While you’re working out, you see a hot dude. But now you want to know how to approach a guy at the gym. Here are all the tips you need.
Contrary to popular belief, the gym is not just a torture chamber where we go to sweat away extra pounds, or, if you’re more fitness-inclined, a hub at which to train for your favorite sport. It’s also a hotbed of interesting people to meet, including many attractive, athletic guys with powerfully muscular or slim and trim bodies that are guaranteed to get you drooling. And now you want to know how to approach a guy at the gym!
If you’ve been trying blind dates, speed dating, online dating and other common methods of finding a significant other, but none of these have been working for you, your next boyfriend may actually be right in front of your nose, chugging along on an elliptical trainer.
Quite a few women have proven that you can even end up married to a guy you first spoke to in front of an exercise machine.
If you want to partner up with a quality guy at your own gym and float off in an endorphin-induced state of bliss with this new man, there are some important guidelines that you need to follow, so the guys you interact with won’t think you’re annoying or insane.
General guidelines for how to approach and attract a hot guy at the gym
Below are the essential dos and don’ts to keep in mind when approaching a guy at the gym that you’d be interested in snuggling up with on cold winter nights.
1. Don’t wear overly revealing clothing
A great deal of exercise clothing coincidentally shows off the body, by virtue of the fact that it’s often tight and is designed to keep you cool. But you shouldn’t show any more skin than you need to at the gym.
Few things look tackier than a supposedly athletic girl strutting around with her cleavage literally thrusting out of her yoga tank or wearing a sports bra that barely covers more skin than a string bikini.
If you dress like this while working out, some greaseball might constantly ogle you, but most athletic men will think you look ridiculous and assume that you don’t take the gym seriously, which will be a turn-off for them. [Read: 9 silly things women do to attract the worst guys]
2. Do wear attractive clothing
While you shouldn’t have too much skin showing at the gym, you should try to look attractive if you want to catch a guy’s eye.
You can certainly do this while leaving the majority of your body to the imagination. If you can afford to, invest in some new exercise outfits in flattering colors at least every few months, and take good care of the ones you have.
When buying new ones, make sure you get the proper size, so you don’t look like you’re drowning in your gear or have been stuffed into it.
You may love working out in the Mickey Mouse shirt you’ve had since you were 12 along with a ratty pair of sweatpants, but very few men will find you sexy if you show up at the gym in that. [Read: 18 secrets to feel sexy and look and be seductive without really trying hard at all]
3. Don’t change your schedule to match his
If you’ve randomly gone to your gym at a different time than you normally do, and a certain guy happened to catch your eye, you may be tempted to change your routine so that you can see him more often.
However, as you’ve likely picked your regular gym times in accordance with what you need to get done in a given day or week, it’s not worth it to inconvenience yourself in this way.
It’s okay to alter your schedule once in a while, but, for instance, if you start showing up in the morning instead of in the evening all the time, it’s not unlikely that he’ll notice.
This may make him wonder if you’re a little bit of a stalker, especially if you give off the impression that you’re interested. Once you’ve been labeled as stalker material, all your efforts to rearrange your schedule will have been for nothing. [Read: Am I clingy? 17 signs of a stage 5 clinger and lessons you must learn]
4. Do complete your workout as usual
When a special guy does happen to be working out at the same time as you, don’t modify your workout in order to be closer to him or to get his attention.
If you normally do cardio first, and weights second, stick to that, even if that means he’s more often than not on the other side of the room.
Don’t leave early, just because you see him head to the locker room and you think he might strike up a conversation with you on the way out. For those girls who like to work out intensely, never ease up your workout’s pace so you can look less sweaty for him.
On the other hand, if he’s extremely athletic and you’re not quite there yet, don’t ramp up your efforts in order to compete—pushing yourself too hard could cause you to injure yourself.
Keep your own abilities and goals in mind, and if a sexy guy is really interested, he’ll talk to you when it’s convenient for you both. [Read: 21 secrets to be way more charming and approachable to guys]
5. Don’t stare at him the entire time
Another thing to remember when you’re learning how to approach a guy at a gym is not to stare at him too much. Would you like it if a guy’s eyes were boring holes into the back of your head as you did squats, curls, and lunges?
Won’t you start to find this incredibly irritating, no matter how hot the guy was?
If you continually stare at an attractive guy at the gym, he might feel a bit flattered, but if he’s like most of us – he’ll also start to feel a tad uncomfortable.
When you’re conscious of the fact that you’re gaping at an especially fine member of the male gender, force yourself to turn your eyes away and find a distraction. Read a magazine, put on your earphones, or focus your attention on the gym television instead.
6. Do let him know you’ve noticed him
Although acting like you’ve entered a staring contest is an absolute no-no, you should let the object of affection know that you’ve taken notice of his existence.
If you’ve never spoken to him before, make eye contact for just a few seconds when you two happen to be exercising within the same area.
Smile a bit when you do so, and then when you pass him by on the way to another station, flash him a smile again.
After a few smiles, make some small talk if you come upon him while you’re both taking a breather. If he’s a friendly guy, you’ll at least become gym buddies, and that may lead to something more. [Read: The all-in woman’s guide to making eye contact]
7. Don’t get in the way of his workout
The majority of men will consider dating women from the gym. But the primary reason that most of them show up is to get a workout in, whether they’re in training for an athletic endeavor, want to get rid of a beer gut, or simply believe in the importance of staying in good health.
Therefore, regardless of whether it seems like your gym crush might be interested in you too, don’t hang around him too much while he’s getting down to business.
Even if he doesn’t seem particularly bothered by this, he may become so distracted by your allure that he drops a weight on his foot or slides backward off his treadmill.
You wouldn’t want to be responsible for his injury, would you? Things will go much more smoothly if you stay away until he’s on a break. [Read: The biggest turn offs that will make him run away from you]
8. Do accept his friendships with other female gym-goers
You may feel as if your heart is being ripped out when you see a man that you admire talking to or even flirting with other women. However, try to keep these feelings at bay while at the gym.
If the guy you’re interested in is so attractive, you shouldn’t be surprised that he would have other female acquaintances around the place.
You may be tempted to leap off your machine and plant yourself in front of him when you see him talking to that insanely flexible chick doing stretching exercises, but whatever you do, don’t.
You’ll just make yourself look like a jealous, possessive clinger and ruin any budding friendship or relationship that you may have with the guy in question.
Communication tips for approaching and talking to a guy at the gym
Now that you know the general guidelines how to approach a guy at the gym, how do you go about talking to him? It’s not that difficult if you follow these tips. [Read: How to approach a guy you’re interested in and remain calm]
1. Ask his opinion
If you’re waiting in line to get in the gym, you can ask the cute guy standing next to you about his favorite machine or exercise.
You could even ask a more general question like what he thinks about this gym compared to others he has been a member of. Another idea is to notice how fit he is and ask him what he does to stay/get that way so you can try to do that too.
2. Ask him a question
It doesn’t matter what the question is. You could ask anything from what kind of protein shakes he uses after a his workout. It could also ask him if he’s training for anything like a marathon or what kinds of sports he plays. [Read: How to compliment a guy subtly and 23 tips to get him to crush on you]
3. Ask him to spot you
If you’re having an issue with a machine or weights, ask him if he can help you out or spot you. Even if you don’t need the help, just pretend like you do so that you have a reason to talk to him.
Guys like it when girls ask for their help at the gym. [Read: 31 classy, cool ways to make a guy go crazy over you and crave for you]
4. Comment on his workout
Whether or not you know what you’re doing, you can say something about his lifting techniques. You can also ask for some advice about the techniques you are using and if he has any suggestions for improvement.
5. Be confident when you talk to him
Sure, you’re probably nervous to approach a hot guy at your gym, but that shouldn’t stop you. Guys like it when girls are confident because it’s very attractive.
If you’re not naturally confident, then practice what you are going to say so that you can act that way when the time comes. [Read: 41 casual conversation starterss to use with a guy and get him talking to you]
6. Be playful, positive and light-hearted
You might be reluctant to be flirty and playful at the gym, but you can attract guys that way. There’s nothing wrong with having fun and being humorous with people there.
So, make eye contact and smile when talking to him. You can even though in an “accidental” touch if you want to. [Read: How to flirt by touch and use subtle body language to seduce anyone]
7. Compliment him
If you’re talking to a hot guy at the gym and you think it’s going well, then you can compliment him on something he is doing. You could also tell him that he is in great shape or that you think he’s funny.
Just make it appropriate to the situation. It’s not common for guys to get compliments, so he will like it when he gets one from you.
8. Ask him to join you
If you are working out near him in the gym, you can casually ask him if he wants to do an exercise together or if he would be willing to be your workout partner.
It’s best to use this if you usually do the same workouts or share the same equipment.
9. Simply introduce yourself
If you see him at the gym on a regular basis, you can just walk up to him and say, “It looks like we are always here at the same time, so I thought I should introduce myself. I’m Jane. What’s your name?” This is simple and opens the door to further communication.
[Read: How to get your crush to notice you and like you back]
There you have it – you know how to approach a guy at the gym. If you manage to come across as a fit and fun sweetheart who doesn’t have a stalker’s bone in her body, a date and a relationship with your gym crush may soon be yours. However, if you don’t follow the advice above, your new crush may feel that he has to change gyms to get away from you!
