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For some reason, one of the main criticism’s I get when i am advocating for women, is that I “hate men”. In my mind, the two are unrelated. I am happy for men to have excellent health care. I am pleased they’re looked after in the temperature of our offices, the height of our toilet seat, and the safety of our seatbelts. I love my dad, my husband, and many of my closest friends are male and often agree with my politics!!

The reason my male friends and family often on the same page is because advocating for women, and wanting the same level of health care, comfort in their office and dunny, and safety in a seatbelt has nothing to do with taking those things away from men; it has everything to do with bringing them up to the standard set by men.

You don’t know what you don’t know, but when it comes to women’s health, we need to acknowledge that many health professionals don’t understand women’s bodies as well as they understand men’s.

This is not having a go at anyone, but we have to understand that we just don’t have the training (yet). As a part of my mission to change the way women’s bodies are trained in the fitness industry, i have been diligently collecting as much information as i can on issues and conditions that affect women disproportionately to men.

It’s really interesting, because I see a lot of great trainers missing out on this opportunity. In my Women’s Strength and Conditioning program, for example, I coach “proper form” that is slightly different to what I was taught in the Australian Strength and Conditioning Association course. When i am coaching “proper form” with groups of women, I understand their different pelvis’s, Q angles, carrying angles, rib cages, etc*. So i can coach their squat, shoulder press, etc with that in mind.

This means that my clients are far more comfortable than they’ve been before. They find it easier to train. This is a good thing, when we consider how often women are square pegs trying to force themselves into round holes. They still work hard, both their hormonal and biomechanical systems are better understood**.

You can read about my tweaks when training women here and also here.

However, many trainers are super comfortable with what they’re already coaching. They don’t like the idea that they’re not trained for 50% of the population, and i don’t blame them! However continuing to avoid extending our education in this direction is continuing to perpetuate the education and service gap between men and women in the fitness industry. I’ve talked about women’s equality in a gym environment in previous blogs here. Change starts with us, and it starts now.

To clarify, this is not a crusade against men. It is about lifting women up to the standard that is set by men. I don’t want to take anything from men, I just want for women everywhere – to have what they have!

For this reason, I will answer your questions to the best of my ability, for free, LIVE on a Monday at 12pm Australian Eastern Time (which will change during daylight savings if your state or country doesn’t practice it!), on both Facebook and Instagram @clarehozack

These sessions go into my podcasts on YouTube, which are also free. If you want a deeper dive, then my Women’s Health Mentorship is also an opportunity to learn in an interactive way. We can also tailor the modules to look after your clients and unique circumstances.

*You can take a crash course in the Biomechanics of the Female Body here, for a deeper dive, get 10% off AWPT courses using the code CLARE.

**To better understand the female hormonal system, you can take a 1hr Mini Course on Stress and Hormonal Health here, the Menstrual Cycle here, and Menopause here.