Gym (dating) Etiquette

How do you approach someone at the gym; if at all?

I've been at my gym for a year now and there is always a new hotty showing up, but how exactly do you speak to them when they have ear phones jammed in their ears/with their mate/posing in front of the mirrors (I mean doing weights...)

Now in terms of guys talking to me I've had two different approaches:

1) In the steam room where I'm near to naked and it's just me and him. That awkward conversation begins and I was too polite to make my excuses (20 years too young) and do a runner! Instead I let the steam get to the point where I was at fainting point and then left. (20 minutes later).

2) This approach happened just the other week and stemmed this post.

There I was, on Bank Holiday Sunday (yes, that is how interesting my life is, gym on a Sunday and even more so a Bank Holiday!)

There I was sat (note: earphones in) on the abs machine - yes ok, I was replying to a text, but I had just done a rep of 20 so was having a breather and again it was Bank Holiday Sunday making the gym near enough empty.

This guy comes up to me, his lips start moving, I look behind me to remember all there is, is a brick wall. Excellent it's me his lips are moving to.

As you know from previous posts I'm always too polite to ignore/tell them to piss off. In true Daniela style I took my earphones out and listened to what he was saying whilst thinking of the quickest/politest way to get him to go away.

He came out with lines like, 

"Not see you in here before"

"What you doing here on Bank Holiday Sunday?"

One question I got was what music was I listening to which resulted in me picking up my Ipod with a follow up question of; 

"Oh is that one of the cool ones that do video?" I replied; "I'm not sure my boyfriend brought me it so to put my music on".

There, boyfriend card played surely he would leave me alone now? No, instead I then get grilled about my "boyfriend" that I don't have. He eventually clicks I don't want to talk to and leaves me be... 20 minutes later!

So gym etiquette; how do you do it, if at all? 

Put it this way, I haven't got a clue! I do know however the 2nd approach won't be it!

For the past four months now I've seen the same "red sweatpants boy" and all we manage to exchange is the uncomfortable smile. I mean I don't want to just wade up to him! He may pull the "girlfriend" card and then what?

I think if at all, the best approach maybe that awkward silence in the steam room/sauna.

Now just to work out how to get him in there...!

ERROR

Let me set the scene, its a Thursday night in May, no work the next day, there I am sat in the pub with my friend that I haven't seen for a few weeks, catch up intended, when it gets announced there is a pub quiz going on. Excellent, our girlie chat is unlikely to happen over the quiz master asking a question on the latest  issues in the world. 

With that being said my friend thinks its a GREAT idea to get a quiz sheet (being free and all that) and participate. The first error, we are sat outside and we can't hear a thing, solution: send me to the door and report back. 

It didn't take long to work out that we weren't the smartest on current affairs and wasn't going to get far. Solution: My friend knew a group of lads at the pub, apparently they were smarter than us as she approached them for the answers, this 

1. made us look like total blonde bimbos (would like to point out me and her are naturally brunette!) and 

2. not the smartest people going! Anyway this failed attempt of getting answers to our quiz worked in my favour when I got talking to one of the guys in the group, not bad looking, possibly a little on the short side but that could be forgiven and was ever so slightly drunk! Anyway this chat may of lasted for a brief 10 minutes before I went to the bar for another drink. (We had given up on the quiz by this point) 

We'd managed to find some seats inside that we plonked ourselves on and chatted over the quizmaster. 

Throughout our girlie chat we had some of these lads come over to stop and talk (the short guy didn't seem to want to approach, just stare - I think he was slightly intoxicated - I did get a smile every now and again however!).

It came to last orders so me and my friend began to make a move, in the process I passed the guy and smiled in one last ditch attempt.

Walking out the door he comes walking up behind me and asks for my number having an Iphone and me being a Blackberry user I had to dictate my number and the spelling of my name to ensure he put 1 L instead of the usual 2 people like to adopt!

The next line I wasn't expecting. He said 

"Thanks, I want to take you out sometime but I go to Thailand on Sunday for 2 weeks so I will give you a text when I get back" 

Didn't expect this in the slightest, surely this is a line you use when you are trying to avoid a date?

Two weeks passed, my friend text asking if I had heard anything (I had actually not really thought about it) but seems she mentioned it I'd realised I hadn't. 

A few days later, he pops up on my WhatsApp asking if I was out in town that night, hello to you too! My reply after three days of constant partying already was obviously the standard no, which was then followed up with him wanting to take me out that week. I checked my diary, fully booked. Following week, yes, Ok he will contact me nearer the time.

That week came and I didn't hear anything, funnily enough though in that same week I was walking out my gyms doors and who appears to be walking in.... Him! As you do I said hello thinking he knew exactly who I am, by his response I'm assuming he didn't have a clue, didn't realise I was the girl from the pub nor taking me out was ever going to happen. ERROR, I think so!