March 29, 2013• bySeattle Gay Scene

I have taken a bit of a sabbatical from writing and the scene to get some perspective. I have been hitting the gym hard and realized there are a lot of my fellow gay boys doing the same. I get asked daily what I do to get bigger, ripped, etc. I decided to give some free advice via a weekly article covering some facet of the fitness industry whether it be what to drink when you go out, what to eat at a dinner party, how to lift at the gym, and how to make the abs pop before you head over to Madison Beach.

First things first! You need to understand the proper etiquette in which to conduct yourselves in a gym full of hot, sweaty, bulging studs. You guessed it! This is a Do’s and Don’ts while working out. Now, I know, it is hard to focus on what you are doing while surrounded by our fantasies, but you must BEHAVE! I am only going to cover a few topics here:

1) Personal Hygiene

2) Cruising

3) Consideration

Personal hygiene, or the lack thereof, is my biggest pet peeve at the gym. You KNOW you may sweat. Wear deodorant! You may find a husband and trust me, those around you will appreciate breathing. Even better, ask a hot guy to use his!!! You know I would! Next, clean your sweaty ass bench off after you’re done. MRSA is everywhere! The last thing you want to do is be forced to cancel a potential hot tryst because you have a blotchy skin infection! Sanitation wipes are all over – use them!

My favorite part of going to the gym is the cruising. It motivates me to stay and work out harder and to show off as much as possible. If you want to be a likable cruiser, use your words. Nothing makes me feel warm and wanted in a gym more than when I catch somebody staring at me, then he smiles and says hi. By no means am I saying have a long, drawn out conversation. Just a simple smile and hello will make the boy you desire aware of your interest. And use your mirror to check boys out. I always, ALWAYS stare at boys in the mirror. It is less creepy than a direct stare, plus it hides your drool. Another ‘cruising’ aspect to the gym is what you wear. I encourage all boys to wear jocks under those loose gym shorts. Nothing tells me more about the position you play in the big game of life than that dress code. If you are doing dead lifts and wearing a jock, you can be sure I will be using the mirror and drooling. Now, not everyone is cruising at the gym. I mean, I question if they have a pulse, but I guess they are just really focused. You can tell who this guy is. When you look in the mirror, simply lift your shirt to wipe the sweat off your brow. If he doesn’t look, he probably isn’t cruising.

Ok, an example of how NOT to cruise at the gym is the image above. If you see me do this, slap me. I am not gonna lie, sometimes I do.

Finally, be considerate. Don’t waste time on equipment. Allow guys to do a set while you are resting. Don’t fill your water bottle while a guy is waiting for a sip. If you have that dreaded protein gas, walk into a private area and let it loose. If you see me, please offer a spot. A boy my age will take a cheap thrill wherever he can get it!!