How to spot a newbie at the Gym

January is that awful time of year where all of the people who have eaten too much and drank too much come out of the woodwork and attempt to get fit or lose a few pounds. While it is admirable that they have decided to undertake this act of self-improvement it does get annoying when you find your routine trip to the gym is hampered by the influx of new inductees or first timers. This week I have been lucky to find the last remaining treadmill but so far have not managed to get onto one of the static bikes. On the first trip I found it annoying but on the following visit I decided to turn it into a bit of a sport while these seasonal visits lasted. We all know that 90% of the new crowd will dwindle by valentines day so why not make the most of them while they are around. So, I devised a new game to keep me entertained while I was going through my regime. It is called Spot the Newbie. The rules are simple, they are the same as the name of the game but I do have a few tips to help you along the way if you decide to play yourself.

1, A new face – Quite simply, you have never seen them before

2, Box fresh trainers – A quick trip to the sales have resulted in a pair of shoes that had never seen the light of day until a few hours ago.

3, Full make up or unsuitable gym attire – Some people seem to view the Gym as a place to meet people but most people are just there to train. A face full of make up is pointless as if you are training correctly you will not come out of the Gym looking like you have just walked out of a salon. While we are at it…You can not or should not run in pumps. It just hurts.

4, The confused expression – We have all been there, sometime you really need to study the machines to work out what they do and how to use them.

5, Trying too hard – When you first join the gym it is easy to get carried away and try to train above your capability level. Early in the year Gyms all over the country are full if red faced people trying to lift weights that are too heavy or struggling to keep up with the pace that they have set themselves on the treadmills.

6, Wear your badge with pride – When we joined our Gym we were given our ID pass in a nice plastic case that clips to your shirt or shorts, we quickly removed this and put the pass in my wallet. It still makes me smile when people wear the passes for every minute of the workout as if they are likely to be challenged for their ID before they are allowed on the treadmill.