Campus Rec to Hold Introduction to Weightlifting Class for Women on Campus

Utah State University’s Campus Recreation Fitness and Wellness staff will hold an introduction to weightlifting event for any USU student, staff or faculty member that identifies as a woman. The free event will be held Wednesday, Nov. 17, from 6-8 p.m., at the Aggie Recreation Center.

The event, titled Women & Weights, is an introduction to weightlifting for the female population of USU. The goal of the event is to help participants feel more comfortable and confident in utilizing the strength training equipment on the first floor of the ARC.

“USU Campus Recreation sent out a survey last year to all USU students and some of the feedback we received mentioned that female students did not feel comfortable using the ARC weight room and lacked the knowledge on how to perform lifts properly,” said McKenzie Sorrells, coordinator of Fitness & Wellness. “We wanted to develop a program that empowered women to try new exercises in a safe, non-judgmental and social environment. With this in mind, the Women & Weight program was developed.”

After the event kicks off with a warmup, USU’s certified personal trainers will coach participants through a variety of learn-to-lift stations and will be available to answer questions and demonstrate proper technique during the open gym time. Participants of the event will also be added to a page on my.usu.edu, where they can form connections with other women, find workout partners and be apprised of other similar upcoming events.

“Students will engage with our fitness staff, learning new exercise techniques, identifying ideas for individual workouts and developing connections with other Women & Weight attendees,” Sorrells said. “After the event, our goal is for students to walk away feeling more comfortable, confident and supported in their exercise journey at Utah State University.”

The event is sponsored by Whitney Simmons, a USU alum and Gymshark Athlete. A variety of giveaways will also be given out at the end of the event.

“This event was amazing,” a past participant said. “I was able to ask questions from real professionals and actually do them face-to-face rather than just watching a video online and guessing if I’m doing it right or not.”

Preregistration for the event is available at the following link. For more information on Campus Rec and future events, visit www.usu.edu/campusrec.