Is it ever acceptable to approach a girl at the gym?

I'd like to start by saying that I have been pretty firmly entrenched in the "don't approach girls at the gym" camp for all of my gym-going career (which is long and frequent, I'm shredded ;) ). So before people jump to the conclusion that I am an incel or creep, please note that. 

The question really is simple as the title - is there any time it's acceptable? I switched gyms recently in concurrence with moving apartments, and with that come a new crop of girls that exercise on the same general schedule as me. One girl in particular is very cute, fit, and honestly exactly my type. I have noticed that she definitely glances at me from time to time, and looks like she may be interested.  I was even doing crunches once and she started doing squats so her ass would sit on my face each rep (lol JK smile). 

Is there a play here? Is there any amount of times I could see this girl at the gym that would justify me introducing myself? Obviously would be ideal to wait and see if I see her outside of the gym ever, as I assume we live in same area; but I live in one of the largest cities in the US, so chances of that could be slim. There are easy ways to approach a girl at the gym - simply complimenting their shoes or asking to use a popular machine when she's done are ways to spark conversation, which will occur if she's at all interested.

Would love the off topic forum's thoughts. Bracing myself for ridicule but also interested in the discussion.

15 Comments
 
Most Helpful

If you always see the girl, you have the opportunity to just say a quick hi and then let the conversation develop over time. This is particularly advantageous to picking up chicks as you don't want to suffocate the girl and just keep it light the first couple times you say hi and then on the 4-5th time maybe get her digits or social media.

"If you always put limits on everything you do, physical or anything else, it will spread into your work and into your life. There are no limits. There are only plateaus, and you must not stay there, you must go beyond them." - Bruce Lee
 

"Hi, my name is X, it is nice to meet you."

Fork path

She responds conversation develops.

She responds but goes back to her work out - "Enjoy your workout, I hope to see you around soon"

For fucks sake quit being a bitch.  Learn how to read people or life is going to be depressing af.

 

You can say hi, quick nod/smile if you make eye contact, and see if she initiates a conversation over time. Don't ask for her insta the first time or anything stupid

Array
 

If she's giving you choosing signals then go in, but be sure you're reading them right.

There's a thin line between being a creep and being attractive. Usually, you're a creep if she thinks you're ugly. The same guy can do the same thing and say hi, but if she thinks he's hot then he's not a creep. You also have to look at it from her perspective. You go to the same gym, if you hit on her and she doesn't like you then she has the burden of having to turn you down but still see you at the gym every day. And it's not like a school where there's a safety net to protect her from creeps.

She can't just give you her social media and ignore you cause she risks the chance of bumping into you again. She can't give you her number, or a fake number, because she risks the chance of you asking why she keeps ignoring your texts. She can't hurt your feelings because she doesn't know how you'll react and it will make it awkward. This is the type of shit girls stress over. Some women's worst nightmare is rejecting a creep and then having him wild out and turn dangerous on her. That's why most women do everything they can to turn a guy down as easily as possible or ghost them entirely to avoid confrontation.

But that's her problem...Just shoot your shot respectfully and keep it moving if nothing happens. It's not like she's going to put you on Tiktok.

 
Funniest
Miracle1111

If she's giving you choosing signals then go in, but be sure you're reading them right.

There's a thin line between being a creep and being attractive. Usually, you're a creep if she thinks you're ugly. The same guy can do the same thing and say hi, but if she thinks he's hot then he's not a creep. You also have to look at it from her perspective. You go to the same gym, if you hit on her and she doesn't like you then she has the burden of having to turn you down but still see you at the gym every day. And it's not like a school where there's a safety net to protect her from creeps.

She can't just give you her social media and ignore you cause she risks the chance of bumping into you again. She can't give you her number, or a fake number, because she risks the chance of you asking why she keeps ignoring your texts. She can't hurt your feelings because she doesn't know how you'll react and it will make it awkward. This is the type of shit girls stress over. Some women's worst nightmare is rejecting a creep and then having him wild out and turn dangerous on her. That's why most women do everything they can to turn a guy down as easily as possible or ghost them entirely to avoid confrontation.

But that's her problem...Just shoot your shot respectfully and keep it moving if nothing happens. It's not like she's going to put you on Tiktok.

Lots of good points here. Key is to ask for her Snap while she's on the adductor machine. Totally not creepy.

"If you always put limits on everything you do, physical or anything else, it will spread into your work and into your life. There are no limits. There are only plateaus, and you must not stay there, you must go beyond them." - Bruce Lee
 

To be fair, it's better to be a douchebag/arrogant ass than a creepy incel. You can still hit as a douchebag, but there's no recovering from being a creep.

 

Deserunt quaerat sequi corrupti pariatur rem quisquam eum. Sit est sunt accusamus rerum velit. Quia quis a dignissimos consequuntur sint sunt. Eius vero facere reprehenderit voluptatem sed quam vitae nemo.

Ea aliquid ducimus odio officia omnis ex perspiciatis. Blanditiis sunt deserunt repudiandae incidunt porro. Ut consequatur optio minus quo nihil reprehenderit. Quia quo odio quasi quasi. Qui consequatur culpa et minima quidem qui eum. Totam impedit consequatur error eligendi. Molestiae voluptatem quae magni sed id enim.

Quis quo illo labore et et aliquam. Ab enim quaerat placeat praesentium reprehenderit. Incidunt a quo eligendi ut. Voluptate qui veritatis ab cupiditate est placeat enim. Aut quaerat impedit aut recusandae. Temporibus distinctio velit aut inventore voluptates aut doloribus. Consequuntur sit placeat et veniam sit qui.

Pariatur omnis eaque consectetur ipsum quasi cum. Et expedita temporibus reiciendis magnam repellat odit velit voluptatem. Aut error et aliquid tempore molestiae facilis. Odit aut vitae et in voluptas.

Career Advancement Opportunities

September 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.5%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.9%
  • JPMorgan 01 98.4%
  • Goldman Sachs 01 97.8%
  • Morgan Stanley 07 97.3%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

September 2026 Investment Banking

  • Moelis & Company No 99.5%
  • Morgan Stanley 02 98.9%
  • Evercore 01 98.4%
  • Banco Santander 02 97.8%
  • BMO Capital Markets 12 97.3%

Professional Growth Opportunities

September 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.5%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.9%
  • Morgan Stanley 07 98.4%
  • Goldman Sachs 01 97.8%
  • JPMorgan No 97.3%

Total Avg Compensation

September 2026 Investment Banking

  • Vice President (16) $429
  • Associates (51) $260
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (8) $210
  • 2nd Year Analyst (26) $182
  • Intern/Summer Associate (14) $159
  • 1st Year Analyst (84) $151
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (76) $101
notes
16 IB Interviews Notes

“... there’s no excuse to not take advantage of the resources out there available to you. Best value for your $ are the...”

Leaderboard

1
redever's picture
redever
99.2
2
Secyh62's picture
Secyh62
99.0
3
BankonBanking's picture
BankonBanking
99.0
4
kanon's picture
kanon
99.0
5
DrApeman's picture
DrApeman
98.9
6
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
98.9
7
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
8
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
98.9
9
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
98.9
10
Linda Abraham's picture
Linda Abraham
98.8
success
From 10 rejections to 1 dream investment banking internship

“... I believe it was the single biggest reason why I ended up with an offer...”