For most of us, the hallowed weights room in the gym is akin to Mordor in Lord of the Rings: somewhere to avoid at all costs. The playground of "gains" and unfiltered testosterone didn’t feel like a place a woman could go. That is, until the last couple of years during which weight training has seen a wild surge in popularity amongst women.
But what changed and why? Kate Maxey, strength and conditioning master trainer at Third Space in London, believes it’s the influence of high profile women in sport seeping down into our collective lifestyles, the rise in lifting competitions and our effervescent love of a challenge: “Women want to push their bodies to extremes to prove that we, too, can lift.” If men can do it, we can too.
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Thanks to a wider acceptance of body diversity, we’re also approaching exercise differently; our aim is no longer to shed weight, but rather to feel strong and confident in both body and mind, which is exactly what a little weight training can do. “It has had immeasurable benefits on both my physical and mental health,” says author and journalist Poorna Bell. “So much of weight lifting is psychological and in the same way that it requires mental power to psych yourself up and try weights, it also gives so much back to you mentally.”
After Bell’s husband passed away, she saw a practical need to be stronger, not wanting to rely on anyone else to lift luggage or move furniture around the house - weight lifting offered a way to keep fit while allowing her to track a skill she was steadily improving: “Progress with weightlifting is something only you can achieve, and that restores and generates a huge amount of internal self acceptance and belief. It reminds me that if I apply myself, I can accomplish anything I want.”
Far from the stereotypical bulky, perma-tanned bodies often associated with lifting weights, it actually has a transformative ability to streamline the body. Women don’t have the genetic makeup or, namely, the testosterone levels to become thick with muscle: “It builds more lean muscle,” says Hannah Bright, a personal trainer at DW Fitness First. “And with increased muscle mass comes a faster metabolism which, in turn, burns more fat.” Whether squat, deadlift or overhead press, weighted exercise can improve posture, increase bone density and muscular strength, define your limbs and improve the circulation of happy hormones. A recent study even discovered that weight training boosts the production of new neurons, leading to improved brain health and memory.
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Gyms are, rightly, wising up to the opportunity for welcoming women into their weight spaces. In the UK, Third Space has made a concerted effort to create an environment less intimidating, with a big functional training space called ‘The Yard’ and there are a whole host of classes available to join, like Strong, which focuses on helping you achieve correct form. Elsewhere, Manor’s Force classes combine heavy weights with HIIT, DW Fitness First’s AGT X Nike Class or The Foundry gym where the motto is "Where the strong belong". “If you feel intimidated by the weird, testosterone-fuelled culture at your gym, my advice would be either to try a specific weightlifting gym or to temporarily hire a trainer who can show you what to do and the correct form. Them being with you in the weights section will give you that initial bit of confidence,” says Bell. “And remember, half of those guys in there probably don’t know what they’re really doing either.”
This article was originally featured on Vogue.co.uk
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