“I feel safer,”: A women only gym in Nigeria is helping women exercise comfortably

Image description: An abstract of the universal symbol for women holds up a dumbbell in front of a silhouette of an African woman. The art is decorated in blue patterns and bright yellow highlights.

Abuja, Nigeria (Minority Africa) — Bebe Yaro* used to take walks to stay fit and healthy in Abuja, Nigeria’s capital city where she has lived for five years. On multiple occasions, men would catcall her. 

 “It just makes me feel very unsafe,” she says.

Desperate for a solution, she turned to Twitter, where she put out a call searching for a women-only gym in the city. Her mission was to find a workout spot where she could feel comfortable because she says she doesn’t feel comfortable around men, for the most part. 

Her tweet led to her knowing about Pinkinetics, a women-only gym and with only women trainers in Abuja.  

“People made recommendations on social media,” Yaro tells Minority Africa. “I was surprised, pleasantly, when I found the gym.” 

Pinkinetics is located on the fourth floor of The Capital Hub, one of the most common locations in Abuja. When one walks through the doors, they are greeted with a collection of framed quotes on the wall urging you to stay consistent. 

Beyond the waiting area is the workout arena where the transformation happens; it is filled with gym equipment ranging from hula hoops, dumbbells, treadmills, and more.

The gym began in 2016 when its CEO Adulrahman Wasilah realized the need for a safe space for women to exercise. It followed her witnessing a friend’s discomfort at a gym when videos and pictures were taken without her consent. 

Spurred by this event, Wasilah set out to create a gym where women could exercise without experiencing harassment. 

“It just struck me [that] there are so many of us out there who get uncomfortable when [our] privacy is being invaded,” she says. “There is demand for a secluded [and] private gym for women.”

Her stance is bolstered by numbers. In a survey done by Women’s Health and  Runner’s World, 60% of women said they had been harassed when running, 25% reported being regularly subjected to sexist comments or unwanted sexual advances and 6% said they had felt threatened by harassment while running that they feared for their lives.

“I think because a lot of men do not understand boundaries and how their actions can be harmful” says Yaro. “They are also mostly not open to listening to women when they talk about these issues. It breeds fear.” 

A typical workout day at Pinkinetics, which has now grown to over 800 members, is a charged atmosphere of music, sweaty bodies, and the loud voice of the instructor counting down seconds or urging women exercising to push on. 

Yet beyond being a place for exercising, Pinkinectics also seeks to be a space where women can be comfortable being themselves. 

There are rules and regulations that members are expected to follow, one of several steps to eliminate the practices of body shaming and harassment that are pervasive in mixed-gender gyms. 

Mercy Onoja, a 2-week old member and businesswoman says that finding the gym has been helpful to her especially as she is conscious of her body. 

“Before I came here I didn’t have much confidence exposing my body but as you can see, I’m wearing a singlet and I don’t care who is calling my hand a Christian mother hand”, she says showing me her arms and her outfit and making reference to a Nigerian term describing fat in the arms. 

There is also a no-phone policy that restricts members from taking pictures or making videos that encroach on the privacy of other members. 

“It is a nice safe space because you know that everything that happens here stays here”, says Louisa Ogwuru who works out at Pinkinetics. 

The gym also houses a lounge for kids. 

“We found out that many women were inconsistent with their workout schedules because they didn’t know where to keep their kids,” Wasilah explains. “So we created a [lounge], got a nanny and encouraged [mothers] to bring their nannies,” she adds.

Within it, many women such as Maryam Ahmed, a 34-year-old stay-at-home mother have also found community. 

“Here you are just yourself and you can relate with other moms,” Ahmed says. “The moment you see a lady coming, her face will tell you that she either just finished cooking or drop off from school. You can tell that everyone is one the same level and there is this connection generally of everyone looking for a space to just destress.”

Quite similarly, Mariam Faruq, a Muslim woman, who has been going to Pinkinectics since 2016 loves it because she does not have to cover her body while exercising. 

“For me it’s like a free zone, I’m a Muslim by religion and we normally cover our bodies when we are around men,” she says. “I felt this was a good place for me [because] I get to express myself the way I want.”

But finding women trainers in a field widely dominated by men and navigating the necessity and sensitivity of touch to exercise in a space striving to be free of harassment have been considerations Pinkinetics have had to make. 

How vital is physical touch to exercise and can it be ruled out? 

“It’s not completely possible to eliminate physical touch when it comes to training especially if it’s personal training, but the clients’ physical contact preferences supersede whatever corrections you want to make,” says Finjite Olali who runs a fitness channel on YouTube. 

In the fitness industry, touch is a very big component as it is used by trainers and fitness professionals to improve form, technique, understand body awareness, fix exercise injuries, and more. Hence, it is not out of place for trainers to touch a client. 

“If they are not comfortable with being touched, then we figure out a way to correct their form without touching them. While that is more difficult, there is room for adaptability,” Olali tells Minority Africa. 

It is a viewpoint that Gloria Oshioluemho who manages Pinkinetics gym notes as well. 

“Trainers need to communicate with their clients, let them know you are going to touch them before you touch them and be professional,” Oshioluemho says. 

Wasilah adds, “Just because you are in the gym doesn’t mean you have automatically given your consent to be touched. Communication is very key and because you already know that we are professionals, we talk to you professionally so you don’t think we have ulterior motives.”

For Olali, the exclusivity of a women-only gym at the same time doesn’t fully prevent the threats of abuse.  

“I’ve been abused by a woman in the gym before,” Olali says. ”I get verbal abuses from women in the gym too, so no, an all-female gym doesn’t eliminate abuse because abuse doesn’t always have to be sexual.” 

But to women like Yaro and rightfully so, the chances are definitely reduced.

 “I am not worried that anyone will look at me in some type of way or try to grope me,” she says. “If I’m being honest, I feel safer because it is women.”

 

*Bebe Yaro requested to use a pseudonym to protect her identity.  

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Edited by Cassandra Roxburgh, PK Cross, Uzoma Ihejirika, and Caleb Okereke.