Gym facades

I love the gym for so many various reasons.  I love the way I feel after it’s done.  I love that I can just blast my iPod and completely zone out.  I love the challenge of improving my workouts. I love the me-time I get when I’m in there.  And of course I won’t lie that I do love the compliments I get from working out.  Having been to various gyms across the world, I’ve come to the conclusion that there are universal gym-ists (I couldn’t think of the right word).  That is, regardless of country or gym branch, you will surely find certain gym stereotypes:

a) The selfish douchebag: this is the kind of guy that hogs the machine despite other members waiting to hop on.  Most gyms set time limits on each machine so that use is fair.  This isn’t the green light to restart the program once the 30 minutes (or whatever the limit is) is over.  There’s a time and place for such behavior.  If machines are spare and it’s not peak hour, by all means stay on for as long as you want.  But no need to play ‘na na boo boo’ on the machine when others are waiting.  On the subject of selfish, you also have the kind of gym-ist who sweats like a dog during his workout yet doesn’t do anything about it.  Yeah yeah, sweating is a great feeling but sometimes sharing ain’t caring!

b) The bodybuilder who grunts every time he lifts that bar.  Yeah, we know you’re really pushing yourself and lifting like a bazillion pounds but there’s no need to announce to the whole gym every time that bar goes over your head.  If  if is that heavy, just choose a lighter bar.  To put it as nicely as possible, SHUT THE HECK UP!!…you sound ridiculous and those looks that you’re getting from other gym-ists are certainly not looks of admiration or awe. 

c) The chiller.  This person just kind of loafs around at the gym.  They’re reading a magazine on the cycle or using their Blackberry whilst on the stepper. Another kind of ‘chiller’ is the one who strolls on the treadmill holding the handlebars- what exactly are you holding on from?? This is quite a frequent occurrence in my gym and it’s sometimes so hard to resist cranking up their speed for them, even just by a little bit.  Despite not putting (or at least he/she doesn’t seem like they are) 100% effort, I still applaud them for making the effort to get their butt to the gym- sometimes that’s the hardest bit. 

After thinking about it, I probably semi-fall into various stereotypes.  I won’t lie- I am a machine hogger.  When the 30 minutes are up on the treadmill, I do usually stay on for longer.  But in my defence, I’ve never done so when others were waiting.  Also I’m sure I do get pondering looks from other members at times- when a good song plays on my iPod, I can’t help but to break into a dance or sing out loud :). 

So now that I’ve shared, it’s your turn- what kind of gym-ist are you?