Gym ettiquette

Is it terribly inappropriate to stare at girls at the gym? I admit it, I glance to stare (only for a few seconds) to just about every girl at the gym I go to. I can't help it. I'm no pervert, believe me, but I love to look at girls. Sometimes I'm on the treadmill and there'll be a girl a treadmill or two down from mine and I can't help but to want to look over. I try to be discrete, but I think they notice sometimes.lol. I hope they don't think I'm a creep.

Do you stare at girls at the gym?

 

Also, not sure if this is the best board to post this on. If not, mods please give me a hand here by moving this to the most appropriate board.

Discretely checking out the women around you in any environment is normal.  Staring at the gal on the teadmill next to you is creepy.

As a girl, I find it disrespectful when guys stare at the gym. It's actually kind of disgusting. I just left the FREE gym that I had access to because I was so uncomfortable with the atmosphere there. Now I attend a gym with no tolerance for staring at/hitting on other gym members and I'm much, much happier.

While some girls may think of it as a compliment, others do not appreciate it. And because you can't be sure how the girl you are staring at feels about it, I would suggest that you try to restrain yourself.

I understand the first look.  The first look is just seeing what's going on around you.  But when I feel like a guy keeps looking back, I wonder why they are watching me, and it makes me self-conscious, and sometimes creeped out.  I actually had this happen to me last night..these three guys were watching me run, I caught them all looking at different times, several times each.  It made me a little uncomfortable.

I GLANCE at guys sometimes XD...... but not.... STAREEEE :O.

but i only pass by the machine area to get to the tennis courts....

Well, I don't really stare. I look for like 2 seconds tops, then I look away. I will, however, stop it now though.

haha i love it when gys check me out at the gym haha.... nothing like a good ego boost to let you know you still got *it*

 im very comfortable in my skin i don't find it disrespectful if i guy looks at me tbh im honored he thinks im worth lookin at.

I know for a fact the guy behind me was getting great joy from my deadlifts the other day ... he sat quite happily staring at my ass ... so i threw a couple of extra in just for him haha ....

But hey thats the kinda gal i am, im a pole dancer for a living for crying out loud if i got upset when a bloke checked me out id really be in the wrong proffesion.

Now if he was to intently stare for hours or was to follow me around the gym then it could get creepy but a quick look or glance is fine its a compliment more than anything.

 

 

As a guy, I don't think there is anything wrong with checking someone out.  It is innocent and as long as you aren't undressing her with your eyes, it shouldn't upset her.  Obviously, I think if you're going to check someone out and they notice it, you might as well go say hello so you don't look like a shy creepy guy.  On the other hand, I think it is rude when a guy and his buddies stare at a girl.  I have a friend who is really bad about pointing at girls and sometimes, he's hopes they notice him staring so he can make penetrating eye contact with them.

My rule of thumb:  It's ok to glance.  It isn't ok to stare UNLESS she stares at you first.

Original Post by ccrun4fun:

 I just left the FREE gym that I had access to because I was so uncomfortable with the atmosphere there. Now I attend a gym with no tolerance for staring at/hitting on other gym members and I'm much, much happier.

 ccrun - I'm just wondering how that's enforced?

A quick scan around can't be helped, but don't stare - if you feel creepy about it (or you'd have a problem with a guy looking at your daughter that way), you shouldn't do it. But most of the time... well, there aren't THAT many places to look, and eventually, your eye is going to be caught by something.

I think some guys probably think I'm staring at them, but really, I'm glaring at their annoying and very exaggerated grunting and their sudden dropping of weights while on the machines, resulting in a *clang* that startles the dumbbells out of my hands.

But that's a rant for another day.

Oh i asked my hubby about this because he's a frequent gym goer ... so i asked him if he looked at the girls.

His response .... "i have eye's don't i??"

Typical man haha .... tbh i think id have to poke his eye's out to stop him looking at a cute girl ... and i know i'd check out a cute bloke if i saw one .. nothing wrong with looking its perfectly natural....

It only becomes creepy when they start following you, or stop what they are doing to stare ... casual glances are normal and natural basic reactions to seeing someone you find attractive.

tbh i find i have more of a problem when i see a girl with a good figure because then i tend to stare ... but not in a "i think you hot" kind of way its more of a " your so pretty i wish i looked like you ... and what exercises are you doing so i can copy " haha ... THAT gets me into more trouble than staring at men haha.

 

 

Original Post by amethystgirl:

Original Post by ccrun4fun:

I just left the FREE gym that I had access to because I was so uncomfortable with the atmosphere there. Now I attend a gym with no tolerance for staring at/hitting on other gym members and I'm much, much happier.

ccrun - I'm just wondering how that's enforced?

Basically, you have to say something if you feel uncomfortable. You can approach any of the staff (female as well as male) and tell them that someone is being creepy. They will go over and just kind of remind the person of the rules. However, it rarely comes to this. Most people know the rules are to be respectful and so they might take a quick glance but no staring. It also helps that the gym is very diverse, with all ages (from 16 to prob 80s) and different types of people.

EDIT: It also seems that because this gym has multiple locations in my city that each location attracts a different type of person. The gym I'm at is much more respectful while the branch by the University tends to have more of the "meat market" atmosphere that I'm trying to avoid.

i have a question for the OP...a fellow gym goer and i have been making eye contact for a while now and we always seem to be working out next to each other.  do you think if he likes me he would have approached me by now?  or maybe because i'm shy i don't seem approachable.  I would love to start talking to him, but don't know how to begin, also i fear i may just be hallucinating that he likes me, although i rarely see him working out or talking to/glancing at other girls.  Any advise?

Original Post by lessthan100:

i have a question for the OP...a fellow gym goer and i have been making eye contact for a while now and we always seem to be working out next to each other. do you think if he likes me he would have approached me by now? or maybe because i'm shy i don't seem approachable. I would love to start talking to him, but don't know how to begin, also i fear i may just be hallucinating that he likes me, although i rarely see him working out or talking to/glancing at other girls. Any advise?

I'd say most guys don't feel comfortable approaching a girl in the gym.  Some of the bigger guys do cuz they think being cockdiesel will get them a girl.  If I were you, I'd ask him a question about an exercise he's doing like "Hey, what muscle does that work?" or something light like that.  See how he responds... then go from there.  He may become more talkative after that too.

thanks for the advice! i didn't want to feel like a sexual predator going after him but i think i will attempt conversation if i ever work up the nerve!

I stare at all the dudes and sometimes "accidentally" brush against their butts during their deadlift sets. Ah how I love thee, gym.

Ha ha! I just came back from the gym and something relevent to this topic happened to me (I think).

I was at the far end of a row of treadmills, and a little after I started, this big, muscle-y guy started way at the other end. Every time I looked up, he was either staring at me, or he had moved another few treadmills closer!!

ceyx54:  That "moving another few treadmills closer" thing sounds like stalker-territory.  Next he's going to look you up on myspace and figure out what bars you frequent.

I check out the guys at the gym. Like, every day. I'm not a starer, though, I think that's rude. People don't go there to be ogled...right? Right guys? Maybe?

The only time I come close to staring is when someone lifts a lot of weight and I'm impressed--hopefully that doesn't count as creepy staring!

Edit: I have stared at girls, too, actually!  One at my old gym, who had the best arms ever and would get on the treadmill and run over 8 mph for what seemed like forever.  I was uber-jealous!  The other is at my current gym...she's really strong and toned, I hope I can be like her one day.

I have a funny story for you all.  I was on the second floor doing my elliptical and I had been there for about 10 minutes and I can look down on people in the weight room.  That is where I look, however, I am usually looking at the technique people use to lift because sometimes I am afraid to use a machine or something because I am not completely sure how it works.  Sometimes I see a hotty....LOL

Anyways I am getting off subject....I was going at it and started to see a guy or two peek up my way then a couple more.  I started to think OMG do I have something hanging out of my nose?!  Is something wrong?!  Is my hair messed up?!  Then I thought Hell NO girl!  You've lost 30 pounds and You Look GOOD!  

Just as I started to actually think highly of myself I looked next to me and there she was...This perfect blonde hair blued eyed gym goddess in a sports bra and tiny shorts.  She had a big smile plastered across her face and was trying to not look at all the guys starring at her. 

I felt totally embarassed and had to leave the gym right then and there! I could not sit there and continue my exercises with her next to me!  I felt like the fat chick at the party friends take to make them look better! LOL  I look back and laugh now but I was upset that day.  LOL I should have known....

Original Post by lessthan100:

thanks for the advice! i didn't want to feel like a sexual predator going after him but i think i will attempt conversation if i ever work up the nerve!

Somehow, I don't think you have to worry about that.  Guys are like dogs, they love the attention.  For a guy, it's an ego boost.

It's weird guys claim to like GIRLS correct?  Yet honestly I can assure you no guy even turns their head to look at me, I don't think a Guy has ever even flirted with me before.  Are they scared of me?  Am I really that hideous?  Whats a turn off by the way?  For the majority of males.....Because Males just don't like looking at me or something.