To explore the importance of the ideal female body and gender stereotypes amongst female free weights users, I wanted to learn more about participants’ first experiences in the free weights areas and discover what initially led them to this type of training. It was obvious when reviewing each of the interview transcripts that none of the women in this study spontaneously decided they would give weight training a try; there was always something that sparked their interest, for example being told weight training would be beneficial for losing body fat, or they happened
Figure 3.4: The downstairs free weights area layout Figure 3.3: The upstairs free weights area layout
with an experienced friend, taking part in sport specific coached sessions or with a personal trainer. Their trepidation was articulated through their lack of confidence to go in alone. Three of the women were introduced to weight training through male personal trainers. Natalie, Katie and Janine all mentioned the importance of their male personal trainers in making them feel more at ease within the areas:
I would not go in there by myself, he had to be there the whole time… and then it got to the stage where he didn’t have to be with me the whole time, but he had to be with me and make sure everything was set up (Natalie).
I just kinda went in and because I was with him I felt okay (Katie). He took me through everything… I’d say the first few weeks I was just kind of like, “ah, I don’t know what I am doing” (Janine).
None of the women first experienced the free weights areas with a female coach or personal trainer; a male trainer, coach, partner or friend always acted as a gatekeeper to their first training session. After interviewing Natalie, she approached me whilst she was training and I was on shift, to explain that she believed that males generally knew more about lifting weights than females, therefore she would only trust males with writing her gym programme. Natalie relied on males due to believing that they had a superior knowledge of weight training, for example correct lifting technique, setting up the area and how many sets and repetitions of an exercise to perform. Interestingly, four of the women: Lucy, Penny, Catriona and Ellie were introduced to the free weights areas by a male friend. They felt more comfortable because an experienced male weights user was with them. Being shown how to use the areas by a man seemed to give the women a sense that their own presence was more acceptable. As social construction feminists Lorber and Martin (2007, p.255) suggest:
Western societies expect men to be aggressive initiators of action and protectors of women and children; therefore, men’s bodies should be muscular and strong. Women are expected to be nurturant and emotionally giving
The women within the study perceived men to be strong, muscular and have the knowledge to build superior bodies. Therefore, if they had the support of a man who trained within the area, then they did not feel so out of place. This shows that
the perception of male superiority within the weights areas still exists - it took a man, for the majority of women, to give them their support and guidance in how to use the areas effectively. After this the women used the areas more comfortably. They had gained approval from someone they felt had the authority to give approval and their transitions into using the areas were made easier as they felt safer, calmer and more knowledgeable. However, their need for approval supports the view of a hierarchy within the weights area; men remain dominant.
Seven women were introduced to the free weights areas through sport specific strength and conditioning sessions: Lisa and Tracey through rugby, Lola through handball, Sally through swimming and Jamie, Alex and Beatrice through football. The three football players described their strength and conditioning sessions, led by a male coach in the upstairs area. Interestingly, being part of a group of other females who were also beginners helped the women engage with the programme. Jamie commented:
I didn’t feel as uncomfortable around other females working out… I prefer working out in the back area when it’s like locked off and there’s just female footballers around me… it’s also less busy upstairs and having a closed environment where people aren’t just walking in and out… it’s a lot more comfortable for me (Jamie).
Three women, Mattie, Dora and Katharine, started using the free weights areas through joining either a CrossFit or Weightlifting group. Additionally, both Mary-Kate and Stephanie discussed how they became confident in the free weights areas through being taught how to use the areas safely in a CYQ Level Two Gym Instructor course. During this qualification, the upstairs area was specifically booked out for the candidates to practice their technique for different lifts. Cathy discussed becoming competent at learning different free weights exercises at high intensity exercise classes, such as Les Mills BODYPUMP . The class is described as, “An original barbell class. Using light to moderate weights with lots of repetitions.” (Les Mills, 2016, para. 2). The group class gave Cathy the confidence to go into the free weights areas and attempt the techniques she had learned in a fitness studio.
gym. Both free weight areas are at the back of the gym: the “upstairs area”, through a barrier and the “downstairs area”, down a set of stairs. The downstairs area is always available for members during opening hours. However, external companies often book the upstairs area in order to provide strength and conditioning support to elite athletes, so it is often unavailable to members. This frustrated the majority of the women within the study, who regarded it as their preferred training area. They cited the newness of the equipment, its light and airy environment and it being less crowded as reasons for their preference. In contrast, the downstairs area was seen as busy, noisy, dark and dominated by males. Especially when new to weight training, the women found it extremely daunting to enter the downstairs weights area. Ellie, Janine and Mary-Kate all referred to the downstairs area as “a dungeon”. Penny recalled a conversation she had with one of her female friends:
I have friends who call the downstairs gym “the scary bit” …one of them came in and was like, “Penny, Penny, I went to the scary place yesterday!” and I was like “where did you go?” and they were like “the [downstairs] gym” (Penny, 5).
The important point here is that the downstairs area can only be entered by one staircase. The majority of the women discussed how they initially found the walk to the downstairs area “daunting”. The area can only clearly be viewed by walking down the stairs right into the area. A number of the women discussed how they could not just “peak in” and “take a look”; this made many of the women anxious when first experiencing the downstairs area.