Do Single-Sex Gyms Make You Progress Faster?
5 reasons why I like single-sex gyms
I trained in the men-only gym about 20 years ago and spent several years there. The owner only allowed men to train. This gym was a breeze! All people did there was heavy training. Mind it, CrossFit only started in the US back then and wasn’t anything popular.
Why did I like this gym?
- Lots of space. No useless machines you had to go around all the time.
- Single-minded people around, as the gym, focused on powerlifting
- No doing biceps curls with an 8kg kettlebell.
- No trying to take a selfie of their buttocks in the mirror.
- No flirting around, seeking attention, or trying to look ‘better’.
I found it much easier to focus on my training without any distractions. The weights on my barbell grew faster than before. I wanted to come back again and again. Even when I moved to a different part of the city.
It was a simple powerlifting gym which had:
- 5 straight weight benches + 2 incline benches
- 5 power racks for squats
- 5 deadlift platforms
- 5 essential machines (2 lat pulldowns, dips bar, pull up bar, hyper extension bench)
- free weights — barbells, dumbbells, kettlebells
There are men-only and women-only gyms in many countries today. Yet I haven’t been to a single men-only gym for the last 15 years.
Have you been to a single-sex gym before? Would you try it?
P.S. Same-sex transportation
When I moved to Asia later in life I saw women-only carriages in the Malaysian subway. No men were allowed. Women should be more comfortable there. They also have women-only buses and taxis in Malaysia.
Women-only transportation exists mostly in Asian countries, plus Mexico and Brazil. Have you used one before? How did you feel?
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