I know that the blog used to be an angrier place. These days, we’re mostly pretty chill. We’ve been there and done that for most fitnessy things and trends. We’re still very much a feminist fitness blog, but I’ve noted there’s less feminist outrage around the place these days.
And yet, sometimes, some days I encounter things in the fitness world that make me go grrr.
Both of these examples come from my fancy gym, which is really quite a lovely, inclusive place. I don’t have very many feminist complaints.
But this, my friends, bugs me. It’s the lighter, smaller bar at the gym. It’s 35 lbs, rather than the usual 45 lbs, and it’s a little narrower for smaller hands.
And it’s PINK! Because of course it is. Some people, though not our personal trainer, call it the women’s bar. I’ve written before about why gender specific anything is likely a bad idea. See Why “women’s specific” anything is likely a bad idea.
It’s great that there’s a smaller bar, but there is zero reason to call it the women’s bar or paint it pink. Lots of men might prefer a 35 lb bar.
Exhibit A
The second thing is a motivational saying stenciled on a weighted bag that you carry when doing weighted lunges. I think it’s a slogan meant to push you through the hard reps.
“Don’t quit. Ever.”
Oh, gym. We need to talk.
Because here at Fit Is a Feminist Issue, we have a whole different relationship with quitting. We’ve celebrated Quitting Day with an entire series of posts. Several of us are on the record as proudly, thoughtfully pro-quitting.
Christine H quit early and she’s completely at peace with that. Tracy quit the bike and triathlon after years of dedicated effort — and it was the right call. We’ve even turned to Kenny Rogers and Aristotle for wisdom on knowing when to fold.
Quitting isn’t failure dressed up in cowardly clothes. Sometimes quitting is the clear-eyed, courageous, correct choice. When something no longer serves you — your body, your joy, your actual life — walking away isn’t weakness. It’s judgment.
“Don’t quit. Ever.” is the kind of advice that sounds tough but is really just oversimplification. It flattens a genuinely complex decision into a bumper sticker. Not every pursuit deserves your forever. Some things deserve a graceful exit. It’s sometimes okay to quit.
But still — I love my gym
And yet, here I am, back tomorrow for personal training and maybe aquafit later in the day. Despite the pink bar and the over-the-top motivational sayings, it really is a good gym.
Exhibit B
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Trying to imagine that pink bar at my lifetime care community where many of the guys are over 90…And this little (I am actually pretty small) woman who is only 74 is wishing they had a free weight heavier than 45 pounds. Someone’s vision is pretty narrow. And the don’t quit writer is just waiting to be sued by someone who should have, but didn’t and paid the consequences!
Still, I get loving the gym. All of our friends have some opinions that differ from our own, don’t they?