Hey Andy, how can I ignore my gym crush?
Hi, I’m not sure if I’ve ever had a gym crush (except for when my wife had a membership and went with me to the gym). But if you’re being too distracted to get an awesome workout, then try some of these:
7 Ways To Ignore Your Gym Crush
1) Plug in
Wear headphones/earbuds and get lost in your music. I notice people doing this all the time at the gym. Some use it to get motivated for their next set, some to relax, some to keep rhythm (like when running, they can run to the beat — boxers do this, too), and some to just focus on what they’re doing — tune out from everything going on in their life and keep their focus on where they are now. Plus, if your gym crush knows you have a crush on him/her, then sees you’re plugged in, they may try to avoid you knowing they won’t get anywhere while you’re plugged in.
2) Do what you’re there to do – workout
I get it, some people like to go to gyms to check people out, or to hopefully meet their next mate. I know some people who’ve actually met their future (and now) spouses at the gym, so it makes some sense. But the gym is not meant to be a dating site (if you want that, I understand there are tons of apps to choose from). The reason there are weights and machines at gyms is because the main focus should be working out. Plus, we all want to look better from lifting (even if we’re training for strength and/or power). But instead of trying to look good IN the gym, use this time to get ugly and sweaty so you can look good to others when you’re OUTSIDE the gym — like a job. You’re not working so you can make money to buy stuff at your work for your cubicle (most of the time), but to afford stuff for your life outside of work. So you work hard to make more so you can spend outside of work. Likewise, workout hard at the gym so you can benefit outside the gym.
3) Lift heavier weight
When I’m less motivated to lift, maybe my head’s not in the game, I tell myself to either lift heavy or go home, because if I wasn’t there to lift heavy, then I might as well stay home and do a zillion reps with my wife’s dumbbells, you know? Seriously! So lifting heavy requires that you get your head in the game and focus on getting that last, hard rep, which means you’ll need all the concentration possible. You could even use the reason you want to forget your gym crush as added aggression — use it to benefit your workout. It won’t go unused.
4) Don’t be anti-social
Make friends with others at the gym. Then you’ll have other people to talk with and you won’t have time to focus on your crush. For instance, I’ve made several friends at the gyms I go to, whether through other friends there, or simply by asking somebody to spot me, and it turned into a conversation. Now, it’s no longer so much about hoping that I’ll be able to find all my lifts open, but also whether or not I’ll see my friends there. So it becomes more of a social hangout, while getting in a great workout. And with friends (and making new friends just about each time), you’ll have new people (for different reasons) to focus your attention onto. You may even find out something from them about your crush that will help you forget about them.
5) Change up your workout
This sort of goes with some of the other points, but for this one, you might want to change up the days you go to the gym, or change the muscles or muscle groups you work on each day. For instance, in the weight room, Mondays have traditionally always been chest day. I don’t know why, but for some reason, most people often work chest on Mondays. My friends and I noticed that and moved chest to 2 days of the week: rep day on Wednesday, heavy chest early Saturday mornings. Instead, Mondays are back and arms for us. So for us, this helps us get a good workout without having to wait too long for a certain lift. For you, it could put you on the opposite side of the gym as your crush, especially if your gym organizes the machines according to the muscle group (like legs, chest, back, curls, dumbbells, shoulders, etc.).
6) Train at a different time
If your gym crush usually trains at a particular time, and they’re making working out that difficult for you, then change up your schedule to avoid them. Maybe instead of working out in the morning, get stuff done first, then lift afterwards; if you lift in the evening after work, maybe wake up earlier each morning to get your workout in before work. And if they’re in a particular class that you enjoy taking, maybe see if the class if offered at other times, also (they usually are), and go to it instead. Either way, they can’t be there all the time, and if they change up their own schedule to meet yours, then you may need to either confront them about it. If it becomes too much of an issue, then you may need to resort to the next point:
7) Go to a different gym
Like I said in the previous point, if it’s that much of an issue, then you may need to plant your feet in another gym. That way, there’s no way your gym crush will bother you.
The gym to many is a sanctuary of sorts. So if you’re not in the zone, then you’re not going to get a good workout, and your time there was just wasted. Likewise, if there’s something (or someone) distracting you, then you need to take action to get back on track. Otherwise, you’re wasting your money, your time, and any opportunities you have to become healthier, stronger, fitter, looking better outside the gym, etc., and there’s no reason why a single person there should have that much power against you. So try some of those 7 steps to get you back on track with your workout.
Also, if anybody reading this has any more suggestions for this person, please feel free to leave them below in the comments section.
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