Man Challenges Ladies-Only Gym

by Kristen Seymour (Subscribe to Kristen Seymour's posts)
Jun 10th 2009 5:00PM

Categories: Fitness

Lucille Roberts is a New York City-based women's gym, but 63-year-old Amnon Kent is one of about 10 men with a membership to the facility. Most of the men had memberships to the gym before it stopped letting men join more than 10 years ago, but not Kent. In fact, he joined just four years ago, after accusing the gym's manager of gender discrimination.

Kent's membership at Lucille Roberts poses some interesting questions. For one, having a male at a women's-only gym creates the requirement for a totally separate men's locker room (even though Kent says he prefers to shower at home). Does that raise the rates for the other members? And then, the more obvious issue -- if a woman joins a gym specifically because she's not comfortable working out around men, does the facility have an obligation to keep men out?

Of course, there's one other big question -- why on earth would a man want to work out at a women's gym? Kent insists it's convenient and he's just there to work out and not to gawk, although he admitted, "Once in a while, if there's a pretty girl, I'll look at her."

If you're a woman, do you feel more comfortable working out with only females? Or do you think it's discriminatory to restrict membership to one gender?

Source

Comments (7)

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

Paula Antoniou 6-10-2009 @ 9:31PM

I am a woman, long-distance runner and active gym-goer. My gym is co-ed and I prefer it that way. I do, however, see separation of sexes occurring even at our gym, particularly in the free weights area. I am one of very few women who frequent the free weights area. Do I get looks? Sure! Does it make me uncomfortable? No way! I choose to take it as a compliment. Besides, I can't help stealing glances at some of the men myself! That's a small part of the fun of working out.

I can't imagine why in the world any woman would want to work out in a women-only environment, but apparently there are many thousands (millions?) who do. I don't know about the legality of excluding men, so I can't comment on it. The only positive spin I can see is this: If a women-only gym is what it takes to get these women to become active, then it is a good idea. I simply won't be joining them.

Arien 6-10-2009 @ 11:40PM

Oh heck, half the fun is having the men there. Oh sure if you're hung up on how you feel about yourself then it's an issue, but the best way to get over that feeling and feel better about yourself is working out in the same area as men. I'm sure there are other reasons why women would join a women only gym, but we all know that's the primary one. And when you think about it, it's actually just one more thing to hold a woman back and cause her to feel less secure about herself and her body. Working out at a coed gym has helped me make far more positive strides in my attitude, lifestyle, and how I feel about myself than working out at a women only gym ever could. Heck, I even changed from Ballys to Golds because the Ballys men weren't hardcore enough and the gym catered too much to women by beefing up cardio equipment while letting the heavy weight section go to hell. Cardio is good, but weights really provide the best workout. And that's another disadvantage of women only gyms. They don't get that and leave the heavy weights out of the equation which fails women in so many ways... ways that often come back to haunt you when you hit menopause.

u262f 6-11-2009 @ 1:10AM

I don't go to gyms at all for very many reasons. Men being there is definitely embarrassing, but it's only one of those reasons.

Many sporting competitions separate men and women events, so I see it as merely a logical extension of that to separate the potential training grounds.

deadharbor 6-11-2009 @ 10:00AM

I have no problem working out with men, but it's just silly to have male members in a "women's only" gym.

Katheryn 6-11-2009 @ 11:43AM

If there was a male only gym that didn't allow women, women from all over would be freaking out. When it's the other way around though, we act like the man is out of his mind. Either there should be women only and men only gyms or none of the above.

Dave 6-17-2009 @ 1:49AM

To all the ladies who feel uncomfortable at a gym there is really no reason to be, everyone is there for the same thing and I have much more admiration for a heavy woman that I see in the gym than I do for the one sitting at McDonalds. Plus there is nothing more motivating to a man in the gym to work harder than the sight of a fit woman.

As for ladies only gyms I don't really have a problem with it but I can see how is is unfair. Men have been made to feel guilty for years for excluding women from our facilities and women turn around and do the same thing to us.

Judy 6-16-2009 @ 11:12AM

My husband had an ex who cheated on him with a man she met at her gym. When I started going to a gym, I went to a women only one so he would not even worry about it. He knew it was irrational, but it didn't really matter to me.

I do think it is kind of ridiculous that some women have fought so hard for admission into men's clubs, and throw a fit when men try to make groups that exclude women, then open up their own that exclude men. It seems kind of crazy that a local coed gym has a "women only" area, but no equivalent men only area.