I’ve been a trainer for over 10 years and I have a confession to make…we trainers do have favorite clients.
Part of why I became a trainer was my natural inclination to teach and when it comes to teaching, there is no one better to work with than a student without ego.
That’s why time and time again with few exceptions, women are better trainees than their male counterparts.
Now without diving into a gender war or discussing any bias in the last statement, here’s what I mean…
The mark of a good learner is someone open to change and who accepts what they do not know. Our society traditionally rewards males for being more muscular, and so from a young age, boys more than girls are drawn to activities like lifting weights.
So when we see male clients at our gym for the first time, they often bring with them years of misconceptions and an ego that’s almost as big as they think their biceps have. This means that not only do we have our work cut out to train them but we must also cut through years of bad habits.
Women on the other hand are less likely to have been drawn to the weight room at a young age because of antiquated beauty concepts and the misconception that lifting weights makes one look “bulky” (a simple glance at the workout routines of some of the top models in the world will quickly dispel this myth).
This means that these women walk through our door with the ideal “white belt” mentality ready to learn and therefore ready to progress.
For this reason, we see our female clients who are new to resistance training progress much faster than their male counterparts.
(It’s crazy what happens when you actually do everything your trainer suggests)
This progress comes down to 4 things:
- Lack of prior experience – The body adapts best to novel stimuli, so if you have never lifted weights before and suddenly start to do so consistently, your body will start to respond very quickly by building strength and “toning” muscles
- Lack of cultural weight – Men often enter the gym feeling like they have something to prove whereas women have been taught incorrectly that the gym is not for them. Therefore they enter the space without preconceived notions of having to perform and are more coachable.
- Lack of strength – Biological women have on average 70% the strength of biological males which means that they must rely much more on proper technique in the gym. This means that they build a more solid foundation for later strength and injury prevention.
- Fast wins – Because they are often starting from 0, women who step in the gym for the first time to lift weights will see fast progress which keeps them motivated to hit long-term goals.
For the men whose egos have allowed them to keep reading, here are a few lessons you can take from your female counterparts in the gym.
First, leave your ego at the door and be coachable. The more we accept we do not know, the more we can learn.
And second, focus on technique over raw strength. This will prevent injury and lead to greater strength down the road.
The fact is that the fitness industry has done women a disservice for decades by deceiving them into thinking that lifting weights will make them bulky or that their body has to look a certain way to meet beauty standards.
Everyone deserves to be strong and feel confident regardless of gender, and that strength and confidence start in the gym.
I personally am excited for the day when the weight sections of gyms have just as many women doing bicep curls in the mirror.
If you’re a woman who wants to learn how to get strong and feel confident then book a no-sweat intro and one of our coaches will help you understand exactly how to start your fitness journey.
Come join our community of strong women, we would love to work with more amazing clients like you!
Book your no-sweat intro 👉 here
