If you’re a girl on this campus, you know the infamous Bentley weight room. Every time you enter the gym, you have to take a deep break and make the 20 feet walk through the weight room to the stairs, where you can run up and escape to the cardio floor. And for so many girls on this campus, the idea of using the weight room is ridiculous. How can my 5’4” self lift those 5 pound dumbbells next to some gym bro who’s benching 200?
The gym is a perfect example of the Bentley Ratio in action. Instead of being able to confidently waltz into the weight room with our headphones on, so many girls on this campus feel vulnerable anywhere on the bottom floor of the gym. It feels like we’re being stared at, or like guys are snickering at us because we’re lifting a tiny fraction of what they are.
How do we change this narrative? How do we get over our fear of the weight room?
As a junior at Bentley, I have learned how to conquer the weight room. It all started when I had a coffee chat for a club, so I joined one of my fellow E-Board members for his workout in the weight room. Using the weight room for the first time with a guy friend was really helpful. It made the experience less daunting and it felt like I belonged there, rather than feeling like a fish out of water. But I can’t drag someone to the gym every time I want to use the weight room. How do I use the weight room alone?
What I find most helpful is getting a great playlist together – pop, country, rap, anything that gets you feeling excited and like the hottest girl in the room. After that, I love putting on my favorite workout outfit. Some days I love a matching set, and other days I like some shorts and one of my boyfriend’s baggy t-shirts. Once I’ve got my music playing and my workout fit on – I’m ready to go.
But even if you were a supermodel, I’m sure you would still feel intimidated in the weight room. All the time when I’m down there, I get really embarrassed if I can’t finish a set or if I have terrible form. I swear I can feel everyone’s eyes on me, and it sucks even more when there’s someone next to me (girl or guy) who looks like they know exactly what they’re doing. But something that I’ve found helpful is realizing that this circumstantial anxiety isn’t doing me any good. When I’m at the gym, my insecurities aren’t doing me any good – my insecurities are just making me second guess myself and stopping me from focusing on my workout. In these moments, I like to catch myself during all my worrying and tell my insecurities to f*#@ off.
So the next time you feel like using the weight room but feel like you can’t because you’re a girl, remember that you belong there just as much as anyone else. It’s 2023 – no one can stop a girl from lifting. Remember that if I can do it, I know you can too. You deserve to feel your best and that includes doing things that make you feel your best – and if going to the gym is going to help you become the best version of yourself, no one should ever stop you from taking care of yourself. You got this!