My schizophrenic opinions on sex segregation in gyms

[paulpablo]

I go to a sex segregated gym, female and the general section, the females can use both the men can't use the females.

I used to go to a gym with no ladies only area.

These are my opposing opinions about the situation.

In favor of a ladies only area.

Part of me thinks I only want to work out around women because I'm a pervert.  Not that I'd stand around drooling over the women but there's no other reason I'd want women to be there, I don't talk to anyone at the gym or anything.
Women tend to use the ladies only section in favor of the general section. Plus I do know of a couple of women who said they feel stared at going into gyms and they are glad there's a women's section.

In favor of no ladies only area.

I feel like I'm at a fucking sausage festival at the gym I go to now.  There's so much testosterone in the air it feels like penises are going to start shooting up through the floor boards.  
It just kind of feels unnatural and prison like to be surrounded by men and no women.  I think it just effects the atmosphere of a place like that.

Plus when I did go to a gym with no ladies area, maybe some women did get looked at but I didn't witness anyone inappropriately coming onto any women.  I was actually surprised I never once ever saw a woman who looked to be in an uncomfortable situation with a man or anything like that.
I admit I might just have not seen it happening or something but I don't know.


Anyway, those are my thoughts, what about you?

[account_inactive]

I feel like I'm at a fucking sausage festival at the gym I go to now.  There's so much testosterone in the air it feels like penises are going to start shooting up through the floor boards.  

[Seraphina]

I've worked out at both a ladies' only gym and a co-ed gym. I don't really have a preference. I'm very focused when I go in - get my work done and leave so I can get on with the rest of my day.
The only time I've felt weird is in the free weights area sometimes sitting or standing next to massive, sweating grunting guys with my piddly 20 pound weights. The lizard primal part of my brain feels vulnerable in those moments. But meh- in the end, it's not big deal.

[abaris]

You obviously made a consious choice. You said it yourself, it's not the only game in town. So, why choose that at all?

[paulpablo]

You obviously made a consious choice. You said it yourself, it's not the only game in town. So, why choose that at all?

Because it's the best equipped most local gym in town with the bonus of being open 24 hours a day.

But it now has competition from a rival company and the rival company doesn't have a ladies only area as far as I'm aware.  This rival gym opens in 2 weeks and I plan to join before it's even opened it's doors to the public and cancel my old membership to the other gym.

[Fidel_Castronaut]

My Mrs prefers female only gyms but she happily visits the one we're a member of now which is tiny and has hardly any members due to restrictions on applications (need to be a university member of staff or NHS).

[Regina]

I'm not against female-only gyms, but personally I don't think I've never witnessed men really acting inappropriately towards women in the mixed gyms. The closest thing I've seen to that was this one time this caveman, missing link, was grunting loudly around the gym attracting attention to himself, and taking his shirt off (he had nothing worth showing tbh) and flexing for anyone he thought was looking. Even he wasn't approaching anyone in particular though.

Sure it absolutely must have happened to some at some point, but it's something I do think is very largely overplayed in my opinion. I'm sure men do notice and perhaps look at the women, but I have literally never seen a woman get stalked around the gym or catcalled.

I also think a lot of the "issue" has to do with women who (perhaps naively, perhaps deliberately) go to the gym in tight see-through leggings and a skimpy bra and seriously think testosterone-pumped men aren't going to notice. That's silly. You have absolutely every right to go to the gym dressed like that if you want, but people will naturally look at you and you sound dumb complaining about it.