During the fall semester, I wanted to go to the gym, but I had no idea what I was doing. I walked in and all of these big guys were lifting some big boy weights. I knew absolutely nothing and tried to ask a couple of friends to help me out. This still did not help because they would go with me once and then send me off on my own when I still barely knew anything. This became difficult as I was embarrassed to ask anyone around me. After all, I thought that they would think I was stupid, but I didn’t not want to ask because what if I was doing it wrong, then I would hurt myself. As a result, I stopped going.
This semester, I found a class offered on campus that is specifically to get women more comfortable in the weight room: Women on Weights, or WOW. I was a bit nervous going in as I thought that I was going to be the worst one there and that the others would laugh at me. This was not the case whatsoever. The other women in the class are so encouraging and hype you up along with the other members being there for you and making you want to keep coming back.
Feeling the encouragement I receive from WOW is incredibly important to me because when I swam in high school, it felt as though my coach did not have my back. It felt as if I was there just because I was there, rather than my coach actually wanting me to be present. He did not pay attention to me during practice because I was not one of the fastest swimmers. This lack of support and paying attention ultimately led me to hurt my shoulder because of incorrect form. In the Women on Weights class, it doesn’t matter how little you know or how much you can lift, the trainers are there to teach everyone so we can see results. Trainers encourage us to hype each other up so everyone can do their best and feel embraced even when the personal trainers are not present in the future.
WOW is a six-week class offered every semester and has two parts. There is the first part at the beginning of the semester. then, once that class is complete, there is an additional 2.0 class.
To me, this class is about both community and the workout, not one or the other. The trainers work hard to ensure that you feel included and comfortable with what you are doing in the weight room while also pushing you to use heavier weights.