga classes.
Among the main reasons that hold women back from going to weight rooms are the stares and comments they receive from men. “They are horrible – says Mayral -. They take pictures of your butt while you drink water or come over to touch you when you do squats. And the gym, with these situations, turns a blind eye – Mayral laments -. They should take action.” There is a lack of gender perspective in the professional teams of many gyms, analyzes Bertran: “that the professional in charge of the fitness room does not act in these situations is a serious problem. He is responsible for stopping it and making it clear that he is coming to train”.
The powerlifter says that at the beginning she received many derogatory comments: “They told me I had cellulite, that I was chubby”. Now she continues to receive offensive comments for being “too muscular”. “Muscular women’s bodies are not well seen – Mayral laments -. People make comments like ‘what a disgusting bastard'”. But he explains that “the worst is when they mansplain you” (when a man tells a woman how to do something in a paternalistic way). Also, men get annoyed when women put on more weight than them, as if it affects their masculinity.
The key, for Júlia Mayral, “is to train with someone with whom you feel a bit of a refuge”. She remembers that, when she first joined the gym, there were only three women training hard: “We were respected because we were the only ones who set foot in that room. Now there are still many more boys, but there are more and more girls”. She attributes the rise in women to the popularization of gym six videos on TikTok that teach their routines and encourage others to do the same. For Morillas, these videos show the importance of having female references who train strength. Thanks to this, he was encouraged to start: “They take away the insecurity of going there without knowing how the machines work and make you go there with more confidence.”
Bertran comments that “more and more professionals are using the networks to educate about sport, a very positive trend that hopefully will dethrone the other. The problem is that there are no filters that allow you to distinguish between the recommendations of professionals and the bad advice of any user with followers, because there are many people who recommend barbarities.
