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We feel you.

When everyone seems focused on their workout it can seem impossible, not to mention terrifying, to start a conversation.

But not to fear, we’ve rounded up some of the best ways to build friendships at the gym so that meeting friends can come more naturally.

Enter the room with a smile

A friendly face never fails to invite conversation.

Enter the gym with a positive attitude, welcoming body language and a smile to let people know that you're approachable and open to being spoken to.

Befriend the gym staff

Staff at the gym are usually very friendly and always willing to speak to new and regular members.

Start by speaking to them as a way to build your confidence and get to know your surroundings. Better yet, you may end up hitting it off and making friends with the staff too.

Don’t talk too much

This may sound counter-intuitive but a workout probably isn’t the best time to start asking where someone lives, their pet’s name or what they’ll be having for dinner that night. Instead, keep it to small talk at first.

Over time you’ll have a better understanding of how much or little the person likes to chat during a workout, but the key is not to distract the person you’re trying to befriend.

Leave the headphones at home

Headphones are the universal language for ‘please do not disturb’. If you want to be approachable you’ll need to leave these at the door.

If you can’t bear the thought of a gym session without them, try taking your headphones out between sets or whilst you’re taking a sip of water.

This will give a window of opportunity for you to seek out someone to chat with or for someone to strike up a conversation with you.

Go to the gym more often

Attending the gym more regularly will help you become a familiar face the other regular gym-goers.

It also helps to keep a conversation flowing as you're more likely to remember what you talked about a couple of days ago, rather than last week.

Go to a group class

Bonding over burpees or swinging kettlebells is a great way to make friends. But the time before and after the class is the perfect opportunity to meet new people too.

Try arriving at your next class 15 minutes early. Not only will this help you feel calm and composed but it’ll give you plenty of time to get to know your classmates too.

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See things differently with gym memberships for everyone.

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