Here is my lighthearted account of the 5 people you meet at the gym in January. Note: this is a fictitious account, and any resemblance to an actual person or persons (other than myself) is purely coincidental.
- Andrea Kay
Other than ‘on Monday’, there is no more popular time to start working out than January. There’s a very good chance that many of you reading this started (or restarted) working out in those first tender 31 days of the new year. I’m certainly one of them.
I’ve also been on the other side of the table, religiously going to the gym with my weekly routine (side-eye to anyone who takes my Monday spin bike), and January means more crowds; our new friends who are freshly minted and motivated to start their fitness resolutions. Eager and ready to go, and although we fully support our new friends, there are definitely some ‘types’ we have all noticed in January. Here is my lighthearted account of the 5 people you meet at the gym in January. *this is a fictitious account, and any resemblance to an actual person or persons (other than myself) is purely coincidental.
1. The Rookie.
No matter how seasoned, we can all relate to The Rookie because we have all been the rookie. The Rookie may be my absolute favorite of all the people we see at the gym in January. Bright-eyed and bushy-tailed. Eager to learn. Most likely to re-rack their weights in the right place AND wipe down their machines. They can often be found reading the instructions on the weight machines, scratching their heads in spin class, and bumping into someone in kickboxing.
2. The Plus One.
We all know the Plus One. No matter what our new friend says, they landed their tush in the gym for one reason and one reason only, because their ‘ride or die’ talked them into it. This person can always be found at the side of their BFF doing a watered-down version of whatever their bestie is doing and usually laughing at themselves while doing it. If their buddy is lifting 20-pound dumbbells, the Plus One has 7 pounds. If their gym bestie has three risers at step class, the Plus One has one. We love our Plus One friends because they are just there to have fun. They will laugh their way through any class, no matter how difficult. We keep our eye on the Plus Ones because they often turn into some of the fittest people at the gym. Always having fun keeps them coming back, and consistency is key to fitness.
3. The Round Robin
The Round Robin can often be found… well, that’s just it… they can’t be found in any one spot because they are usually in the process of moving from one machine to another. The Round Robin is just so happy to be at the gym. They want to do all of it, and they want to do all of it right now. From treadmill to rower to stepper to elliptical to spin bike…. It’s dizzying watching them jump from one machine to the other, but they are so enthusiastic we can’t help but cheer them along their dizzying way.
4. The Mayor
Every January, in every gym everywhere, a few new mayors roll up to town. They are social media personified. Although they only get 5 minutes of exercise completed in one hour, they will have exchanged pleasantries with every man, woman, and child at the gym. No matter where you are, they will find you. Hot yoga, spin, the sauna; they will find you, and you never know what they will tell you, but trust and believe they will tell you something. Anything from the fender bender in the parking lot that just happened to the probability of snow this weekend. From the new protein shake flavor to the temperature of the sauna. We love them because they keep us informed, entertained, and are always happy to see you.
5. The Veteran
If you’re shaking your head and find no humor in the above, you very well may be a veteran. The Veteran can’t wait till February. They are finally getting used to the new members that stuck around past last January, so they certainly aren’t ready to mess with this new crop. They can generally be found tucked away in the back corner of the gym. They’ll make it work with whatever is back there, thank you very much. They’ll work out with a broomstick and marble if that’s all they have available in their safe space. The Veteran is best left alone in January, and if you do need to approach, proceed with caution, but probably best to wait till February with anything not immediately urgent.
As sure as the sun rises in the east and sets in the west, there will be an influx of new members in January, and sure there will be some of the ‘types’ above, and we laugh because it’s funny, but in truth, we all have a bit of each in us. At least I know I do. So we welcome our January newbies even if it means losing our favorite Monday morning spin bike because the Rookie is nothing but punctual and will for sure nab it before you get there.
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About the Author
Andrea Kay
Andrea Kay is a longtime FI member, Tri-Athlete, 50k runner and a regular contributor to Fit to Print.