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5 benefits for women when joining women-only gyms
Does the fear of working up a sweat in front of the opposite sex leave you in a panic? Or are you fed up of the weights room being full up of men? Then you are not alone, as 26 per cent of women hate the way they look when they work out, according to a study by Women’s Sport and Fitness Foundation. Below, the owners and trainers of women only gyms have spoken to us about the benefits for women in single-sex gyms.
1) Not feeling self-conscious around men
The most common response for why women would benefit more from women only gyms was that they would feel more relaxed in an all-women’s environment. Owner of Girls Allowed gym, Michelle Murray, 35, has experienced working in both mixed sex gyms and single-sex gyms and noticed a major difference.
Michelle said: “For the younger girls, especially the teens, they can be self-conscious around the younger males and come into the gym with make up on and a little dress up, a little bit more covered up.”
2) More encouragement from other gym members
Along with the confidence boost of not having to worry about make-up and what they wore, Michelle also explained that women are more encouraging towards other women in the gym.
“It’s a real confidence boost for women to be able to tell women their problems of why they have gained the weight – so those women who are self-conscious about their weight gained during pregnancy and they can turn to other women who have been through the same experience for advice and a womanly talk”
3) Better access to all areas of the gym
In mixed gyms, men are more likely to dominate the weights room or area, which most likely includes the mirrors too, and it is common for women to be intimidated to lift weights.
Angela Anderson, 35, manager of Oasis Ladies gym in Benfleet, Essex said: “Ask any women in a mixed gym and they will most likely describe the weight room as the ‘men’s area’. They get worried that they will look stupid trying to lift weights and wouldn’t want men to laugh. They begin to question themselves in whether they are doing it right.”
Take a look inside the gyms here..
4) Better knowledge on the benefit of weight training
Both Michelle and Angela agreed that most women cannot fully grasp the benefits for weight training in the gym when it is explain by a man, as women tend not to trust a mans opinion.
Angela said: “If a woman trainer suggests to go lift weights, they might get the response ‘I don’t want to get bulky’ but we, as women, can lead as an explain that we regularly train with weights and show that our bodies are not bulky. But if a male trainer suggest to go lift weights, women tend to distrust a man can truly grasp what exercise they should do for a women’s body.”
5) Religion
In some religions such as Islam, women are not allowed to bare their skin around men and all of their body has to be covered with clothes. For this reason, women-only gyms are a massive benefit as women can wear more suitable clothing. Eliza of Girls allowed gym explains in the following clip.
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