By Shannon Raneri
Going to the gym as a newcomer can be intimidating. People jacked with muscles, headphones with blaring music, bright fluorescent lights, the clang of 45-pound plates, gym equipment and machines that look far too complicated to be deemed motivating.
Upon feeling this sense of intimidation, many would give up. Some might leave and research what to do at the gym, then come back with an idea of what to do. Others, however, might join a gym group to feel a sense of community and confidence.
Sophomore journalism major Morgan Holden advises anxious students to start by researching what’s best for their body and how to use the equipment safely. She wants students to know that it’s okay to look “a little silly” when they’re starting out.
Girl Gains, a lifting club created to promote a female presence in the gym, confidence, comfort and community, could be a resource. It has 76 chapters in the United States and two in Canada. One of its chapters is located at the University of Maryland.
Girl Gains was founded in 2020 at San Diego State University by young women “who felt the weight room needed more of a female presence,” according to their official website.
Slowly but surely, the lifting group expanded across the country and documented their progress on their platform, inspiring and empowering women in the gym. The organization strives to build “a judgment-free community” for all of those involved.
“I feel so powerful and so confident when I’m the only girl in the weightlifting room because I’m like, ‘Hey, I know what I’m doing,’” junior communications major and UMD Girl Gains member Keagan Suddith said.
Through group gym classes, lifts and events, girls on campus can find a community to get them going to the gym. The club’s president and junior criminology and criminal justice major Maddie Odom knows that going to the gym “can be really intimidating… A lot of people don’t know where to start [and] it’s very male-centered.”
Weightlifting and strength training are heavily backed by various scientific studies. According to Healthline reports, strength training can help the body manage blood sugar levels as “skeletal muscle helps increase insulin activity” due to the increase in muscle development. This means that the skeletal muscles allow for glucose – the body’s main energy source – absorption, which allows the body to keep its brain, muscles and organs functioning while staying active.
Exercise also does wonders for your mental health. Mayo Clinic, an academic medical center, notes that exercising releases endorphins, the “natural brain chemicals that can improve your sense of well-being.” Going to the gym can also “get you away from the cycle of negative thoughts that feed depression and anxiety,” Mayo Clinic states.
Freshman neuroscience major Zaina Hassen Friess said she goes to the gym “because it is something in my life that I can control all aspects of, whether that’s nutrition, my attitude, my effort, or my progress.”
Odom encouraged girls to join Girl Gains if they “just want to get into the gym, get motivation and just [find] a group of girls who are so supportive.”
Featured Image: A group of girls working and training together at Eppley Recreation Center. Photo by Shannon Raneri