When you start going to the gym on a regular basis and donating large amounts of your free time towards physically pushing yourself, you’ll earn the title of gym rat. While it’s certainly no easy task to earning this title, the struggles are only just beginning. Here are 13 signs you might be a gym rat.
1. You plan your entire day around your workout
Skipping a workout is like skipping a full night's rest. You just don’t do it. There are days where it feels as though there is “no time” to get to the gym. If you’re truly dedicated, you know how difficult it can be to plan your day around your workout, but you always manage to do it.
2. You feel guilty if you miss a workout
Sometimes, it happens. Rarely. But it does happen once in awhile. When it does happen, you can feel the guilt washing over you.
3. You get legitimately angry when someone is on your machine
It’s your machine. You shouldn't get mad, because they don't technically know it's your machine. But when someone else is using it you can feel your rage start to boil over.
4. You’re sore every day
The best telltale sign if you’ve had a good workout is if you’re sore the next day. For someone who works out every day, you are no stranger to being sore everyday.
5. Getting on the cardio machine and realizing your forgot your headphones at home
We’ve all done it. There is no greater sadness than realizing you’re going to have to complete your entire cardio workout with no music.
6. Your calluses have calluses.
Your hands and feet are covered in calluses. They serve as a memento of all of your hard work, and you’re extremely proud of them, buuuut holding hands with your partner can be uncomfortable.
7. People with poor form make you cringe.
You can’t get mad because working out (even with poor form) is better than laying around doing nothing. But something inside of you cringes.
8. When the only time you can afford to go to the gym is during rush hour, a piece of you dies.
The floor is packed, no machines are open, it’s miserable. Why is it that every single person opts to go to the gym at that one time?
9. The New Years crowd annoys you.
Every New Year the gym is swamped with people who are “going to make it their year.” While it’s possible, you know that it’s most likely not going to happen. You just have to deal with the New Year’s crowd for 1-3 weeks and then they gym is yours again.
10. The pre-spring break crowd annoys you almost as much as the New Year’s crowd.
If there’s anything worse than someone who loses their commitment to a new goal, it’s someone who thinks they can get the results they want within one to two weeks before spring break. While yes, one to two weeks of serious working out can help you to tone up, slim down, or achieve whatever other fitness goal you have, you know that attaining and maintaining a “spring break body” takes much longer than 1-2 weeks in the gym.
11. People who don’t re-rack their weights are demons sent to test you.
To the people who don’t re-rack their weights: Why even bother lifting weights in the first place? If you can’t handle one last rep to put your weight back from where you got it - why even start lifting free weights? It shows a lack of responsibility and downright laziness.
12. When the hotel you stay at doesn’t have a legitimate gym, your heart shatters.
A whole week with nothing but a treadmill? Are you serious?
13. You love it too much to give it up.
You simply cannot say goodbye to your home away from home.
