The gym is a very strange place. You’re forced to run or lift in the middle of a large open room, visible to anyone who walks into the area. This means that if you look like a goof or if you have no idea what you’re doing, everyone is going to notice. There are a lot of different people you can see at the gym, but here are some of the most annoying ones.
1) The girl on her cell phone.
I don’t understand how someone can be on her phone that often, but no matter what she’s doing, she’s always on it. She’s talking to someone while she’s running on the treadmill. Loudly, too, so you can hear her over your headphones. Then she’s texting while she’s walking over to a machine, so she’s not looking where she’s going. And after she’s done, does she get off the machine? No, she’s still there, texting away.
2) The guy who always tries to show off.
Whether you’re a guy or a girl, whenever you walk by him, he’s always doing something to either intimidate or impress you. He lifts whenever you’re near him to show you how strong he is. He's always trying to get girls to admire his muscles or trying to scare other guys away. After he’s done with his set, he’ll casually look over to see if he made any impression on you. But you’ve probably already rolled your eyes and moved to a different area at this point.
3) The person who’s obsessed with his or her appearance.
This can be either a guy or a girl. He or she will look in the mirror at every possible second. Now, it’s normal to look at yourself in the mirror to make sure you have the proper technique for an exercise, but these people take it a step too far. The mirror is basically their home. The guys stand there just to see how they look when they flex, and the girls stand there to fix their hair or makeup. Come on, you guys, it’s a gym, not a photoshoot!
4) The group of people who don’t even work out.
No matter where you turn, there they are, just standing there, gossiping about how Kelly looks too skinny or how David’s kid isn’t fitting in with anyone at school. You start running on the treadmill and they’re right behind you, just standing there and talking. After about a half hour, you turn to look, and they’re still there. You finally finish running and get off your treadmill, and guess who hasn’t moved? Sorry, didn’t mean to interrupt your gossip session with my workout.
5) The person who won’t stop talking.
This person doesn’t understand that the gym is a place for working out, not talking. You’ll be on a machine and this person will be sitting next to you, and he or she thinks it’s a good idea to strike up a conversation. You want to be polite, so you give a quick response and go back to your workout, but this person can’t take a hint. He or she keeps talking to you while you’re in the middle of your set, and no matter what you do, this person won’t leave you alone.
6) The person who doesn’t know how to do anything.
When you’re new to the gym, it’s understandable that you’re not going to know how to use every machine in the place, but you should at least have an idea of how some things work. But this person has never set foot in a gym before, and now he or she is on a machine, executing awful technique and letting the weights slam down on every rep. Or this person can’t figure out how to position himself or herself properly in the machine, so the exercise is done completely wrong. This person can give you a serious case of secondhand embarrassment.
