My embarrassing gym moments

I thought I would have a little fun with my blog post this time. I feel like the world of Instagram gets very serious, everyone talks about trying to look ‘perfect’ (doesn’t exist FYI) and then the perfect way to train.

It can be very daunting for new people stepping into the industry, as there seems to be that pressure that any advice or videos etc. need to be exactly right. Not all training types and advice works for everyone, so that’s pretty impossible.

I understand it is about your health, and people with expertise helping others is great. But it should be about helping – motivating – not trolling. So, fitness has been a big part of my life for a little while now, and my training is by no means perfect – half the time I seem to be the most uncoordinated and clumsy person in the room.

As a bit of light-hearted entertainment, from a fitness complete non-expert over here. Enjoy the five most embarrassing moments I’ve dealt with at the gym. (Que cringing and facepalms just writing this!) 

1.    Having to ask someone to move the bar for me 

Let’s start this one with setting the scene a little. I’m a female standing at 5ft 2 – so when I first started training, I wasn’t the strongest person in the world. The weights section of the gym, as standard, was full of young guys picking up weights heavier than me…and then there is me over about to use the squat rack.

However, someone had left the 20kg bar resting on the bar catches (probably just below hip height for me). At that point I realised something…I couldn’t lift the bar with my arms to get it onto the hooks at my shoulder height.

At that point, I realised as the only girl there. I had to swallow my pride. I turned around and asked the guy benching to help me with the bar, which he was so nice about and did…with one bloody hand. I don’t think I’ve ever felt so embarrassed and weak in my life! I said thank you and turned back to the bar to hide my tomato red face.

Moral of the story – remember us little people can’t lift weights as heavy as you! Leaving 25kg plates on bars is also a nightmare!

2.    Falling over while doing weighted curtesy lunges 

This is a recent one and more of a fail on my part. It was leg day with my PT and to finish off I was doing curtsey lunges with a 20kg bar on my shoulders.

At the lowest point, one of my legs went to absolute jelly and I crumpled. However, unlike with squats/deadlifts etc. the bar had nowhere to go but crush down on top of my crumpledness.

Legs folded under me, and weight on my shoulders. My PT had to pick the bar off of me so I could pull myself back up. I stumble and wobble quite a lot while training…but that has to be my most un-graceful moment – looking like a squashed pretzel *facepalm* haha.

3.    Realising while stretching I nearly had a complete nip-slip

As in my previous blog post, I got a new sports bra! Woo! However, the back is so low it looks a little odd when I wear a bra with it. So, I decided it had enough coverage and support at the front to go without a bra.

Ohhhhhhhh I was wrong. I finished my workout and went to go and stretch on the mats. After about five minutes of stretching my legs out, I was lying on my back and realised someone was looking at me kinda funny.

I looked down and realised that while lying down, my boob had slipped nearly completely out the side of my sports bra (talk about side boob and a half – not a good look!) and I was teetering on the verge of flashing my nipple to the entire gym.

My tomato face left the gym very quickly after that and vowed never to lay down in that sports bra ever again. Awkward.

4.    Having to leave a training session to go throw up

I’m stubborn when it comes to training. There could be a hurricane coming over, I could be dying from plague…I will not cancel a session if I don’t have to. I just feel rude to my personal trainer, we had a time booked, and I’ll always be there if I can.

Now I know you’re thinking. Loads of people have heavy training sessions and get to the point of throwing up. Unfortunately, that is not this story. This story is of a girl too stubborn to admit she is too hungover to train and paying the price for it.

I don’t know why I’m like this, my PT is so reasonable and chilled when it comes to training. If I said I couldn’t train, he would not mind.

Yet after a very heavy night (which I know isn’t healthy – but I enjoy dancing on the tables ‘til 4 am sometimes – that’s life!), I refused to cancel. So, I turned up, head throbbing, stomach wobbling, and most of the night before's makeup still on – my sexiest look obviously. Proceeded to insist I could do it, and after 20 minutes, had excuse myself and sprint to the toilets to throw up...which happened to be full of people at the time. Doing the walk of shame back to the gym, I had to admit defeat and we did some yoga-like stretching for a bit before I went home to crawl back into bed.

Not my finest hour.

5.    Bouncing my head of every piece of gym equipment known to man

This one is more of a summary of quite how clumsy I am. I have managed to crash my head into most of the equipment in the gym, including a bike, treadmill, various bars – the worst is when you are on the cables with one of the metal poles hanging on it, and lean down to change the weight, and then stand back up in to it.

I must do that at least once a week…it hurts.

This whole post was just to remind you that everyone has to fail moments. No matter what people say or show online, if your training hard enough, every so often you’re gonna look like an idiot.

I do most days, you just have to laugh – if you take it too seriously it stops being fun, and if it stops being fun, you will lose motivation to go…and next time a small girl asks you to help with a heavyweight, at least try and make it look difficult – so the sake of our pride! Haha 🙈


Be strong - Smile - Believe in yourself - Lots of love,

ellenruth xxx