@ calves: well thanks! Great to hear from men who have a positive attitude towards women’s strength training.

@ Rolfe: nice to hear from you again! I agree that once you get over that hurdle of the initial curiousity, then it can seem quite normal. I’m hoping that’s what will happen at work. People will just think, ‘oh there she is again’ and go on their way

you should have choosen a pic of yourself doing a back lever instead. That position tends to make people really wonder what you are on about
Good topic! Bad luck with the tracksuit, unless it was worn and you could see it coming. Anyway, I admire anybody who works out seriously. Females being serious about this is especially impressive as they are so rare compared to guys. Somebody going outside in their lunch to work out.. That is impressive as hell. I bet 90% of those who could see you going at it would either want to join you but dont dare to or felt bad about themself for not working out often/hard enough.
We have 30mins for lunch, and since I work in an open landscape I dont feel like I can use that time to work up a sweat. Could be unpleasant for my fellow wage slaves in the office. Excellent to know that it is feasible to work out in the lunch other places!

A co-worker and me goes down to a workshop to do chins quite often during the week. In the beginning we got some strange looks and snide comments. Now we are part of the workshop and the guys just ask what the count is today. People look at what is new to them, that is most of what is in it. Adults will not even comment, but kids will They are also the ones you will inspire the most.

Rachel:
Guys will look, but I hope there is a distinction between oogling and looking? I’ll look at a female doing serious stuff working out, but it dont have to be anything sexual about it (Ok, sometimes I admire looks too, but I am not there to pick up girls so that is it). Some of the girls at the gymnastics hall do stuff I have no chance of doing, and I admire that. They do the same when I pull off something in the rings, just like the other men do. So what, it dont bother me. If it did I would work out somewhere else.
Dont girls look at men doing serious stuff working out just to see what and how they do stuff? Perhaps I am a weirdo..

I understand that men looking at women’s bodies is a reality, and I am prepared to deal with that. They can help it, though, and they make a choice to “look”. Let’s not pretend that they have no free will in the matter.

That is all. Thanks for your words.

@ Marisa: thanks, maybe one or two were thinking that way! The day someone comes up to me and says ‘that looks interesting, can I join in?’ will be an awesome day!

Very rarely I get people in the gym asking me about what I am doing and it is always great. Generally it is men rather than women. But one time in an ordinary gym I was doing deficit deadlifts (deadlifts off a box) and another woman came up and asked me about it. I was pretty impressed that she was even curious about it and pleased that she’d bothered to ask, rather than just wonder in silence.

People who are into their weight training generally really appreciate others asking genuine questions. Even the huge surly-looking guy in the corner will secretly be pleased if someone shows an interest. In my early days of lifting I learnt a lot from approaching people in the gym who were really focussed and did interesting stuff in the corner!

(Alex, I know you read this sometimes – you were one of those people!)

Still a long ways to go, but doing deadlifts and squats without my gymbuddy around has been a victory already

Great blog mate