Women Taking Up Space in the Gym: An Approachable Way to Build Strength

If you’re a woman who has ever wanted to lift heavier weights but felt unsure where to start or overwhelmed by the gym environment you’re not alone.

Maybe you’ve walked into a gym and felt drawn to strength training, but the weight room felt intimidating or unfamiliar. Maybe you weren’t sure what weights to use, how heavy was “too heavy,” or whether you even belonged in that space yet. Or maybe every time you’ve joined a gym, the experience naturally guided you toward classes, yoga, spin, circuit-style workouts, while the free weights and machines felt separate, almost like a different world.

None of that means you can't build strength.
It just means the barrier to entry can feel bigger than it needs to be.

The truth is: you’re allowed to take up space in the gym and getting started with strength training doesn’t have to be complicated or overwhelming.

Why Strength Training Is Worth Learning

Strength training two to three days per week plays a major role in long-term health. It helps:

• Build and maintain muscle

• Support bone density

• Protect joints

• Improve overall resilience as we age

• Aesthetics 

But knowing it’s important doesn’t automatically make it feel accessible, especially if you’ve never been shown how to approach it.

Where Things Often Get Stuck

A common pattern I see is sticking with weights that feel familiar and “safe,” often paired with very high reps.

That might look like:

• Using the same light dumbbells every workout

• Doing 20–30 reps per set

• Feeling exhausted but not necessarily stronger

There’s nothing wrong with that kind of training, it builds endurance. But endurance alone doesn’t replace strength.

One of the biggest missing pieces is simply not knowing how to find an appropriate weight that actually challenges you without feeling reckless.

Lowering the Barrier: Simple Strength Movements to Start With

You don’t need advanced lifts or complicated setups to begin building strength. Starting with straightforward, intuitive movements can make a huge difference, especially when confidence is the main hurdle.

Focusing on all major muscle groups helps build balanced strength and makes workouts feel more intentional instead of random.

Below are low-barrier movement options by muscle group. You don’t need to do all of these at once, these are simply starting points. Some great low-barrier options include:

Lower Body (Quads, Glutes, Hamstrings, Calves)

Quads (front of the legs):

• Goblet squats

• Leg extension machine

• Step-ups

Glutes & Hamstrings (back of the legs):

• Glute bridges

• Dumbbell deadlifts or Romanian deadlifts

• Good mornings (light weight)

• Hamstring curl machine

Calves:

• Standing or seated calf raises (bodyweight, dumbbells, or machine)

Upper Body Push (Chest, Shoulders, Triceps)

Chest:

• Dumbbell chest press (flat or incline)

• Machine chest press

Shoulders:

• Shoulder raises or flys (lateral or front)

• Machine shoulder press (if available)

Triceps:

• Dumbbell tricep extensions

• Cable tricep pushdowns

Upper Body Pull (Back, Biceps)

Back:

• Bent-over dumbbell rows

• Seated row machine

Biceps:

• Dumbbell bicep curls

• Cable or machine bicep curls

Why This Approach Works

Organizing movements by muscle group:

• Makes workouts easier to plan

• Reduces gym overwhelm

• Helps you see what’s missing in your routine

• Builds balanced, full-body strength

You don’t need to master everything at once. Start with a few movements, learn them well, and build confidence from there.

How to Find the Right Weight (Without Guessing)

Choose one of the movements above and start with a weight you know you can lift with good form.

Perform one or two controlled reps. If it feels easy, increase the weight slightly. Continue this process until you reach a weight where you can complete one clean rep with proper form and you know a second rep would likely fail without compensating.

That’s your current one-rep max for that movement.

From there, scale back to about 70 - 80% of that weight and perform 4 - 6 reps per set for a few sets. This puts you in a true strength-building range while still feeling controlled and manageable.

This same approach works whether you’re squatting with a dumbbell, pressing weight on a bench, or curling.

Strength Training Doesn’t Exist in a Vacuum

Progress is easier when the basics are supported:

• Adequate sleep

• Enough daily movement

• Proper nutrition and enough fuel

You don’t need everything perfect, you just need enough consistency for your body to adapt.

You’re Allowed to Take Up Space

If the weight room has ever felt like it wasn’t “for you,” that doesn’t mean it isn’t.

You don’t need to know everything before you start.
You don’t need to lift the heaviest weights.
You don’t need permission.

You’re allowed to learn.
You’re allowed to challenge yourself.
You’re allowed to take up space.