After two-and-a-half years of a sedentary college lifestyle, I have finally made exercise a priority and now hit the gym. I admit that I am getting hooked, so much so that I have mentioned my newfound commitment to many friends. While everyone seemed supportive, one friend caught me off guard with his response.
“Which gym did you visit?” he asked.
I identified the small one near my dorm rather than the main athletic complex, to which he replied, “Oh, you mean the girl gym!”
The girl gym?
I was taken aback.
The gym is the logical workout location for all upperclassmen like me, given its convenient location near junior and senior dorms. This begs the question – what is it about the gym that makes it girlie?
It’s true that more women than men tend to use the facilities at the small gym. From personal experience I know that the male-female ratio at any given time in the gym is about 1-5, and I am being generous. But there’s probably more to it: The gym houses treadmills, ellipticals, and other cardiovascular equipment, while it lacks any free weights and weight machines. Women seem to love cardio, and guys flat out avoid it. The gym is like a froufrou beauty salon – it’s just plain ‘girlie.’
All this makes me wonder if fitness is gendered in our society, even beyond cardio and weights. Think loose basketball shorts for men and stretchy spandex for women, and even protein-packed Power Bars for guys versus low-calorie yogurt for girls. And of course, there are male and female exercises.
Why the blue and pink fitness?
Some would say “the media.” It is impossible to ignore the biased interpretations of fitness propagated in magazines, commercials, and other sources -- no matter how cliché. The media markets one mode of fitness to men and a completely different variety to women. You just can’t get around it.
For instance, the fitness section of the Men’s Health website features a poll question that reads, “Which piece of exercise equipment do you think is the least manly?” It offers five choices – the elliptical machine, Bosu ball, jump rope, spinning bike, and wrist weights. Regardless of the results, the presence of this question implies that some exercises are masculine, and others are, by default, unmasculine. If you want to be a man, you better not jump on that spinning bike – save the machine for your wife, sister, or girlfriend.
The marketing to women is equally severe. Women’s Health devotes an entire section of its fitness content to yoga, encouraging readers to “tone up,” “wipe out cellulite,” and “get fab abs” by contorting themselves into particular poses. Between the cutesy language and the seemingly simple tips, the editors clearly are selling a particular picture of fitness, one that is superficial and body-obsessed.
Some would say the media is just catering to biology. Even the most flexible men often won’t approach the feats of the most bendy women. And females with impressive upper body strength still typically lag behind men who undertake comparable training. While in part biologically-based, these physical differences are not absolute. Take gymnasts, for example. While a few events cater specifically to male and female strengths (i.e. the rings or the balance beam), by and large all gymnasts practice the same sport and undergo similar training. The same goes for figure skating and skiing. Even in most team sports, men and women play the same game.
So perhaps the media has both capitalized upon and exaggerated biological differences between men and women, all the while shifting cultural perspectives on fitness regimens through clever marketing.
Fitness didn’t used to be this gendered. The President’s Council on Physical Fitness and Sports, one of the early institutions promoting health, never made -- and still does not make -- gender distinctions. Its standard definition of fitness consists of two categories: health-related and skill-related physical fitness. Health-related fitness includes flexibility, strength, muscular endurance, and cardiovascular fitness directly related to well-being. Skill-related fitness relates more to sports performance and motor skill proficiency.
While it’s a healthier outlook, this non-gendered view doesn’t seem to dominate the popular discourse --or typical gym routines. Instead, the male/female distinctions predominate, resulting in the emergence of another breed of fitness: aesthetic-related fitness, through which men and women manicure their appearances in pursuit of a given body ideal.
Men want to look like hot men, and women like hot women, so they adjust their exercises accordingly.
If you doubt this dynamic, browse the story headlines in Men’s Health and Women’s Health. Men get articles like “ “Build the Body You Want,” – all weight-lifting, without even a cursory mention of cardiovascular training, and “Muscle Chow” – with tips to “Turn Junk Food into Muscle Fuel” and “6 Rules for 6-Pack Abs”.
Meanwhile, readers of Women’s Health learn “The Best Exercises for a Backless Dress” and how to “Look Hot in Jeans”.
When framed this way, the tenets of “aesthetic fitness” sound so ridiculous that many men and women would never admit to pursuing such ideals. But when people are at the gym, immersed in their own workout worlds, it is easy to feel the pull. Who wouldn’t want ripped abs or a great butt? In the end, most people buy what the media is selling. They just do it secretly, pleading fitness as the ultimate alibi.
And what’s wrong with wanting to look “fit?” At least it makes people exercise, right?
The problem is that misplaced motivations and gendered gym regimens are leading people down the path to imbalance, compromising their health. Take weight lifting. It is healthy as part of a balanced workout, but by narrowly pursuing a chiseled physique without the cardiovascular benefits of aerobics, men neglect and possibly hurt their hearts.
All aerobic exercise isn’t healthy, either. Women need weight-bearing exercises to stave off osteoporosis. But the fear of ‘getting big’ drives many women away from weight-lifting and toward the bikes and ellipticals, which may lead to brittle, frail bones later in life.
To remedy this problem, people must aim for balance in their fitness routines, bridging the gap between male and female exercises so that both genders get the best of both worlds. For guys and girls, a balanced routine includes a combination of aerobic exercise, stretching, and strength training. (For comprehensive information on jumpstarting a well-rounded fitness plan, see the Mayo Clinic’s website.)
For some, adding in weights or a stint on the bike may feel uncomfortable. Any new routine, especially one wrought with stigma, requires a period of adjustment But, like all exercise routines, real benefits come with practice and injury prevention.
And balance will make you will look good, too. Vitality is attractive. Health is hot. Who can say no to that? Plus if you’re a trendsetter you’ll be a double winner – if you’re the only guy on an elliptical in a “girl” gym, you’ll get plenty of attention.
Julie Goodman is a student majoring in sociology at Brandeis University in Waltham, Mass.
