The Cast of Gym Characters

When I go to the gym, I’m in a zone. I have my plan for my workout, and I get to work. I don’t really pay attention to other people very much. And knowing how uncomfortable people sometimes feel in the gym (myself included), I certainly try not to judge people for what they’re doing or not doing. For all I know they have a medical reason for grunting like they do or for paying more attention to their Kindle and forgetting to, you know, actually make the elliptical move. So I figure, to each their own when it comes to how people spend their gym time as long as they’re following the hallowed rules of gym etiquette.

But there are a few people lately at my gym that I can’t help but notice when I’m working out. People that are drawing attention to themselves and not giving a hoot about it. And I love it. It makes my workouts way more entertaining and helps pass the time, especially because I don’t really do music at the gym anymore (in case I get paged by the child care center). These people make me giggle and truly make my day. Here’s the cast.

1. The Laugher. This guy has pulled up a treadmill or two over on a couple of occasions. He’s wearing an iPod, and it must be tuned to the most hilarious comedy act ever. He cracks up as he’s running or walking — such guffawing belly laughs that I can’t help but start giggling every single time. I’m dying to ask him what he’s listening to, but I don’t want to interrupt. Either way, it’s comedy gold for both of us.

2. The Clomper. The other day I was running alongside my husband when I heard what sounded like an elephant running on a treadmill. CLOMP. CLOMP. CLOMP. After it happened a few times, I asked my husband, “What IS that!?” He nodded toward a woman on a treadmill, this teeny-tiny lady who had the incline set at its complete max. It was so steep that she’d hang on for dear life, and you guessed it, CLOMP for about a minute until she switched the incline again. I couldn’t believe someone so small could make such a big ruckus on the treadmill, and although it may have been ever so slightly annoying, it was more funny than anything.

3. The Clapper. This lady was great — not quite as entertaining as a treadmill dancer would be (oh, to have someone like her in my gym!), but she was so moved by her music that she would take her hands off the elliptical handles to clap to the beat and groove to the music. Like the laugher, I was dying to know what she had cranking that was getting her so fired up.

4. The Insane Yogi. This lady defies gravity and physics over in the stretching area. She held a handstand for what seemed like minutes, all while I tried to pretend I wasn’t staring as I stretched. I kinda wanted to see if she took requests!

Do you have any fellow gym-going regulars that entertain you from afar? I’d love to know your cast of characters! —Erin