Staring In The Gym

I’d like to share with you an email I got from a female client recently:

“Hey Ru,

I just want to start by saying a huge thank you for all of your support so far!! I've still got some way to go in reaching my ultimate goal however, I am so much closer to what I'm trying to achieve and the results so far are amazing.

Just wanted to talk to you about the Hip Thrust exercise. Now as you know I'm keen to work towards creating that apple bottom, lol. But I have found that the equipment / weights are largely kept in quite male dominated areas of the gym... Oh the testosterone! I've had stares, competition for attention, flirtatious glances, guys trying to spark a short conversation... All a little awkward during or after I'm thrusting my hips in the air! Today I totally zoned out and thought f%#$ it! Completed my reps, ensured there's no eye contact and went on to my next exercise.

So my question is, are there any other exercises that I can do to achieve the same result? Or shall I stick with it!?”

Why Are They Staring?

I guess staring is something we have all experienced in the gym. And usually a woman is more likely to be the staree in these dynamics. Not that guys don’t stare at other guys, and girls stare at girls too, but that’s a different conversation.

I believe there's a difference between staring and noticing. Nobody would like to be seen as perv, but I'm sorry, when a woman with a nice body comes in with a lycra workout outfit, you just can't help but at least look at her out the corner of your eye. It’s only noticing and appreciating the aesthetics.

Discretely checking out the women around you in any environment is normal. Now when you’re camped out with a pair of binoculars and a box of donuts, that’s a different story.

Don’t Let It Put You Off!

With reflections and mirrors surrounding the gym it is hard not to glance up or look at someone. However, when you really start to feel uncomfortable due to excessive unwanted attention, and it can potentially put you off a very beneficial exercise, this can become an issue.

There are always alternatives, like grabbing what you need from the free weights area, and setting something up in the stretching zone. But that’s kind of an escape. There also must be a way to deal with this on a mental level, and to learn how to be ok with it, because we all have a free will in regards to how we feel, once we learn to manage our amygdala – the emotional centre of our brain.

Maybe It’s A Good Thing?

Many women already may have a hard time working out in a gym because they are the minority. And then having to go to a gym and be constantly stared at and hit on in a setting where they are trying to transform our bodies for the better is not what they are looking for.

So what can you do about it? Do you remove yourself from these circumstances? Do you just brush it off? Or perhaps you take it as a compliment because you believe that there’s nothing like a good ego boost to let you know you still got “it”.

I would love to hear from you ladies. Let me know about your experiences and how you dealt with it.