Summer time is the most gym oriented time of the year. Students are done with school, and others take the majority of their vacations and R & R during the summer months.

College students across America tend to use the summer to try to get in shape so that they turn heads when classes start up again in the fall. However, many people actually do not know how to properly handle or present themselves in the gym.

Think of the gym like a 12 course meal at Per Se. Would you want to offend Thomas Keller by walking into his Columbus circle masterpiece in basketball shorts? No, and you would not walk into the gym in a tux’ either.

Here are a few “need to knows” when beginning your Rocky like commitment to the gym this summer.

Attire

Advice: Avoid sweat suits, sleeveless shirts, Beats by Dre headphones, lifting gloves and Sperry’s

The majority of us are not body builders. These men make a living off of their bodies. We do not. Unlike them, our gym attire should be in between serious and laid back. Your best bet is to dress like you would for a pick-up game of basketball. Dressing too serious (under armor shirts, wrist wraps, color coordinated shoes) will make you a laughing stock at the gym. Unless you can bench over 300 pounds, leave the skin tight shirt at home, buddy.

Likewise, showing up in sandals and dress pants will make you look like a joke. Frankly, trying to get a jump on your summer routine by going all out in sweat pants and a hoodie does not help your case either. You are not a body builder, so dress like it is gym class.

The cut off t-shirt, also known, as the “Apron look,” does not make you look like “The Man” at the gym. It makes you look like the guy who does not want to buy new gym clothes. In 1947, this was probably the coolest look – now it certainly is not. You would think most would stop by cutting off the sleeves, but then the continue to cut huge slits down their shirt side.

This look is also usually associated with lifting gloves and Beats headphones. A wise man once said, “If you cannot dead-lift 450 pounds, you don’t deserve to wear lifting gloves.”

Lifting gloves do not give you an advantage with whatever weight you are doing. If you cannot hold the weight then you should not be lifting it. The gloves provide an artificial grip, so you will never reach 500 pounds on dead-lift because you will never have the grip to even stabilize your lift-off.

We sum up Beats headphones at the gym like this: not a single person at any gym in any country, in any world, ever looked anything other than ridiculous wearing them. Stick to ear buds, you are not the house DJ at Pacha. Even if you were, we would not want you in the gym.

A real man wears gym shorts, sneakers and a t-shirt. Be simple, be smart. You are there to workout, not look like you workout.

THE ACCESSORIES

Advice: Carrying around gym bags and gallon jugs of water are unacceptable, but shakers and notebooks are.

Much like how you dress, the accessories you carry around the gym are not to attract attention to yourself, but to get the job done. A gym bag is unnecessary to carry around. You may come from work or the house, but the locker rooms at gyms are a fine place to store your belongings. There is no need to carry around your own ab wheel, spare clothes and hoola-hoop. You look like a tool and you are taking up unnecessary space.

The dreaded galloon water jug is also not needed. A water bottle or shaker is a more than capable substitute; if not, walk ten feet to the water fountain. That will never run out of water, what do you need the jug for? A gallon jug may work for the body builder, but it just makes you look like you have a serious condition – odds are you will not finish even half of it.

Carrying around a notebook or a cellphone to store workout notes (such as weights recorded or types of lifts) is perfectly fine. The serious lifter knows he only has one goal: the lift. Everything else is superfluous and tacky.

LIFTING

Advice: Never over due it. Remember that you are around others, so never hog the machine

Now that you are wearing the proper attire for a gym and you are adequately equipped, it is time to lift. The biggest issues in this phase are amount of noise you make and the time you take when lifting. Body builders scream when they lift 600 pounds; you should not be passing a kidney stone with your eighty-pound squat. The war cries you unleash will not help you or the other people around you. Give a little grunt and keep it moving. This is not Braveheart. So leave the Mel Gibson battle calls at home.

Also, this is not your personal gym. Other people are trying to use the same machines that you are. Attempting to super set with numerous machines is a no-no. Multitasking is great in the office, not so much in the gym.

Focus on one machine at a time and do not forget to grab a towel at the door. Pounding away on the treadmill and sweating all over the equipment will not help your reputation at the gym.

HANDLING WOMEN

Advice: The line between picking up a girl and being “That Creepy Gym Guy.”

You have mastered the look, the act and have established yourself as an Elite gentleman at your local gym. Now the time has come to deal with the opposite sex. Picking up women at the gym may be one of the biggest challenges and battles of the dating world. It takes time and luck.

You cannot approach a girl at the gym right away and expect to be successful. Over time, she will become familiar with seeing you and remember your face. This must coincide with the fact that you two frequent the gym at the same time of day.

Start off by performing exercises on the matted area or running on the treadmill by her. The majority of girls will not be using machines other than a lat pull down or single cable machine, so the ab and running areas of a gym are your best points of attack.

Small conversation or comments about your routine are a good way to engage with her. If she appears interested in your small conversation, introduce yourself. But still hold off on asking your gym goddess out, or asking for a number. You must approach this situation with caution; one of the worse places for awkwardness is the gym. You must feel 100% certain that your potential gym mistress is into you before proceeding to phase two.

Do not forget the golden rule: never stare. As hard as it may be when she wears tight leggings, take your looks in quality over quantity. The more often you are caught staring, the higher the chances are that you will be seen as the creep as opposed to the guy getting her number.

Craig Leppert | Elite Daily