Crazy Things at the Gym!

allie_00

I used to live in Seoul, South Korea - now that's a funny place to people watch at a gym. Most of the girls were terrified of sweating and actually walked really slow on a treadmill all the while watching their favorite Korean drama. I'd be doing leg presses while a Korean guy would come over and say "no, no...too much-e" and motion for me to lower the weight (probably because I was pressing twice his weight) Their spin classes were like dance clubs, with crazy strobe lights and crazy techno music. We used to actually dance and sway while spinning - quite the adventure. Oh, and everyone walks around butt naked all the time in change rooms. And they sometimes blowdry "down there" with a public hairdryer (I kid you not)

Now there's a good story. "no, no...too much-e" Hilarious.

Were you teaching English there, per chance? My bf did that for awhile.

Yes, I was teaching ESL there for a year. I LOVED it so much. Even though I make jokes about being in Korean gyms, I love Korea and its people! I also started taekwondo over there and was half way towards my black belt when I came back home to an area with no dojong! Oh well. Sometime in the future I shall return - to Seoul or perhaps just taekwondo. We'll see!

EmpressOfJudgment

Yes, I was teaching ESL there for a year. I LOVED it so much. Even though I make jokes about being in Korean gyms, I love Korea and its people! I also started taekwondo over there and was half way towards my black belt when I came back home to an area with no dojong! Oh well. Sometime in the future I shall return - to Seoul or perhaps just taekwondo. We'll see!

Nice! My bf is trying to convince me that we should go do this somewhere. He's traveled to 25 different countries and lived in Argentina, Korea, Poland, and Greece (I'm probably forgetting one). He even backpacked in Morocco on his own for a month. He's a hardcore traveler. I've only traveled the U.S. and I went to Canada once when I was a kid. I feel like maybe I'm too old for that sort of thing now. Plus, I'd miss my dog too much. Haha. On the other hand, I did just get my very first passport. I'm dying to use it!


*thread hijack

egifford

These stories are fantastic! Great lunch time break.
My husband and I have had this one happen to us bunches of times: you know when you're working out and there's alot of people around and one of them (you never really know who) farts and it smells super horrible! Then, you all have to pretend like you don't notice to be polite, and just try to ignore it (while at the same time hoping that no one thinks it was you). Awkward....:embarassed:

FitFrenchGirl

I am one of those girls who has to look cute when working out. :blushing: I can't help it, I just like looking cute. My stuff all matches and I usually have a little makeup on.

The first Zumba class I went to there was a lady wearing one of those mylar sweat suit things. I kept expecting her to pass out from dehydration. Maybe she thought it would help her burn more calories :noway:

I feel the same I like to look cute at gym, i think you should always be presentable in public, but i do work out hard and sweat lol

EmpressOfJudgment

Personally, I could care less about what I look like at the gym. I'm not going to the gym to get a date. I figure if my make-up still looks good, I'm not working hard enough. And I have really long hair so I have to put it up and back or it gets in the way. If someone is offended by a woman who doesn't look good every moment she's out in public, they should be blasted back to the 1950's where they belong.

amberaz

I feel the same I like to look cute at gym, i think you should always be presentable in public, but i do work out hard and sweat lol

I feel the same way, but only about myself. I could actually care less what other people look like. I just feel my best when I look nice ,and I like to feel good about myself.

rmhand

There is a guy who listens to his IPod and sings, but not all the words. Sometimes I really wish I could look and people and hear what they are listening to, I'm sure it would be funny.

debbyrae3

Personally, I could care less about what I look like at the gym. I'm not going to the gym to get a date. I figure if my make-up still looks good, I'm not working hard enough. And I have really long hair so I have to put it up and back or it gets in the way. If someone is offended by a woman who doesn't look good every moment she's out in public, they should be blasted back to the 1950's where they belong.

This. And one of my favorite quotes by Chalene Johnson: (not an exact quote, but close) "This is the post-workout look. It's not cute. If you look cute after working out, you probably weren't working hard enough".

oxFaithxo

Ever since I switched from a private gym to the YMCA, my life has gotten so much more interesting...I see so many people wearing jeans and nice shirts. It cracks me up. One time I saw a girl come to the gym, hop on the treadmill, sprint for 30 seconds without a warmup or cool down, and then leave. xD

because i only get an hour for lunch at work and it takes about 10 minutes to get to the gym and 10 minutes back that is me on the elptical, i go in haul *kitten* for about 40 minutes and back to work (granted i do change into gym clothes) LOL



the funniest thing at the gym is my gym partner: she YELLS like full blown YELLS at the end of her 40 minutes on the treadmill but i love her and she has lost so much weight... i think i am gonna YELL at my fat to go away too!

HollyMac20

I think I get watched at the gym :-P

I was at the local house of pizza picking up dinner one night and this guy next to me goes "your the girl from the gym!"

Must be because I am actually busting so hard I look like a fool...oh well!

poshpenny

The best one i have seen is the man who obviously has some 'issues' at my gym. The last time i saw him was in the pool where he was wearing lycra shorts and lycra top, football shorts over the top with a running vest then a tankini (yes a ladies tankini) plus an itsy bitsy ladies bikini on top of that. He really should have got a bigger size though, i thought the bikini was a little tight!!!

✿KẙMb529✿

There's a lady that comes to my gym occasionally and "runs" on the treadmill. Well, she actually dances like a fairy...high stepping, skipping, swinging arms about wildly and twisting her torso into contortions. She squeals randomly as she listens to her ipod. No clue what its all about but it's always fascinating watching her.

What the heck?! LOL

✿KẙMb529✿

I used to live in Seoul, South Korea - now that's a funny place to people watch at a gym. Most of the girls were terrified of sweating and actually walked really slow on a treadmill all the while watching their favorite Korean drama. I'd be doing leg presses while a Korean guy would come over and say "no, no...too much-e" and motion for me to lower the weight (probably because I was pressing twice his weight) Their spin classes were like dance clubs, with crazy strobe lights and crazy techno music. We used to actually dance and sway while spinning - quite the adventure. Oh, and everyone walks around butt naked all the time in change rooms. And they sometimes blowdry "down there" with a public hairdryer (I kid you not)

Blow drying...down there?? LOL!!!!:laugh: There must be some pretty hairy people in South Korea...

rungurlrun

I name people too.

Boobs: Babe with a perfect body who wears super short shorts and tight tanks and casually pedals on the recumbant bike. Man, I wish I were at the point where that's all I had to do.

Hoodie Creep: Goes balls out on every cardio machine for about 5 mintues each, hood up, dripping sweat all over the place and never once doing a wipe down. UGH

The Lazy Neighbors-These are our actual neighbors and they drive to our gym everyday. Our gym is literally across the street. They are fit and in their 20's.

haha, this is really funny. I do the same thing too.... My favorites are pig farmer, hot pants, hogger [always on machines too long], and Italian stallion. Too funny, each with different stories on different days.

SusieB01

Actually, I can't think of funny stories right now, but one of my pet peeves is watching the young people who obviously come there to attract 'partners'. The girl who walks around in next to nothing, or the guy who puts REALLY heavy weights on whatever machine he's using and then has to use his back muscles to lift them. These are stereotypes, but I've seen similar things happen. At one gym I used to go to you could tell who was there to socialize and who was there to actually exercise. I used to be worried for one guy who used extremely heavy weights on the pull down machine and then had to use his lower back muscles instead of his arms to putt them down. I was expecting an injury!

✿KẙMb529✿

Ok, I have to post mine...There's a girl at the gym that has been in some of my classes (Turbo Jam, Body Pump, Zumba) and she is literally ALL over the place. It's not even that she isn't coordinated, I think. But she exaggerates every movement by like 10 so everyone is literally scare to stand near her. She always wears her hair right on top of her head so it's bouncing around every time she moves (she bounces constantly). And in body pump her form is sooooooo wrong and she's got super heavy weights on there. I'm afraid she's going to injure herself. I've heard rumors that she's gotten in confrontations with others about her "spot" in the class and has actually been kicked out of another local gym beause the confrontation escalated. I'm not sure about the validity on that one, but everyone knows her as Crazy Natalie. She seems nice though. (That's my disclaimer in case she's on this site:blushing:
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Angielova

People that come in with starbucks drinks and walk the treadmille

Angielova

lol

pilotgirl2007

Ok, I have to post mine...There's a girl at the gym that has been in some of my classes (Turbo Jam, Body Pump, Zumba) and she is literally ALL over the place. It's not even that she isn't coordinated, I think. But she exaggerates every movement by like 10 so everyone is literally scare to stand near her. She always wears her hair right on top of her head so it's bouncing around every time she moves (she bounces constantly). And in body pump her form is sooooooo wrong and she's got super heavy weights on there. I'm afraid she's going to injure herself. I've heard rumors that she's gotten in confrontations with others about her "spot" in the class and has actually been kicked out of another local gym beause the confrontation escalated. I'm not sure about the validity on that one, but everyone knows her as Crazy Natalie. She seems nice though. (That's my disclaimer in case she's on this site:blushing:
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I teach aqua and in one of my classes I can't make them travel because the real estate in that pool is so important that they won't move! And if they do move or if you happen to wander in to one of the regulars spots... oh boy you know it!

ashleighk2010

I am probably one of the people that gets watched... I am always bopping around, singing to myself and smiling/laughing. I look around and everyone is so stony faced, and I feel stupid for grinning... but... I don't know, even when I'm sweating I'm still having a good time. In fact, I think I smile more if it's a stressful workout. I'm just like YEAH, THIS IS HARD!!

yogreenlaw

a woman getting on the treadmill next to me in the cheap flip flops that you would wear to the beach

EricInArlington

guys are super weird.

I love watching the GIRLS lifting 10Lbs on a machine and pretty much just going though the motions :P Hmmm " why cant I burn any calories? It must be the water I'm retaining! " O..o ?? had to stick up for the guys

EmpressOfJudgment

I also enjoy witnessing the occasional head banger looking guy working out in jeans.

swt228hrt

There's a lady that comes to my gym occasionally and "runs" on the treadmill. Well, she actually dances like a fairy...high stepping, skipping, swinging arms about wildly and twisting her torso into contortions. She squeals randomly as she listens to her ipod. No clue what its all about but it's always fascinating watching her.

I literally laughed out loud at this one, that sure would be a sight to see... wish I could be entertained like that at my gym

rungurlrun

I think we all go to the same gym.

Not sure if I am the one watching or not, but I am always curious what those darn machines are for…haha. I am always watching to see what some of this stuff does, it all seems medieval at times.

- I have the headbanger in jeans [rock star…not Charlie Sheen, just a rock star]
- Fairy princess treadmill runner, without wings and wand though…haha [she is actually a pretty nice gal]
- A couple of good mullets
- The singers, but actually, I like the ones that talk to themselves with headphones on. I am sure they don’t realize it, but I listen to see if they talk about me…

TrainingWithTonya

Well, I'm definitely one of the ones who was watched tonight at the gym. I was there for 2 hours and I was the only one who went anywhere near the squat rack and the only girl in the free weight area at all. The guys who thought they were hot stuff were giving me strange looks while they were doing their arm work. Like we women don't know what an Olympic bar is, much less what to do with one. One little guy (Yes, I said little. I'm only 5'6" and I looked him eye to eye, so he wasn't exactly a big guy.) smiled at me as I was walking away from it. I smiled back being polite, but honestly, I was thinking "Dude, if you'd put down the dumbbells and actually use the squat rack, you wouldn't have chicken legs." I use to didn't think mean things about people in the gym. Heck, I use to not even notice people in the gym. This thread has me being super hyper-aware of people and the ridiculous things they do in the gym. There was another woman there who came in (wearing jeans mind you) and did 1 minute on the elliptical (It might have been less, but definitely not more because I only did one leg stretch while she was on there.) and then sat on the seated calf raise for 20 minutes (while I finished my stretching and waited on a tanning bed, so I know how long it was) and I kept thinking surely someone would need the calf raise machine and ask her to move, but they never did, at least not before I got in the tanning bed. LOL Oh, and while I was on the exercise bike, I was stuck between two guys. Each machine has it's own tv, but they are close enough together that you can see what the people beside you are watching. One was watching Inside Edition and the other was watching LPGA golf. I felt like the one with the most testosterone because I was watching UFC. LOL

maryloo2011

I wonder how many ppl watch me while I am there lol. O well if they want to watch who cares.

I'll only catch myself watching someone in front of me because I am impressed with their workout and admire the stamina/intensity.


Strangest thing I have encountered so far are people who talk on their phones while on the elliptical. One day a gal next to me was talking the entire time while the phone was on speakerphone. Another day, yet another girl was talking during her entire 10-minute warm up period....

maryloo2011

I am probably one of the people that gets watched... I am always bopping around, singing to myself and smiling/laughing. I look around and everyone is so stony faced, and I feel stupid for grinning... but... I don't know, even when I'm sweating I'm still having a good time. In fact, I think I smile more if it's a stressful workout. I'm just like YEAH, THIS IS HARD!!

This is awesome - what a great attitude to have!

hroush

I remember a girl a couple weeks ago that was texting the entire time she was doing "sit-ups".

There are quite a few guys in my gym that can lift the heavy weights they are doing (pull-down machine), but they are using their back just as much as their arms.

NavyWifeag

I detest the middle-aged man who talks to everyone at the top of his lunges about politics. I go out of my way to avoid him on the treadmill because he will starting trying to debate abortion or healthcare reform.

If you want to be watched, make sure you wear short shorts and your boobs are hanging out, then spend most of your workout bending over and stretching like a one of our regulars.

A caught of a lot of attention while I was pregnant because I looked like I was due any minute at five months on and everyone thought I was going to go into labor right there. They were always telling me to be careful. Disclaimer: My DR. wanted me to workout and approved weight training as long as I didn't go over 25 lbs.