In a studio in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, rows of dumbbells clang while women in leggings perform squats and deadlifts. No men on the set, no comments on the heavy kilos or on the bodies. The place has just opened, but the atmosphere already contrasts with that of many mixed rooms.
This new place is called Tension and presents itself as a gym reserved for womenfocused on strength rather than thinness. A movement that is also felt by Swiss weightlifter Nadine Blanchard, who is introducing more and more clients to Olympic bars. “In the evening, men sometimes ask me to wear them“, she smiles in 24heure.ch.
Tension, women-only gym in the heart of Williamsburg
Opened during Women’s History Month, Tension defines itself as a 100% female muscle strengthening studio, designed so that members learn to lift heavy safely. “Fitness for women is obsessed with making bodies shrink. We want to expand lives“, explains its founder Kristie Larson to Athletech News.
For her, “Strength training works when taught with context and attention. This is our whole model“. Kristie Larson states that “women have already wasted enough time and money on workouts that promise transformation but cause exhaustion“. She recalls that only 26.9% of American women achieve the official recommendations for muscle strengthening.
Women’s weightlifting: why a gym reserved for women is reassuring
In France, a survey carried out for L’Orange Bleue shows that six out of ten women have already been held back by the gaze of others in the gym, including 27% by the male gaze. The weight training areas are the most disturbing for 45% of respondents. No surprise that 46% say they are in favor of exclusively female spaces.
French concepts are already riding on this demand. The Elle and Fit room reminds us that nearly 70% of women do not feel comfortable in a traditional room, which fuels the success of 100% female clubs like GlamFitness. In these places, the objective is to train without judgment, far from the cliché of the body sculpt only for the summer.
From Tension to Fitness Park: the wave of rooms reserved for women
The big chains are already reacting. Fitness Park has created “women’s spaces” in several clubs, in addition to areas dedicated to strength sports. In the United Kingdom, ukactive and Sport England have published a guide against harassment in the gym, while the Curves brand is relaunching its women only network.
