Geschatte leestijd: 4 minuten
Flirting at the gym. Ideal location or just the last place to impose yourself on someone who wants to train in peace? I asked Jelmer and José to approach this from both a male and female perspective. However, I can imagine that there are as many opinions on this as there are athletes. So, don’t hesitate to share your opinion with us!
Flirting at the Gym According to José
Flirting at the gym, among the sporty among us, is probably not unfamiliar territory. But how do you actually do that? How do you approach that handsome lady or gentleman who is sweating nearby and hasn’t noticed you yet?
Female Perspective
I was asked to write a piece about flirting at the gym from a female perspective. Of course, it’s an interesting topic and also fun for me to think about. I have decided to focus mainly on the things that we women – and I speak from my experience, but I assume that many other ladies share this – experience as real turn-offs.
For example, I once experienced that I was especially impressed by someone’s mustache that I was staring at (no kidding, it was a really thick mustache). However, he thought that I was impressed by the overall picture. Far from it, but unfortunately, mustache man was on the elliptical next to me within seconds. Well, and then striking up a conversation in his worn-out gym outfit. “Do you come here often?” In the end, I kept the conversation short and didn’t know how quickly I had to put my earbuds back in to listen to music again. Listening to music and talking don’t go together, right? 😉
Below is a top 3 of real no-goes in my opinion!
Flirting at the Gym: Three No-Goes:
Although people always claim that true beauty comes from within, the eye also wants something and you only have one chance for a dazzling first impression. So gentlemen, if you want to impress the ladies, make sure to have a contemporary, stylish, and certainly not unimportant: matching sports outfit. We don’t warm up to sagging, oversized baggy pants, which could catch many a droplet.
Too tight, on the other hand, is also a no-go: even if you have a nice body, that too tight, almost see-through shirt made of shiny spandex fabric is more off-putting than impressive. I always get very happy from nice sports shoes with trendy colors instead of those worn-out sneakers where you can almost have a conversation with the soles. Also, don’t forget: wear fresh clothes and put on a nice scent before you leave the house!
Acting Like the Tough Guy in Front of the Mirror
Yes, we women love strong men. Beautiful thick biceps, broad shoulders, you name it: nice nice nice! The gym is full of those broad, muscular men. What I find especially unfortunate is that they think they look really good in the mirror. And I’m not talking about not being proud to show off your results to the world.
There’s nothing wrong with radiating self-confidence. But it’s a different story when there’s an extra tough guy act when a cute chick walks by. There are probably women who recognize the following situation: you walk by and suddenly someone starts lifting even harder weights, and many a tennis player would be jealous of the sounds being made. No… that’s NOT cool and will also not contribute to impressing the ladies.
So just act “normal” and we’ll see you just fine!
Slick Talk & Cheesy Pickup Lines
Actually, slick talk and cheesy pickup lines are not done in any setting and situation, and therefore certainly deserve their place in the top 3 no-goes. Especially the “hey baby” and “psshhhht” I personally find very disrespectful. We’re not your pets!
And the rehearsed pickup lines – which are then fired at every attractive woman – can be flushed down the toilet as far as I’m concerned. Very cliché, but what I especially appreciate is when someone is just being themselves, doesn’t inflate themselves, or tries to attract attention in all kinds of strange ways.
Genuine compliments always work well: “you look nice/beautiful!” or “I can tell you come here often.” Try it! And then it might just happen that the cute lady is impressed, maybe even blushes a little, and without hesitation gives you her phone number!
Flirting at the Gym According to Jelmer
I always work out with sunglasses, a fake mustache, and a cap on, and on average, 30 women jump me during my workout. Because I’m such an extremely handsome guy. And I’m famous. And I’m super hilarious. And smart.
Not really, but it is a situation that women like to describe and then complain about.
‘All that staring from those men and all that attention during my workout. Bah!’
Yes, that’s quite a funny, contradictory fact. 99% of people work out because they want to look good, for
themselves and for others, but supposedly find it unpleasant to get attention at the gym. People who complain to their girlfriends because they are being stared at, spoken to, or approached in some other way.
An opposite way of saying how well they are doing in the market. And then pretend it’s so terrible. Ladies, I see through you.
You can’t fool me. In the big jungle called the adult world, you might be able to concentrate more on your workout than on reproductive urges in the gym, but it’s still a jungle. And there are jungle rules. There are rutting males walking around who silently compare each other’s biceps in the mirror, while their testosterone boost drastically increases their choice of partners from one potential partner to all the chicks in the gym.
And those chicks are aware of that.
“Eye-catching and Tight-Fitting Clothing”
It’s no coincidence that big sports brands cleverly respond to this fact by designing fluorescent and otherwise eye-catching and tight-fitting clothing and promoting it in sexy ways. Peacocks, roosters, and birds of paradise. The whole gym is full of them.
If we really didn’t want to make contact with other people, we would train at home. In loose comfortable clothing. In a closed room. With the curtains closed. And we wouldn’t post gym selfies on Instagram either.
But flirting at the gym, just like flirting on the bus and on the street and in the pub and at Starbucks, is a very normal way of communicating. Ubiquitous, important, and unavoidable.
That it happens can’t be changed, but complaining about it can. So either you admit that you don’t mind it at all and join in yourself, or you take flirting for granted and realize that you’re a hot guy or girl.
Complaining about flirtatious behavior is the same as complaining about the weather. Then stay home. Under the covers. On your own.
