Tudes and Behaviors of All-Women's and Coed Gym Exercisers

Journal of Research Building strength: Strength training atti- on Women and Gender Volume 7, Pages 15-29 © Mercurio, Rima, & Obleada tudes and behaviors of all-women's and 2016 Reprints and Permission: email [email protected] Texas Digital Library: coed gym exercisers http://www.tdl.org Andrea Elizabeth Mercurio, Brandi N. Rima, and Katrina Obleada Abstract Research suggests varied reasons why women may avoid engaging in a regular strength training routine at the gym in favor of performing cardiovascular exercise (e.g., Harne & Bixby, 2005). However, there has been little research focused on the potential role of the gym environment itself, specifically in terms of the presence of men. The current study compared women members of all-women’s and coed fitness facilities on their attitudes toward different exercise activities as well as their exercise choices within the gym. A community sample of women from the Northeast US, who attended either an all-women’s or coed gym (N = 635), filled out a series of online questionnaires. We hypothesized that all-women gym members would report more positive attitudes towards strength training and would report attitudes towards strength training and cardio that were more similar in favorability compared with coed gym members. In addition, we expected all-women exercisers to engage in strength training activities (e.g., weight machine or free weights) more frequently than coed exercisers, especially if they also reported higher body dissatisfaction. Results were mixed and hypotheses received only partial support. Although all-women members rated strength training more positively and more similarly in magnitude to cardio compared with coed members, little differences were found between groups on strength training behaviors. Null findings are discussed in light of existing socio-cultural beauty and exercise norms that may deter women from engaging in strength training irrespective of male presence within the gym environment. More research is needed to explore the potential positive and negative consequences of same-sex and mixed-sex fitness settings for women’s physical and mental health. Keywords women, exercise, strength training, weight lifting, fitness, gender norms Introduction tes, and depression (Ciccolo, Carr, Krupel, & Longval, 2010). Importantly, strength trength training offers health benefits training also provides specific health advan- beyond cardiovascular training alone tages to women as they age. Women can be- (e.g., Pereira et al., 2013) and is related gin to lose muscle mass and bone density as Sto decreased risk of various diseases and men- early as their thirties, placing them at higher tal health issues such as: hypertension, diabe- risk of developing Osteoporosis (Bemben, Journal of Research on Women and Gender 16 Fetters, Bemben, Nabavi, & Koh, 2000; ing (National Center for Health Statistics, Evans, 1995; Lindle et al., 1997). Health 2015), they also may be actively avoiding experts have recommended that adults ini- weights and weight machines in gym en- tiate a strength training routine early in life vironments (e.g., Dworkin, 2001). Given in order to achieve peak bone mass before the documented health benefits of strength age-related decline begins (e.g., Petranick & training specific to women, greater attention Berg, 1997). There are also benefits to intro- must be devoted to exploring the factors ducing strength training activities during pre that encourage or impede muscle-building and postmenopausal years. Increased mus- activities in gym settings. We designed the cle mass and bone density can support the current study to examine differences in the ability to carry out activities of daily living exercise behaviors and attitudes of women and reduce the likelihood of falls associated attending all-women and coed gyms. with muscle imbalances (Bassuk & Manson, Studies provide a number of reasons why 2014; de Kam, Smulders, Weerdesteyn, & many women tend to avoid strength train- Smits-Engelsman, 2009). ing exercises in the gym, despite often be- The US 2008 federal physical activity ing aware of the health benefits (e.g., Harne guidelines suggest that adults engage in a & Bixby, 2005). Time management, com- minimum of 150 minutes of moderate-in- peting family and social obligations, sore tensity aerobic activity, or 75 minutes of vig- muscles, inexperience with proper form and orous-intensity aerobic activity per week; as lifting techniques, fear of bulking up, and well as, strength train all major muscle groups lack of social support have all been identi- on two or more days per week at a moderate fied as common barriers (Dworkin, 2001; or high-intensity level (US Department of Harne & Bixby, 2005; O’Dougherty et al., Health & Human Services, 2008). Accord- 2008; Terre, 2010). Some of these barriers ing to data collected in 2013, only 20.4% of could be addressed with relatively simple US adults met the recommended guidelines and cost-effective strategies, such as educat- for both aerobic (i.e., cardiovascular activity) ing women about the myth of bulking up, and muscle-strength training activities (Na- offering support to encourage the use of free tional Center for Health Statistics, 2015). weights and weight machines, and/or teach- Men strength train in greater numbers than ing proper form and technique. Indeed, women, and a much higher percentage of many fitness facilities offer complimentary women meet standards set for cardiovascu- instructional sessions on how to use weight lar activity, (hereafter referred to as cardio), equipment as well as group exercise classes compared with strength training (50% vs. dedicated to weight training (Terre, 2010). 24%). However, these strategies do not necessarily Women represent a substantial and im- address the broader social and cultural forces portant segment of gym users (Maguire, that have shaped gender norms within the 2008). Gym facilities, thus, provide a seem- gym environment, including the contempo- ingly optimal setting for many adult women rary cultural pressure in Western society to to work on increasing and promoting mus- achieve a slender female form. cle health and development. Unfortunately, The gendered nature of gym settings is however, data suggest that in addition to visibly reflected in the physical areas that the fact that the majority of women do not men and women tend to occupy. Men often reach recommended levels of strength train- dominate weight or strength training areas Journal of Research on Women and Gender 17 whereas women gravitate towards cardio one’s physique), higher body size dissatisfac- equipment and aerobics classes (Dworkin, tion, and higher body mass index were more 2001; Simpson et al., 2003). Given the his- likely to work out exclusively in women-only torical roots of weightlifting as a male activ- areas of a coed gym and felt more positively ity, it is perhaps not surprising that women about designated workout areas for women report discomfort with using weights and than their more body satisfied counterparts. associate weight-related activities with mas- Furthermore, Kruisselbrink, Dodge, Swan- culinity (Collins, 2002; Dworkin, 2001; burg, and MacLeod (2004), found that the Salvatore & Marecek, 2010; Stern, 2008). intended duration of a typical workout de- Salvatore and Maracek (2010) showed that creased when women participants imagined women were more likely to view using themselves working out among all men com- weight lifting equipment (i.e., bench press) pared with a setting comprised of mixed-sex as a male activity and using cardio equip- or all-female exercisers. The all-male exercise ment (i.e., Stairmaster) as a female activity. scenario also led to the highest level of social These women also reported using the Stair- physique anxiety while the all-female scenar- master more often than the bench press, io led to the lowest level of social physique and predicted they would experience greater anxiety. Although neither study specifical- negative evaluation from others while using ly addressed the impact of male presence a bench press compared with a Stairmaster. on the strength-related exercise choices of This is consistent with the societal pressure women, the findings suggest that women placed on women to strive for thinness (Tig- would be less likely to seek out male-dom- gemann, 2011). Unlike cardiovascular exer- inated weight training areas of coed gyms, cise, building muscle through strength train- especially when they possess higher levels of ing is not typically seen as compatible with body dissatisfaction. female beauty norms that prescribe thinness Although, Yin (2001) and Kruisselbrink and femininity (see Dworkin, 2001). Wom- et al.’s (2004) research alludes to potential en associate cardiovascular activity with benefits of all-women’s exercise facilities for burning fat which presumably brings them strength training, very few researchers have closer to reaching the slender body ideal directly considered how coed and all-wom- promoted by US culture (Dworkin, 2001; en’s gym environments may differentially Salvatore & Marecek, 2010). Some research relate to women’s exercise attitudes and be- suggests that when women do undertake haviors, particularly with respect to strength a regular weight training routine, they are training. It may be that for some women, careful to avoid lifting too heavy or too often an all-women’s setting is important for over- in order to maintain femininity (Dworkin, coming psychological and social barriers to 2001). exercise in

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