Thursday, February 16, 2012

Three Things Thursday - Gym People Edition

Before I begin...blog update: I added this fancy comment program on my blog (thanks to Ricole!) so I can reply directly on the blog now in a thread like format but it deleted comments from all my other posts!!  I'm too lazy to figure out why or how to fix that so sorry if you commented on previous posts...the comments are still visible to be on the back end but not to you...oops. Now back to regularly scheduled blog...

Hey all you gym rats out there, you know you love people watching just as much as me while at the gym right...??  Since incorporating strength training into my routine I'm in the gym more days a week than not these days and it has afforded me the opportunity to observe other gym goers for more hours than I probably should admit.

I should add a disclaimer before I stereotype gym people that I'm sure people stereotype me at the gym as well.  I don't know what they are saying but it might have something to do with the fact that I wear Nike workout clothes head to toe every single time I'm in the gym (note: 90% of that Nike stuff was bought on MAJOR sale!).

Here are my 3 favorite gym people, in no order of importance:

1. Cardio queen - we all know this one and in fact we've probably all been it from time to time.  I should add that there are different types of cardio queens.  At my gym there are three that come to mind:
  • Doesn't break a bead of sweat lady - There is one lady that shows up at the gym always on her cell phone and decked out in workout pants, a long sleeve top, and a puffy winter vest.  She doesn't take off any of these pieces of clothing and goes on the elliptical where she pedals away holding 2 pound weights.  But who am I to judge, at least she is MOVIN
  • Cardio machine queen - Another lady that peaks my interest is one that moves from machine to machine to machine to machine for usually the entire time I'm at the gym (about 1.5 hours).  She must be doing something right because she is actually in pretty good shape.
  • The lonely runner - This lady comes to the gym every single night and just runs on the treadmill, no incline, no pace change and barely any sweat pours from her head.  The runner in me really wants to scream at her to change up her routine and she might have some fun and improvement, but again, who am I to judge.
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2. Tries to lift WAY too heavy guy - I'm not sure if guys are doing this to impress the ladies or trying to see how much they can lift before they die but it make me laugh every time!  It's one thing if you are trying a challenging weight for the first time and can bust out a couple reps before almost dying, but when you pick up the 100lb dumbbell and can barely carry it to the bench before realizing you can't, in fact, bicep curl that much...you might be trying to life WAY too heavy :).  I'm pretty sure one guy was trying to impress me one time while I was doing lunges because he came up right in front of me and grabbed a heavy barbell and did bicep curls, in an otherwise very empty gym.

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3.The chatter - You know that one guy who knows EVERYONE at the gym and has 10+ minute conversations with each of them.  Luckily, this person at my gym has not introduced himself to me yet.  If this person wasn't in visibly awesome shape I would be certain he actually doesn't lift a finger the entire time he is at the gym.  I don't mind this person, except when they are having that 10+ minute conversation while hogging a machine I want to use.

I have NOTHING against any of these people and, in fact, they provide entertainment for me between sets or when I'm logging miles as the cardio queen.

Question: Do you identify with any of these types?  Do you have "runner" types that you see out on the road?

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