I’ve only been to the gym a few times. Each occasion was because I really wanted to try something new for my health, but I was always embarrassed walking into an area where it seemed like everyone knew what they were doing already—I didn’t know anything. 

As much as I would like to say that I got over my fear and have been going at a consistent pace, that unfortunately isn’t true. The last time I went to an MVP for the sole purpose of lifting weights was over the summer. I remember because I was with one of my friends. 

I have never thought about going to the gym without a female companion. Maybe because most of my friends are girls. Maybe because my teammates are girls. Maybe because the people that have expressed interest in going with me have been girls. 

I have never wanted to go to the gym with a guy.

The few times that I have been to the weight room, I could feel a lot of eyes on me. Most of the time when I turned around, it was men who are way too old to be looking at me for that long. As a minor, I would instantly get uncomfortable and didn’t feel like performing my best. 

While a lot of powerful women on social media go to the gym on a regular basis, I’ve consistently heard little comments about someone staring—majority of the time, it’s a male who is way too old.

I’ve heard everything from staring to taking photos all the way to stalking. And it isn’t just story times on TikTok; the online news site The Current revealed the statistics that three out of every four women experience catcalling at least once a week at their local gym. The gym has so many health benefits, but for how common sexualization is at these establishments, is it worth it?

On TikTok, just three days ago, a creator with only eleven thousand followers posted their first video: Abby Bryant. The whole entire idea behind the video was to show off the gym she attends: Blush Fitness.

This girls-only gym reached almost fifteen million views and racked up thirty-eight thousand comments; a lot of them were women saying how they wished they had something like this available to them at home and that this was the perfect alternative to feel safe. 

There is only one Blush Fitness in all of the United States, and it’s in Kansas, but there are girls-only gyms in every state. In Michigan specifically, there are over twenty just in the Detroit area alone. 

Most of these gyms are standalone businesses that only profit off of their locals, but the revenue compared to bigger worldwide chains isn’t important. The idea behind safety and how comfortable women feel is all that is important.

While some women can argue that they benefit from the friendly competition between genders, the statistics tell the unfortunate truth for most. Having alternatives to encourage women to work out, feel safe, and have a good time in the right atmosphere is something that regular gyms don’t exactly focus on.

While some of these gyms do take it too far with everything in sight a stereotypical hot pink, I’d rather deal with that than feel threatened in a supposedly healthy environment. 

Switching over to strictly only male and strictly only female gyms would feel like the women’s equality movements were backpedaling, but to have to opportunity open alongside a regular gym is the perfect mix. 

Interestingly enough, there are similar numbers for men-only gyms, a few scattered here and there but large numbers in big cities like Detroit and Grand Rapids. But the largest visual difference between these separated establishments is the titles. The women-only gyms make it extremely clear who is allowed inside while the men’s stick to more common names like the “Endurance Center” or “Maximum Fitness.”

In the end, I fully support separated gyms alongside the traditional kind for the comfortable element for both genders to not feel pressured or scared while trying to better themselves. There are a lot of options all over the world to get out and get fit, and these gyms just add to that. Working out is one of the best things you can do for your body, so do it comfortably.