Fifty-one year-old Safira Altaf walks into Ladies Club, an all-women’s gym in T Nagar, twice a week at 8.30am with a top knot, eyes rimmed with kohl, and a book in her hand. Her class does not start for another half an hour but she enjoys the occasional chat with her mates before she begins loading her barbell with weights earmarked for her lifts. “Everyone is so friendly here. I enjoy speaking to them. If not, I tend to catch up with my book. Right after, I pick up my weights,” she says.
In May this year, Safira lifted 65 kilograms on her deadlift set. Until three years ago when she began her lifting training, she had ‘sub-zero’ athletic abilities, she says, laughing. “Before the lockdown, my son tried to get me to lift but I was very reluctant. Historically, we have heard false news claiming that lifting will ‘affect’ the uterus. It got me worried. But during the pandemic, many doctors put up videos endorsing strength training. I was intent on joining an all-women’s gym because I wanted to feel comfortable. I am now hooked. I take my protein after class and ensure that I hit a gram for every kilogram of my body weight,” she says.
Safira says that when she first joined the gym, she wore a salwar kameez and dupatta. No questions were asked. Over time, she has warmed up to the idea of tracksuits. Her son runs a gym too but she prefers being here as this women’s-only gym is a liberating space where she is focussed on getting strong, ensuring that she does not depend on kin for care in her 70s. “I want to cook, clean and fend for myself at that age,” she says. “I like coming here because I am able to see women older than me, causally lifting heavy weights. Younger people too. There is an extra energy. My mythical aches and pains have disappeared too,” she says.
Safira’s experience of seeing more women occupying the gym floor now feels far more ubiquitous than before. Prashanti Ganesh, who runs Ladies Club, says that gone are the days when weight training was meant for athletes and gym bros. Everyone who walks into her gym, picks up barbells. The level — beginner, intermediate, and advanced — is determined by loads. An athlete who competed at school-level, Prashanti says it was difficult for women to find space in structured, organised sport. Often, when she would attempt to play cricket and football with her friends at the local Corporation ground, her presence would be unwelcome, and the environment hostile. Years of seeking, training and educating herself through internships, certifications and seminars including in India and the United States, led to forming her first venture back in 2015.
Manjuka A, a national level power lifter and a strength training coach with 10 years of experience.
| Photo Credit:
Shivaraj S
One year ago though, she chose to run an all-women’s gym “alienating 50% of the billings according to the auditor” as she was keen on creating spaces that reduced the barrier to women trying to be fit. At her gym, people across age groups between 16 and 65, can be found doing curls with heavy dumbbells, squatting, deadlifting, doing weighted push ups, and even performing pull ups. “There are no hierarchies and nobody is talked down to. What one wears should not be a barrier to lifting what they want to lift. There are no assessments here. The aim is to show women the joy in the process of getting stronger,” she says. Currently, 70 people train at her gym but she also has a thriving online coaching community.
Prashanti also began a group, Women in Fitness, with 21 coaches on a WhatsApp group, so that women in this industry can gather to talk shop. “We meet once a month, deliver a presentation on coaching and programming related topics, and have conversations about the industry and our own practices. We also generously share leads,” she says.
A demonstration of a press.
| Photo Credit:
Shivaraj S
An infliction
Why women should strength train
Offsets bone and muscle degeneration.
Keeps arthritis and osteoporosis at bay. Women are more prone to it.
Aids gaining muscle and regulates hormones.
Helps recover from falls, especially in an ageing population.
Improves mental health.
Rini Richards, a coach who has been in the industry for seven years now, is part of this group. Earlier this year, she opened her gym in Adyar — Fytlyf360 — where she does semi-private training for her clients who have mostly been women. Since she has opened her space, Rini says that she has noticed a spike in the number of women coming up to her, setting goals like doing a deep push up or completing a pull up. “There is a deep shift. The aesthetic goals of losing weight have dropped. More women are looking to lift heavy and develop strength,” she says.
Manjuka A who is a national level power lifter and a strength training coach with 10 years of experience, says that women tell her about the lifestyle changes they have witnessed. “They are able to lift their own luggage, are able to balance better and have less aches and pains,” she says. She adds that she is often told that they have been able to manage their period cycles better too. “Strength training has several benefits. Women tend to lose bone density and muscle mass sooner than men so it is essential for women to lift weights along with a healthy lifestyle of eating nutritious meals. Training also helps against conditions like osteoporosis and arthritis that often set sooner in women. It also really helps women’s mental health,” she says.
An overhead press.
| Photo Credit:
Shivaraj S
Rini has often been part of gyms where the ratio of coaches who are men and women is nine to one. “Many times, male coaches have provided impractical solutions to real-world problems for their female clientele. Women do not just participate in the workforce. They also do work at home. To expect a businesswomen to do an impossible number of steps and give her a hard diet to follow without taking into account her circumstances is silly but is often the case. Also, in gyms, the voices of women clients and trainers are often overlooked. I want to change that at my gym,” she says. Rini’s favourite part of coaching is when women shock themselves by how strong they are.
Sheba Devaraj, who is not only a coach, but a competitive weight-lifter now, says that she has often encountered this feeling. The latest was when she was classified as an athlete whilst participating and winning the gold at the Asian Masters Weightlifting Championship held in Doha and bronze for weightlifting at the World Masters Games at Taipei this year. “I had tears in my eyes when they played the Indian National Anthem on the podium. I didn’t expect it,” she says. Sheba’s fitness journey has been long. Five years since she opened Creed Strength and Conditioning Studio in Alwarpet, Sheba says that the journey towards building her gym has been arduous, long and deeply rewarding. She hopes to work with clients across gender and is happy to coach those who would like to compete. “I could not find coaches when I wanted because many did not want to waste time coaching an older woman. I feel vindicated now,” she says.
A lat pulldown.
| Photo Credit:
Shivaraj S
Anannya Parekh who has been training for a year now, says that gyms, including women-only ones that entirely focussed on weight loss, were intimidating spaces that gave her “the ick”. In gyms with men, her space was often impeded or she was at the receiving end of unnecessary advice. Today, with consistent training, she is able to deadlift 100 kilograms and is consistently seeking newer fitness goals. Strength training helped her clinch the third place at the Tamil Nadu Masters Swim meet in the 50 metres breaststroke category.
“Although it looks aggressive, lifting is actually calming. It gives me the space to be mindful of my own space and that of others. It helps me access my internal reservoir of strength. Other women should lift because they should be able to experience what I feel today,” she says.
