Girls Lift Weights Because They Can. Weird, I Know.
One of the cool things about CP is that when people walk through the doors, they kind of know what they’re getting themselves into. If they don’t, they quickly get the general idea when they notice that we have more power racks (5) than treadmills (1). Furthermore, we don’t have a single Smith machine, leg press, leg extension, leg curl, pec deck, or pink dumbbell for that matter. Truth be told, the only “machines” we have are a Schwinn Airdyne bike, a seated cable row and a functional trainer.
Needless to say, when someone walks onto the gym floor, they have a general idea of what they’re getting themselves into. Whether it’s throwing the med balls around, hitting the tire, pushing the Prowler, or just lifting some damn weight, it’s safe to assume that they’re going to be doing the exact opposite of what they’re accustomed to.
Put another way, they’re quickly going to learn the difference between training and trying (which is a term that I stole from physical therapist Michael Stare). As Mike points out:
Training means you have clear goals, and you are systematic, focused, and analytical in pursuing your goals. You eliminate chance from the equation. You are purposeful in your actions, and you are held accountable by measuring your progress towards your goals. You are efficient, and able to adapt to any scenario. That is training.
Conversely, trying is what everyone else does.
If you are merely trying, you allow chance to be your guide. You are haphazardly picking some exercises, sporadic and unfocused in your nutrition and exercise plan.
All that said, I was a bit dumbfounded the other weekend, when upon watching one of our females train, a gentleman who just so happened to finish his initial evaluation asked, “what is she training for? Does she play a sport or something?” To which I replied, “um, she’s just training because that’s what she wants to do.”
I mean, she was there for the exact same reason he was. To get better. She was there to train – nothing more, nothing less. However, because he saw her doing many of the same things he was doing (only better), his immediate conclusion was that she must be training for some kind of sport.
Likewise, my girlfriend told me a similar story the other day. Apparently, she was in the middle of her training session, alternating between sets of Goblet squats and seated cable rows, when she felt a tap on her shoulder. She turned around and saw one of the new female trainers standing there with a quizzical look on her face. Lisa (my girlfriend) removed her headphones, and the trainer simply asked, “are you training for a figure show or something?” My girlfriend chuckled, politely said no, and just told her that she’s just, you know, training. Plain and simple.
Why is it that no one ever blinks an eye or questions the asshat who’s curling in the squat rack, yet the second a girl grabs a bar and places it on her back, she’s somehow preparing for Ms. Universe? I’m surprised there hasn’t been a debate over whether not women should earn equal wages. What’s next, giving them the right to vote?
