I love to people watch. In fact I often have to remind
myself not to stare at people and just watch nonchalantly so as to not be too
rude. But people are interesting, people are fascinating and mostly people are
just weird. I would have to say that the gym is definitely one of my very
favorite places to people watch because there is just such a great variety of
crazy that comes through those doors.
For example, last Saturday in spin class there was
this lady in the back who liked to make suggestive groans and moans to express
herself during the workout. If the instructor told us to add resistance she
would moan loudly, if we had to sprint, another groan. I assume that this was
her way to pushing herself to work harder but goodness gracious it was
distracting. And yes, it was in fact those kinds of moans and groans.
Thankfully she left after 45 minutes of class and I was able to finish the last
15 minutes in peace. But then, Monday, yeah she was back and this time stayed
for the whole hour! Alex and I have named her the orgasmic exerciser.
Now don’t
get me wrong, I don’t mind the occasional grunt or shout to pump you up, self
talk is even ok, you may get weird looks but at least you are getting it done.
But this lady, yeah she just needs to find some new noises.
Another example would be the tiny pregnant lady
who ran next to me on the treadmill the other night. She was there before I got
on and was sprinting along at a much faster pace than me and didn’t finish
until I was almost finished. And I mean she was pregnant, like third trimester
type pregnant. I commend her greatly for making me feel like a fool with my wimpy
little 4.5 mile jaunt. Now she was intriguing.
Or take the old guy in my BodyPump class last
night who for the life of him could not figure out what we were doing or how he
was supposed to do the moves. I mean I know BodyPump tempo is not your normal
pumping iron on the floor type speed but the moves really aren’t earth
shattering. I was starting to wonder if this guy had ever seen the inside of a
gym or not. And honestly, I was more worried for his health and well-being than
anything else. As a former personal trainer I am a huge stickler for proper
form when lifting weights, HUGE! I cannot tell you how many injuries and sore
muscles can be avoided if you just use the proper form. But this guy couldn’t
even get the bicep curls right and I’m not sure he actually even really cared.
He was right in front of me all night and when most people (read: all people)
stand facing the front of the room he turned sideways all night long. Distracting
I tell you! And don’t get me started on the way he was doing lunges….
Or better yet, the lady running full speed on the
treadmill the other night while holding on to the sides for dear life…I’m not
positive but I really don’t think that’s how you are supposed to do that. She did
that for like 25 minutes! Maybe it’s just me but if you have to hold on to the
sides then I really don’t think you should be going that fast. And are you
really even getting a workout in?
Another very amusing thing to me is what people
chose to wear; being a girl I do like to look decent at the gym and I would
like for my gym clothes to match and I have the cute sparkly headbands, so yes,
I of course pick up on what others are wearing. (Don’t worry, I still sweat it
out even in my sparkly headband) But the people that really get me are the ones
who chose not to wear a bra with their top…I’m sorry lady, that may have a
self-bra in it but do you really think that’s doing the trick there? Or the
lady that removes her shirt during spin class and only has on a regular bra,
not a sports bra, say what?
I’m telling you people are crazy. Of course I’m
sure I have my own annoying habits that someone else will gripe and complain
about, I’m not completely excluding myself from the crazy but I do try to make
an effort to be the least awkward I can be when I’m in public, especially at
the gym! What about you guys, do you have any crazy gym-goer stories? And here
you guys thought I actually went to the gym to workout…
13 comments:
Since I work out at the gym on an Army post, it's mostly soldiers. They aren't very interesting to watch and most of them just do weights. Boring.
I do wonder what people think when they see me at the gym. I say this because my face gets really red when I workout. It's not that I'm not dehydrated or overexerted; it's just a fact. I get red face, big time. Thankfully, most of the guys are so into their workouts, I don't think they notice anything else going on at the gym!*
AH! I cannot stand to watch people with bad form!
1) I feel like they are going to hurt themselves.
2) They act so proud of what they can do but I KNOW they couldn't even do half of what they are if they were doing it right!
I think my biggest pet peeve is when people do squats with their knees over their toes and not going down very far....I just want to yell, "No you can't count that one!"
This is so funny -- and so true!
My favorites from my gym are the guys who stand watching over the basketball court during zumba and the little lady who has to be at least 80 who I see a few mornings each week wearing a leotard over tights.
Hence why I LOVE running outside...with my iPod! ;)
What?! Not wearing a bra at the gym?! That hurts me just thinking about it.
back when i had a gym membership yes people watching is fun but very distracting and i would have nicknames for certain people at the gym too
Gym people are too odd/funny. I like to pretend that I don't fit in and am the normal one...not sure that's true. And why would someone just wear their regular bra. Do you think she didn't realize that? And congrats on Sweat Pink!! That's awesome!
Perfect start to my Friday!!! This post made me laugh numerous times!!!
Sometimes you have to wonder about people!
And, I still try to match even in when I work out at home!!
Oh my, too funny. I have had one of those groaners in a spin class before, it's definitely distracting! I agree- the gym is a fantastic place for people watching. :)
I've been thinking about gym behavior lately, too. These observations are so funny... The other night in yoga there was some coughing during the class. After class a guy took it upon himself to ask everyone to stay home who was sick and told the class it was rude to come and infect everyone else. Then there was a heated exchange between him and another gentleman and then a woman yelled at him and cursed twice. This was after YOGA. I felt terrible for the instructor!!
I LOVE people watching!! It's so fun to do!
I try to very much just mind my own business when I go to the gym and pretend I'm the only person there. For some reason, I am one of those people who cannot go ANYWHERE-- grocery store, airport, funeral, insurance agency, coffee shop-- without having someone talk to me. Complete strangers will come up and start a random conversation with me and then I'll never see them again. I LOVE this, except when I go to the gym. I'm there to bust my butt, get in a killer workout and get on with my life- I just don't have time to dawdle or talk.
It kills me to see people yanking on the weight machines. You're already losing so much of the benefits by doing the machines in poor form, but yanking does nothing but increase the injury risk!
I used to see people in college who would start the elliptical and not input anything. They would workout for 30 minutes at level 1!
It kills me to see people yanking on the weight machines. You're already losing so much of the benefits by doing the machines in poor form, but yanking does nothing but increase the injury risk!
I used to see people in college who would start the elliptical and not input anything. They would workout for 30 minutes at level 1!
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