I’d consider myself a “gym girl.” I’m now in my third year of going to the gym regularly, and I’d say I generally have the hang of things. While I prefer a solo gym session, I try to get my friends to come with me. For most of my female friends, going to the gym is a source of anxiety. Especially the large, predominantly male campus gym.
I understand where the discomfort stems from, working out feels weirdly vulnerable. Weight rooms are incredibly male-dominated. There’s fear of getting harassed or stared at, concerns about gym equipment, and the very real possibility of looking silly.
The World Health Association recommends at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity physical exercise or 75 minutes of vigorous-intensity exercise throughout the week. Women are much less likely to meet these recommendations than their male peers.
Muscular hypertrophy specifically has incredible benefits, beyond just increasing one’s strength. It lowers risk of injury, improves heart health, mobility, and mental health, and strengthens one’s bones. Generally, it contributes to a better quality of life, especially for aging women.
That 150 minutes of activity can be daunting, but even just increasing one’s activity slightly can do wonders for an individual’s mental and physical well-being—especially for women. Studies show that the same amount of activity reduces the risk of premature death for women and men by 24% and 18% respectively.
So today, I thought I’d try my hand at breaking down some barriers women face when going to the gym. I’ll mostly be focusing on muscular hypertrophy and weight training using free weights and machines. I’m not the most confident or capable person, so if I can do it, I’m sure you can too.
Fear of Being a Beginner
Much of the apprehension around lifting can be attributed to uncertainty; which exercises to do, how different machines work, what the “optimal split” is. The fear stems from looking like a beginner, or just looking silly.
I’m here to tell you; it doesn’t matter. Everybody starts somewhere, and every single person in the gym has made a fool of themselves at one time or another. You can’t get good at something without being a beginner first. However, it’s always good to have a starting point.
Gym Terminology
There are some basic terms you’ll want to know before stepping into a weight room.
Rep (Repetition): The single completion of an exercise.
For example, doing a single dumbbell curl or push-up. Reps are the building blocks of a gym routine. As a beginner, aim for a weight where you can do eight to twelve reps.
Set: A group of repetitions.
Typically this is followed by a short break to give your muscles time to recover. Aim for two to four sets of each exercise, taking each one to failure, or close.
Failure: The point where you can no longer complete a rep with proper form. This is what you’re aiming for with each set, but make sure you’re safe. Some exercises can’t safely be taken to failure, and instead try to have one to two reps in the tank.
Form: How your body is positioned during an exercise. Prioritize form over all else, making sure you’re doing exercises properly before increasing the weight. Incorrect form can lead to exercises being ineffective or even dangerous.
Split: The schedule or routine you follow in the gym. I’ll get into this more later, but it’s basically the division of what exercises are done and when.
1RM (One rep maximum): The maximum weight someone can lift for one repetition of an exercise.
Warmup: The routine done before your lift to prepare the body. Super important for correct exercise form and injury prevention. Prioritize dynamic stretches over static ones prior to lifting.
Progressive overload: The gradual increase of stress placed on the muscles during exercise. This can look like adding more weight, increasing the amount of reps, or even improving form over time.
Gym Splits
There are three main splits you should consider.
- Full body
This is ideal for beginners or people who can only make it to the gym one to three times a week. It trains all the major muscle groups in one session, meaning a longer, more comprehensive gym trip.
An example of full body workout:
- Back squats
- Romanian deadlifts
- Reverse lunges
- Seated cable rows
- Lateral pulldowns
- Shoulder presses
- Bicep curls
- Tricep pushdowns
- Lateral raises
- Upper/lower
This one adds a bit more complexity, rotating between “upper body” and “lower body” days. This can be helpful for those looking to isolate specific muscle groups for growth, or that just want to spread their gym sessions out more across the week.
An upper/lower split might look like this:
Upper: Back, biceps, shoulders, chest, and triceps
- Bicep curl
- Shoulder press
- Chest press
- Seated cable row
- Lateral pulldowns
- Tricep pushdowns
- Lateral raises
Lower: Glutes, hamstrings, quads and calves
- Hip thrusts
- Smith Machine Romanian Deadlifts
- Single leg press
- Seated leg curl
- Hip abductions
- Standing calf raises
- Push/pull/legs
This split is divided into two upper body days, and one lower body day. The upper body days are divided into a “push” and a “pull” day, basically isolating the muscles required for each movement.
Here’s my push/pull/legs split:
Legs: Glutes, hamstrings, quads and calves
- Hip thrusts
- Smith Machine Romanian Deadlifts
- Single leg press
- Seated leg curl
- Hip abductions
- Standing calf raises
Pull: Back and biceps
- Bicep curl
- Hammer curl
- Lateral pulldown
- Seated cable row
- Single arm dumbbell row
Push: Shoulders, chest, and triceps
- Shoulder press
- Incline chest press
- Tricep pushdown
- Rear delt reverse fly
- Lateral raises
It’s also a good idea to incorporate core and cardiovascular exercises. The core consists of many muscles. This includes the abdominals and obliques, which are what most core exercises target. Training the core improves stability and balance, helping both in and out of the gym.
Cardiovascular exercise is also vital in maintaining good health. It has numerous benefits, like strengthening the heart and lungs, improving sleep, and decreasing the risk of metabolic diseases like type 2 diabetes and heart disease.
Choose whichever form of cardio you most enjoy, whether that be running, swimming, hiking, or cycling. Anything that gets the heart rate up for an extended period of time.
Consistency matters more than having the “perfect” split, which isn’t really a thing. Aim to hit each muscle group one to two times a week for optimal growth. This is just a starting point, figure out which exercises you like and go from there. Don’t force yourself to do exercises you hate. The gym is supposed to be enjoyable, and having “optimal” exercises doesn’t matter if you can’t stay consistent with them.
Physical Insecurity
Going to the gym is already nerve wracking enough, even more-so when you’re worrying about appearance. I get it, I don’t love being perceived when I’m sweaty and red in the face after a set. How you feel the best at the gym is up to personal preference. Some women like wearing sweat sets, while others feel more comfortable in their eight-year-old shorts from high school.
Personally, I like wearing matching two piece sets with an old shirt over top. Though brands like Dfyne and Gymshark are trending, you don’t need to spend a fortune on your gymwear. All of mine are under $40, either thrifted or from Amazon.
Looking nice at the gym can be a good motivator for some people. There’s a mentality of “look good, lift good,” but if this doesn’t appeal to you, then don’t bother. Your role in the gym isn’t to be appealing, it’s to make time for yourself, improve your health, and generally enjoy it.
With the gym being so male dominated, I’ve heard concerns about harassment while in the gym. I won’t say I haven’t experienced this, or that it isn’t an issue, but nine times out of ten I’m able to lift in peace.
It can also be helpful to start going to the gym with friends, whether that be a single accountability buddy or attending group lifts.
Conclusion
The gym can be intimidating. However, it can be quite enjoyable once you get the hang of it. For me, there’s nothing more satisfying than getting in one more rep or finally upping the weight after weeks of hard work.
I hope this inspires you to try something new, whether that be a new, daunting machine or stepping into the gym at all. Recent rhetoric surrounding female bodies has been pushing extreme thinness and disordered eating. It’s important that, as women, we take care of ourselves and emphasize what our bodies can do for us, rather than what they look like.