Find the weight room intimidating? From now until November, a women-only strength class will meet on Thursdays from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. Two sessions are available to students. Session one began on Sept. 5 and runs until Oct. 12. The second session begins Oct. 17 and meets until Nov. 30. This class meets in the Recreational Sports Center, room RB1. The price for SHSU students is 20 dollars per session and 25 dollars for non-SHSU students.
Assistant Director of Fitness Scott Berkowitz formed this program to create an environment with hopes of helping women become more comfortable with lifting weights. The program is designed to build self-esteem, provide a safe way to work out, and serve as an outlet to inform women of the proper ways of lifting weights in order to prevent injury.
“We started Women on Weights a couple of years ago,” Berkowitz said. “Our certified personal trainer teaches things such as form and technique, safety, different training modalities, and how to get stronger.”
Madison Brown, a certified personal trainer who teaches the class, said she loves to see the growth of women from week to week, seeing their confidence improve and how they embrace being strong women. She enjoys working alongside other women who are all driven to keep themselves healthy and active.
“It’s such a joy to see how much they light up when they master a movement or lift more weight than they thought ever possible,” Brown said.
Students have shared their thoughts on the class as well. Some participants have said that they enjoyed learning how to lift correctly and that it is great to lift with other women. One said, “I feel empowered to get stronger,” according to Berkowitz.
This program is an intense 1-hour class that focuses on building women up both physically and mentally, by working out together in a group that is all striving for the same result.
Upon joining this training program, Berkowitz said that women should expect to get stronger, learn how to lift correctly, and feel empowered to work out hard. The Recreational Sports Center can be a bit crowded, and you may not know how to properly lift; this class makes you fearless in your pursuit of your desire to workout correctly and effectively.
“This class can train the beginner or someone that has been lifting and wants to lift with other women. We try to remove the stereotype of women can’t lift heavy weights. Madison will push women to lift heavier, get stronger, and how to do it correctly,” Berkowitz said.
There are certainly wrong ways to lift weights, but this program is set up to efficiently develop a skill set that will carry you on throughout other sports or activities going on.
If you are interested in the class or would like more information on it, visit the Recreational Sports Center, or contact them at (936) 294-1985.
