Keys to Empowering Women in the Weight Room
Keys to Empowering Women in the Weight Room
Hot off the press from the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM)
The hormonal changes of mid-life bring our muscle and bone mass under assault. As circulating estrogen declines and estrogen receptors in skeletal muscle become more scarce, changes in bone density, muscle mass, and metabolism become apparent.
Shoulder to shoulder with the importance of cardiovascular health, optimizing our muscle and bone health helps stave off declines in bone density which can lead to fracture, and can help mitigate the increasing insulin resistance that wreaks havoc on our changing metabolism.
To coin a phrase from Dr. Stacy Sims, there is a great benefit to women in this stage of life (and all stages of life) who “Lift heavy sh*t”. Now, if you have never lifted weights, this can sound intimidating. But don’t worry. You are not alone.
Historically, there have been many barriers to women in the weight room. Training environments where achieving a certain body image is the focus rather than building strength, healthy movement patterns, and improving body composition can be unmotivating and intimidating. The stigma of weightlifting as “masculine” or that it “makes you bulky” and the misconceptions that weightlifting is not beneficial for women are also among the many obstacles that women of all ages face.
In the May/June issue of ACSM Health and Fitness Journal, Claire Ford et al. do an excellent job of defining the obstacles that women face in the weight room and have created a framework called The 3 E’s that outlines strategies to overcome these barriers. Today’s post takes the summary points from this article and translates them into practical solutions for women and fitness professionals to empower themselves in the world of weightlifting.
The 3 E’s - Keys to Empowering Women in the Weight Room
Ford, C, Kercher VM, Kercher KA
ACSM's Health & Fitness Journal 27(3):p 14-19, 5/6 2023.
Goal of the study
Use a socioecological model to provide insight into the nature of women’s unique experiences with weightlifting and describe a practical approach for empowering women in this environment.
Some statistics
Just 2 days per week of resistance training can reap physical, mental, and emotional health benefits
25% of the US population meets these recommendations
17.5% of women engage in weightlifting on a regular basis
Benefits of Weightlifting
Improves body composition
Helps prevent bone loss
Maintenance of healthy metabolism
Maintenance of quality movements over the lifespan
Promotes emotional well-being and self-concept.
Barriers to weight lifting unique to women
The notion that women face unique barriers to weightlifting has been a subject of investigation. Harne and Bixby organized these barriers into the following 3 categories:
Time / effort
“I don’t want to get bulky”.
”I’m afraid I’ll hurt myself”.
“I don’t want to be sore”.
“I’m in terrible shape”.
Physical Effect
“I don’t have time to lift weights”
“It’s too hard”
“It’s easier to hop on the treadmill”
“I’m overwhelmed at the gym
Social
“I don’t have anyone to go to the gym with”
“Isn’t weightlifting better for men?”
“ I like the group classes because my friends can come with me”
“There are too many men. I feel like I don’t belong”
The 3 E’s": A framework through which we can understand and address women’s barriers to weightlifting.
After identifying and categorizing these unique barriers to weightlifting that women face, the authors created a framework upon which to overcome these barriers. This framework is called The 3 E’s.
This ACSM article speaks to an audience of fitness professionals and how the fitness industry can work to overcome these barriers. However, I take this a step further and translate these recommendations for fitness professionals into strategies that non-professionals can implement for themselves.
ENVIRONMENT. Understanding how physical attributes of gyms perpetuate negative messaging regarding women’s bodies and harmful myths about women’s fitness.
Body image as the sole motivator for exercise with full-length mirrors and posters presenting unrealistic expectations for women’s bodies.
Insufficient equipment and scaling options.
An overwhelming male presence and masculine perceptions that can complicate women’s relationship with the gym environment and diminish their confidence to participate.
Overcoming these barriers:
When considering an environment that is the best fit for you, avoid those spaces with attributes that make you feel uncomfortable. You may prefer a gym with more limited mirror space, and that has a more balanced male/female demographic and female trainers.
An example of a more supportive environment is a typical CrossFit “box” where the male-to-female demographic is often split and you will rarely find a mirror.
Consider a female-only gym space
Consider group weightlifting classes.
As a former BodyPump instructor, I can vouch for this program as a fantastic way for any beginner to gain confidence with weights and develop a base of sound movement patterns.
One-on-one training is an excellent way to get personalized instruction on safe weightlifting technique and individualized goal-and gain confidence in the basics of weightlifting.
EXPERIENCE. People will often gravitate toward their comfort zones and do exercise routines that are more familiar and that are easy to execute.
Unrealistic expectations for results and timelines to achieve them.
“Weightlifting is hard.
Fear of injury or “being sore”.
“I don’t want to exercise by myself”
“I don’t have time to lift weights”
Overcoming these barriers:
Focusing on realistic goals of improvements in strength, movement quality, well-being, and specifically for mid-life women, maintenance of bone density and muscle mass to prevent fractures and maintain a healthy metabolism and glucose control.
Working with a Coach or Trainer to create a personalized program design and dispelling the misconceptions that one needs to spend many hours per week and be sore after every workout to achieve benefits.
Effective workouts can be achieved in as little as 10-20 minutes provided that the sets, repetitions, and rest periods are programmed accordingly.
Seek out gym environments that promote small-group weightlifting classes and allow members to bring a guest.
EDUCATION. Knowledge is power. Promoting an understanding of the principles of weightlifting and its benefits is key to debunking myths and misconceptions and building a healthy relationship with the barbell.
Common myths and misconceptions about weightlifting:
Resistance training is less beneficial than cardiovascular exercise.
Weight training is “dangerous” for women.
I need to spend hours in the gym to see any benefits.
Resistance training is not optimal for fat burning
Overcoming these barriers:
Seek out opportunities to work one-on-one with experienced trainers who have experience with resistance training in female clients of all ages.
Take a personal “inventory” of what is most important for you to feel comfortable incorporating weight training into your fitness program and your specific goals. Do you prefer one-on-one instruction? Do you prefer a women-only environment? Is a group setting important to you? Do you have injuries or physical limitations that need to be considered?
Advocate for yourself. Once you have an idea of what is important for you to succeed, don’t be afraid to ask questions when visiting a facility.
Do your homework. Read reviews of a facility before you join. Talk to other members. Review the credentials and experiences of the Coaches who work at the facility.
Seek out reliable sources of information about the benefits of weight training for women as well as safe and effective approaches to the barbell for any level of experience. Here are some of my go-to’s for reliable information:
Dr. Stacy T Sims - blog
Next Level - by Stacy Sims and Selene Yeager
.. and don’t forget the Athletic Aging Monday morning weekly workout series where you will find a treasure trove of resistance training workouts you can do at home (or in the gym) with minimal equipment and modifications for any fitness level.
This is the time of our lives when we need to kick the societal status quo to the curb and take our health and wellness into our own hands and away from destructive narratives. The world is our oyster. We have established our careers, raised our children, and had our share of triumphs and failures. With that comes the wisdom to pave our own way into this new prime of our lives.
So whether it’s your first back squat with a PVC pipe or a deadlift PR (personal record), congratulations on forging a new frontier to being your fittest, strongest, most vital self!