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Comment by temporallobe | Hacker News Reader

I see this as well, but in my gym it doesn’t seem to be sexual in any way, so I think it depends on the gym and the type of patrons that attend it. Or maybe I’m just naive and didn’t think of it in that way. I will admit it makes me a bit irritated because I never know if I’m accidentally gonna end up in someone’s shot.

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I stopped going to the gym for exercise after I realised it was just making me more depressed. Why? Because the gym would be filled with scantily clad, disgustingly beautiful, sweaty women and men, and I suddenly feel like I'm watching a mainstream porno being fed unrealistic body ideals and that turns to more self loathing. So I started restricting all my exercise to nature trails, preferly with lots of incline and decline in alternation for an interval effect, and preferably an uneven path filled with roots, to get sort of a parkour thing going. Nature is so peaceful and soothing in contrast to suburbia, and it's fantastic exercise.

I drop by the store for a protein bar before heading home and suddenly I'm the alpha in the room, dousing these poor shoppers in my manly musk and showing off how active I am, flirting a little with the cashier maybe, brain swimming in adrenaline. And then it's actually building confidence moment by moment instead of tearing it down.

Food for thought for anyone like me who loathes the gym and still is looking for good exercise.

Please don't flirt with the cashier mister alpha man. She's being paid to be polite to you.

There's flirting and then there's flirting. There's a smile and some harmless smalltalk/jokes in an interaction that lasts under a minute, then there's making compliments out of left field, suggestive jokes and innuendo.

One is completely within the realm of normal everyday interactions, and the other can come off as creepy in those situations.

Everyday interactions can feel flirty if you're high from adrenaline and the person happens to be attract(ive|ed) to you. The key is not to try, just be yourself, and interpret it as real flirting that could lead anywhere; they have a lot of these interactions on a daily basis so they usually forget them within a few days.

But the fact that's these interactions are so ephemeral doesn't mean you can't derive a little confidence from it. Small moments like this can make a substantial difference over time, just like even short regular walks with little to no incline have been proven to make a substantial difference to health, even if it won't turn you into an athlete.

A dude doing deadlifts is cool. A woman it’s pretty much always sexual. That’s why they get so many viewers. It’s pervos on YouTube or TikTok wanting to see their spandex clad fannies doing squats. There’s no other reason for lululemon than flagrant sexual exhibitionism. It’s easier to work out with loose fitting clothes.

Athleisure clothes are absolutely comfortable. It is insane to say that entire brand is only for sexual exhibitionism. Lol

Their clothes are also extremely well made and have outlasted similar Puma, Nike, Adidas pairs.

Women I’ve known and talked to have told me that baggy sweats and flannel pajamas bottoms are “comfy.”

Nobody comes home after a hard day and puts on lululemon to go to bed, or sit on the couch and watch movies. Baggy sweats are the opposite of lululemon; cheap, loose fitting, comfortable.

Women want to look good. There’s nothing wrong with that. Men do too. It’s ok to admit it.

I’ve seen women who could deadlift impressive amounts of weight (more than I was able to when I first started), and it definitely wasn’t sexual. But they had professional trainers that were actually giving them correct advice on how to properly lift without hurting themselves. As I mentioned in my original comment, it really depends on the gym and the type of patrons it attracts. In my experience, an LA Fitness (or something like it) might attract that hookup/tiktok/softporn crowd, but a private gym with a dedicated purpose wouldn’t tolerate that kind of thing.

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