Hanging With the Big Boys

This past Tuesday I overheard two ladies talking about me while I was doing assisted pull-ups, one of them is a regular whom I always do small talk with and the other woman I had never met.  They were talking about how impressive I was with my pull-ups and the younger woman said she wishes she could do them but she can’t. 

In between sets I kept trying to explain to them that they were assisted, not regular pull-ups and I invited the younger woman over so that I can show her how to do it.  She walked over hesitantly and I joked with her and explained the machine to her, after she did about 5 reps she had a big smile on her face and a look of accomplishment. 

Melissa is her name and she thanked me and said she was always intimidated to try it because she didn’t want to look silly however, I encouraged her to ask questions because there is always someone who will be happy to help out.  Just a few weeks ago I had to ask a young man how to work the “new” hooks for the attachments on the Cable Machine only to realize the hook was actually missing and was not “new” smh yes it is very funny lesson learned.

I have come a long way with learning my way around the gym but I still have a lot to learn, it’s amazing how many variations of exercises you can do with certain machines or weights so learning is really never ending when it comes to fitness.  This encounter with Melissa reminded me of my early days in the gym and how terrified I was to go to the free weights section because that is normally where the big muscle guys are (aka the “Big Boys”) and I was afraid to make a fool out of myself but I still went. This morning I was the only woman in the “Big Boy” section and although I do not look like a bodybuilder or anything even close, I was completely comfortable being there, no feelings of intimidation whatsoever.

Please do not be afraid of the gym, start slowly but go for it and don’t forget everyone started somewhere, everyone there had to learn how to use the equipment also.