Training The Heart

11:49 AM |

In an earlier post, I questioned why straight men don't attend group fitness classes to flirt with women. I still believe it's a missed opportunity! But, speaking of males at the gym, the trainers who are employed there are a whole different story. When I first joined Crunch four years ago, I was quickly approached by a meathead jock trainer, who my roommates and I simply referred to as "Matt from Crunch". We are super creative, right? Anyway, Matt from Crunch was your stereotypical trainer - he had the body type of a pro college football player from the defense line and walked with his arms always flexed. I'm not sure if he is able to straighten them out. Seriously. At first, I thought he was just trying to get my attention to get a new client and make more money. As a recent college grad, I was in no financial position to sign up for a personal trainer (I did hire a trainer years later for a few months, but could barely afford him, so that ended after the 20th session).

One day, after a long and rough spin class, Matt from Crunch stopped me on my way out and asked for my number. I was drenched in sweat and exhausted and maybe a little light headed, so I gave it to him. This was a mistake. This is where I should have lied and told him about my "boyfriend". Matt from Crunch began texting me way too often. Eventually, I decided to give him a chance and went out to dinner. We went to Ono (which is now closed) at the Gansevoort Hotel. Why would a guy take you to a sushi restaurant if he has never used chopsticks before? This baffled me. So he proceeded to embarrass himself, even though I tried to instruct him. I did my best to not judge him, but it was difficult. Our conversations were superficial and he lacked in manners. After this slightly painful evening, he kissed me...or rather he slobbered all over me. I quickly retreated to my apartment.

Now here was my dilemma: I was not interested in a 2nd date. Did this mean I needed to switch gyms in order to avoid his ass? This was heartbreaking because this location of Crunch has the BEST classes. In the end, I sucked it up and smiled politely or made small talk each time he saw me rush in and out of the gym. I ignored his texts as often as possible and eventually had to tell him I just wanted to be friends. Sometimes a girl just needs to stop being nice and be HONEST. A few weeks later he was let go from Crunch (possibly from hitting on too many clients?), so my workouts were back to being my own. I'm sure there are some personal trainers who are attractive, interesting, and intelligent, but Matt from Crunch was none of the above.

Have you have been hit on by a personal trainer? xo