(His technique was also very wrong, BTW.)
But I wasn’t necessarily sold.
Would it be the throw in of gym where two-pound dumbbells reign supreme?
Thomas Barwick / Getty Images
I tried out the facility to see.
Uplift Studiosis a fitness studio/female society in Midtown Manhattan that serves women only.
Even in many predominantly female fitness studios, seeing a jar-full of dollar-store cardboard tampons is fairly common.
A wall at Uplift Studios
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Uplift owner and founder Leanne Shear asked me shortly after my class ended.
Or, for right after an exercise session because, why not?
Courtesy of the author
Theres no talk about bikini body prepping or losing weight.
I dont want to feel like just because Im doing these crunches that I cant have my wine!
I was in a race against my coach one day, she explained.
Instead of congratulating me afterward, all he said was how huge my arms looked while running.
The women would start giving me feedback and sharing their stories, she said.
And even though we would run in the park, we were togetherwe felt safe.
Although some men would stare or catcall, it didnt matter.
We were protected by one another.
Looking forward to an all-out HIIT weight training session, seeing the mats was a disappointment.
That is, until I realized they’re pretty much just there to collect students' sweat.
After a standard in-place cardio warm-up with jumping jacks and high-knees, we jumped right into our weight session.
The instructor encouraged us to pick up two sets of weights, a heavy and a light set.
I should also mention that she was emitting continuous positivity.
We finished with a series ofyoga stretchesto end the classwhich I totally welcomed at this point.
It should go without saying that not all men are chauvinists hell-bent on disrupting a womans workout flow.
And to be fair, not all women are welcoming and nonjudgmental.
But there was something innately special knowing I was sweating it out among like-minded individuals.
Also, any gym that stocks their cabinets with pinot noir is fine by me.
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