Peer Edited Draft - Assignment 2

Running head: EXPLORING THE REASONING BEHIND GENDER DIFFERENCES IN
EXERCISE HABITS 1

Exploring the Reasoning Behind Gender Differences in Exercise Habits
Taylor Dove
University of North Carolina at Charlotte

2
EXPLORING THE REASONING BEHIND GENDER DIFFERENCES IN EXERCISE
HABITS

Introduction
The odor of sweat fills the humid air; the clanking of weights and winding of the
treadmill become constant sounds; the upbeat music causes my heart rate to fasten -- I have
arrived at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte's Fitness Center. College students flood
to the gym daily and enter a unique space where behaviors that are considered by society as
"inappropriate" in a public setting are widely accepted and sometimes encouraged in a fitness
center. Loud grunting, poor body odor and hygiene, and blasting of loud music are just a few of
these "inappropriate" behaviors. Like a painters canvas, the fitness center has all the mediums
an artist could possibly need, it is just up to the student to utilize these "mediums" to create their
"masterpiece" by losing weight, maintaining a healthy lifestyle, or strengthening their muscles to
ultimately achieve the body they desire.
The fitness center at UNC Charlotte is divided into 3 main sections. The first section is
the free weight section which is divided into two subsections: the left side includes mostly
dumbbells and benches, while the right side includes bench presses, squat racks, and a
multipurpose rack. The second section is the strength machine section, which includes machines
such as the leg press, shoulder press, and hamstring curl. Finally, the third section is the
cardiovascular equipment section, which includes treadmills, elliptical machines, bikes, and
rowing machines.
As I investigated dynamics at the fitness center, I found myself fascinated at the
observance that men and women seemed to concentrate their workouts in different parts of the
gym. I also noticed that workout habits seemed to vary between gender. It seemed that men
completely dominated the sections of the gym in which they could lift weights. Personally, I
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know that regardless of gender, there are many benefits to weightlifting, so why then, were
female college students barely present in the free weight section of the UNC Charlotte Fitness
Center? I began to broaden my perspective and think more deeply as to what would cause this
phenomena to occur. Was there a relationship between a college student's purpose of going to the
gym and the workout they carried out? Furthermore, was their gender a factor in deciding these
goals and workouts? Plausible explanations to consider are differences in societal expectations of
gender, differences in physical ability by gender, the psychology of males and females, and
intimidation factor of the opposite sex.
As a UNC Charlotte student, I am a member of the university's fitness center and
consider myself an active gym goer. Furthermore, I take my health and fitness seriously and
enjoy using all sections of the facility. With that said, my hope is to determine why females and
males have differing exercise habits when all sections of the gym facility are important to use
regardless of gender. As a female, I find it distressing that other college females fail to utilize the
free weight section of the fitness center as frequently as the males do. I hope this project will
generate a deeper understanding for the opposite sex's exercise habits, and give explanation as to
why females are found less in the weightlifting section than males.
Literature Review
Male and Female Exercise Habits:
Previous research has shown that men and women have different exercise habits,
however, what is it that drives these differentiations? One mutual factor influencing the ways in
which men and women work out is societys gender expectations. Body image issues can be
linked to the way the media and culture portray standards of men and women (Murnen, Smolak,
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Mills, et al, 2003). In fact, grade school children have reported body dissatisfaction because of
their desire to match the images of men and women in the media (Murnen, Smolak, Mills, et al,
2003). A second factor motivating men and women to exercise is their desire to appear appealing
to the opposite sex. In 2007, Jonason's research showed that men and women pursued "sex-
appropriate" exercise behavior to self-enhance themselves to attract mates. This research also
suggests that while men and women workout to change their body to look attractive to the
opposite sex, they also may alter their behaviors to be accepted by the opposite sex.
Male Exercise Habits:
To be blunt, research has shown that men are simply more interested in weightlifting than
women (Thunfors, Collins & Hanlon 2009). In the United States, mens ratings of their current
and ideal muscularity were associated with trying to fit society's version of the "male role" and
many men desired increased muscularity for reasons related to increased dominance and
attractiveness to women (Frederick, Buchanan, et al 2007). These results suggest widespread
desire for increased muscularity among men are supported by additional research suggesting that
the objectification of men in the media has increased, perhaps promoting a drive for
muscularity among boys (Murnen, Smolak, Mills & Good, 2003). Men focus their energy on
exercising their upper bodies in order to gain muscle mass, enhancing their upper bodies to look
bigger (Jonason 2007). Jonason's research shows that men pursue "sex-appropriate" exercise
behavior to self-enhance themselves to attract mates.
In addition to looking physically better, a study done at the University of Florida found
that in men, exercise dependence was related to men wanting to benefit from physically and
psychologically feeling better. Those who exercise to change their physical form exhibit
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appearance imagery, while energy imagery exercisers work out for the benefit of feeling better
physically and psychologically (Hausenblas & Stannard 2002). So while males strive to change
their appearance, do they also desire to improve their moods by working out?
Female Exercise Habits:
In my research study at the UNC Charlotte Fitness Center, I observed college females
tending to work out in the cardio vascular section for the majority of their work out. This could
further be explained by critical ratio tests in research done by A.E. Whiteman and others in 2013
that revealed associations between exercise and weight loss behaviors were more strongly
correlated among females as compared with males. The trend that females were more focused on
losing weight was seen in several research studies including Thunfors, Collins & Hanlon (2009)
in addition to Whiteman (2013). Furthermore, Jonason's work showed that women focused on
losing weight with emphasis of exercising their lower bodies with the goal of looking smaller.
Females are also motivated to change their body images for reasons regarding their self-esteem.
A woman exercising in excess was related to her trying to change her appearance in a study
conducted by the University of Florida (Hausenblas & Stannard, 2002). Furthermore, only
females associate body dissatisfaction with the level of their self-esteem (Tiggeman &
Willimson, 2000; Furnham, Badmin & Sneade, 2002).
I further observed that female college students tended to work out in a group or with a
partner more often than males did in my explanation. This could be related to Van Bothmers and
Fridlunds study that focused on the overall health of college students in Swedens lives. In
paying particular attention to the area of physical activity and the level of physical activity based
on gender conducted within the study we see a trend emerge in females. Results showed that
Comment [7]: Add daLe sLudy was done
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females with higher social support showed higher levels of exercise. Could this suggest that the
ways in which women exercise is influenced on whether or not they have a partner or people in
the gym with them? While this reading does support observations found in the study, we must
also consider that this study was conducted in a different country than the United States,
however, it does focus on college students, which is relevant to the population of this study.
My Position as a University Student and Fitness Advocate
As a student at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, I find this issue of spatial
differentiation between males and females of high importance and interest. Prior to presenting
my position on this issue, I feel it is important that I share with you a little bit about who I am
and what I value in fitness. As a member of the fitness center, I am concerned with the gyms
dynamics, how individuals communicate with each other, and how this communication can
affect a members workout. I find it problematic that in males and females exercising in
particular parts of the gym, they are not only limiting their intercommunication, but they are also
failing to utilize parts of the gym that could be highly beneficial to their bodies. Currently, I am a
sophomore and full time student at UNC Charlotte. As a major in Exercise Science and an
aspiring personal trainer, I consider myself having a great knowledge of fitness and the benefits
particular exercises have on the body. Living on campus, my only gym membership is to the
UNC Charlotte Fitness Center, thus it is the only gym in the area I attend. I go to the gym at least
4 times a week if not everyday, and utilize all sections of the fitness center. It being the only gym
I attend makes me passionate about what is going on in that particular fitness center. As a
woman, I also find myself avid in challenging myself as a female, and discovering why females
avoid utilizing the weightlifting section of the fitness center.
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Entering the Conversation
While it is evident that males at UNC Charlotte tend to dominate the free-weight section
of the gym at UNC Charlotte, the reason as to why this is and as to why females do not utilize
this section as often is still unexplained (Dove, 2013). Based on my experience, and the various
sources I have read, I feel that it is quite evident that men and women go to the gym for similar
purposes but desire different results for various reasons. For college students, ones physical
attractiveness is often of high importance and is reason for why many students engage in
physical activities. However, because they posses different expectations for how their bodies
should look, this further translates into differing exercise habits.
When I begin thinking about the gym dynamics at UNC Charlotte, I am immediately
reminded of a clip from the comedy film, Shes the Man. **Shes the man clip** In the clip, we
first see that females are working out on cardiovascular machines, and the male is in the
weightlifting section. As the scene continues, we see the large male named Duke trying to
impress the females by lifting large weights. We also see Viola, pretending to be Sebastian,
drooling in admiration over Dukes large muscle and great strength. This is typical of
observations in the investigation conducted at UNC Charlotte.
Media and culture have a large influence on the types of bodies both men and women
strive for. As demonstrated in Shes the Man, the ideal stereotypical man in Western society is
often perceived as big and muscular. Thus, it is common for many adolescent and young adult
men to feel pressured to be as masculine as possible; consequently, they begin spending large
amounts of time working out at the gym in an attempt to build muscle and bulk up. Research by
Jonason (2007) shows that in contrast to women, men focus on exercising their upper bodies as
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this causes others to perceive them as larger and therefore more dominant. I believe the male
obsession of becoming larger is a plausible explanation as to why more men were observed in
the weight-lifting section of the gym and as to why men used the scale at the fitness center more
than women.
It is also very important for males to find a mate. Biologically, we strive to attain a
desirable body for the opposite sex. Men know that most women prefer men who are bigger and
more muscular. Thus, this translates into the type of exercise males chose to incorporate in their
workout routine. Men may have stayed away from the cardiovascular machines in fear of losing
weight. Furthermore, Jonason's research suggests that men exhibit "sex-appropriate" behaviors
around the other sex, and running on a treadmill for example may not allow males to display the
masculine behavior that is considered "appropriate" by women.
When it comes to women, the media portrays the ideal image of a woman to be thin and
sexy. Furthermore, numerous studies have shown that when females work out they are more
interested in losing weight and they have a strong desire to look smaller rather than heavier
(Barry; Furman; Jonason; Thunfors, Collins, and Hanlon; Murmen). This could possibly explain
why women do not incorporate free-weights into their workout very often and instead were
observed to be in the cardiovascular section most frequently (Dove, 2013). In an attempt to fit
society's ideal womanly figure, women may focus their workout on exercises such as cardio and
strength machines in order to lose weight and have a more slender body.
Based on personal experience, it is my opinion that when women think of lifting weights
they may tend to assume to the conclusion that this means they will deviate from their ideal
figure becoming bulky and large. However, this is not the case. Women can use free weights in
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their workout to achieve the body they desire by dictating the amount of weight they use and the
amount of times they complete the exercise. Female college students may also workout with the
purpose of increasing their self-esteem. In contrast to men, womens self esteem was found to be
directly related to their body image. With that said, women may work out to achieve this ideal
figure of a women, and in some cases work out to excess to achieve this change in their image
(Hausenblas & Stannard, 2002).
I personally observed that female college students were found working out in groups or
partners more often than men. This observation makes sense when we take into consideration
that women are social in their nature. A study conducted by Van Bothmer & __ found that
females with higher social support showed higher levels of exercise. Thus, while women do
workout to change their appearance, they also are more likely to workout with the support of a
partner. This psychology of needing support in a fitness center applies to my personal
observation that maybe women do not weight lift because of the intimidation of the male
dominance in the free weight section. Because women exercise at higher levels when they do so
with people they know, working out in a division of the fitness center with unfamiliar people
may cause hesitation. In addition, women may be afraid of improperly completely weight-lifting
exercises in front of the opposite sex or in front of more experienced weight lifters. As a college
student gym goer, these thoughts have all crossed my mind when I have entered the free weight
section at the UNC Charlotte Fitness Center.
Conclusion
It is true that males are more interested in weightlifting and females are more interested
in losing weight. However, the reasons behind these goals can be dangerous to some extent. One
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can lose self-confidence, begin using drugs such as steroids, exercise to excess, to achieve these
somewhat unhealthy and unrealistic bodies society has set for men and women. I truly believe in
the phrase that knowledge is power thus, I feel that it is extremely important that both men and
women understand the reasons why their fellow gym members may work out. An understanding
of the opposite sexes' motives and fears could prevent males and females from being discouraged
in using all aspects of the gym. Females may not hesitate to use weightlifting equipment in fear
that they will be judged, and males may relinquish their fears of not exhibiting masculine
behavior and instead use cardiovascular equipment. I hope my research helps inspire individuals
to encourage the opposite sex to venture to "their section of the gym." By this I mean I hope to
see males both respect females who chose to weight lift and also encourage other females to do
the same. Vice versa, I hope to see females encourage males to utilize cardiovascular machines
and respect men who decide to use them.
A new respect may emerge in the gym, and more importantly, communication would
improve between fitness members at the UNC Charlotte Fitness Center. The most effective
communication at a gym occurs when members are courteous by asking if one is done with the
machine and by asking for assistance in completing an exercise or in how to use a piece of
equipment. With an understanding of other sexes goals and exercise habits there would be less
tension between sexes at the gym and consequently, a unified ideology of working together and
encouraging one another would emerge. With this bettered communication and newfound
respect, I believe all members of the UNC Charlotte Fitness center would benefit by achieving
greater results from their workout routines.
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I believe this ideology and gym make up at UNC Charlotte is much like much other
University Fitness Center's or fitness centers with an abundance of adolescents and young adults.
Ultimately, I hope to see other fitness centers utilize the research explaining the difference of
exercise habits between men and women so that they may be able to create a more fluid dynamic
between sexes in their facilities.

References
Barry, A. E. , Whiteman, S., Piazza-Gardner A. K. , & Jensen, A. C. (2013). Gender differences
in the associations among body mass index, weight loss, exercise, and drinking among
college students. Journal of American College Health, 61:7, 407-413, DOI:
10.1080/07448481.2013.823973
Dove, T. M. (2013). An observation of the SAC fitness center. Retrieved from
https://moodle2.uncc.edu/course/view.php?id=17608.
Furnham, A., Badmin, N., & Sneade, I. (2002). Body image dissatisfaction: Gender differences
in eating attitudes, self-esteem, and reasons for exercise. Journal of Psychology, 136(6),
581-597.
Hausenblas, H., & Stannard, P. (2002, October 23). Men more dependent on exercise than
woman, UF study shows. Retrieved from http://news.ufl.edu/2002/10/23/
exercisedependence/.
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Jonason, P. K. (2007). An evolutionary psychology perspective on sex differences in exercise
behaviors and motivations. The Journal of social psychology, 147(1), 5-14.
Murnen, S. K., Smolak, L., Mills, J. A., & Good, L. (2003). Thin, sexy women and strong,
muscular men: Grade-school children's responses to objectified images of women and
men. Sex Roles, 49(9-10), 427-437.
Smith, B. L., Handley, P., & Eldredge, D. A. (1998). Sex differences in exercise motivation and
body-image satisfaction among college students. Perceptual and motor skills, 86(2), 723-
732.
Sorgen, C. (2004). When it comes to working out, men and women are from different
planets. Retrieved from http://www.webmd.com/fitness-exercise/features/his-hers-
fitness.
Spaulding, K. (2011, April 10). Sex Differences in Body Expectations and Exercise Habits: A
study on sex differences related to body image and exercise. Retrieved from
http://ksspaulding.wordpress.com/article/sex-differences-in-body-expectations-
3smazt4fj02nv-71/.
Von Bothmer, M. I. K. & Fridlund, B. (2005), Gender differences in health habits and in
motivation for a healthy lifestyle among Swedish university students. Nursing & Health
Sciences, 7: 107118. doi: 10.1111/j.1442-2018.2005.00227.x

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Running head: EXPLORING THE REASONING BEHIND GENDER DIFFERENCES IN

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