Looking back to talk about fitness and its history inevitably brings us back to the image of Jane Fonda during the 1980s. The actress launched at the beginning of the decade ‘The Jane Fonda’s Workout’, some aerobic videos that gave a radical turn to the way of understanding sport, specifically for women, transforming the fitness industry forever.
The activist and aerobics guru for several decades I teach, and allowed, the women of half the world to sweat through very accessible routines that everyone could practice both at home and in the gym.
Like everything else, the world of fitness continues to evolve and faces a new stage: women are increasingly demanding and workouts no longer focus on sexbut on its importance.
In recent years we have experienced a change of consciousness regarding training, regardless of gender. “Just as before the tendency was for man to focus on the bodybuilding or strength training and women in group classes or aerobicsnow both give importance to strength training to achieve their goals,” says Álvaro González, a specialized trainer in crossfit and pilates.
This change, he tells us, is explained by the fact that more and more people value the sport as a way to be healthy (and not just as a goal to be thinner, in the case of women). “In addition, the public is much more aware that strength training is synonymous with physical and mental health,” she adds.
The prototype of a beautiful or healthy woman has also changed: “In the era of the eighties and nineties, the beautiful woman was the one who appeared on the catwalks. The requirements were to be tall and super thin. Now a woman with curves is sought and the concept of royal woman. We see women with a fitness body as a prototype of a beautiful woman.”
A change that, without a doubt, has been accelerated thanks to social networks: “There is a very large boom in model girls, fitness or trainers who upload training to their profiles and show their day to day, offering their sports advice.” The direct consequence, therefore, is that large gyms with huge fitness rooms are becoming very fashionable so that both men and women can train at ease.
Brett Poblet, CEO of Square Fitness Studio, reminds us of the global phenomenon that the creation of fitness studios (or what are currently called fitness boutiques) has had. He acknowledges that since they began to be created, in 2010 in the United States and the end of 2015 in Spain, these types of studies are dragging consumers from traditional gyms to fitness studios what we are currently talking about.
“The reason this has happened is because these centers create addictionguarantee fast results, generate motivation and instant pleasureIn addition to a quick community integration. And most importantly: they are centers that are not intimidating and this is key for women, because they are adapted to all levels and for everyone”, emphasizes the expert.
Furthermore, it ensures that These types of centers were initially built with women in mind: “These are centers that do not skimp on printing in changing rooms, with all kinds of details to be able to take care of the user. There are community areas, meeting areas, even bars where you can have a drink… the objective is for consumers to become part of something. And in the end, the woman is what she is looking for the most: to feel integrated”.
The extraordinary increase in these types of centers from 2015 so far has been driven by a strong demand from women. “They have grown tremendously and the main clientele we have are women: 70 or 80%. And the best thing is that this happens in any country: it remains the same in Spain, the United Kingdom, the United States or Australia.”
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It’s the experience that counts
In the collective classes before, the female audience predominated. “What has been done with this evolution is to remove this type of rooms and individualize them. That is, create unique spaces where the majority environment is women and in the end she seeks to be with more women unconsciously. The woman worries that she will feel judged or intimidated when she does these exercises. And within those spaces they are completely protected, in a familiar environment, they feel cared for and are much more uninhibited“says the expert.
It also highlights that these types of rooms are more popular than the usual gyms because of the type of service they offer: “In the end, it’s the experience that counts. The details, the instructors, the atmosphere… everything that happens there. It is also true that women are much more demanding in terms of services than men, and they tend to be much more faithful than men, which is why these types of studies put all its focus on the maximum attention to these cares which will also generate higher spending.
In conclusion, what the experts have done is take the traditional gym and specialize it, take care of it and pamper it so that women can enjoy it. “The traditional gyms or low cost that in the end they are all machines where in the end the public is much more masculine and everything is more intimidating. We have removed a service from what is the traditional club, it has specialized and everything is now much more careful. And an experience is generated, the community is sought… man is much more individual, he does not seek so much relationship “.
Finally, she reminds us that the practice of physical activity in these fitness centers for women is a great escape route for them: “It gives them many options to be able to practice sports in an environment where they feel comfortable.”
Socialization is another big factor. The vast majority of women love to socialize while doing sports. It is also true that women are more likely than men to experience stigma around weight training. Because of this, they can avoid going to the traditional weight or machine room.
But, luckily, things have changed and weight training is doing a very good job, hence the popularity of crossfit, strength exercises or the type of activities like ours that is a hit with sessions where you work with loads. , because they are activities that are being shown to be beneficial for women. There is more and more participation of women: the 47% of people who practice crossfit are women.
On why women choose this type of room over traditional gyms, Javier Díaz Instructor, Square Fitness Studio, considers that this is mainly due to the experience and detail of this type of center. “The lighting, the music, the professionals who carry out the classes… in the end the women are able to see and above all feel and value these details. Currently it is no longer just going to lift weights or run on an appointment, now you have to surprise the user every day, ”she exposes.
And what could gyms do to adapt to the demands of fitness rooms? The answer is clear: “Reinvent yourself and look for a new stimulus every daya great song at a key moment of the session, a new gel in the locker room with a particular smell, a new or more challenging exercise… It all adds upDiaz concludes.
Images |Jane Fonda, Pexels
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