When you enter college, the gym becomes more than what is was in high school. It is no longer a place to just work out, nor is somewhere you can just escape and be by yourself. The college gym is basically the most public place you can go on campus, and 99.99 percent of the time, you’re going to run into someone you know and, in some cases, potentially don’t want to see.
Tune into the people you do want to see and tune out the people you don’t with your headphones. I recommend Monster ClarityHD Headphones for maximum tune-out ability so you can listen to that new song.
These are the 10 types of people you’ll see at the gym. I promise.
- Your friend/ sorority sister.
Okay, so this isn’t too bad. Running into your friend isn’t the worst situation. Most likely you’ll probably both be wearing your Bid Day t-shirt and maybe even do some sit-ups together or something. You’ll probably just end up talking about the social you’re going to or the guy you like and stopping your workout every three minutes because you HAVE to tell her something.
This is a photo of my dear friend, sorority sister and future roommate, Amanda Garcia at the gym. This is a personal photograph and she is going to kill me for posting it. Anything for the sake of journalism. RIP, me.
2. The guy you like.
Perfect! You showed up the gym wearing no makeup and your hair is in some abstract
bun-like position. You’re on the treadmill and suddenly you start running like, five times
faster. At least he sees you working out, right?
3. The ex-boyfriend.
No. Nope. No. This isn’t okay. Campus is like 10,000,000 square miles and the one person you don’t want to see walks right by you when you’re simply trying to watch a random talk show on the elliptical. Okay, so you have two choices: 1) pretend he doesn’t exist, or 2) embrace the awkward high-five he’s about to give you.
Actual photo of my ex-boyfriend, Brandon Sutter, in his gym attire. He attends the University of Arizona. Thankfully we're friends, so it wouldn’t be a big deal if I saw him at the gym.
4. The gym bro.
You’ve seen him at a party before and he’s probably asked you your name at least five
times. He’s in that one fraternity. You know what I am talking about. This human is a classic to the gym. He is practically a staple. A cut-off tank and perfectly sculpted hair tell you this isn’t his first rodeo. He basically lives there.
Although this isn’t his typical look, here is a picture of Riley Miller from the University of Arizona wearing what a typical gym bro may wear when you spot him at the squat rack for “curls,” as Riley says.
5. The competitor.
Are you serious? This girl seriously keeps looking at your time on the treadmill every 0.2 seconds and “randomly” keeps increasing her speed every time you do. This is so not the time for this. You’re tired, you had an exam earlier that day and some girl thinks she can come in and act like the gym is your high school track meet. Bye.
6. The socializer.
No, this isn’t your friend, but he or she will basically do anything to get out of his or her workout because that probably is not why they’re here. They will probably spend the majority of their time meandering the parameters of the locker room waiting to chat with someone. If this person is a she, she is probably wearing enough makeup to go to a frat party directly after. No.
7. The Olympic athlete/ school athlete.
A more intimidating version of the competitor, the Olympic athlete doesn’t even have to try to compete with you. Obviously not a real Olympic athlete (well, who knows these days)—maybe a school athlete (you can easily tell by the head-to-toe school merchandise which was obviously received for free), this person is running about 10 miles at, like, 12 miles per hour and you’re here like, hey, maybe I’ll throw in some incline today. 
That is my big, Lillian Giunta, on the left with Melissa Mainzer (center) and Katie Cannon. All Florida cheerleaders and all flawless and clearly athletically-gifted people.
8. The girl in the sports bra.
Okay, maybe she has a reason to be in a sports bra, but for some reason everyone freaks out when a girl shows up in a sports bra and super tight yoga pants. Personally, I refuse to hate on the girl in the sports bra. If that’s how you choose to work out, so be it.
9. The random old person.
Maybe he’s a professor? Maybe someone’s grandpa? Who knows. Seeing an old person at the school gym is like seeing a unicorn, but when you do, you’ll absolutely be able to spot him or her by their cassette player and tucked-in shirt.
10. The person just like you.
So I don’t know about you, but when I see someone suddenly starting to run fast on the treadmill or increase their speed on the bike, or whatever their workout of choice may be, I know one thing: A good song came on their playlist.
For me, getting the best workout possible is all about music. I couldn’t do that without great headphones. If you don’t want your headphones slipping off every five seconds and you seriously want to get into your workout, invest in a great pair of headphones.
Monster headphones are a great option: they have earbuds for the avid runner like myself and over-the-ear headphones for the guy who wants the full listening effect while lifting weights, but my favorites are the new ClarityHD headphones.
Get into your music, enjoy the gym, and remember, you will run into someone. I promise.
