Dominant, beggar, jock and nice. The gym is home to many personalities. Where you fit among them can determine the quality of your time spent working out.

There are many reasons we join a gym.  Some of us might be looking friends or potential dates, others are there to bulk up, another segment joins because of the rush they get from the Group Exercise classes and still others are there for the health benefits.  Whatever your reasons, you are sure to encounter the different personalities; appealing, annoying, combative, fun, intense, or wall flower. These experiences can be so overwhelming and intimidating that I have heard people say they stopped going because they felt insecure due to a fellow member’s behavior.  This week someone asked me if she was really such a wall flower that a woman at the supermarket asked her where she worked out and they had both stood next to each just an hour earlier in a class.  Good or bad, these social interactions affect us.  The following is a fun look at some of the groups you might encounter along the way.

Dominant Group
Someone once told me she stopped going to her group exercise class because her “dominatrix” classmates were always talking during class, doing their own steps and distracting her from focusing on her workout. They would go in and out of the class anytime they felt like it. This loud-mouthed group acted like they “owned” the place. One member even elbowed her because she had taken the woman’s favorite spot in class. I have personally witnessed arguments with women literally screaming at each other over step placement and another event in a kickbox class where one woman actually kicked another.

Beggar
To bully someone is to apply pressure in whatever manner to get your own way. Well, these people do it with niceness and constant requests. They will nicely beg you to reserve a spot in the group exercise room when this is clearly against the rules. They will nicely pressure the front desk personnel to let them work out even if they have ‘forgotten’ to pay their dues in two months. They were probably the type who would nicely ask high school classmates to allow them to copy test answers.

Jock
Only very strong overpowering personalities can intimidate other people just by being themselves. However, if the person is loud enough, arrogant enough or powerful enough, it can happen. This type of person will growl at you to get off his favorite treadmill or will snatch away the last exercise mat just as you are reaching for it. He will insist on playing his music even if he knows that other people don’t appreciate his musical choices. This type of person can make you feel inferior and weak if you are taking up a machine with less than acceptable weights.

Nice
This is the genuine, helpful member who wants to befriend everyone. If you are doing an exercise incorrectly, the nice member will help you with some pointers or tell you which classes you should start with if you are new to the facility.  The nice member is your best ally at first.  She can direct you around the new facility, help you select classes and assist you in navigating the often confusing environment. 

Whatever your reasons for being at the gym, enjoy your time and make sure you get what you are there for; a workout, friends, time away from home, anything. 

By Christina Leon, Staff Writer