The Co-Rec

I have been to the co-rec numerous times since my arrival on campus. The first time I went was during the first week of school, I went with two of my girl friends at around 9pm. The biggest shock I felt when walking through the doors was the fact that it was completely divided, males on the left and females on the right. Of course following everyone else’s example I rode a bike then ran a mile or two, but the main reason I came to the co-rec was to lift weights. As I walked over to the “male” side, I was given looks and if they could speak they would have said, “What the heck are you doing over here you don’t know how to lift weights.”
As I looked around I understood that a woman being on the men’s side seemed to deflate their ego of being macho. I usually keep to myself during a workout and it seems common among women to do so. All the women running or riding the bikes were watching the news on television or listening to mp3 players and i-pods. It seems that a girl’s only reason to go to the co-rec is to work out, of course. Men on the other hand seem to go to have conversations and competitions. They may not be having a competition literally, but they are always looking around to make sure they are lifting the most weight or to see how much more they need to build up to be able to match another man’s weights. What needs to happen at the co-rec is men learning that you cannot be perfectly in-shape by just lifting weights you need to do aerobic activities such as running. And women should always keep their bodies toned, and weights do exactly that while running can help you loose carbs and shed a few pounds. Men shouldn’t shut women out of the weights area just because most girls do not know how to lift weights. Maybe they can help women who want to learn and are just too scared to cross over to the other side.