I refuse to be confined to an elliptical. I am a woman, but that doesn’t mean I endlessly spend my time pumping my legs on a cardio machine.
So, I lift, squat and jump. Dumbbells, medicine balls, kettle bells and more wonderful tools contribute to the continuous beating my muscles undergo.
But weight-lifting as a woman can be awkward. Yes, it’s true that I cannot lift as much as most men. I don’t have the genetic advantage of testosterone, manliness or whatever you want to call it. And to be honest — it can be uncomfortable to lift in a room full of men.
Just as boys enjoy lifting together, women sometimes enjoy a feeling of equality between one another. The two hour women’s weight room time, between 3 and 5 p.m., gives us this opportunity.
This time slot gives girls a chance to feel like they are on the same playing field as everyone around them. It’s only human to compare your progress to those around you. When I lift with just women surrounding me, I don’t feel like I am under a microscope. We are simply girls trying to be the best version of ourselves.
“People have come to me and said that, especially now because it’s two hours, it’s better because they don’t have to race to the gym for that one hour,” said Kristen Saeli, a 19-year-old sophomore who works every Tuesday during the women’s hours as a Fitness Attendant. “They can come a half hour in or an hour in and spend as much time as they want here, and they really like that.”
Some women also come from a culture or religious background in which men cannot see them as they are when they exercise. Gym clothes, exposed faces and sweaty foreheads are not always acceptable forms of appearance in front of boys.
“In our culture we don’t go to the same schools, so you can imagine how difficult it would be working out in front of guys,” said Wedad Allahji, a 31-year-old graduate student from Saudi Arabia. “And my American friends, they say the same thing. It’s not comfortable when guys are looking at them when they work out, so for me it’s even more uncomfortable.”
The University of Oregon is a diverse campus and certain measures must be taken to provide for the varied cultures and beliefs. It is impossible to please everyone at one time. People are different in many brilliant ways. If we strive to make everything as fair as possible, we forget the fundamental lesson that life is not fair. In a group environment all anyone can do is compromise.
And if we want to talk about fair, let’s delve into the fact that because of the new renovations at the Recreation Center, there are now two weight rooms. I am aware that the new weight area can become extra crowded. There are not enough weights for each person at every minute. Understandably, this can be frustrating for men who use the gym between three and five.
“I think two hours is excessive in the middle of the day,” said Scott Steinman, a 21-year-old junior at the university. “It would be nice to do one hour in one section of the gym and another hour in a different section.”
However, let’s analyze this from a similar perspective with the cardio machines. The majority of people who use the ellipticals and treadmills are women. Just like weights, those appliances are also constantly being used. I think that in both cases we should accept that our fellow classmates want to be in shape just as much as the other person. Again, we come back to patience and compromise.
Not every woman wants to use women’s hours, not every woman needs to use it. But for those who do like and need the privacy, the two-hour women’s gym time provides a comfortable atmosphere in which to challenge our bodies and minds.