For years weightlifting has been dominated by men, but women and nonbinary lifters are stepping onto the weight floor to claim their space at AU. With two fitness centers on campus, opportunities to start lifting are plentiful, but entering a male-dominated gym can prove difficult.
Grace Roundcount, an AU student and RecFit employee, reached out to female and nonbinary lifters on social media about their experiences in the fitness centers. Many anonymous respondees expressed concerns about male lifters intruding on their workouts by trying to correct their form or take the equipment they are using. Some respondees pointed out that designated hours for women would be beneficial.
To improve the environment in the gym, Grace proposes a social media account run by women and nonbinary lifters to support each other. “If it was tutorials, how to use the equipment, [and] gym etiquette, it would be helpful for people.”
“A lot of women are intimidated,” says Marisa Pashkin, a RecFit staff member. For those looking to start weightlifting, RecFit offers a three-part Women on Weights class for women-identifying and nonbinary students, faculty, and staff, which Marisa helps instruct. The weekly sessions are an hour and a half and cover an introduction to the weight room, safe form on the three main power lifts (back squat, bench press, and deadlift), and how to create a weightlifting plan. Beyond the class, though, the weight floor can remain a daunting environment to break into.
Women on Weights instructors have worked each semester to create a formal and technique-based introduction to lifting class for women and nonbinary students. AhealthyU Wellness Program Manager Jennifer Pilut pointed out that strength training is a recommendation for people to fit into their routines. “Getting beginners to feel more comfortable is fabulous,” she said. Personal trainer Raya Roberts echoed the sentiments, calling weightlifting “super confidence building.”
Yeli Nikolenko, an AU student, runs a gym Instagram (@chickswholift_together) that she hopes to establish as a safe space for women in the gym. “I want [to build] this community, so people have someone to reach out to if they want advice,” she said, pointing out that she was nervous when first starting to lift on campus. Now an established presence on the weight floor, she hopes to build her account and welcome more women and nonbinary students to the weight floor.
As the lifting community continues to grow, it is a widely shared hope that the weight floor can become a more comfortable environment for AU students. The instructors hope to expand the program in coming semesters, including establishing an intermediate-level class.