Blink Fitness, a gym network with 12 locations in the Bronx, will open its doors on International Women’s Day for its new Girls In The Weight Room (GITWR) event. The training session, open to girls ages 14 to 17, will teach the fundamentals of weight-lifting at each corporate location across the borough in honor of Women’s History Month.
GITWR is a free one-time event, open to non-members, from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. on March 8. The training session will teach girls how to build an exercise regimen, what the weight machines are and how to use them, how to warm up and cool down, how to choose the right weight for their abilities and more.
Instruction will be given by Blink Fitness personal trainers, who Blink Fitness President Guy Harkless says can give tailored instruction to the girls and act as an educational resource for them as they step into the world of weight-lifting for the first time.
Those interested in registering for the event can do so here.
“Coming in and having a great first experience with a recognized personal trainer that knows how to provide the right discipline and focus around utilizing the machines is a super important part of what we’re trying to create,” Harkless said.
According to Harkless, research shows that ages 14 to 17 in females marks the prime time to start weight training. Girls who participate in the GITWR event can receive a free year-long membership to Blink Fitness gyms to continue their weight training.
This event comes as an addition to Women In The Weight Room (WITWR) programming — another women’s training course by Blink Fitness — which launched last year with almost 2,900 participants across New York in four weeks.
The free WITWR classes for adult women will take place from from 7 to 8 p.m. every Tuesday in March.
Those interested in registering for the event can do so here.
Harkless says that Blink Fitness gyms saw an increase in female weightlifting last year following the WITWR programs in March.
The GITWR event is being held in collaboration with community partners Girls on the Run, Good Sports, Girls Rule and Dream Academy.
“Each one is deeply connected to the communities they serve,” Harkless said. “We’re a sizable operation and we need to make sure we’re working with good community partners.”
Each Blink Fitness gym has the capacity to comfortably fit around 25 girls for its GITWR session. Registration will be on a first-come, first-served basis.
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