Medical Experts Push for More Women to Embrace Weight Training

Healthcare professionals are advocating for increased female participation in strength training, citing significant health benefits. Experts say gym environments need to become more welcoming and women need better education about resistance training to overcome barriers that keep them away from weights.

When Elisabeth Bradley started college, she became motivated to begin strength training after following a woman’s fitness journey on social media, watching her progress one barbell at a time.

However, Bradley discovered she was the sole female in San Diego State University’s weight room.

“I felt like I stuck out a lot, and I just thought, ‘OK, I’m gonna look dumb,'” she says. Feeling overwhelmed by a space filled with grunting, muscular men, she relocated to the cardio section, reflecting the experience of numerous women who steer clear of free weights and strength equipment for different reasons.

As evidence grows regarding resistance training benefits, professionals believe several changes are needed in gym environments to attract more women.

Michelle Segar, a behavioral scientist at the University of Michigan who researches exercise patterns, explained that creating more welcoming environments and improving women’s familiarity with weights would encourage greater participation. Increased representation would then help more women stick with their routines.

The National Institutes of Health advises everyone — both men and women — to engage in resistance training a minimum of twice weekly. This encompasses various activities requiring physical force, including weight machines, resistance bands, or bodyweight movements like pushups and squats.

Research has shown resistance training helps prevent cardiovascular disease, enhances long-term mobility and reduces blood pressure, according to Brad Schoenfeld, an exercise science professor at Lehman College in New York City. Some studies indicate women may gain even greater benefits than men from weight training since it helps prevent osteoporosis and age-related muscle deterioration, conditions women face higher risks for developing, he explained.

“The bottom line is, resistance training is a cure for all sorts of issues,” Schoenfeld said.

Daisy Arauza, a 30-year-old mother of two from Menifee, California, currently does Pilates and cardio workouts at home using videos and online guides, and wants to purchase a gym membership to help with strength building and weight management.

However, she struggles with confidence issues and doesn’t feel knowledgeable enough about weights and proper gym behavior.

“I have a lot of self-consciousness because of how my body looks right now. When you think of the gym, you think about people that are already more fit. And so it feels like I have to make myself fit into this mold before I can feel comfortable being in a gym setting working out in front of other people,” she said.

A persistent stigma still exists around women lifting weights, Bradley noted. After years of being told that thinness is the ideal goal, some incorrectly assume strength training will create a bulky appearance.

Schoenfeld explained that most women shouldn’t worry about developing excessive muscle mass because gaining significant amounts is difficult for anyone — particularly women, who possess lower levels of testosterone, the muscle-building hormone. If someone dislikes their results, reducing training intensity is simple, he noted: “It’s very, very easy to lose muscle.”

Several months following her disappointing first experience, Bradley discussed her strength-training aspirations with a male weightlifter from her dormitory, who taught her bodybuilding fundamentals. This encouragement motivated her to establish Girl Gains, a female weightlifting organization that now operates dozens of chapters at universities nationwide.

“Other things get shoved down our throats, like Pilates and cardio and yoga, but they complement each other,” Bradley said. “Being stronger in the gym is going to help you progress in Pilates. Having muscle is going to help make you a faster, better runner.”

Women beginning strength training should receive empowering and realistic guidance, supporters emphasize.

While complementary introductory sessions can be helpful, superficial instruction from trainers in revealing clothing won’t be effective, Segar warned.

“Most women have tried to achieve the perfect body for decades, and it only leads to a sense of failure,” she said. Rather than concentrating on how exercise makes them feel, they’re worrying about others’ perceptions.

Women who discover community in weight rooms collaborate on personal goals, becoming stronger and challenging themselves, Bradley observed. “One of the things we always say is, ‘The gains look good on you.'”

Some women discover they can concentrate better on their workouts without men present.

At the women-only Goddess Gym in Peterborough, England, Charlie Sturgeon reported feeling happier than she did in co-ed facilities where she experienced “some quite weird experiences where people would just stare, pull faces, make comments. And here, with being women only, it just feels like there’s a sense of community.”

Some fitness centers attempt to accommodate women better by providing on-site childcare services.

Michelle Kozak of Phoenix, who has two young children, terminated her membership when her gym discontinued child care services.

She also feels uncomfortable with intense gym culture.

“I don’t want to make the gym my entire personality,” she said. “I just want to have some time to prioritize being healthy.”