Most girls would gladly watch the guys in the weight rooms of Eppley Recreation Center do their thing. Working out with them is a different story.
Eppley offers a plethora of options for working out and staying in shape. There are basketball and racquetball courts, indoor and outdoor pools, fitness classes, cardio machines and even an indoor track. There’s also the weight room. Many girls avoid the weight room. Instead, they gravitate towards the cardio machines, fitness classes and both pools.
“Swimming is a great workout,” sophomore journalism major Tori Tanner said. “[But the weight room] is scary. There’s either varsity athletes in there, or big guys, or athletic girls.”
Many other girls have the same opinion. They stay away from the weight room, or even Eppley Recreation Center in its entirety, because of the intimidation they feel when they step inside.
Athletic-looking male students appear to make up the majority of members in the weight room. The girls that are found there often “know what they’re doing,” Tanner said.
Perspiration, the clang of metal, and intensity fill the air.
Many girls feel as though they don’t meet the standards unofficially imposed by those who do use the weight room. They feel out of place, afraid they look too weak or clueless when it comes to some of the complicated machinery and massive weights. It’s discouraging and somewhat frightening doing bicep curls with an 10-pound dumbbell, when the guy three feet to the left is curling six times that, not to mention the horrifying faces he’s making in the mirror as he does so.
Environmental science major Imani Davis isn’t intimidated by the guys in the weight room. “They’re not paying you any attention, so don’t pay them any attention,” Davis said.
On the off chance they are paying attention, that doesn’t mean it’s a bad thing. Often times, when they see a girl use the weight room, “the guys think it’s cool,” sophomore animal science major Maddie Monaco said.
Sophomore chemical engineering major Matt Hassler confirmed this. “I think it’s impressive when a woman is concerned about her health and is willing to work out,” Hassler said.
One way to avoid the intimidation of the weight room is to turn it into an advantage. Monaco goes to the gym four or five times a week. She looks at the men in the weight room as a positive thing. “They motivate me,” Monaco said. “If they think I’m not as strong as them it’s cool to prove them wrong.”
Another way to feel more confident in the gym is to go with a friend. “If you can’t do something, it’s cool to have someone to laugh about it with,” Davis said.
The last thing to keep in mind is that guys get nervous sometimes too. “Everybody is intimidated by somebody,” sophomore math and electrical engineering major Connor McNaney said.
“There’s only one largest man in there, and it’s usually me,” Hassler added jokingly.
Expectation
Acceptable Reality