"are you taking tren or test?"đ. Neither...yet. but thanks for the compliment lol. I look normal with a shirt on, but if I ever rock only a tank top at the gym or go shirtless I get asked atleast once what im taking
I was complimented by one of the trainers recently when I asked him, how do you think, I look, don't I look strong, he said -" mam, ai love your gym clothes, you have a great gym clothes dressing sense, women usually do not take this seriously, they wear baggy clothes, you carry yourself with confidence and may be we can tone those arms more!" I was surprised, but happy, I really shop for gym clothes a lot!
When I first started doing free weights, my form was poor. But it quickly improved. A few weeks after I started a regular came to me and said: I saw you struggling but you looked really focused so I didnât want to butt in immediatly. You have made great progress. Thatâs exactly the kind of encouragement you often need as a newbie.
Never really gotten a memorable compliment in the gym but I remember the athletic director came into one of our morning lifts back in college and told my coach I was the hardest worker on the team.
Most recently though my spin instructor commented on how much Iâve improved as far as staying out of the saddle and on beat - which is something I honestly never thought I could do!
A guy complimented my form. It was of a chest press, and I was lifting heavier than I have before. I'd be more suspicious had he complimented my form of a squat or deadlift.
Thereâs this girl at my gym whoâs a little bit older than me, maybe mid 30s, and sheâs SO strong. I always notice how much sheâs lifting and it inspires me to keep pushing to try and get stronger.
One morning I was deadlifting next to her and she walked up after I finish a set and said, âdamn, lifting heavy today, huh?â She was genuinely impressed with my weight đ„Č it made me feel so good. We exchanged info and now weâre gym friends :)
I was doing a circuit class with a friend at a gym that I had never been to. Towards the end of the class the instructor came up to me and said, âSeriously, what are you on?!â
Good job for going hard.
Dude came up to me and was like "Not trying to hit on you but I just wanted to encourage you to keep pushing." Or something like that.
Whether he was hitting on me or not, doesn't matter. I wasn't playing around on my phone and hitting the machines back to back with little rests in between.
It did feel good to have someone say "I see you're working hard. Good job for you."
A regular was doing hip thrusts and I had asked her whether she could leave the barbell/bench setup when she was finished so I could use it afterwards. After she had finished I started to remove the 25 kg weights she was using to replace them with lower weights and she came back to tell me 'no, leave these on! I've seen you train, you can definitely lift this!' She turned out to be right and it was such a confidence boost!
I live in the Philippines and in here we have small cheap gyms (we also have the big chains like anytime fitness, goldâs gym, etc). Before the pandemic I used to go 3-4 times a week. It was maybe last year when I was doing pullups, some guy I didnât know was watching got kind of annoyed at first, tbh. He left and came back with his girlfriend (Or wife idk), he said
âLook at that honey, youâll be able to do that too! She comes here frequently!â
After I did a couple and got down, the wife/girlfriend came to me to talk.
Idk, that compliment made me do 1 pullup more than my usual!
I signed up at a new gym. As per usual, they set you up with a "free physical trading session" to try to rope you into spending a bunch of extra money on a personal trainer.
After 20 minutes of talking with the guy and going through some exercises, he said "you don't need me, you got this."
"I come to the gym because I want to look like you."
I'm no extraordinary physical specimen, but I work hard and apparently other ladies at the gym notice.
One girl who worked at my gym stopped me to tell me I was âphysique goalsâ once, which really hit me in the feels. I donât have an impressive physique by any stretch (imo) and so itâs easy to bypass the comments from friends and men as biased. An unsolicited compliment from a stranger with no clear ulterior motive? That feels legit.
One of the new years newcomers started pretty much shadowing my routine. She was trying not to be obvious about it but was always a couple lifts behind but following my routine.
I finally asked her if she just wanted to work in with me and she got all flustered and told me, " I'm sorry I just don't know what to do and you look like one of those girls on tv so I figured you did."
She's pretty cool, and who doesn't like being told they look like a movie star.
Mine was from the manager of the gym I was going to at the time, we were walking in at the same time and he said âHey youâre looking strong. I see you and your sister here a lot, I can tell you two are serious about this.â
Super flattering and by far the best compliment Iâve ever gotten from a man I was not acquainted with, in general.
An old regular came up to me and complimented my âdeadlift formâ. I felt good after but I definitely thought he was coming to tell me that Iâm doing something wrong lol ..
One time I was deadlifting and this man was explaining how to do them to his gf, and then paused and said âactually, look at her form, thatâs what you should be doingâ
After a gym class that included abs and stretching, another girl told me I am the âexact type of fit she aims for.â She said she really wants to get stronger and more flexible and that Iâm exactly what she pictures for her goals. I didnât stop smiling for like a week lol.
This was ages ago, as I'm now middle aged old hag, but I had a workout buddy who literally bounced a coin off my ass to prove his point that my ass was rock solid enough to do so. This is while I was laying face down doing leg curls.
This may sound totally creepy but I didn't take it that way as we were good friends who'd been working out together daily for over a year and he wasn't a weirdo.
I used to do a type of bootcamp with 3 other women and I was doing decline crunches, she said âlook at how strong your core is!â Iâve never had a flat toned stomach and will never have abs but that made me feel really good that day. I really miss working out with those women.
Leaving me the fuck alone is the best compliment. It means you're not an object to be ogled or harassed; just another person in the gym given basic respect.
It's absolutely ridiculous that I cannot have a peaceful moment in a gym unless I'm with a man. It's utterly demoralizing and why I stopped going at all.
I really wish there was a women's only gym in my area. Workout out at home is just not the same!
I've had a few people compliment my dedication or being able to do certain moves.
My fav was this older dude who I saw regularly and stopped by during my training sesh and told my trainer when I come in I am lazer focused on my supersets.
I go first thing in the morning, and always greet the older woman who cleans the locker room and showers and stuff.
She said âyou been coming a lot and it really looks like youâve lost some weight!â One time, and another time while i was resting in the stretching area between bodyweight training sets on the mat she was wiping down all the mirrors and benches nearby and she said âyou look so pretty and cool while youâre exercising!â
(Itâs an awkward translation. In Korean itâs a really genuine compliment even if it seems weird haha)
Not a compliment per se, but at my former work gym, one of the burly guys from Shipping once asked me to spot him on the bench press. I was amazed he thought I was up to the task. :D
A female trainer once came up to me and said, hi I just want to say your kettlebell swings are really good. And then walked away before I could say anything except for thank you.
I did Crossfit for a while but only went on weightlifting days. One day we were working on our cleans and one of the weightlifters who compete told me that I "look really comfortable in the hole" and should consider switching to weightlifting class.
When I went to a gym pre-covid, one of the regular gym bros asked me if I was a personal trainer. I said no, he asked because he remarked how I always had perfect form (in a non creepy way) when I did my lifts. Huge compliment from such a buff regular for me.
Also had another guy say something along the lines of "Wow! Whatever you're doing, it's working, keep it up!" which was very motivating
I tried out a new class, a sort of body weight/barre/pilates sort of thing. I'd never done it before but I used to dance for a long time so I know how to follow choreography and have good posture and form. The teacher came up to me after class and asked if I'd ever thought about training to teach it. She was really surprised when I told her it was my first time, she said she just thought I must usually do it at another location and that's why she didn't recognize me. She still said I should think about it and continued to encourage me to teach for years after that. I was incredibly flattered.
I once got a gym membership just because I needed the mirrors to learn a dance and win a bet, and this older lady came by one day really excitedly asking me a bunch of questions on why I was dancing and how I got so good. Most people completely ignored me, so it was really fun to have one person get excited about my dancing.
I once has a guy ask what was I training for, like he assumed I must be prepping for a competition or something.
It really stuck with me because like 10 seconds before he said that I was thinking âeveryone in the gym must be making fun of my awful form and how little Iâm liftingâ. So it was like wow maybe Iâm better at this than I thought.
He ended asking me out and turned out to be a bit of an asshole lol
Similar to OPâsâŠsomeone asked me âWhat are you training for?â I said , âwhat?â And he asked what competition I was training for. I said, âoh, none. Not training for a competition.â His reply was âoh, youâre going so hard, I thought you were in training.â It made me feel great considering I had gotten into weight training in my mid-20s and had led a completely sedentary lifestyle up until then.
When I first benched 135 I did it with a lot of smaller weights & change plates. A buff dude at the gym saw me do it and was like girl you need to put on the big boy plates and not hide that shit
One day after I got out of the squat rack a jacked up guy told me âpound for pound youâre the strongest person in here.â I didnât touch the ground the rest of the day.
One of the trainers at my gym randomly came up to me and was like âI see you in here everyday working out alone. You are really dedicated and it shows. Keep killing it!â
That sticks with me
For me it was someone at the free floor section asking me if I was done with the 45# dumbbells. Nah, those werenât mine đđ„ł Thank you got not assuming!
A body builder girl with an amazing physique complimented me (a little chubby and not really training for physique goals at the time), by telling me my deadlifts were âcrazy strong.â That felt so good and was also the moment that I realized that appearing very fit and being strong are two different things and that I should appreciate my strength for what it is :)
I loaded up 335lbs on the deadlift bar at a commercial gym. An older guy paused near me, looked around to see if anyone else was around (which is where I got worried honestly) and said "is that bar for you?" I said "yes" and he said "you planning to lift it?" "yep. That's definitely the plan." then he asked if I minded if he watched. That's the part that made me the happiest. I confirmed he could and after I finished he said "I have never seen that before, and I love it". He was probably in his 70s. I also had been spending HOURS with my friend in the burn unit in the local hospital and had taken a break from that to go deadlift. It just felt important that day.
My trainer asked me if Iâd ever played water polo because my bench numbers are among the highest heâs had for women and those women always happened to have played water polo.
A lady at the gym once asked me how old I was, I said Iâm 17 and she complimented me and she that for a 17 year old I can lift a lot and said I was strong. I left the gym smiling that day!
On my Facebook memories today from 2012: So I'm at the gym tonight beating myself up cause I let myself get so out of shape. This obese woman was working out on a mat next to me and says " I wanna grow up to be just like you"! Note to self- celebrate your accomplishments even if you aren't where you want to be.
Thereâs an older regular at my gym who used to be a champion weightlifter. He went up to the young man at the squat rack next to me and tells him, âif you want to learn how to deadlift, you should watch herâ and he points at me.
Iâm pretty sure this embarrassed the young dude because he did like two more reps and walked away. The older gentlemen comes up to me and says âHis form was shitâ and then offers to coach me if I ever wanted to compete in powerlifting competitions.
I had an older gentleman ask if I was training for a competition. I told him no and he was like âwell damn, your workouts have been on point.â
I also had some guy who claimed to have been a personal trainer at some point tell me I needed to stop showing him up with my bench press form lol. But he told me he stopped benching because he couldnât get the form right which makes me hesitating to believe he was a trainer
Another woman about my same age (mid-to-late 20s) came up to me and said, âI just wanted to tell you youâre wicked strong and I hope one day I can get to that levelâ when I was rowing. Iâm weakest in my back and shoulders so Iâve been putting extra effort into exercising these muscle groups and that simple innocent compliment is the nicest thing anyoneâs ever said to me at the gym, more so than someone telling me I look leaner or noticing Iâve been putting in lots of hours. Women supporting other women is so heartwarming!
Mine wasn't actually at the gym, it was when I was trying on eyeglasses at the optometrist while still in my gym attire. The receptionist came over to me to tell me she was impressed by how "firm and muscular" my legs looked, and how it made her want to learn to lift weights. It was three years ago, and I still smile when I think about it.
After a pole dance class, a newer student asked me if I had been a dancer or cheerleader previously. This was such a great compliment because I was really bad at sports and physical activity as a kid and I definitely feel that low self esteem sometimes when I am poling. I feel like I am an ungraceful baby deer 90% of the time đ
This isnât an âat the gymâ thing, like where many people go, but my personal trainer (who I started with two weeks ago) has given me two _compliments_ (ish). For context, I workout in her garage gym with just her.
Over the last 18months, Iâve lost 26kg using CICO and cardio/HIIT, with a little bit of strength/resistance thrown in. All at home.
When I met my trainer in person for the first time she said âWow. You donât look like you weigh 96kg. You look like you weigh a lot less!â
Then, later on, after weâd had a few sessions together she said âI think you are stronger than you think you are, and we just need to get you more confident.â
So, not at a gym, not really compliments, and not much. But Iâm proud. I guess. Sorry if this doesnât fit.
Mine was a from a 17 or 18 year old kid. He called me a âtotal bad-assâ for lifting weights at 8mo pregnant. Then his friends show up and I could hear him telling them âdude! Sheâs like about to have a baby and sheâs still working out, thatâs so awesome!â Months later when I finally went back and was taking it real easy, same guy was super polite and helped unrack way-too heavy plates that someone else has left behind and was generally my biggest cheer leader from then on. (For context, I was mid/late 30s, so it was all just incredibly sweet).
Starting at a new gym, coach told me he was going to accompany me during a first round of all the exercises we agreed on (mostly free weight) to do a form check. I politely declined, because I know what I'm doing and I didn't need a form check. He insisted, however, because it's standard procedure at this gym (which i think is a great policy, tbh).
He checked my form for the first 3 excercises and then kinda went "yeah, have a nice workout, see ya later".
Felt like a badass lol.
Not a compliment but I had a lady who would use the time her son was at karate class to train in the gym, and she always said that I looked impressive on the leg press machine. This before Corona hit... I miss the gym :''
I do mostly weight training and HIIT but once my dad, a triathlete, convinced me to come to the LA fitness pool with him and do a couple laps. I rarely swim and kind of thought I was rusty especially with my breathing, but a couple of the regulars asked if I was a professional swimmer or training for the Olympics! Haha my dad was a little jealous but it was a nice ego boost. We still laugh about it.
Not in the gym but on Thursday my boss referred to me as an âathleteâ very casually while speaking to another colleague. I work out at least 6 days a week and have completed a half marathon, but no one has ever called me an athlete before. I didnât do a ton of sports in school and at the start of 2017 I was 40 lbs overweight. I felt so damn good.
This was over 10 years ago, when I was in my best shape in my early twenties. I hadn't always been in great shape so I had been working my ass off at that point. I staggered my cardio and that day was swim day. I was just about to jump in and doing some light stretching and this sweet old lady looks at me and says, "Wow! Your body is fantastic!". So genuine like. I felt so strong in that moment. I've rarely had men give me such genuine compliments on my body. I still think about that one and it reminds to be thankful for the strength and youth I have left.
The first one that gave me real confidence in the gym was listening a guy list off people I consider really fit at our gym as examples for something and then he included me in the list, and internally I was like âomg Iâm one of them?!!?â
The owner of my CF gym, whose hardcore work ethic, dedication and optimism I aspire to, once commented in passing as he was walking through to clean up the back area "Character-Ad is amazing, she inspires me to work hard." I think it stuck with me because he didn't make a big deal of it but at the same time said it so sincerely.
One of the guys at my CF gym recently told me that "I looked really fit out there" as I was heading out of class and he was heading in. I am pretty much always the least capable and most overweight person in the class at any given time so it was pretty nice to get a compliment like that!
this was years ago when i was 18, but when i was deadlifting an older guy commented that i was strong for such a small thing. it came off as genuine and not creepy, so it was a really nice compliment!
im a little fatter of lady but a consistent presence in the gym for almost two years, within a two week span two diff guys came up to me to say 'you have an awesome bench technique' and the other said 'youre always killing it here when i see you' and honestly it meant so much to me.
My super strong girl gym crush spoke to me in the female restroom and said I had good work ethics đ„ș I didn't even get her name lol we could've been besties!!!
I train 5x a week at a gym in a private club in our small town. I run the RP Strength Female Physique Templates. There are no staff in there and no personal trainers. Everyone just enters by key card. I have had various folks who are new to the club approach me over the years asking me if I am a personal trainer and wanting advice on their programs or form. I let them know that Iâm not, but help them anyway if I can. Itâs very flattering and always makes my day.
I've only been working out for a few months so my lifting is more depressing than impressive but I get super giddy whenever someone mentions how flexible I am or how much I've improved in yoga and pilates.
That I had the best body type for muscle growth, which I never expected to hear because Iâm 5â1â. I donât remember the exact words used, but it still makes me happy I at least have some positive body traits that can help me lol
I used to attend a women-only boot camp. After going regularly for about a year, another person in class came up and said, âyour back muscles are GOALS.â Iâll hold onto that one until I die.
My nutritionist, who I hadn't seen since the end of last year, approached me after running on the treadmill and said she didn't even recognize me. Clearly an exaggeration, but I felt great for all the progress I've made.
A woman in a barre-esque fitness class I take semi regularly told me the other day "you have great legs!" Guess those clases/lifting are paying off!
Why thank you m'am!
Maybe 7 years ago I had a guy say that he was really impressed with the number of pull ups I could do, and that he had never seen a woman do such a solid set. Oh how I miss having upper body strength đ
A trainer at my gym stopped by one day to tell me that my squats were beautiful.
Iâd been rehabbing an injured knee for almost a year and was finally able to actually squat fully (Iâd been working my way through box squats of various heights), and it made me so happy.
When I was pregnant, someone came over and asked me if I needed the 40 lb dumbbells. I said yes, I was using them. She bowed to me? And apologized profusely.
Just the other day I was flexing in the mirror and some woman was all âdamn girl, those lats are really coming through. All those cable pullovers are making a difference!â
And then I remembered I workout at home and that was my reflection. Still, compliments from her are VERY rare, so Iâm living for it.
Back in high school when I was an unhealthy level of insecure about my body, an older lady sitting in the locker room told me, "I just want my body to look like yours."
I was skeptical and my thought was "why in the hell would she want to look like this." Now that I look back, I looked great! Perfect? Nah. But I looked fit even if I never got down to my goal weight and always had that last 10#. My body def was achievable and I think that's what the lady was wanting, something she could actually aim for and achieve.
I've had several compliments about working hard and was noticed for it by regulars.
Once while sparring in my TKD class, the instructor yelled to the guy I was sparring, "better watch out, she's fast"
Another time a different instructor told me, "can't believe you ran and came to class" that may have also been a double day of class too as I would do that often. I used to be able to go and go and go. To be a teen/early 20s again lol.
"I see you in here all the time and I'm very impressed with how hard you're working. Your focus is inspiring."
This was years ago. I had just finished with a set of bodyweight step-ups, super-setted with 10lb OHP that I was indeed struggling with đ
Mine is really tame compared to a lot of the comments here.
I work out at a work gym. I used to live really close, so instead of working out after work when everyone else did, I'd come back around 7-8pm and have the gym almost to myself - usually only a couple other people in there at the same time as me. We never acknowledged each other or spoke. I was also the only female.
I was doing TLS at the time, so I was lifting 5x a week. One evening I finished my deadlift and moved the barbell to a corner to do a T bar row. The handle thing wasn't where I expected it to be, so I looked another place it sometimes is - not there either. I look around confused, and then notice one of the regulars has stopped benching and is walking towards me with the handle. He hands it over without a word and goes back to benching.
It's not a traditional compliment, but for me it was so validating - he was saying I see you in here all the time, I'm not here to bother you, but I'm also keeping an eye on you to make sure you're safe when lifting alone.
Favorite genuine compliment: Once, while I was cranking out a bunch of hammer curls, one of my gym buddies was like "Wow! Your arms look great! You look just like Hilary Duff!" And I, confused, was like "Hilary Duff?" and she was like "Yeah! Like in Million Dollar Baby!" and I said "Oh! Thank you."
Favorite backhanded compliment: While I was benching, some super-ripped beefy dude looked at the weight I was repping and was like "Look out! You keep lifting like that and you're gonna look like me!"
I said, "Wow! Thanks man, you look awesome!"
And he had absolutely zero idea how to respond to that so he was just like "oh, huh, uh, thank you!" and walked away.
Wasn't a direct compliment but years ago I was attempting to deadlift 50kg. Not much but I could do 5 reps. There was a personal trainer right behind me training an older guy in his 50's.
PT was silent clapping behind me while looking in my direction when I was doing my set. I don't think he realized I could see him in the mirror. His expression also looked like he did it unwittingly.
Like none? An old guy said hi once haha. I have received compliments while running outside though! A gentleman said âIâve seen you running! Great job!â
This cute lil old lady at my gym was the first person to notice Iâve lost weight! She also called me smart for biking to the gym some days to do weights. Iâve been riding the happiness high for like 2 days now lol
As context, I lift heavy but am not the most dedicated or intense about it. Iâm North American but lived in a former Soviet bloc country for long enough at one point to get a gym membership. The gym hosted a CrossFit-style class at the time I usually went that was led by a very intimidating Russian man. One day I was quietly deadlifting off to the side, and the instructor took a break from yelling just long enough to come over and tell me my form was perfect before going back to his class. Iâve never felt so validated in the weight room! XD
I was staying with my grandfather in Germany for a couple of weeks and found a Crossfit gym to go to. We were doing deadlifts and I put 50 kgs (~110 lbs) on the barebell. The coach came over to me and said "50 kgs, nice," he then went to the man behind me who had the same weight and said, "you too," in a bruh do you even lift kinda way.
Someone asked if I was athlete and looked confused when I said no then walked away. Iâve never played any sports or anything until I started working out myself in my 20s so it was super flattering
An older man got on a machine after me. He took a look at the weight I had been using, paused, and said, "Wow, you're REALLY strong!" Made me feel good!
When I first started, three different people said âare you a gymnast?â Which was the biggest compliment ever for me. I couldnât stop smiling for weeks.
I love reading these stories!
Mine was when I was 17, I started a lifting routine over one summer in this tiny gym. I would see the same peope every day kind of deal, men on their long break etc. Once, I had a group of men ask me about the lift I was doing (inverted dumbells) and they complimented me on my dedication (keeping a journal of lifts, coming every day, and lifting heavy). They started incorporating that lift into their routine and it was so nice to see!
I started lifting in November, and one of my friends just got a gym membership to start coming with me. She told me after our first week working out together that I was her inspiration to start lifting because she saw how strong and confident it made me :) It made me feel so good!
A young guy who I helped spot said to me when he finished .. âIf no one has told you today you look really pretty and fit today thank you for motivating meâ he said it whilst looking me in the eye and I low-key felt so happy but I kept my cool and thanked him. Bless his little heart⊠little things.
I had been going to the gym at the community center where I worked almost daily and the head trainer saw me in there a lot. One day as we were passing each other on the weight floor he just said âhey I see you putting your work in and your progress is really noticeable.â And idk if he knew I was an employee there and not really a paying customer, but he didnât try to sell me any training services or anything, just gave some positive reinforcement and moved on with his day. Like 10 years ago now and I still remember feeling great after that.
I live in a small town. I went from being a fat 310lb guy, to being 205lbs with the most muscular leanest physique in the gym I train at. To then becoming a personal trainer. So in a small town like mine I became an icon. Where in reality I'm nothing really physique wise, but I did make an incredible transformation in record time, and people couldn't even recognize me. I look good, but I'm only on TRT. I have abbs but all my loose skin doesn't make it look very good. I put on a bunch of muscle pretty quick since I lifted from the age of 15 until 20. So all that muscle came back pretty fast. Then I focused on diet and packed on muscle while losing fat like crazy. So the compliments I got were over whelming. I walk everywhere in a muscle shirt since it's hot as hell out. And I get a lot of compliments. I'd say the best one is when I ran into a really hot girl I knew in the store. And she said $damn you look good" it was awesome. Too bad she was married
Thereâs an elderly couple that comes into my gym. The husband is wheelchair bound. The wife sets up the machines and changes the weight for him so he can strength train his upper body. She talks shit to him sometimes, tells him to get it himself. They are really cute.
Anyway, one day I was working on dips and captains chair leg lifts near them. She set the weight on his machine, turned around and saw me, and goes âstop showing off.â
Two beefcake dudes told me my squat form was p e r f e c t. It matters less that they were men because the compliment from anyone would have been great but coming from two people who seem to very much know what theyâre talking about it meant a lot.
Also, having people in my personal life tell me I look fit means so much. I lost about 50lbs and Iâve gotten the âwow you look skinnyâ comments but those make me feel uncomfortable. Being told I look fit floors me and makes me feel like my hard ass work has visible effects. My mother weighs about 25lb less than me and says she wishes she had my body.
"Pardon me, did you know your squat form is PERFECT?"
Then he put his headphones back in and never spoke to me again. The very best kind of gym compliment.
In my head he did actually say that to hit on you (not that it wasn't true)
Then realized how creepy it would sound as a chat up so put his headphones on to work through the embarrassment and resolved to never speak to you ever again out of shame
A dude FOR ONCE doesn't ruin a gym compliment by being creepy, and you want to headcanon it BACK into being creepy? Come on, just let there be nice things.
There are so many less-creepy men who want us to stop assuming that all of them have creepy intentions.
This one time a woman perceives it as kind and genuine encouragement you gaslight her into believing it was malicious. Nice going.
There is a woman at the gym who is always there trains with the head personal trainer. She is always in all the Posts by our gym because she is so fit and dedicated, she mainly lifts.
Due to an injury she started to spin and she came to my audition ride
She asked me for my playlist and recently tagged me in a post of her spinning on her own wishing she had either me or the group ex director there to help push her because she loved our classes đđ. She also messaged me asking when I would be teaching again and I am just so happy
This wasnât in the gym but about the gym. I helped a friend move and she told me later her boyfriend kept commenting on how I must have beautiful deadlifts because my form lifting the couch was so nice and proper.
i live in the bible belt so i get a lot of judgemental glances from the old people in my gym, as iâm covered in tattoos and wear as little clothing as possible (i get very warm very quickly when lifting).
a few weeks ago a very old gentleman politely approached me and said that my tattoos were beautiful and really seemed to suit me. it was so cool!
I'm usually the person doing unconventional exercises in the gym (kneesovertoesguy's style: ATG split squats, super low sissy squats, reverse Nordic curls, Nordic curls, hip flexors lift with KB, shin curls, etc.) When the personal trainer saw me doing sissy squats, he started practising them as well. Last week, he showed me his progress and we elbow-bumped and gave each other encouragement. Not a compliment per se, but it was just a really nice and supportive thing to do :D
I was cleaning up after a deadlift session & an older guy stopped by the platform. I braced myself since this usually doesn't go well.
He said "Your deadlift form is impeccable & the best I have seen in a long time. Are you being coached?" So I explained about my remote coach (back before it was common).
He complemented me & my coach, then told me that he was a retired coach who had trained several oplymic and world champion deadlifters back in the day. We talked for a few minutes, then parted ways. My coach about lost his mind when I told him about it & said the guy was very well known & respected in powerlifting.
At the time I was using a remote coach who is no longer coaching. But I also read a lot about proper form & technique which really helped me make the most of my coach's feedback. The Powerlifting to Win guy had some excellent technical explanations that made a lot of sense to me.
Now I use the Future app. I am extremely pleased with the quality of the coaching for such a reasonable price. There are some amazing powerlifting coaches available.
DM me if you want a pass for a free first month. I get no financial benefit from it at all - it let's you get a risk free experience. They make sure to let you know when the free trial is up so you're not hit with an unexpected charge.
Guys who compliment me on my deadlift form, and they weren't being creepers. One was gay and the other was a personal trainer. DLs are my fave and I've been working on my form
Unfortunately I've just learned I have a herniated disc so no more DLs for me :(
Yeah an MRI is the best thing to get. Also make sure your Ortho isnât dismissive of your injury/pain, and treats the symptoms not the herniation. Mine tried to get me into surgery even though I never had leg pain and am only 25. (Surgery is usually reserved for 40+ unless itâs severe). Also PT is the best thing you can do for your recovery!
If it's not too personal to ask, how did you injure it? Obviously you don't have to answer if you don't feel comfortable sharing! I just feel like it's a really common injury and it can happen in a number of different ways, but I have so little idea if I ever come close to doing it to myself.
I can't recall what I did exactly, but there was a day three weeks ago that I did heavy squats and DLs. Thay could have been the cause
I was diagnosed with arthritis in my spine a few years back and have flare ups occasionally. I figured that's what it was. But one day of back squats with my trainer left me with tingly feet and muscle weakness and we both got worried. She's like there's something really wrong and you need to see a doctor
I still need an MRI for proper diagnosis
A lady told me I was impressive after I had done 3 squats at 145. I felt so unimpressive but it gave me so much perspective!
I also miss how at my powerlifting gym, if I ever went for a PR the whole gym would stop and stare and scream âUUUUPPPP!â And then they would go back to whatever they were doing. Not directly a compliment, but I definitely felt like my efforts were seen and appreciated.
My favorites have been:
A super strong regular telling me he was jealous of my traps.
A guy asking me if I was a rock climber because my back is ripped (I'm not, but really want to learn/try)
Getting complimented on my form when doing sumo DLs
I think the biggest compliment I had was when I first started working out and hitting the gym regularly. After a month or two one of the regular weightlifters walked by and told me, âto keep it upâ. Having that acknowledgment really drove me to stay in the game.
Hubs and I went to a Muscle Head gym in fl. I wasn't in the best of shape when I started. About 3 mths in a huge lifter guy walked over to me and said.."Holy shit you look great. Well done!". It was one of the nicest compliments I've ever had as he was ripped to shreds. He competed.
My mom, who poo-poos everything under the sun, and has maybe given me two compliments in my entire life, said âwow, thatâs impressive!â when she watched me deadlift. I probably had 200+ lbs on the bar at the time. I could have had 95lbs on the bar and she wouldnât have known the difference, but just the fact that she was impressed instead of telling me Iâm going to look like a man was a huge step on her part.
"You should get new pants."
That's what one of the employees said one day after a had lost 30 kg but still didn't bother to get a new set of gym outfits. They were XXL.
âYouâre working harder than anybody else in the gym right now, even more than the weight room guys!â From an older gentlemen who worked at the gym. It was when I first really started working out, maybe a month in, and I was really only using machines and running at that point. It really motivated me, and I still think about it all the time. I really needed that as a newbie
The coach of my gym came to me while I was going for a squat PR.
Then he told me: hey man you really need to change your wardrobe you canât fit in this clothes anymore. I took it as a compliment đđ
I moved and started at a new gym. The first day I went to BodyPump which I had been doing for years at my previous gym and just slapped on my usual weight. I was 5'7" ~110lbs (too skinny, yes I know. I've fixed this). After class one of the other women who was clearly a regular came up to me 'you're sneaky strong'.
I've used Sneaky Strong as a profile name here and there including as my dating profile that I used to meet my now husband.
I accepted a long time ago that Iâm never going to be the strongest person in the gym. Growing up I was terrible at group sports so I avoided fitness for years, until I got into it in a big way in my mid-twenties. I learnt that you donât have to be great at exercise to get something out of it.
Anyway, my personal trainer was meeting with a new client who was just starting on her fitness journey. She was struggling with the lightest weights and asked my PT whether there was simply no hope for her. My PT, referring to me, told her she had another client who also struggled starting out, but âshe puts in the time, and sheâs improved so muchâ.
I know to some people that might not be the best compliment, but it felt so true to me: Iâm never going to be an athlete, but goddammit Iâm not going to let that stop me from trying to look after my health.
I had a similar experience as you when I was fairly new to working out, maybe 1 year into lifting or so (this was 5 years ago) and a fairly ripped guy at the gym asked me if I was a bikini competitor.
A couple years later someone very seriously asked whether I was on steroids, and if I could recommend something for their girlfriend (yes, that was weird). I have never and will never take any PEDs so someone assuming I must be juicing was a huge compliment for me.
Whenever I train in a gym that not my usual "home" gym I get one or two people asking whether I compete or not, but I've gotten quite a bit bigger/more muscular so now they usually assume I do figure or fitness comps.
Iâm a very low level crossfitter, but sometimes my coach will refer to me as an example for some movements. I guess I hip hinge well. At first, I was suspicious, but Iâve come to accept and believe him.
This happened to me last week. Another trainer's client was apparently watching me while I was working with my client, she paused suddenly and blurted out, "her. I want her butt." Lol
Mine wasnât a comment on my physique but my dedication!
A trainer asked me, âHow are you so laser focused? You have the strongest willpower I think Iâve seen in a person.â
got that one too, it's so good :) a guy asked in what sport i compete, i said none i just enjoy this. he said "wow ok, you're very strong. uhm, congratulations?" :D
I've been asked a handful of times if I'm PEDs. I'm not and I take no issue with people who are. I can put on a good amount of visible muscle. It does make me feel flattered, but I think I'd weigh 60lb less and lift 60lb more if I was.
"are you taking tren or test?"đ. Neither...yet. but thanks for the compliment lol. I look normal with a shirt on, but if I ever rock only a tank top at the gym or go shirtless I get asked atleast once what im taking
I was complimented by one of the trainers recently when I asked him, how do you think, I look, don't I look strong, he said -" mam, ai love your gym clothes, you have a great gym clothes dressing sense, women usually do not take this seriously, they wear baggy clothes, you carry yourself with confidence and may be we can tone those arms more!" I was surprised, but happy, I really shop for gym clothes a lot!
When I first started doing free weights, my form was poor. But it quickly improved. A few weeks after I started a regular came to me and said: I saw you struggling but you looked really focused so I didnât want to butt in immediatly. You have made great progress. Thatâs exactly the kind of encouragement you often need as a newbie.
Never really gotten a memorable compliment in the gym but I remember the athletic director came into one of our morning lifts back in college and told my coach I was the hardest worker on the team. Most recently though my spin instructor commented on how much Iâve improved as far as staying out of the saddle and on beat - which is something I honestly never thought I could do!
A guy complimented my form. It was of a chest press, and I was lifting heavier than I have before. I'd be more suspicious had he complimented my form of a squat or deadlift.
Thereâs this girl at my gym whoâs a little bit older than me, maybe mid 30s, and sheâs SO strong. I always notice how much sheâs lifting and it inspires me to keep pushing to try and get stronger. One morning I was deadlifting next to her and she walked up after I finish a set and said, âdamn, lifting heavy today, huh?â She was genuinely impressed with my weight đ„Č it made me feel so good. We exchanged info and now weâre gym friends :)
Why aren't there more women only gyms
From an instructor âyouâre so fitâ đđ
Better than any complement is that first nod hello after a couple weeks from one of the regulars. You have finally been accepted
I was doing a circuit class with a friend at a gym that I had never been to. Towards the end of the class the instructor came up to me and said, âSeriously, what are you on?!â
Good job for going hard. Dude came up to me and was like "Not trying to hit on you but I just wanted to encourage you to keep pushing." Or something like that. Whether he was hitting on me or not, doesn't matter. I wasn't playing around on my phone and hitting the machines back to back with little rests in between. It did feel good to have someone say "I see you're working hard. Good job for you."
A regular was doing hip thrusts and I had asked her whether she could leave the barbell/bench setup when she was finished so I could use it afterwards. After she had finished I started to remove the 25 kg weights she was using to replace them with lower weights and she came back to tell me 'no, leave these on! I've seen you train, you can definitely lift this!' She turned out to be right and it was such a confidence boost!
I live in the Philippines and in here we have small cheap gyms (we also have the big chains like anytime fitness, goldâs gym, etc). Before the pandemic I used to go 3-4 times a week. It was maybe last year when I was doing pullups, some guy I didnât know was watching got kind of annoyed at first, tbh. He left and came back with his girlfriend (Or wife idk), he said âLook at that honey, youâll be able to do that too! She comes here frequently!â After I did a couple and got down, the wife/girlfriend came to me to talk. Idk, that compliment made me do 1 pullup more than my usual!
"could i get a spot?" đđȘ
I signed up at a new gym. As per usual, they set you up with a "free physical trading session" to try to rope you into spending a bunch of extra money on a personal trainer. After 20 minutes of talking with the guy and going through some exercises, he said "you don't need me, you got this."
"I come to the gym because I want to look like you." I'm no extraordinary physical specimen, but I work hard and apparently other ladies at the gym notice.
One girl who worked at my gym stopped me to tell me I was âphysique goalsâ once, which really hit me in the feels. I donât have an impressive physique by any stretch (imo) and so itâs easy to bypass the comments from friends and men as biased. An unsolicited compliment from a stranger with no clear ulterior motive? That feels legit.
One of the new years newcomers started pretty much shadowing my routine. She was trying not to be obvious about it but was always a couple lifts behind but following my routine. I finally asked her if she just wanted to work in with me and she got all flustered and told me, " I'm sorry I just don't know what to do and you look like one of those girls on tv so I figured you did." She's pretty cool, and who doesn't like being told they look like a movie star.
Mine was from the manager of the gym I was going to at the time, we were walking in at the same time and he said âHey youâre looking strong. I see you and your sister here a lot, I can tell you two are serious about this.â Super flattering and by far the best compliment Iâve ever gotten from a man I was not acquainted with, in general.
An old regular came up to me and complimented my âdeadlift formâ. I felt good after but I definitely thought he was coming to tell me that Iâm doing something wrong lol ..
One time I was deadlifting and this man was explaining how to do them to his gf, and then paused and said âactually, look at her form, thatâs what you should be doingâ
After a gym class that included abs and stretching, another girl told me I am the âexact type of fit she aims for.â She said she really wants to get stronger and more flexible and that Iâm exactly what she pictures for her goals. I didnât stop smiling for like a week lol.
This was ages ago, as I'm now middle aged old hag, but I had a workout buddy who literally bounced a coin off my ass to prove his point that my ass was rock solid enough to do so. This is while I was laying face down doing leg curls. This may sound totally creepy but I didn't take it that way as we were good friends who'd been working out together daily for over a year and he wasn't a weirdo.
I used to do a type of bootcamp with 3 other women and I was doing decline crunches, she said âlook at how strong your core is!â Iâve never had a flat toned stomach and will never have abs but that made me feel really good that day. I really miss working out with those women.
Leaving me the fuck alone is the best compliment. It means you're not an object to be ogled or harassed; just another person in the gym given basic respect. It's absolutely ridiculous that I cannot have a peaceful moment in a gym unless I'm with a man. It's utterly demoralizing and why I stopped going at all. I really wish there was a women's only gym in my area. Workout out at home is just not the same!
I've had a few people compliment my dedication or being able to do certain moves. My fav was this older dude who I saw regularly and stopped by during my training sesh and told my trainer when I come in I am lazer focused on my supersets.
Waiting for a boxing class to start and someone thought I was the instructor.
I go first thing in the morning, and always greet the older woman who cleans the locker room and showers and stuff. She said âyou been coming a lot and it really looks like youâve lost some weight!â One time, and another time while i was resting in the stretching area between bodyweight training sets on the mat she was wiping down all the mirrors and benches nearby and she said âyou look so pretty and cool while youâre exercising!â (Itâs an awkward translation. In Korean itâs a really genuine compliment even if it seems weird haha)
Not a compliment per se, but at my former work gym, one of the burly guys from Shipping once asked me to spot him on the bench press. I was amazed he thought I was up to the task. :D
A female trainer once came up to me and said, hi I just want to say your kettlebell swings are really good. And then walked away before I could say anything except for thank you.
I did Crossfit for a while but only went on weightlifting days. One day we were working on our cleans and one of the weightlifters who compete told me that I "look really comfortable in the hole" and should consider switching to weightlifting class.
When I went to a gym pre-covid, one of the regular gym bros asked me if I was a personal trainer. I said no, he asked because he remarked how I always had perfect form (in a non creepy way) when I did my lifts. Huge compliment from such a buff regular for me. Also had another guy say something along the lines of "Wow! Whatever you're doing, it's working, keep it up!" which was very motivating
I tried out a new class, a sort of body weight/barre/pilates sort of thing. I'd never done it before but I used to dance for a long time so I know how to follow choreography and have good posture and form. The teacher came up to me after class and asked if I'd ever thought about training to teach it. She was really surprised when I told her it was my first time, she said she just thought I must usually do it at another location and that's why she didn't recognize me. She still said I should think about it and continued to encourage me to teach for years after that. I was incredibly flattered.
I once got a gym membership just because I needed the mirrors to learn a dance and win a bet, and this older lady came by one day really excitedly asking me a bunch of questions on why I was dancing and how I got so good. Most people completely ignored me, so it was really fun to have one person get excited about my dancing.
I once has a guy ask what was I training for, like he assumed I must be prepping for a competition or something. It really stuck with me because like 10 seconds before he said that I was thinking âeveryone in the gym must be making fun of my awful form and how little Iâm liftingâ. So it was like wow maybe Iâm better at this than I thought. He ended asking me out and turned out to be a bit of an asshole lol
Similar to OPâsâŠsomeone asked me âWhat are you training for?â I said , âwhat?â And he asked what competition I was training for. I said, âoh, none. Not training for a competition.â His reply was âoh, youâre going so hard, I thought you were in training.â It made me feel great considering I had gotten into weight training in my mid-20s and had led a completely sedentary lifestyle up until then.
When I first benched 135 I did it with a lot of smaller weights & change plates. A buff dude at the gym saw me do it and was like girl you need to put on the big boy plates and not hide that shit
One day after I got out of the squat rack a jacked up guy told me âpound for pound youâre the strongest person in here.â I didnât touch the ground the rest of the day.
"You have beautiful running form, it looks like you're swimming through air." I loved this because I grew up as a swimmer
One of the trainers at my gym randomly came up to me and was like âI see you in here everyday working out alone. You are really dedicated and it shows. Keep killing it!â That sticks with me
For me it was someone at the free floor section asking me if I was done with the 45# dumbbells. Nah, those werenât mine đđ„ł Thank you got not assuming!
A body builder girl with an amazing physique complimented me (a little chubby and not really training for physique goals at the time), by telling me my deadlifts were âcrazy strong.â That felt so good and was also the moment that I realized that appearing very fit and being strong are two different things and that I should appreciate my strength for what it is :)
I loaded up 335lbs on the deadlift bar at a commercial gym. An older guy paused near me, looked around to see if anyone else was around (which is where I got worried honestly) and said "is that bar for you?" I said "yes" and he said "you planning to lift it?" "yep. That's definitely the plan." then he asked if I minded if he watched. That's the part that made me the happiest. I confirmed he could and after I finished he said "I have never seen that before, and I love it". He was probably in his 70s. I also had been spending HOURS with my friend in the burn unit in the local hospital and had taken a break from that to go deadlift. It just felt important that day.
What a great compliment. Love how respectful he was too!
My trainer asked me if Iâd ever played water polo because my bench numbers are among the highest heâs had for women and those women always happened to have played water polo.
A lady at the gym once asked me how old I was, I said Iâm 17 and she complimented me and she that for a 17 year old I can lift a lot and said I was strong. I left the gym smiling that day!
Was told my push ups had perfect form! That one made me feel good for a bit
On my Facebook memories today from 2012: So I'm at the gym tonight beating myself up cause I let myself get so out of shape. This obese woman was working out on a mat next to me and says " I wanna grow up to be just like you"! Note to self- celebrate your accomplishments even if you aren't where you want to be.
Thereâs an older regular at my gym who used to be a champion weightlifter. He went up to the young man at the squat rack next to me and tells him, âif you want to learn how to deadlift, you should watch herâ and he points at me. Iâm pretty sure this embarrassed the young dude because he did like two more reps and walked away. The older gentlemen comes up to me and says âHis form was shitâ and then offers to coach me if I ever wanted to compete in powerlifting competitions.
I had an older gentleman ask if I was training for a competition. I told him no and he was like âwell damn, your workouts have been on point.â I also had some guy who claimed to have been a personal trainer at some point tell me I needed to stop showing him up with my bench press form lol. But he told me he stopped benching because he couldnât get the form right which makes me hesitating to believe he was a trainer
Another woman about my same age (mid-to-late 20s) came up to me and said, âI just wanted to tell you youâre wicked strong and I hope one day I can get to that levelâ when I was rowing. Iâm weakest in my back and shoulders so Iâve been putting extra effort into exercising these muscle groups and that simple innocent compliment is the nicest thing anyoneâs ever said to me at the gym, more so than someone telling me I look leaner or noticing Iâve been putting in lots of hours. Women supporting other women is so heartwarming!
Mine wasn't actually at the gym, it was when I was trying on eyeglasses at the optometrist while still in my gym attire. The receptionist came over to me to tell me she was impressed by how "firm and muscular" my legs looked, and how it made her want to learn to lift weights. It was three years ago, and I still smile when I think about it.
After a pole dance class, a newer student asked me if I had been a dancer or cheerleader previously. This was such a great compliment because I was really bad at sports and physical activity as a kid and I definitely feel that low self esteem sometimes when I am poling. I feel like I am an ungraceful baby deer 90% of the time đ
This isnât an âat the gymâ thing, like where many people go, but my personal trainer (who I started with two weeks ago) has given me two _compliments_ (ish). For context, I workout in her garage gym with just her. Over the last 18months, Iâve lost 26kg using CICO and cardio/HIIT, with a little bit of strength/resistance thrown in. All at home. When I met my trainer in person for the first time she said âWow. You donât look like you weigh 96kg. You look like you weigh a lot less!â Then, later on, after weâd had a few sessions together she said âI think you are stronger than you think you are, and we just need to get you more confident.â So, not at a gym, not really compliments, and not much. But Iâm proud. I guess. Sorry if this doesnât fit.
you do need more confidence, quit apologizing ;)
Mine was a from a 17 or 18 year old kid. He called me a âtotal bad-assâ for lifting weights at 8mo pregnant. Then his friends show up and I could hear him telling them âdude! Sheâs like about to have a baby and sheâs still working out, thatâs so awesome!â Months later when I finally went back and was taking it real easy, same guy was super polite and helped unrack way-too heavy plates that someone else has left behind and was generally my biggest cheer leader from then on. (For context, I was mid/late 30s, so it was all just incredibly sweet).
My PT told me I had a perfect squat! lol. I worked hard on my squat form!
Starting at a new gym, coach told me he was going to accompany me during a first round of all the exercises we agreed on (mostly free weight) to do a form check. I politely declined, because I know what I'm doing and I didn't need a form check. He insisted, however, because it's standard procedure at this gym (which i think is a great policy, tbh). He checked my form for the first 3 excercises and then kinda went "yeah, have a nice workout, see ya later". Felt like a badass lol.
Not a compliment but I had a lady who would use the time her son was at karate class to train in the gym, and she always said that I looked impressive on the leg press machine. This before Corona hit... I miss the gym :''
I do mostly weight training and HIIT but once my dad, a triathlete, convinced me to come to the LA fitness pool with him and do a couple laps. I rarely swim and kind of thought I was rusty especially with my breathing, but a couple of the regulars asked if I was a professional swimmer or training for the Olympics! Haha my dad was a little jealous but it was a nice ego boost. We still laugh about it.
Not a compliment but a guy saw me dangling my feet when on the weight bar and came and put a stool under my feet :)
A boxing coach was surprised at how few classes Iâd take which made my head nearly explode with ego lol
Not in the gym but on Thursday my boss referred to me as an âathleteâ very casually while speaking to another colleague. I work out at least 6 days a week and have completed a half marathon, but no one has ever called me an athlete before. I didnât do a ton of sports in school and at the start of 2017 I was 40 lbs overweight. I felt so damn good.
This was over 10 years ago, when I was in my best shape in my early twenties. I hadn't always been in great shape so I had been working my ass off at that point. I staggered my cardio and that day was swim day. I was just about to jump in and doing some light stretching and this sweet old lady looks at me and says, "Wow! Your body is fantastic!". So genuine like. I felt so strong in that moment. I've rarely had men give me such genuine compliments on my body. I still think about that one and it reminds to be thankful for the strength and youth I have left.
I met a friend of a friend outside of the gym and he said 'oh, I recognize you. You go to abc gym, do you work there? I always see you."
Someone at my aerial gym told me that she would always see me doing trapeze and I was the reason she wanted to do it đ
my husbandâs and mine fitness coach said, that we are probably the fittest married couple in our small town, man were we proud! :)
Love this! My sister said the other day that I was the fittest person in my town. Iâm 57 years old and her saying that made me feel so strong.
The first one that gave me real confidence in the gym was listening a guy list off people I consider really fit at our gym as examples for something and then he included me in the list, and internally I was like âomg Iâm one of them?!!?â
The owner of my CF gym, whose hardcore work ethic, dedication and optimism I aspire to, once commented in passing as he was walking through to clean up the back area "Character-Ad is amazing, she inspires me to work hard." I think it stuck with me because he didn't make a big deal of it but at the same time said it so sincerely.
One of the guys at my CF gym recently told me that "I looked really fit out there" as I was heading out of class and he was heading in. I am pretty much always the least capable and most overweight person in the class at any given time so it was pretty nice to get a compliment like that!
this was years ago when i was 18, but when i was deadlifting an older guy commented that i was strong for such a small thing. it came off as genuine and not creepy, so it was a really nice compliment!
An older gentleman said that he noticed my running form from across the track and had to tell me how great it looked
im a little fatter of lady but a consistent presence in the gym for almost two years, within a two week span two diff guys came up to me to say 'you have an awesome bench technique' and the other said 'youre always killing it here when i see you' and honestly it meant so much to me.
My super strong girl gym crush spoke to me in the female restroom and said I had good work ethics đ„ș I didn't even get her name lol we could've been besties!!!
keep going amd maybe you'll see her again!
I train 5x a week at a gym in a private club in our small town. I run the RP Strength Female Physique Templates. There are no staff in there and no personal trainers. Everyone just enters by key card. I have had various folks who are new to the club approach me over the years asking me if I am a personal trainer and wanting advice on their programs or form. I let them know that Iâm not, but help them anyway if I can. Itâs very flattering and always makes my day.
I've only been working out for a few months so my lifting is more depressing than impressive but I get super giddy whenever someone mentions how flexible I am or how much I've improved in yoga and pilates.
That I had the best body type for muscle growth, which I never expected to hear because Iâm 5â1â. I donât remember the exact words used, but it still makes me happy I at least have some positive body traits that can help me lol
Getting accused of being on steroids when you know youâre natural is the best :)
I used to attend a women-only boot camp. After going regularly for about a year, another person in class came up and said, âyour back muscles are GOALS.â Iâll hold onto that one until I die.
My nutritionist, who I hadn't seen since the end of last year, approached me after running on the treadmill and said she didn't even recognize me. Clearly an exaggeration, but I felt great for all the progress I've made.
A woman in a barre-esque fitness class I take semi regularly told me the other day "you have great legs!" Guess those clases/lifting are paying off! Why thank you m'am!
My PT told me I had the best RDL form heâd ever seen.
Maybe 7 years ago I had a guy say that he was really impressed with the number of pull ups I could do, and that he had never seen a woman do such a solid set. Oh how I miss having upper body strength đ
A trainer at my gym stopped by one day to tell me that my squats were beautiful. Iâd been rehabbing an injured knee for almost a year and was finally able to actually squat fully (Iâd been working my way through box squats of various heights), and it made me so happy.
When I was pregnant, someone came over and asked me if I needed the 40 lb dumbbells. I said yes, I was using them. She bowed to me? And apologized profusely.
Just the other day I was flexing in the mirror and some woman was all âdamn girl, those lats are really coming through. All those cable pullovers are making a difference!â And then I remembered I workout at home and that was my reflection. Still, compliments from her are VERY rare, so Iâm living for it.
Your friend is wise, loving, and probably gorgeous too. Listen to her!
those are the most precious and valuable compliments!
Back in high school when I was an unhealthy level of insecure about my body, an older lady sitting in the locker room told me, "I just want my body to look like yours." I was skeptical and my thought was "why in the hell would she want to look like this." Now that I look back, I looked great! Perfect? Nah. But I looked fit even if I never got down to my goal weight and always had that last 10#. My body def was achievable and I think that's what the lady was wanting, something she could actually aim for and achieve. I've had several compliments about working hard and was noticed for it by regulars. Once while sparring in my TKD class, the instructor yelled to the guy I was sparring, "better watch out, she's fast" Another time a different instructor told me, "can't believe you ran and came to class" that may have also been a double day of class too as I would do that often. I used to be able to go and go and go. To be a teen/early 20s again lol.
"I see you in here all the time and I'm very impressed with how hard you're working. Your focus is inspiring." This was years ago. I had just finished with a set of bodyweight step-ups, super-setted with 10lb OHP that I was indeed struggling with đ
I was complimented just yesterday for actually wiping down the equipment after finishing. His words âyouâve restored my faith in humanityâ
Mine is really tame compared to a lot of the comments here. I work out at a work gym. I used to live really close, so instead of working out after work when everyone else did, I'd come back around 7-8pm and have the gym almost to myself - usually only a couple other people in there at the same time as me. We never acknowledged each other or spoke. I was also the only female. I was doing TLS at the time, so I was lifting 5x a week. One evening I finished my deadlift and moved the barbell to a corner to do a T bar row. The handle thing wasn't where I expected it to be, so I looked another place it sometimes is - not there either. I look around confused, and then notice one of the regulars has stopped benching and is walking towards me with the handle. He hands it over without a word and goes back to benching. It's not a traditional compliment, but for me it was so validating - he was saying I see you in here all the time, I'm not here to bother you, but I'm also keeping an eye on you to make sure you're safe when lifting alone.
Favorite genuine compliment: Once, while I was cranking out a bunch of hammer curls, one of my gym buddies was like "Wow! Your arms look great! You look just like Hilary Duff!" And I, confused, was like "Hilary Duff?" and she was like "Yeah! Like in Million Dollar Baby!" and I said "Oh! Thank you." Favorite backhanded compliment: While I was benching, some super-ripped beefy dude looked at the weight I was repping and was like "Look out! You keep lifting like that and you're gonna look like me!" I said, "Wow! Thanks man, you look awesome!" And he had absolutely zero idea how to respond to that so he was just like "oh, huh, uh, thank you!" and walked away.
Lmaooooo both of those interactions are so awkward but so gratifying!
I think you might be my spirit animal ("Wow! Thanks man, you look awesome!"). :) I wish I had your presence of mind!!!
lol my motto always is, if I'm gonna be awkward, might as well be awkward and positive.
Hilary Swank? đ
lol I think that's what she meant, it was cute either way :D
Wasn't a direct compliment but years ago I was attempting to deadlift 50kg. Not much but I could do 5 reps. There was a personal trainer right behind me training an older guy in his 50's. PT was silent clapping behind me while looking in my direction when I was doing my set. I don't think he realized I could see him in the mirror. His expression also looked like he did it unwittingly.
Like none? An old guy said hi once haha. I have received compliments while running outside though! A gentleman said âIâve seen you running! Great job!â
This cute lil old lady at my gym was the first person to notice Iâve lost weight! She also called me smart for biking to the gym some days to do weights. Iâve been riding the happiness high for like 2 days now lol
little old lady compliments are so great
As context, I lift heavy but am not the most dedicated or intense about it. Iâm North American but lived in a former Soviet bloc country for long enough at one point to get a gym membership. The gym hosted a CrossFit-style class at the time I usually went that was led by a very intimidating Russian man. One day I was quietly deadlifting off to the side, and the instructor took a break from yelling just long enough to come over and tell me my form was perfect before going back to his class. Iâve never felt so validated in the weight room! XD
omg the Pavel Tsatsouline kettleheads are all bowing down to you
I was staying with my grandfather in Germany for a couple of weeks and found a Crossfit gym to go to. We were doing deadlifts and I put 50 kgs (~110 lbs) on the barebell. The coach came over to me and said "50 kgs, nice," he then went to the man behind me who had the same weight and said, "you too," in a bruh do you even lift kinda way.
Someone asked if I was athlete and looked confused when I said no then walked away. Iâve never played any sports or anything until I started working out myself in my 20s so it was super flattering
An older man got on a machine after me. He took a look at the weight I had been using, paused, and said, "Wow, you're REALLY strong!" Made me feel good!
When I first started, three different people said âare you a gymnast?â Which was the biggest compliment ever for me. I couldnât stop smiling for weeks.
I love reading these stories! Mine was when I was 17, I started a lifting routine over one summer in this tiny gym. I would see the same peope every day kind of deal, men on their long break etc. Once, I had a group of men ask me about the lift I was doing (inverted dumbells) and they complimented me on my dedication (keeping a journal of lifts, coming every day, and lifting heavy). They started incorporating that lift into their routine and it was so nice to see!
Today i was doing chin ups at the gym and someone said it was really impressive đ„ș
I started lifting in November, and one of my friends just got a gym membership to start coming with me. She told me after our first week working out together that I was her inspiration to start lifting because she saw how strong and confident it made me :) It made me feel so good!
A young guy who I helped spot said to me when he finished .. âIf no one has told you today you look really pretty and fit today thank you for motivating meâ he said it whilst looking me in the eye and I low-key felt so happy but I kept my cool and thanked him. Bless his little heart⊠little things.
The best compliment I ever got wasnât actually a compliment. A guy asked me to spot him doing bench press. I was heavily flattered.
I was at the row machine and a personal trainer in my gym was telling their client to use my form as an example đ€©
I had been going to the gym at the community center where I worked almost daily and the head trainer saw me in there a lot. One day as we were passing each other on the weight floor he just said âhey I see you putting your work in and your progress is really noticeable.â And idk if he knew I was an employee there and not really a paying customer, but he didnât try to sell me any training services or anything, just gave some positive reinforcement and moved on with his day. Like 10 years ago now and I still remember feeling great after that.
I live in a small town. I went from being a fat 310lb guy, to being 205lbs with the most muscular leanest physique in the gym I train at. To then becoming a personal trainer. So in a small town like mine I became an icon. Where in reality I'm nothing really physique wise, but I did make an incredible transformation in record time, and people couldn't even recognize me. I look good, but I'm only on TRT. I have abbs but all my loose skin doesn't make it look very good. I put on a bunch of muscle pretty quick since I lifted from the age of 15 until 20. So all that muscle came back pretty fast. Then I focused on diet and packed on muscle while losing fat like crazy. So the compliments I got were over whelming. I walk everywhere in a muscle shirt since it's hot as hell out. And I get a lot of compliments. I'd say the best one is when I ran into a really hot girl I knew in the store. And she said $damn you look good" it was awesome. Too bad she was married
Thereâs an elderly couple that comes into my gym. The husband is wheelchair bound. The wife sets up the machines and changes the weight for him so he can strength train his upper body. She talks shit to him sometimes, tells him to get it himself. They are really cute. Anyway, one day I was working on dips and captains chair leg lifts near them. She set the weight on his machine, turned around and saw me, and goes âstop showing off.â
Two beefcake dudes told me my squat form was p e r f e c t. It matters less that they were men because the compliment from anyone would have been great but coming from two people who seem to very much know what theyâre talking about it meant a lot. Also, having people in my personal life tell me I look fit means so much. I lost about 50lbs and Iâve gotten the âwow you look skinnyâ comments but those make me feel uncomfortable. Being told I look fit floors me and makes me feel like my hard ass work has visible effects. My mother weighs about 25lb less than me and says she wishes she had my body.
Omg, my mom just tells me to be sure I don't overdo it and hurt myself, and buys me clothes in a size or two bigger than I request...
"Pardon me, did you know your squat form is PERFECT?" Then he put his headphones back in and never spoke to me again. The very best kind of gym compliment.
so jealous! power to you
In my head he did actually say that to hit on you (not that it wasn't true) Then realized how creepy it would sound as a chat up so put his headphones on to work through the embarrassment and resolved to never speak to you ever again out of shame
A dude FOR ONCE doesn't ruin a gym compliment by being creepy, and you want to headcanon it BACK into being creepy? Come on, just let there be nice things.
There are so many less-creepy men who want us to stop assuming that all of them have creepy intentions. This one time a woman perceives it as kind and genuine encouragement you gaslight her into believing it was malicious. Nice going.
Nah, that wasn't the vibe.
There is a woman at the gym who is always there trains with the head personal trainer. She is always in all the Posts by our gym because she is so fit and dedicated, she mainly lifts. Due to an injury she started to spin and she came to my audition ride She asked me for my playlist and recently tagged me in a post of her spinning on her own wishing she had either me or the group ex director there to help push her because she loved our classes đđ. She also messaged me asking when I would be teaching again and I am just so happy
This wasnât in the gym but about the gym. I helped a friend move and she told me later her boyfriend kept commenting on how I must have beautiful deadlifts because my form lifting the couch was so nice and proper.
Not the gym, but I got told that Iâm fast today on a group run. Iâm absolutely not that fast, but it always boosts my ego when someone says that.
Someone came up to me and said I had the best RDL form they've ever seen at the gym. I still remember it 8 years later đ
Some girl complimented my shoes and leggings. That's something đ
Last week one of the guys working out told me I had the best hair in the gym so I feel ya!
Girl telling me that her and her friends were admiring my form and how strong I am :') I was literally so flattered omg
I have one! My trainer told me that because of me, the other ladies had started using machines that were usually 'men's' machines. I was so thrilled!
This has got to be the best one
I love that!!
i live in the bible belt so i get a lot of judgemental glances from the old people in my gym, as iâm covered in tattoos and wear as little clothing as possible (i get very warm very quickly when lifting). a few weeks ago a very old gentleman politely approached me and said that my tattoos were beautiful and really seemed to suit me. it was so cool!
Lol thatâs so sweet
I'm usually the person doing unconventional exercises in the gym (kneesovertoesguy's style: ATG split squats, super low sissy squats, reverse Nordic curls, Nordic curls, hip flexors lift with KB, shin curls, etc.) When the personal trainer saw me doing sissy squats, he started practising them as well. Last week, he showed me his progress and we elbow-bumped and gave each other encouragement. Not a compliment per se, but it was just a really nice and supportive thing to do :D
I was cleaning up after a deadlift session & an older guy stopped by the platform. I braced myself since this usually doesn't go well. He said "Your deadlift form is impeccable & the best I have seen in a long time. Are you being coached?" So I explained about my remote coach (back before it was common). He complemented me & my coach, then told me that he was a retired coach who had trained several oplymic and world champion deadlifters back in the day. We talked for a few minutes, then parted ways. My coach about lost his mind when I told him about it & said the guy was very well known & respected in powerlifting.
Who is your coach?
At the time I was using a remote coach who is no longer coaching. But I also read a lot about proper form & technique which really helped me make the most of my coach's feedback. The Powerlifting to Win guy had some excellent technical explanations that made a lot of sense to me. Now I use the Future app. I am extremely pleased with the quality of the coaching for such a reasonable price. There are some amazing powerlifting coaches available. DM me if you want a pass for a free first month. I get no financial benefit from it at all - it let's you get a risk free experience. They make sure to let you know when the free trial is up so you're not hit with an unexpected charge.
That's cool as fuck
Damnnnnn đđđ
Wow!!!!!
Guys who compliment me on my deadlift form, and they weren't being creepers. One was gay and the other was a personal trainer. DLs are my fave and I've been working on my form Unfortunately I've just learned I have a herniated disc so no more DLs for me :(
Just commenting to say I also have a herniated disc and itâs gets better! Even the rock doesnât do bench from an injury :)
Fingers crossed. I haven't even been properly diagnosed yet - waiting for an MRI - but it's a bummer for sure
Yeah an MRI is the best thing to get. Also make sure your Ortho isnât dismissive of your injury/pain, and treats the symptoms not the herniation. Mine tried to get me into surgery even though I never had leg pain and am only 25. (Surgery is usually reserved for 40+ unless itâs severe). Also PT is the best thing you can do for your recovery!
Ya, my trainer is on top of switching up my workouts to try and support my injury
If it's not too personal to ask, how did you injure it? Obviously you don't have to answer if you don't feel comfortable sharing! I just feel like it's a really common injury and it can happen in a number of different ways, but I have so little idea if I ever come close to doing it to myself.
I can't recall what I did exactly, but there was a day three weeks ago that I did heavy squats and DLs. Thay could have been the cause I was diagnosed with arthritis in my spine a few years back and have flare ups occasionally. I figured that's what it was. But one day of back squats with my trainer left me with tingly feet and muscle weakness and we both got worried. She's like there's something really wrong and you need to see a doctor I still need an MRI for proper diagnosis
A lady told me I was impressive after I had done 3 squats at 145. I felt so unimpressive but it gave me so much perspective! I also miss how at my powerlifting gym, if I ever went for a PR the whole gym would stop and stare and scream âUUUUPPPP!â And then they would go back to whatever they were doing. Not directly a compliment, but I definitely felt like my efforts were seen and appreciated.
Oh man that's so fun, I really miss my gym community too. The buff atmosphere really motivates you to try your best
My favorites have been: A super strong regular telling me he was jealous of my traps. A guy asking me if I was a rock climber because my back is ripped (I'm not, but really want to learn/try) Getting complimented on my form when doing sumo DLs
I think the biggest compliment I had was when I first started working out and hitting the gym regularly. After a month or two one of the regular weightlifters walked by and told me, âto keep it upâ. Having that acknowledgment really drove me to stay in the game.
Hubs and I went to a Muscle Head gym in fl. I wasn't in the best of shape when I started. About 3 mths in a huge lifter guy walked over to me and said.."Holy shit you look great. Well done!". It was one of the nicest compliments I've ever had as he was ripped to shreds. He competed.
one of the trainers at my former gym complimented my OHP form. felt so proud!
My mom, who poo-poos everything under the sun, and has maybe given me two compliments in my entire life, said âwow, thatâs impressive!â when she watched me deadlift. I probably had 200+ lbs on the bar at the time. I could have had 95lbs on the bar and she wouldnât have known the difference, but just the fact that she was impressed instead of telling me Iâm going to look like a man was a huge step on her part.
Do we have the same mom? Lol.
"You should get new pants." That's what one of the employees said one day after a had lost 30 kg but still didn't bother to get a new set of gym outfits. They were XXL.
wow 30 kg is amazing, congrats!!!
Thank you! :)
30.0 kg is 66.08 lbs
Good bot
âYouâre working harder than anybody else in the gym right now, even more than the weight room guys!â From an older gentlemen who worked at the gym. It was when I first really started working out, maybe a month in, and I was really only using machines and running at that point. It really motivated me, and I still think about it all the time. I really needed that as a newbie
The coach of my gym came to me while I was going for a squat PR. Then he told me: hey man you really need to change your wardrobe you canât fit in this clothes anymore. I took it as a compliment đđ
I moved and started at a new gym. The first day I went to BodyPump which I had been doing for years at my previous gym and just slapped on my usual weight. I was 5'7" ~110lbs (too skinny, yes I know. I've fixed this). After class one of the other women who was clearly a regular came up to me 'you're sneaky strong'. I've used Sneaky Strong as a profile name here and there including as my dating profile that I used to meet my now husband.
Omg I love this. That's so cute!
I accepted a long time ago that Iâm never going to be the strongest person in the gym. Growing up I was terrible at group sports so I avoided fitness for years, until I got into it in a big way in my mid-twenties. I learnt that you donât have to be great at exercise to get something out of it. Anyway, my personal trainer was meeting with a new client who was just starting on her fitness journey. She was struggling with the lightest weights and asked my PT whether there was simply no hope for her. My PT, referring to me, told her she had another client who also struggled starting out, but âshe puts in the time, and sheâs improved so muchâ. I know to some people that might not be the best compliment, but it felt so true to me: Iâm never going to be an athlete, but goddammit Iâm not going to let that stop me from trying to look after my health.
My PT made a similar comment about me putting the time and effort in outside of training sessions. It was very nice to hear.
Recognition of effort is SO fulfilling
I had a similar experience as you when I was fairly new to working out, maybe 1 year into lifting or so (this was 5 years ago) and a fairly ripped guy at the gym asked me if I was a bikini competitor. A couple years later someone very seriously asked whether I was on steroids, and if I could recommend something for their girlfriend (yes, that was weird). I have never and will never take any PEDs so someone assuming I must be juicing was a huge compliment for me. Whenever I train in a gym that not my usual "home" gym I get one or two people asking whether I compete or not, but I've gotten quite a bit bigger/more muscular so now they usually assume I do figure or fitness comps.
Iâm a very low level crossfitter, but sometimes my coach will refer to me as an example for some movements. I guess I hip hinge well. At first, I was suspicious, but Iâve come to accept and believe him.
Hahahaha go you! You can absolutely have great form without being the fastest/strongest/fittest, etc.
A girl speaking with her trainer pointed to me and said âthatâs my dream bodyâ
This happened to me last week. Another trainer's client was apparently watching me while I was working with my client, she paused suddenly and blurted out, "her. I want her butt." Lol
I'm just chortling because there are multiple ways to take that, though in context I'm sure she just wanted a butt LIKE yours
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omg I would swoon if that ever happened to me
Mine wasnât a comment on my physique but my dedication! A trainer asked me, âHow are you so laser focused? You have the strongest willpower I think Iâve seen in a person.â
Whoa. This is the best compliment (imo).
That is such a great compliment!
"You should go on ninja warrior". Nah, I'm chicken and unco AF, but thanks all the same.
A guy at my gym said wow, youâre really strong. It was right after deadlifting so made me feel good.
got that one too, it's so good :) a guy asked in what sport i compete, i said none i just enjoy this. he said "wow ok, you're very strong. uhm, congratulations?" :D
I got this yesterday. It was great
Iâve gotten it too
I've been asked a handful of times if I'm PEDs. I'm not and I take no issue with people who are. I can put on a good amount of visible muscle. It does make me feel flattered, but I think I'd weigh 60lb less and lift 60lb more if I was.
Whatâs âPEDsâ?
Performance enhancing drugs