As a business owner, I understand that sometimes you have to
say things in the name of marketing and generating attention.
I get it.
But a headline "Why Women Can't Do Pullups" which recently appeared in the NY Times, does more harm than good in my mind. As someone who's worked in the exercise business for over a decade I can tell you that women are generally treated as
second class citizens in the industry and it irritates me. Typically women are judged far more on
appearance of both themselves and their outfits, rather than on their
abilities.
Think about the last time you were in a commercial gym and
think of the implied messages:
“Women shouldn't pick up anything heavy because they'll get
big. Stay away from the weights! Instead they should go into the corner
room with other women and flail their arms while stepping on and off a
box. And maybe - just maybe - use a pink
dumbbell so small it can't even be seen in their hands. Just be sure to stay away from the hard work
girls! Walking on the treadmill is OK
though – as long as you’re staying in the fat burning zone. Again, make sure you don’t actually exert any
effort and/or sweat. Leave that to the
big burly men who are more capable than you are.”
Frankly the whole scene is getting on my nerves just
thinking about it.
I’ll try not to be too much of an amateur psychologist, but
again, I’ve been doing this a long time and have trained many women in that
time and I’ve learned this:
Women who succeed in fitness do so because they’re OK with
hard work. They're OK with working out SMART. They’re OK with sweating. They’re
OK with being strong and capable.
They are NOT OK with being shuffled off to the side when it
comes to exercise.
Along those lines, here’s Dina – TR trainer and mother of
three who I’m proud to call a colleague and friend. This is her response to the NY Times:
