We’ve all been there: maybe a leg cramp on the treadmill gets the better of you or you’re unable to out-climb that dream date of yours on the rock climbing wall.
Read on as locals share their red-faced moments:
“I had a date with a girl, and it was our first date. She worked at a rock climbing gym. She asked me to come to the gym for our first date, despite my objections. I scaled the wall like a spider monkey my first pass. Very impressive. The second wall was different. I made it about four grips up the wall and my arms gave up. I repelled back down in shame. I looked like a weak loser, and she climbed right past me with a look of disdain right after that. There was no second date.” –Derek, cloud-computing analyst
“I hadn’t been to the gym in a couple of weeks, nor had I run for quite a bit. And so, for some reason, I thought it would pretty neat if I were to run five miles at a ridiculously high speed in an attempt to prove to myself that my endurance hadn’t declined. But close to the end of the fourth mile, my leg cramped up really, really bad. My muscle was literally bulging out of my leg. I flew off of the treadmill. Stunned and in pain, I sat whimpering on the floor. I then picked myself up, along with my pride, and then limped past the meatheads out of the gym.” –Lisa, writer/editor
“When we were rock climbing, my boyfriend in college noticed that one of my boobs was bigger than the other, because I had a sports bra on. And I was standing next to the wall, and I was untying myself from the wall. And he walked over to me and whispered in my ear, ‘Is one of your boobs bigger than the other?’ I was mortified and now I hate wearing sports bras in public.” –Laura, administrative assistant
"I was lying face down on a hamstring curl machine and had decided to change the music on my iPod that was clipped to the waistline of my shorts. The clip was snagged and when I craned my neck sideways to see what it was caught on, I realized I was tugging the whole hip-lace of my thong out of my shorts." –Chris, self-employed
“I just had (my daughter) like eight weeks earlier and my bladder control wasn't all there. I didn't really think about it when I decided to take this intense jazzercise hour workout class. Well about 30 minutes in, I had dribbled. I didn’t know what to do, slink out the back door... but then how was I going to walk across the gym or get to my car anyway? I didn't have anything with me, like a sweatshirt, so I decided to walk out of the class -- walked sideways -- and went to the bathroom.” –Anna, self-employed
“My most embarrassing moment was when I thought the locked racquetball court was a safe place to fool around with my boyfriend. Little did I know, one of the managers was giving a family a tour of the gym and unlocked the door before we could react. I was mortified.” –Ashley, government analyst
Health
“Under normal circumstances I never change and shower at the locker room, because I don’t like walking around to and from the showers naked. This night, however, was an exception because I was going out to meet some friends at a bar located down the street from the gym. I went into the locker room, took my clothes off and hopped into one of the shower stalls. Now, keep in mind that every night around this time, there is a young female employee who enters the men’s locker room. She picks up all the dirty towels and takes out the trash. Well to make a long story short, I got out of the shower, rounded the corner into the locker room, naked as the day I was born, and there she is in the middle of the locker room. I jumped and ran around the corner, and she yelped and ran out of the locker room. As I awkwardly walked past her on my way out that night, she was very apologetic. Knowing that I had to break the ice somehow, I told her that I wouldn’t charge her for that show but every additional show would come at a high price.” –LD, nursing student
“I signed up for a Saturday morning yoga class with an instructor I'd never heard of. Soon into the session, I realized that perhaps this class was intended for ‘advanced’ students. Many students appeared to be suffering and covered with sweat. Then, in a moment of terror, the instructor assigned us partners. My partner approached me, wearing shorts that hardly had more fabric than a Speedo. At first, I thought we just had to ‘spot’ our partners just in case they needed help. But, we were expected to hold them with one arm under their thighs and the other on their lower back as they balanced into a V shape with one block under each hand. I desperately wished that his shorts were longer and baggier, so I would not have to directly contact his sweaty, hairy skin. I stiffly stuck out my arms and looked away as I attempted to support my partner.” –Stephanie, journal production editor
“Well, I used to go to the local community pool center to swim laps. The pool would be divided between the lap swimmers and those who did swim aerobics. After swimming for 45 minutes, I decided to stop for the evening. A pretty woman asked me if she could swim in my lane, so I said, ‘Sure, I'm about to leave. You can take my spot.’ I noticed that she had a laminated sheet of paper with her and I asked her about it. She got into the pool with me and started explaining her workout routine. She was training for her triathlon and was telling me about the pools around the city. I found her attractive and was looking forward to seeing her again. As soon as I got out of the water, I realized that I was ‘aroused’ and was very embarrassed, because I had no towel to cover myself up. It was too late to jump back in and I believe she noticed it as well. The ladies on the aerobic side of the pool were commenting and giggling about my swim trunks. I was very embarrassed and quickly got to my towel and left as soon as I did. I never went back after that.” –Mark, librarian
