Do we all remember Ben Stiller’s character in “Dodgeball”? If not, google it right now. So, no matter how often we go to the gym – whether it is once a month or daily, we’ve seen many, many characters act douchey. However, have you ever thought that other people perceived you as one? What if you are the douchiest douche in your gym and you have no idea about it? Take a look at these top five reasons for being a douchebag in the gym, and try to measure up!
Reason 1: You chill on the equipment
One of the biggest pet peeves for people who are gym amateurs (well, this should be a pet peeve to everyone, but especially to the newbies) are people who occupy the machines so that they could sit, browse through their Instagram accounts (or track the likes they’re getting for the gym-mirror selfie) or just check other people out. If you’re doing this, stop immediately – there are people who want to actually use the machine you’re just using for sitting. Moreover, the gym membership is not actually free, so letting people make use of the money they invested is a must.
Reason 2: You grunt while you lift
Jesus Christ, nobody’s ripping your skin off. There’s nothing more douchey than seeing and hearing a guy grunting like a lunatic while lifting weights. First of all, don’t lift such heavy weights if they make you scream – maybe lifting’s just not for you. Secondly, all the weightlifting can really be done without the loud screaming. Not everyone has to know how much you’re lifting. It’s very uncool, and, honestly, no one gives a rat’s ass. Just stop yelling and let me listen to my music in peace.
Reason 3: You stare at yourself in the mirror more than you actually work out
Selfies from the gym mirrors are OK, but we’re not talking about taking 20 of them. However, believe it or not, there are people who come to the gym only to show their six-packs to everyone else without breaking a drop of sweat. They come alone, leave their towel somewhere and walk around the gym, nonchalantly lifting their t-shirt in order to see their six-pack in the mirror (but actually, the big idea is for everybody else to notice them). Why? However, this should be your motivation to look better than him but never be like him.
Reason 4: You don’t have the appropriate clothes
First of all, having the right gym clothes is very important. Even though we should not care about what other people think of us, it is somewhat important to present ourselves nicely to the world. So, get rid of those old sweatpants and get yourself a pair of quality men’s running tights; also, leave the ripped tees at home and get some new ones. Nevertheless, don’t try too much. Seeing people in the gym who look like they’re about to hit the runway is also a big turn off. The gym is not a place for you to show how much money you have and what gym clothes you can buy, and most certainly, it’s not a place for you to show off your outfit combinations. That can sometimes be cool, but if you do it often, it gets quite annoying. Oh, and yes – take a regular t-shirt with you. We really don’t want to see you wearing a sleeveless t-shirt through which we can see your nipples.
Reason 5: You don’t respect the space and people
Leaving your towel, water bottle and phone on the machine next to the one you’re using at the moment is not cool. It most certainly is not cool when you don’t want to move that immediately because you’re “working out very hard at the moment”. Respect the people around you, and leave your belongings elsewhere.
Did you recognize yourself? If not, good job. If yes – that’s okay, but try not to become one of the people we really don’t like seeing at the gym.
Thanks to Peter Minkoff for guest-writing this blog post. Check out his previous post here.
