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TikTok’s Shy Girl Workout, which has almost half a billion views and
counting, indicates females frequently have a different relationship to the gym from men. Kath Hudson reports on how the industry is responding
Young women are the most likely to receive unwanted male attention / Photo: shutterstock/Ground Picture
Women are still not exercising as much as men. Sport England’s latest Active Lives Adult Report showed the gender divide still exists, while Nuffield Health’s recent Healthier Nation Index revealed that women’s fitness levels are going in the wrong direction. Thirty one per cent of the women questioned felt their fitness levels had improved in the last year, but 33 per cent considered themselves less fit. By comparison, 38 per cent of men said they felt fitter in the last year, versus 26 per cent feeling less fit.
Sport England’s This Girl Can campaign found that women experience an “enjoyment gap” compared to men when it comes to physical activity. Some of this comes down to safety: a 2022 survey found that 53 per cent of women reported safety concerns while working out in non-supervised public facilities and 19 per cent in supervised public facilities – which suggests the trend towards staffless clubs will not appeal to half of women.
Research from UK Active and This Girl Can found while only 5 per cent of female gym users reported feeling unsafe in relation to sexual harassment and intimidation within facilities, 42 per cent of women surveyed had experienced some form of sexual harassment or intimidation in their fitness or leisure centre, such as inappropriate comments, staring, or encroachment of personal space. This increases to 83 per cent for those aged 16 to 24.
Sixty eight per cent never reported it, either because they didn’t know who to report it to, or didn’t think it was serious enough. However, 76 per cent changed their behaviour as a result, either changing the time they visited facilities, or the way they dressed.
Fifty five per cent of women said it was unclear how to report sexual harassment or intimidation at their fitness or leisure centre.
Safer Spaces UK Active and Sport England’s This Girl Can team are looking to tackle this with the two-year project, Safer Spaces to Move, which looks to understand the barriers women can face when taking part in physical activity at fitness and leisure facilities. To date, it has produced guides to provide tangible advice and best practice guidance and has created the Safer Spaces to Move Taskforce, as well as The Safer Spaces to Move Hub, which is intended to be a one-stop shop for fitness professionals to learn, upskill and keep up to date with the latest progress, research findings and resources.
One initiative the taskforce ran this year was the Ask for Angela pilot, in London. This nationally-recognised safety campaign was originally designed for licensed venues. People who feel like they are in an unsafe situation ask staff for help by discreetly using the code word “Angela”.
Staff at each of the 11 participating facilities – operated by Anytime Fitness and Lampton Leisure – were provided with a range of training tools, including a training handbook, and an animated training video developed for the sector, that included advice and information on what behaviour might constitute sexual harassment and intimidation in a gym setting; how to respond when a customer Asks for Angela; when to escalate a matter to senior management and how to embed Ask for Angela alongside existing policies.
Head of campaign activation at This Girl Can, Claire Edwards, said: “Ask for Angela reassures women and girls that they can, and should, seek help or report any situation that has left them feeling uncomfortable and that staff will be on hand to help. The campaign has a proven history in the hospitality sector and we’re confident it will be beneficial to the health and fitness industry.”
Upskill staff Women’s bodies are very different from men’s: they go through many different life stages and for menstruating women they can change from one day to the next. Another way gyms can help tackle gymtimidation is by upskilling staff so they are experts in female physiology and then use this expertise as a USP, so women who wouldn’t normally set foot inside the gym might think it is for them.
The Well HQ is doing great work to raise awareness of women’s physiology, having worked with Adidas to create a free course about menstruation. The Gym Group has been an early adopter and is currently working with The Well HQ to train staff on how to support women who are in mid-life.
Women’s only areas Total Fitness has tackled gymtimidation head on by opening a dedicated gym for women at its club in Whitefield, with a second site about to open. CEO, Sophie Lawler, said: “We listened to thousands of women through our research and have applied what we learned in a very thoughtful way to create a gym that’s designed to help them feel at ease while working out. It’s a space where women can achieve progression and enjoy a full, uninterrupted workout, no matter the occasion, their frame of mind or life stage.”
Urban Gym Group is piloting female zones in some clubs and will conduct a survey to see whether the female members experience better workouts, before deciding whether to roll out more across the estate.
“Women appreciate a place in which they can work out without a stare or comments,” says CEO, Neil Randall. “It is not just about creating a safe space for women – we prioritise this in the entire gym – but making sure the offering tailors the majority of our female members’ needs, such as enough room to do your squats, deadlifts and bench presses, with assistance of female instructors who have a deep understanding of the power of strength training on our physique and mental health.”
It’s heartening to see the barriers for women are being recognised and tackled. Going forward it will be interesting to see whether more operators create women-only zones, sessions, or even gyms, and whether we will see more women in leadership positions.
Le Atelier by C.O.D.E. doesn't offer a standard bespoke service, it provides a highly
customised approach to designing massage beds and loungers in high-end wellness
environments. [more...]
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TikTok’s Shy Girl Workout, which has almost half a billion views and
counting, indicates females frequently have a different relationship to the gym from men. Kath Hudson reports on how the industry is responding
Young women are the most likely to receive unwanted male attention / Photo: shutterstock/Ground Picture
Women are still not exercising as much as men. Sport England’s latest Active Lives Adult Report showed the gender divide still exists, while Nuffield Health’s recent Healthier Nation Index revealed that women’s fitness levels are going in the wrong direction. Thirty one per cent of the women questioned felt their fitness levels had improved in the last year, but 33 per cent considered themselves less fit. By comparison, 38 per cent of men said they felt fitter in the last year, versus 26 per cent feeling less fit.
Sport England’s This Girl Can campaign found that women experience an “enjoyment gap” compared to men when it comes to physical activity. Some of this comes down to safety: a 2022 survey found that 53 per cent of women reported safety concerns while working out in non-supervised public facilities and 19 per cent in supervised public facilities – which suggests the trend towards staffless clubs will not appeal to half of women.
Research from UK Active and This Girl Can found while only 5 per cent of female gym users reported feeling unsafe in relation to sexual harassment and intimidation within facilities, 42 per cent of women surveyed had experienced some form of sexual harassment or intimidation in their fitness or leisure centre, such as inappropriate comments, staring, or encroachment of personal space. This increases to 83 per cent for those aged 16 to 24.
Sixty eight per cent never reported it, either because they didn’t know who to report it to, or didn’t think it was serious enough. However, 76 per cent changed their behaviour as a result, either changing the time they visited facilities, or the way they dressed.
Fifty five per cent of women said it was unclear how to report sexual harassment or intimidation at their fitness or leisure centre.
Safer Spaces UK Active and Sport England’s This Girl Can team are looking to tackle this with the two-year project, Safer Spaces to Move, which looks to understand the barriers women can face when taking part in physical activity at fitness and leisure facilities. To date, it has produced guides to provide tangible advice and best practice guidance and has created the Safer Spaces to Move Taskforce, as well as The Safer Spaces to Move Hub, which is intended to be a one-stop shop for fitness professionals to learn, upskill and keep up to date with the latest progress, research findings and resources.
One initiative the taskforce ran this year was the Ask for Angela pilot, in London. This nationally-recognised safety campaign was originally designed for licensed venues. People who feel like they are in an unsafe situation ask staff for help by discreetly using the code word “Angela”.
Staff at each of the 11 participating facilities – operated by Anytime Fitness and Lampton Leisure – were provided with a range of training tools, including a training handbook, and an animated training video developed for the sector, that included advice and information on what behaviour might constitute sexual harassment and intimidation in a gym setting; how to respond when a customer Asks for Angela; when to escalate a matter to senior management and how to embed Ask for Angela alongside existing policies.
Head of campaign activation at This Girl Can, Claire Edwards, said: “Ask for Angela reassures women and girls that they can, and should, seek help or report any situation that has left them feeling uncomfortable and that staff will be on hand to help. The campaign has a proven history in the hospitality sector and we’re confident it will be beneficial to the health and fitness industry.”
Upskill staff Women’s bodies are very different from men’s: they go through many different life stages and for menstruating women they can change from one day to the next. Another way gyms can help tackle gymtimidation is by upskilling staff so they are experts in female physiology and then use this expertise as a USP, so women who wouldn’t normally set foot inside the gym might think it is for them.
The Well HQ is doing great work to raise awareness of women’s physiology, having worked with Adidas to create a free course about menstruation. The Gym Group has been an early adopter and is currently working with The Well HQ to train staff on how to support women who are in mid-life.
Women’s only areas Total Fitness has tackled gymtimidation head on by opening a dedicated gym for women at its club in Whitefield, with a second site about to open. CEO, Sophie Lawler, said: “We listened to thousands of women through our research and have applied what we learned in a very thoughtful way to create a gym that’s designed to help them feel at ease while working out. It’s a space where women can achieve progression and enjoy a full, uninterrupted workout, no matter the occasion, their frame of mind or life stage.”
Urban Gym Group is piloting female zones in some clubs and will conduct a survey to see whether the female members experience better workouts, before deciding whether to roll out more across the estate.
“Women appreciate a place in which they can work out without a stare or comments,” says CEO, Neil Randall. “It is not just about creating a safe space for women – we prioritise this in the entire gym – but making sure the offering tailors the majority of our female members’ needs, such as enough room to do your squats, deadlifts and bench presses, with assistance of female instructors who have a deep understanding of the power of strength training on our physique and mental health.”
It’s heartening to see the barriers for women are being recognised and tackled. Going forward it will be interesting to see whether more operators create women-only zones, sessions, or even gyms, and whether we will see more women in leadership positions.
Private hotel owner and developer HVL Hotels will open a new luxury resort and tourism
destination called Laval Hunter Valley in the second half of 2027 in Pokolbin, Australia.
The annual wellness festival dedicated to wellbeing, culture, longevity and human connection,
called Alma, will be hosted by Rocco Forte hotel, Verdura Resort in Sicily, Italy.
Capella Hotel Group has appointed Feisal Jaffer as chief development officer as the company
ramps up its global expansion of both its Capella and Patina brands.
People taking GLP-1 weight loss medications such as Ozempic, Wegovy, Mounjaro and Zepbound
may be losing weight, but they’re also becoming less physically active, according to new
research presented at the ENDO 2026 annual meeting of the Endocrine Society
Abu Dhabi-based investment firm Mubadala Capital has made a binding, fully financed
€1 billion
offer to acquire Pierre and Vacances SA, the European holiday resort operator behind the
continental European Center Parcs business.
Global retreat trade show, Synergy The Retreat Show, has launched a resource called The
Source, which hosts an open-access online Transformation Series programme.
The Standards Authority for Touch in Cancer Care (SATCC) charity has announced its first five-
day Living with Cancer and Beyond retreat, which will be held at Carden Park Hotel and Spa in
Cheshire, UK, between 1 and 5 September.
Patmos Aktis, a Luxury Collection Resort and Spa, has opened in Greece, with a renovated and
rebranded wellness offering called Ansana Wellness and Spa.
The Mauna Kea Beach Hotel, an Autograph Collection property in Hawaii, US, has opened its
22,000 sq ft indoor-outdoor Spa at Mauna Kea as the final step in the property’s overall
renovation, which has cost more than US$180 million (€166 million, £140 mill
The UK spa review and discovery platform for consumers, the Good Spa Guide, has announced
it will host the Good Spa Guide Awards 2026 during an event on 16 November at Sopwell House
Hotel in St Albans, UK.
Le Atelier by C.O.D.E. doesn't offer a standard bespoke service, it provides a highly
customised approach to designing massage beds and loungers in high-end wellness
environments. [more...]
+ More featured suppliers
COMPANY PROFILES
Yon-Ka As pioneers in aromatherapy since 1954 and founders of the Yon-Ka brand, the Multaler Laboratories, [more...]
