Do you get judged at the gym? A fitness enthusiast's view

Most people concentrate on their workouts rather than judging others. Follow proper gym etiquette, prioritize correct form and technique, and as long as you don’t go to extreme lengths with revealing gym clothing, there's no need to worry about being judged at the gym.

Introduction

Often, when I talk to my co-workers (who, of course, never go to the gym or are not sports fanatics), I hear them saying the gym is intimidating and they're scared to go to the gym.

Somehow, this is more the case with women than with men.

Even on the internet, just do a quick search for 'gym judgment', and you'll find countless articles and questions from people concerned with the matter.

If so many people make an issue about getting judged at the gym... does that mean it's a real issue to deal with?

In other words, do you really get judged at the gym?

In this article, I'll tell you about my experiences when I started working out in the gym a long, long time ago and what my view is on getting judged at the gym for beginners.

What can you get judged on?

I've been working out for a long time now and have seen multiple gyms from the inside out in different cities all over the Netherlands. I've met a lot of gym goers, from absolute beginners to experienced individuals who treat working out as a religion and with total dedication.

With beginners, over the years, I've noticed the gym anxiety they have usually boils down to one of three things:

1. Getting judged on how their body looks.
2. Getting judged on their technique.
3. Getting judged on what they are wearing.

1. Getting judged on how your body looks

Most beginners I've met and (eventually) could motivate enough to join the gym, fear they get judged on how their body looks.

To be more precise, they think they have no business in the gym and won't get 'accepted' (by who anyway?! lol) because they're not fit enough, or don't have big shoulders and crisp, clear six-pack abs, or they don't have a big yet firm and sporty booty if they're women.

What's even more striking... is that some people who say they're ugly or don't look handsome or pretty... never EVER say the same thing when it comes to joining the gym.

Somehow, when it comes to going to the gym, all other fears and doubts disappear, and the only fear regarding looks comes down to the fear of not being fit enough to even step foot in the gym!

2. Getting judged on your technique

Besides the fear of not being fit enough or having a fitness influencer's body, another reason for anxiety for beginners is getting judged on how they do the exercises.

For most people, deciding to join the gym comes from external stimuli, which eventually motivates them intrinsically to join a gym.

It's all without obligation.

You decide to join the gym, how many times a week you will go, how long each workout will take, which exercise to do, what body parts (or rather, muscle groups) to focus on, etc.

In other words... most people lack the knowledge and experience to develop a good workout plan by themselves.

(Unless, of course, you get a personal trainer, but that's often too expensive for absolute beginners who still need to decide whether they'll stick to the gym lifestyle long enough to justify investing in a personal trainer.)

As such, when exercising, most beginners don't know what they're doing and whether they're doing it with the proper technique.

And they know they don't know!

Having doubts about something automatically makes you slightly insecure about that particular thing.

And that also holds for exercising.

Beginners who don't know whether they're doing something with the correct technique feel that ALL eyes are focussed on them... they feel as if they are taking an exam and all other people in the gym are examinators judging them.

3. Getting judged on what you are wearing

The third thing I noticed is that beginners sometimes have real struggles deciding what to wear for their workouts.

They think wearing too tight clothes will reveal their lack of a fit physique or show the amount of fat they have.

On the other hand, wearing too baggy clothes makes them feel that others may think they have something to hide (again, an unfit physique).

Whatever they wear, it is not good in their minds because they think they are being judged for it.

This, again, creates insecurity and thus anxiety about getting judged, and it holds much more for women than for men (as I noticed women who think about joining the gym complain about this much more than male beginners do).

Do you actually get judged at the gym?

So I just described three aspects beginners fear getting judged on.

The question now is, do you actually get judged on those aspects? Let’s discuss that below!

1. Do you get judged on how your body looks?

So, if you're unfit and want to go to the gym but fear getting judged for not having six-pack abs or a firm and big booty... do you get judged for it?

Believe it or not, but that's absolutely not the case at all.

All people you see in the gym are there for the same reason as you are: to better themselves physically, to improve their health, and to get a better-looking body or get stronger.

Everybody is so much sucked up in their own worlds, that there is no time or interest to think too much about others.

You will get looks every now and then, of course, but not bad looks or something. Even if you are obese, you might get one or two looks every now and then, but in general... people are minding their own business.

In contrast, unfit people who start going to the gym, take it seriously, make a real effort to exercise hard and adequately, and show up consistently...believe it or not, but that results in nothing but getting respected.

What will stick to others, is when you are showing up regularly and taking your training seriously. Thát is what will catch people's eyes, and not how your body looks!

Does this mean you won't get judged AT ALL for your body? Mostly, that is correct... but not in certain circumstances (see the next section).

How to not get judged on how your body looks

First of all, and as I wrote previously, you won't get judged if you're unfit.

Second, don't pose too much, whether you're fit or not.

Don't get me wrong, there's nothing wrong with posing in the gym every now and then to see your muscles (and judge them yourself).

As a matter of fact, I strongly encourage to do some posing every now and then, both at home as well as in public in the gym, because posing can reveal lacking muscle groups and provide you valuable visual feedback about your progress.

It becomes a problem, however, when you take posing in the gym to the next frigging level.

For example, when you pose after EVERY set, or when you pose at the expense of other's gym experience (posing in the squat rack while you're doing any squatting, or posing in a very crowded space and using up too much floor area).

That is when you get judged. Initially for being a d*ck in the gym (i.e., bad gym etiquette), but as a consequence also for how your body's aesthetics (or rather, the lack of proper aesthetics, because no matter how well defined your body looks, being a dork in the gym automatically will lower your overall reputation and respect).

2. Do you get judged on your technique?

So, how about getting judged on your technique. Do you get judged for doing an exercise wrong?

The answer: not so much, although you will get judged easier on this aspect than on how your body looks or what you're wearing.

And that's because, in the end, it comes down to 'competition'.

People who judge others feel as if they are in competition with others. They want to be the strongest or have the best physique. Then, when they see someone moving heavier weights than they can, it can have three different consequences:

1. They may respect the stronger person.
2. They may get jealous of the stronger person.
3. They may look down on the other.

If, for whatever reason, you care about getting judged by others (which you shouldn't anyway, but suppose you can't switch that feeling off), then obviously you want the first option: you want others to respect you for being stronger than them.

But it will take years of hard work and dedication to get stronger than the average gym goer.

Also, if you do care about being judged (again, you shouldn't care, but that's easier said than done), then you don't want options 2 or 3 above as reasons for judgment.

So what do you need to do to NOT get judged by others when you're exercising so that they don't get jealous or don't look down on you?

How to not get judged on your technique

Regarding technique, you basically get judged in a good way when you perform an exercise with the correct technique.

But as a beginner, chances are you don't know whether your technique and form are correct.

If that's the case... then simply ask for help.

Ask others... ask people who look like they know what they're doing. Ask the gym staff or a personal trainer in the gym (if the gym has one) for tips and guidance.

Do your own research. Check out YouTube videos and read up on fitness and technique. Invest time and energy to learn proper technique.

... but everybody will judge a person doing ego lifting with bad technique (especially if they also act cocky afterward).

3. Do you get judged on what you are wearing?

Finally, your clothing.

Will people look at your clothing and make assumptions about you? Will they judge you for what you're wearing?

This insecurity is often more of an issue with women than with men.

I've seen men coming to gyms from being clothed in expensive fitness apparel all the way to wearing the cheapest sweat pants, dirty casual clothes (or even slippers), and basic, worn out, and smelly t-shirts.

Yet, most women who think about going to the gym make it a real issue to look good in clothing.

And I've also noticed women tend to judge each other at the gym more quickly than men do among themselves.

So yes, your clothing (mostly for women, but also for some men who wear those bodybuilding tank tops) can get you judged... but what can you do to lessen this?

How to not get judged on your clothing

If you're a beginner, just act modestly.

Don't wear overly tight sweatpants or clothing that's too revealing when you're still a beginner (such as workout tops that can almost go for a bra for people not familiar with gym clothing).

Why? Because it doesn't match.

Nothing's more awkward than seeing women with extremely tight and revealing clothing, yet they don't know what they're doing in the gym or have terrible, terrible form and technique.

Because you know what that signals?

It signals attention-seeking. Attention from men (or other women).

And thus, she's there in the gym for the completely wrong reasons. And that will bother others, resulting in them judging her for being ordinary.

Don't get me wrong: I'm not saying women shouldn't wear workout clothing that is open, tight, or somewhat revealing...

After all, it is workout clothing, and it should be tight (and stretchy) to not interfere with exercising and free movement, and it should be light and skin-revealing in certain areas (such as shoulders, or lower legs, or abs) because working out will generate body heat and you will sweat a lot.

In other words, proper workout clothing should be lightweight and breathable and should efficiently transfer sweat away from your body.

That makes the workout clothing functional, after all.

However, the problem I'm referring to is that some women who are absolute beginners immediately take things to extreme ends with clothing once they step foot in the gym.

They'll wear highly revealing clothing... and to make things worse, they'll go straight to the free-weights zone that's usually occupied mainly by men and start doing stiff-legged dumbbell deadlifts (from ALL exercises!) in the middle of all those men...

You know what I find what that kind of behavior screams?

Attention-seeking!

Facepalm.... :facepalm hard!

Conclusion

So, in general, do you get judged at the gym?

Not at all, as long as you don't act like a dork.

Most people are too busy with their own workouts. Most people just want to go there, do their thing, and leave.

There is simply no incentive for people to judge beginners at the gym, especially if those beginners show up consistently, do their best, try to learn proper technique, and have good gym etiquette.

Eventually, it all comes down to proper gym etiquette.

If you have the right mindset, are friendly, are serious about your training, and don't wear too crazy clothing, then seriously, the last thing that will happen is being judged negatively at the gym.

In fact, you will gain the respect of other beginners and even the more seasoned gym goers (you really will).

Just by showing up consistently, you'll automatically motivate others to show up consistently and improve themselves. You'll motivate others to care about proper technique, too.

Do not let your fear of being judged prevent you from going to the gym and chasing a healthy and fit lifestyle.

The fear resides most of the time only in your mind and in the way you think and feel about yourself.

In reality, in the gym, nobody actually cares about anybody, and everybody is there for the same reason as you: to get fit.

So stop contemplating and just go to the gym!

What do you fear being judged for in the gym?