The weights area of the gym has long been a boys’ club, where testosterone, machismo, and pain-induced grunts are in high supply. But some women are now challenging outdated ideals about the female body by choosing to lift weights and build their muscles; a survey conducted by the Gym Group in 2016 found that 93% of female gym users incorporated resistance training into their regular exercise routines and 65% lifted up to three times per week. “For me, lifting weights was saying ‘I’m going to become a strong, independent woman’ and that's what it did for me. Nobody could take that away from me,” says Brittany Rhodes, a Leeds-based personal trainer, nutritionist, and fitness influencer.
So, why are more women prizing strength? While the establishment of new body ideals has played a role, there’s a growing awareness of the benefits of strength training, such as how it’s more effective for fat loss than standalone cardio, more effective in raising calorie expenditure, and can help to achieve an hourglass figure. Championed by fitness gurus – who post their workouts, advice, and transformation photos online – and group workout classes, girls who lift are pushing themselves to the limit physically, crushing traditional notions of waif-like femininity in the process.
Girls who lift range from complete novices who’ve never set foot in a gym to Instagram bloggers to seasoned bodybuilding competitors. “My clients and girls that come to see me for fitness sessions just want to feel good and be empowered,” says Rhodes. “They might not be competing, but they want to be strong, they don't want to be skinny. It's like how the thigh gap isn't in fashion anymore.”
Girls who lift are finding strength in both online and offline communities, which can provide a sense of belonging and a way to share ideas, advice and progress. “I’ve made friends through the gym,” says Davenport. “When you start going regularly, it becomes such a social event, which is really lovely. Even though I’ve moved across London, I still see some people that I met in my old gym on a purely social basis.” She also notes that in using Instagram, “it’s really important to show everyone that people they may look up to also have insecurities or imperfections that may be similar to their own instead of only focusing on an edited picture of someone online.”
Gyms are responding to the uptick in female attendance by making them more open and helping women to feel more comfortable in them. "[Fitness First’s] newer open-plan areas have huge amounts of variety, with kit such as dumbbells, kettlebells, steel bells and brightly coloured plyo boxes. We felt that women would feel more comfortable in these areas," says David Perrin, product manager at Fitness First UK. But with 47% of women saying that they’re put off using the weights area at a gym by the other people who use it, and 14% feeling intimidated by the idea that men are judging them, there's still room for brands to tackle the fact women feel awkward doing more ‘masculine’ exercises at the gym.
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