The Gym is great for people watching!!

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  • toots99
    toots99 Posts: 3,794 Member
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    Today I became the girl who bit it at the gym! :laugh:

    I was alone in the gym class room and had set up a step bench with four stacks underneath. I was doing a step routine, and thought of how on that one season of Biggest Loser, that girl Dina just could not jump up on the step. So I thought "What's the big deal?" And I jumped up on it. Thought "Oh, that was easy!" Went to do it again, misstepped, and promptly fell all over the step, hands on one side, legs scraping the other side. :laugh: :embarassed: :laugh: With brusied knees, shins, and ego, I tried it again, and safely made it. :laugh:

    Hopefully no one outside the room happened to be looking in at that precise moment! :tongue:
  • 4me2sibiai
    4me2sibiai Posts: 71
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    1. Okay...admission...I'm the white girl who can't "get" the sexy latin dance moves (YET)...and the "belly dancing kickboxer" to get in that extra hip move - I make it fun for myself what can I say and everyone laughs (with me, I hope!) LOL!!! I'm also the one who is sweating while still in "warm ups!" - - - I just recently got over the "ewww, I'm sweating" issue. Evidently you ARE supposed to be sweaty in the gym - who knew!!! ((laughing hard)))


    As an instructor, I will tell you that I would love you in my class. My class is very dancy and it can take a while to catch on to all the moves. The best way to do is to just pick up what you can and keep moving -- doesn't matter if it's my stuff or not. But even more important, have fun. I would rather have a bunch of people that have no rhythm and can't get the steps but are yelling, laughing and having a good time than a room full of amazing steppers that are trying to show how talented they are but have no personality.

    And I sweat like a crazy person after about 10 minutes of class, so don't worry about that one.

    Melissa

    Thanks, Melissa...on many levels!!! I will attend your class in spirit and bring the "fun moves" to you with a smile!!! Yes, I see many of "those" girls in class and the best is when the instructor calls "Sexy Look" for the Latin catwalk move with the exagerated hips and snappy knees. You have your "Wanna-Be-A-P****cat Doll-Girl" burning a "look" at herself while the next girl has a look of total surprise and shock! Oh, it's TOO FUNNY! It's sooooo not about perfection, but more about shaking and relaxing the body! Your comments were greatly appreciated! :smile: Turns out, my instructor even kicked her own butt (and sweated) as she told the class even she was hurting after last week's class! Well, the moves are the hardest part. I will take your advice. I guess I have a long way before going professional. Well, if they call looking for me on "So You Think You Can Dance" please let them know I humbly decline for this year. (((laughing))) They make it look deceptively simple!!!

    PS. A little bit of exciting news to share: I've been noticing the soreness after workout classes and am proud to be dealing with it because I'm now down 5% BMI, lost 14 lbs, and have noticed I'm walking with better posture. Here's to my Inner Athlete... :flowerforyou:
  • 4me2sibiai
    4me2sibiai Posts: 71
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    Today I became the girl who bit it at the gym! :laugh:

    I was alone in the gym class room and had set up a step bench with four stacks underneath. I was doing a step routine, and thought of how on that one season of Biggest Loser, that girl Dina just could not jump up on the step. So I thought "What's the big deal?" And I jumped up on it. Thought "Oh, that was easy!" Went to do it again, misstepped, and promptly fell all over the step, hands on one side, legs scraping the other side. :laugh: :embarassed: :laugh: With brusied knees, shins, and ego, I tried it again, and safely made it. :laugh:

    Hopefully no one outside the room happened to be looking in at that precise moment! :tongue:

    Owwww...I hope you are okay! Just means you will be better balanced and will have an incredible workout next time! :)
  • 4me2sibiai
    4me2sibiai Posts: 71
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    My favorite/nightmare is the "Competition Man" and this one is true...

    I'm jogging away at level 9 and he comes along on the machine next to mine but doing level 7. I saw him sneak at peak at my numbers and sees I'm on 9 so he ups his to 9.5.

    Now that's fine and everything but when someone does that to me I just HAVE to increase mine! so I increase it to 10. It's like some little demon takes over me and I can't have this upstart one-bettering me :laugh:

    He watches me out of the corner of his eye increase mine to 10 so he sort of casually goes to 11. Well gloves are off at that point, this has now become a "guns drawn at dawn" scenario, I just can't have this guy think he's cooler so, like in poker, I see his 11 and raise mine to 13... just to prove a point :laugh:

    This went on until we were both running on level 16.5 and my heart rate monitor gave me a big boost for that workout hehe.

    We had a good laugh about it after :laugh:

    Simon...the librarian just came over and Shhhhhh!!!! me for laughing so hard!!!!
  • 4me2sibiai
    4me2sibiai Posts: 71
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    The best though is the owner. He's basically Karate Kid, he's been in movies and is one of the top Kickboxers in Canada etc. Everytime he tells us to do something, like bicept curls, he has to do the motion twice like he's pumping imaginary iron, and watches his biceps as he does it. I think its one of those things where you have to see it, but man my cousin and I just look at eachother and giggle each time.

    It's incredible how the body CAN really offer so much internal resistance. That's what he is using to get that flex. That impressed ME in reading your posting. You can get that also using a workout band.
  • 4me2sibiai
    4me2sibiai Posts: 71
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    Cute posting about the favorite t-shirts. :smile:
  • rcatr
    rcatr Posts: 374 Member
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    There's a new one at the gym in my building...

    The "Beat Boxer"
    This person has the tendency to make a "choot...choot...choot" sound every other leg movement on the elliptical machine while the alternate leg makes a squeak on the machine and then the handles do a weird swish sound on the offbeat. Maybe it's my music college stuff coming back to me, but it makes this cool beat like she's beat boxing. I kind of like to think she's doing it on purpose cause homegirl gets down like she's having a great time. I wish I looked like I was having fun when I'm working out :) I think I just look angry half the time. haha :laugh:
  • Megooo19
    Megooo19 Posts: 199
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    I love this post! I workout at the gym on my college campus so there is a lot of very in shape guys who like to strut around with thier gallon of water in hand. One in particular likes to hang a 25 pound weight from his waist and walk around with it, dont ask me why but he does it everyday. There are two basketball girls who are very intimidating and very buff. There is also this 60 something year old guy who likes to do handstands in the middle of the gym and he will hold them for like 5 minutes, it is seriously amazing. I like to watch everyone at the gym, it not only entertains me but it's inspiring.
  • fayella
    fayella Posts: 10 Member
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    i see one lady who uses on leg on the eliptical machine i tried it with my friend after she left, no effect whatsoever! so god only know what she was up too

    this couple that take step class only to spend another god only knows on the stepper machine
  • Robin1109
    Robin1109 Posts: 231 Member
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    I've been noticing a woman who struts into the gym early every morning when I'm already well into my cardio routine for the day. She's always dressed to the nines...Sunday church hat kind of dressed. She walks in with her boyfriend/husband who is always wearing a light colored suit, and he literally escorts her to the ladies room. I have no idea where she works out because I've never bumped into her on the cardio equipment but I'm usually in the locker room as she's changing to leave. Instead of using a locker like everyone else, she takes up one of the dressing rooms with all her stuff. And I swear, I've packed less for a 2 week vacation than I see in that dressing room! She spends at least another 45-60 minutes after showering doing her hair and makeup. Meanwhile, the man who escorted her in has been waiting in the gym lobby all this time! They walk out arm in arm together. I can't tell if this guy is seriously possessive or if there's some surge of southern gentlemen/ladies making their way up north. It's so odd to me!
  • mapnerd2005
    mapnerd2005 Posts: 363
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    I've been noticing a woman who struts into the gym early every morning when I'm already well into my cardio routine for the day. She's always dressed to the nines...Sunday church hat kind of dressed. She walks in with her boyfriend/husband who is always wearing a light colored suit, and he literally escorts her to the ladies room. I have no idea where she works out because I've never bumped into her on the cardio equipment but I'm usually in the locker room as she's changing to leave. Instead of using a locker like everyone else, she takes up one of the dressing rooms with all her stuff. And I swear, I've packed less for a 2 week vacation than I see in that dressing room! She spends at least another 45-60 minutes after showering doing her hair and makeup. Meanwhile, the man who escorted her in has been waiting in the gym lobby all this time! They walk out arm in arm together. I can't tell if this guy is seriously possessive or if there's some surge of southern gentlemen/ladies making their way up north. It's so odd to me!

    I'm from the south, and that's not normal around here. Maybe she doesn't actually work out. Maybe she just joined the gym to use the facilities. Weird.
  • Robin1109
    Robin1109 Posts: 231 Member
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    I'm from the south, and that's not normal around here. Maybe she doesn't actually work out. Maybe she just joined the gym to use the facilities. Weird.

    Don't get me wrong, there was no intent to knock on the South! It just seemed like a kind of chivalry that doesn't exist in most places anymore but the South (at least I've heard). But really a kind of chivalry circa 1930.
  • irish077
    irish077 Posts: 32
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    Ha, funny that you post this today b/c I was at the gym last night and as Im steppin away, I see this younger guy on the treadmill at a God Awful Incline, listening to his headphones and all of a sudden I see his hand move like he's rapping out of the corner of my eye. So Im thinking Im seeing things, so I cont. to watch him and sure enough he does it again. After several minutes of watching him he seems like he's really getting into the music and the rapping motion gets more intense.
    It was a good entertainment to get my mind off the intensity of the stepper
    :smile:
  • supersarah14
    supersarah14 Posts: 170
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    Okay so let me start out by saying that I applaud anyone who gets the motivation to work out. Especially if you're not in the best shape...I know how hard it is to get the courage to go to the gym. :bigsmile:

    However...the other day a late-20-something guy came in dressed in jean shorts (hanging way down low....get a belt please!) and TWO long fancy t-shirts, you know the thick cotton kind with the fancy logos, with fancy kicks that were untied. :noway: Anywho, he got on the treadmil next to me going 2.5 mph. I'm thinking, he's probably new to the gym world, good for him for making the effort. But then he starts yelling. Saying thing like "Lets do this!", "Bring it!", and "Is that all you got son?!" And a few other things that would need to be bleeped out. THEN he jogs, but he doesn't up the speed:huh: ...just brings his legs up faster to look like a jog.

    What was he doing?!?!?!? All I know is that I think he was trying to impress the ladies around him. I just kept my earphones on and looked straight ahead trying to ignore him. But I kept seeing him out of the corny of my eye, turn around to look at me. Like he was waiting for a reaction. WEIRD!! :huh:

    It was cracking up once I got to the locker room!! :laugh: :laugh: :laugh:
  • KChristie976
    KChristie976 Posts: 150 Member
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    Ha ha these posts crack me up thanks for the laugh today... the people at my gym are what get me through my workout as well!!
  • teb1215
    teb1215 Posts: 34
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    Awesome thread! Man I'm laughing hysterically! I love people watching too. When I joined my gym back in January I didn't want people "people watching" me. So I slunked into the cardio theatre each day and worked out in the dark. I would just ignore people but "competitive man" would always end up on the AMT machine next to me and try and one up me. So even trying to remain invisible I couldnt'. So I ended up going up to the upper level of the gym so I could start people watching LOL!

    My favorite lady at my gym is "Grandma Barbie". She's seriously in her late 60's but comes in with this teased, 1/2 ponytail bleach blonde 6" high hair that goes down her back. Pink high heels. Spandex tight pants and fitted t-shirt. She walks to the ladies room, changes only into sneakers and heads out for the treadmill. Same treadmill every day. Suddenly 6 women congregate around her like she's a preacher or something. They hang on her every word. Every day. Seriously weird!

    Ok so you know the "you can't be shirtless at the gym" rule? So this guy comes in and wears this tank top that has arm cut outs to his waist. So it basically just barely covers his front and back but when he runs, it shifts side to side so he mind as well be shirtless. It just cracks me up!

    I'm going to have to observe again tomorrow and see what other good characters I can watch!
  • 4me2sibiai
    4me2sibiai Posts: 71
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    i see one lady who uses on leg on the eliptical machine

    I have a close friend who was born without a leg and uses the eliptical machine several times a week. Is this person in PA? She said people have come up to her in awe that she gets a full blown workout on only one leg! Her reply - "Use what you're given to get the job done!"
  • 4me2sibiai
    4me2sibiai Posts: 71
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    Once again, I am "that girl" in the gym...and enjoying it!!!! My trainer has me doing a move we call "THE SHERIFF"...Picture a western movie ((enter "western movie sound effects here)) - and a blowing tumbleweed...where the cowboy's dismounted after hours on his horse. He walks - legs stretched apart and deep into squats...hands on the "guns" and moving forward.

    Okay...now bring it present day into the gym...there I am...doing "THE SHERIFF BACK IN TOWN" - doing "the sheriff walk" down the isle of the machines while everyone else is working out! We all laugh and I get the best workout. It's fun being silly!!! Then he switches and has me doing the extended "Sheriff" moves sideways.

    If you can visualize it and you are smiling, it's what I'm doing.

    Then, my other trainer had taken me into the basketball room to work on side squats down the side line of the court. I was doing them and a bunch of guys came in and obviously wanted to play basketball. She said, "I won't make you do it in front of them." I said, "If they were blessed with not needing to workout to have those bodies, they're lucky. They can wait for me to do 5 side squats." Funny how people get embarrassed for you. I wasn't and certainly didn't care. I was there to work my tail off and guys will look regardless of whether you are a skinny minnie or a plus girl. THAT'S JUST A FACT. :laugh:
  • cardigirl
    cardigirl Posts: 492 Member
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    Love "The Sheriff" move. Good for you for just doing it!! My trainer has me do hindu pushups out in front of God and everybody, and yeah, I feel a little conspicuous when I do them. Heh.

    Last night I had a session, and we have a training room that's closed off from the rest of the gym. It's used for classes and training, and has wooden floors. The trainer has me do this set where I basically do wood chops by bouncing the ball on the floor, catching it and raising it over my head and bouncing it on the floor again. And I'm supposed to bend my knees when I do it. Core exercise. It makes a tremendous amount of noise on the wooden floor and probably looks kind of weird too. And people were coming into the room trying to find out what the h*ll was going on. LOL...next time the trainer said he was gonna scream while I was doing them and see what people did.
  • Kait_liiin
    Kait_liiin Posts: 31 Member
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    The cardio machines at my gym are lined up along a window that overlooks the pool. Some evenings a mid-aged, slightly overweight man will swim laps.... in a thong. It's kind of horrific; you can't not look at it. But it's also funny to watch the other people on the cardio machines... you can see the moment on their faces when they spot him.

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