Everyone Makes A Mistake Every Now and Then

It happens all the time – newspapers post corrections to stories that contained an error in a previous edition.  Granted, it’s usually in very small print on the back page, in the bottom left-hand corner where no one ever looks.  I’ll be (wo)man enough to call out my error in broad daylight. 

I was at the gym again, and decided that because of the higher reps in today’s workout, I could use the 24-pound Power Blocks in the women’s fitness area.  I reserve myself a bench, grab the Power Blocks, and start my front squats.  Around the 5th rep, something new about two feet to the left of the dumbell rack catches my eye. 

What is that I see?  Another set of Power Blocks?

Oh it is, isn’t it?  I finish my set, walk over to them, and discover that my hunch is correct – they’re 60-pound Power Blocks.

Oooh, I feel so sheepish. 

photo credit: chalkie_colour_circles

 Alas, I stand corrected and hereby rescind the remarks I made on my last post.  So I didn’t notice those nifty new Power Blocks yesterday.  I must have been too engrossed in the dramatic episode I concocted in my head to even notice. 

<Insert unnamed health club here>, as well as that nice, young trainer behind the fitness desk, deserve my heartfelt apologies.  They haven’t turned their backs on their duty to enable women to lift heavier weights.

Brownie points have officially been earned back.

(Another) UPDATE: Women Who Lift Heavy Unite!

I’ll be honest – it’s been a while since I set foot in a gym. Of course, that doesn’t mean I haven’t been working out, I’ve just be doing it at home. Since my husband bought me some cute workout clothes for Christmas, I decided I should put them to use and go to the gym. (When I work out at home, I’m usually in some Felix the Cat boxers and an over-sized t-shirt from some work event that I would never be caught wearing in public.)

So I get to the gym, change by my usual locker, and head down to the women’s fitness area. I’m doing the 15-minute workouts, which consist of a very quick circuit with very limited rest. So I need everything within close vicinity and easy to access. As you might recall from my original Women Who Lift Heavy UNITE! post and the first update to this saga, the main workout floor is usually overflowing with testosterone-laden Arnold-wannabes.  And everything is so spread out and machines are high in demand, it’s just a pain to hog a bunch of weights AND a machine for my circuit.  So I go to the women’s fitness area which is much less crowded and circuit-friendly.

Umm, what am I supposed to do with these tiny weights? (photo credit:rick's old photos)

I get to the women’s fitness area, reserve myself a bench, and head over to the weight rack. Hmmm…5’s, 10’s, 15’s, 20’s…20’s…20’s…Where did my 30’s and 40’s go?

THEY’RE GONE! [dun dun DUUUNNNNN]

Oh, young trainer behind the fitness desk, you’ve failed me!  Two months ago when I asked you to kindly put heavier weights in the women’s fitness area, you made every effort to fulfill my request, leading me to believe that you understood my plight!  And now, behold, you’ve receded into the unforsaken mindset that women wouldn’t lift anything more than 20 pounds. 

<Insert unnamed health club here> has officially lost the brownie points they earned with me.

I don’t know what’s more upsetting: 1) that they realized that no one was using them in my absence so decided to remove them because they don’t believe they should enable women to lift heavy, or 2) that no one else was using them.

Either way, I turned around, threw my towel over my shoulder, and left the women’s fitness area in disgust.  If that young trainer were standing in front of me, he would have gotten a sharp ponytail wisp in the face.

I made my way down to the big workout floor, past the women on the ellipticals and stairmasters, and joined the men in their evening ritual of grunting and iron pumping.  The two other women in the room were quietly pushing through their sets amidst the macho-fest surrounding them.

Stand proud, sisters.  Stand proud.

photo credit: Pranav Singh

UPDATE: Women who lift heavy UNITE!

Surprisingly enough, I actually got a response to my inquiry about putting heavier weights in the women’s area at my gym.  (Read about it here.)  Only two days after I received the email from the nice, young personal trainer I spoke to saying they’d “definitely consider it,” I got an email from his manager indicating they were going to put in heavier weights that same day!  And they did! [Insert Hallelujah Chorus here.]

Granted, they only added a set of 25’s and a set of 30’s – way short of the 50-60 pounders I asked them to incorporate into their dumbbell ensemble – this is progress.  They’re supposedly looking into incoporating up to 50 pounds by way of Power Block dumbells.

So they still have yet to follow through completely on their word.  Hopefully they don’t disappoint me. 

I was in there today using the 25’s, and it’s not far off that I’ll need to upgrade to using the 30’s.  Pretty soon I’ll need those 35’s or 40’s.  (Not to mention that I already need those and heavier for single dumbbell squats (aka plie squats), but I’ve been avoiding doing those because of the lack of appropriate hardware.)

So yet again, I will keep you posted.  At least I got a response that indicates they acknowledge there’s a need for heavier weights in the women’s area.  I hope I’m not the only one using them!