At Penance, our female clients outnumber our male clients almost 3-to-1.
And if you asked each woman what she gets from training in our gym, you would get a lot of answers that also have a common theme running through them.
We solve a problem for them.
There are 4 major problems that we solve – time, direction, inclusion, and independence. These are not small problems. Women come to us listing these problems as the barriers preventing them from reaching their goals.
There is no way around it. Women are the backbone of our society.
They are wives, mothers, teachers, first responders, CEO’s and more. They are the primary care-takers in their families – both for young children and aging parents (many times simultaneously). They run households and family schedules. As my grandmother used to say, they are “nurse-maid, bottle-washer, chef, chauffeur, and diaper-wiper.”
Women who come to us citing lack of time as the major barrier to reaching their goals are BUSY managing life for all those around them. Many times these women work outside the home and it’s pedal to the metal from sunrise to sunset to ensure all the wheels stay in motion for those around them.
Over the years, they’ve added more responsibilities as life has changed and they’ve removed the most important one. Themselves. They prioritize their own needs less and less as children get older and add more activities to their schedules, as work has increased, as parents age and need more care, add whatever of your own daily duties to the list that you’d like.
But these women don’t add themselves to their daily to-do list until something major finally happens. They hit a pants size they promised they’d never get to. Their blood pressure sky-rockets and it reminds them how their great-aunt died of a heart attack no one saw coming. All of a sudden, their body won’t do what they want it to, or they have chronic pain they can’t get relief from.
So they sit in a consultation with us and they tell us that they just don’t have time to research the “right” program for them. They need someone to tell them what to do and show them how to do it safely. Because they don’t have time to get injured.
So that’s what we do.
We start with a joint-by-joint assessment to develop a baseline range of motion for their joints. Then if any movement-based red flags pop up, we address those first.
After that we teach them the foundational movements we do that align with the 6 distinct movement patterns we focus on for total-body strength and general health. This is usually done in personal training sessions. We almost never roll these women into group classes without starting with SOME personal training sessions.
Why?
Because “slow is smooth and smooth is fast”.
They have been neglecting themselves for a LONG TIME. They don’t have time to be laid up with an injury. By starting slowly with personal training, we are ensuring that they are developing strength appropriately so they can continue to make progress. And by focusing on movement patterns over specific exercises, there will be times that their schedules just don’t allow them to hop into a group class. On these occasions, they can follow along with the odd workout at home because nearly everything we do at Penance can be accomplished with a set of dumbbells or kettlebells.
Getting fit for these women isn’t about competing against another person. It’s about continuing to feel a sense of self during a cycle in their lives that is hectic.
Our group classes start right on time every time and we aim to finish MOST classes at least 5 minutes early. We know that our group members live busy lives, and we do our best to respect the time they spend with us. We want them to get in, get a great sweat, and go about their day a little happier than when they left us.
If these women sound a little bit like you, send us a message. Tell us what you’ve been struggling with and what goals you’re trying to achieve. We’d love to help you get there.