Here I am sitting at the caring college and I’m thinking, what
could change at this college that would make it just a little bit
more caring? It is at this point that I am reminded of the story
of a young first year student who wanted nothing more than to use
the school facilities to improve his health. The only thing standing
in his way of accomplishing his workout goals was fear. I know it
is said that “the only thing to fear is fear itself,” however, for
this young man, there was much more. He had to overcome his fear of
fear along with his fear of his peers in the weight room.
Studies have shown that weightroomaphobia is a common disease on
this campus, mostly affecting female students and scrawny males. The
boy that we will focus on in this case study will be referred to as
John. John has made a New Year’s resolution to leave Prosser
Hall and go to the weight room three times a week for the entire
semester and he wants nothing more than to be one of the few people
in America to keep his resolution.
The study picks up on Monday, January 13, the first day of the new
semester. True to his word, John laces up his Nikes,
puts on his old high school gym shirt, and makes his way over to the
Life Sports Center
around 4 p.m. He enters the building from the east side and pauses
to look at the pictures on the Muhlenberg Wall of Fame. With a strong
sense of inspiration, John turns the corner and heads toward the weight
room. It is at this point that the first inkling of fear entered his
five-foot, six-inch, 115-pound 
frame.
Hanging on the hooks to his left are lacrosse sticks and football
pads. John then peers to his right and looks through the Plexiglas
into his destination. His growing fear became a reality as what lay
before him dozens of hooded sweatshirts and leaning delicately against
the wall were a mixture of was a scene overflowing with muscular men
grunting and flexing all while gleaming with the perspiration of hard
work. As the door opens and the sound of blasting rap music spills
out into his ears, John decides to turn around and begin his resolution
on another day.
That other day would come around later that week. John was returning
from his first year seminar where he had spent the entire class ogling
one of his female classmates, and he was thinking that he could improve
his chances if he added a little muscle to his body. With her smiling
face in his head, John begins to lace up his Nikes and pull his old
grey gym shirt over his head. He starts to walk over to the Life Sports
Center, passes by the Wall of Fame, and turns the corner towards facing
his fear. He was looking straight ahead with no regard for the jackets
on the wall or the sound of the music blaring from inside. As he was
approaching the door, John paused for a second, took a deep breath,
and grasped the handle. The door swings open and John takes his first
steps into the lair. His worst nightmares became a reality as seemingly
every face in the room turned and stared. John could feel their eyes
running up and down his body and he could tell, that above the pungent
smell of sweat that covered the room, these people could smell his
fear.
“I don’t belong here,” John mumbled to himself as he turned around
to leave once again.
When returned to his room, John kicked off his Nikes, flopped on
his bed and began to cry.
“What’s wrong?” his roommate asked.
“I
just can’t do it, Steve,” John sobbed. “I’m too scrawny, and that
will never change because I’m afraid to go into the weight room.”
“You’re not scrawny. You’re just a little muscle deficient,” his
roommate said, trying to cheer him up. “I’ll tell you what. Let’s
you and I go down into that weight room and show those meatheads that
we belong there just as much as they do.”
“I don’t know,” John said as he raised his head from his pillow.
“I’m not like you. You already have big muscles. All the girls love
you. You don’t understand how I feel.”
“John, listen to me. The only muscle that matters, in the weight
room and in life, is your heart. And knowing you, you’ve got as big
a heart, if not bigger, than anyone on this campus.”
“Maybe you’re right,” John said as they fell into a warm embrace.
“Let’s go.”
Together, John and Steve made the trek over to the Life Sports Center.
They entered on the east side, just as John had done twice before.
And they walked past the Wall of Fame, just as John had twice before.
But this time, as John turned the corner, there was a noticeable bounce
in his step. The confidence that Steve had shown in him had carried
over, and now John had confidence in himself. When they reached the
door, Steve pulled it open and gestured for John to step inside. Together,
the two boys held their heads high and walked over towards the lat
pull down machine.
“Yo, man. You on this,” Steve grunted at an upperclassman nearby.
“Naw, it’s all you,” he replied.
The next hour would turn out to be one of the most monumental hours
of John’s life. As John began to break a sweat, he felt more and more
comfortable and even managed to grunt a few times as he lifted the
15-pound dumbbells. With Steve’s encouragement, John became one of
the few people in America to keep his New Year’s resolution and after
a few more weeks, noticeable muscle began to sprout up on John’s previously
frail frame. His self confidence soared and he even got up the courage
to walk down the hall to ask a girl out on date. John had overcome
his case of weightroomaphobia and his entire life had now changed.
It is my hope that upon reading this article, other students who
have contracted weightroomaphobia will conquer their fear. They must
look to John for inspiration and understand that the students in the
weight room are kind and gentile people who, contrary to popular belief,
do not prey on those that are physically weaker than they are. All
it takes is one good experience to open a whole new door of exercise
options. So I urge you, if you have not been to the weight room, go
check it out. Throw on your old high school gym uniform or that ratty
t-shirt you bought last summer at a garage sale and take this opportunity
to face your fears. Remember that the size of your heart is the only
muscle size that matters but it’s also nice to give the others some
work. You know you made the resolution to do it, so get off your behind
and I’ll see you there.
