US Flirting Habits in the Gym | A Nationwide Survey on Fitness & Love

Trying to find your swole-mate in between all the workouts and meal prep? Keeping fit and finding love isn’t always easy.

However, our new survey results show that Americans are taking to flirting in the gym to score a date! Keep reading to find out how to woo your gym-crush this Valentine’s Day.

• The BEST technique for flirting in the gym is to ‘just smile and try to make conversation’ (54%)
• Avoid this! The LEAST popular flirting method is to ‘stare at them’, with 41% voting this as the worst thing to do in the gym
• Don’t be shy! 85% of people are flattered when they’re shown some romantic attention in the gym!
• Those aged 41+ have the highest success rate when it comes to flirting (57%)

The Results

We surveyed 2,365 respondents across the US to uncover some of the likes and dislikes of flirty gym behavior across the country just in time for Valentine’s Day!

Participants, aged 18 to 70, were asked whether they have flirted or been flirted with in the gym, as well as their general opinion on it, with the results proving an overwhelming 85% of people were cool with receiving romantic attention at the gym!

The Best and Worst Techniques for Wooing Your Gym-Crush

The best technique for flirting in the gym was to ‘just smile and try to make conversation’ with over half of respondents (54%) saying this was the preferred way to meet someone. ‘Making friends in common to talk to them’ was the second favorite, with 17% voting this is a great way to flirt in the gym. These answers suggest that being open and friendly are the most successful techniques if you want to get to know each other.

In contrast, ‘staring at your gym-crush’ was voted the worst way to flirt by 41% of respondents. Similarly, don’t be too big-headed as 18% of respondents agreed that ‘showing off’ in the gym is a major turn-off. If you were thinking ‘a cheesy workout-related pick-upline’ might be the to way their heart, think again! - 13% of respondents agreed there was no whey this would work!

The results show that men are much more open to flirting in the gym than women. 88% of men said they like or don’t mind flirting in the gym compared to 76% of women answering this way.

Those aged 51+ are the most open to flirting in the gym, with 95% saying they are cool with it. Comparatively, only 78% of respondents aged36-40 convey a positive sentiment to flirting in the gym.

With the majority of respondents saying they like or don’t mind flirting in the gym, it’s no surprise that almost a third (29%) of US adults say that have actually tried to make a move in the gym. Of those that have tried to flirt in the gym, over half (55%) say their efforts were successful!

Figure 1:  Chart showing the breakdown of American’s opinions on flirting in the gym.

Cardio Bunny to Valentine’s Honey – Who’s The Most Lucky In Love?

Almost a third of all Americans (27%) say they have had success from flirting in the gym which outranks more conventional methods of flirting! Comparatively, online dating results in a committed relationship 20% of the time [1], and women have a 9% chance of meeting someone in a bar with men having only a 2% chance. [2]

Of those who were successful at flirting in the gym, the results show that men are marginally more successful than women, with men having a 56% success rate and women 53%.

However, those aged 41+ are the most successful at flirting in the gym with a staggering 57% success rate!

Across the nation, 15% of respondents say they love the idea of flirting in the gym but haven’t had the courage to give it a go!

Despite men having a higher success rate at flirting than women, young men are actually the shyest when it comes to meeting someone new. Half of male respondents and 53% of those aged 18-30 saying they like the idea of flirting in the gym but have never had the guts to try it.

How much does your region flirt in the gym?

The West is the region with the highest % of people who admitted to having flirted in the gym (37%), giving them the title of flirtiest region.

This flirty region prefers to flirt by socializing with their gym-crush, having the highest % of people who think ‘making friends in common’ (29%) and ‘joining the same workout classes’ (10%) are the best ways to flirt in the gym.

Arizona is the gym-buddy capital, having the highest % of people who think ‘asking to work-in with them’ is the best way to flirt at the gym (22%).

Californians are cardio Casanovas with 92% saying that they are cool with or don’t mind flirting in the gym, and a quarter say their flirting techniques have been successful.

Nevada has the highest % of people who think ‘a cheesy workout-related pick-up line’ is a good way to flirt in the gym (29%).

In contrast to the nation’s preferred technique of ‘just smiling’, respondents from Oregon believe ‘offering some workout advice’ (25%) and ‘making friends in common’ (75%) are the best ways to flirt at the gym.

States in the Northeast have the highest overall % of people who are cool with flirting in the gym – 93% compared to the national average of 85%.

Respondents from New Jersey are huge fans of flirting, with 100% saying they either like or don’t mind flirting in the gym.

Smiling will get you far in New York with 72% of respondents saying ‘just smile and try to make conversation’ is the best way to meet someone.

Respondents from Pennsylvania believe ‘asking to work in with them’ is a good flirting technique, with 15% agreeing.

The Mid-West has the highest % of people who are lucky in love, with almost a third (30%) saying their flirting techniques at the gym were a success.

Indiana are open to new flirting techniques, with 81% of respondents indicating they are cool with flirting or being flirting with at the gym.

Avoid any corny ‘pick-up lines’ in Michigan as 25% of respondents from this state think ‘a cheesy workout-related pick-up line’ is the worst way to flirt at the gym.

In contrast to the nation’s preferred technique of ‘just smiling’, 20% of respondents from fashion-conscious Ohio say they like to ‘compliment the gym gear’ of their gym-crush.

Over a third (31%) of respondents from Wisconsin believe that ‘making friends in common’ to talk to their crush is the best way to flirt with their gym-crush.

Respondents from Kansas are super flirty with 67% admitting they have tried to flirt in the gym.

Where all other regions agreed that ‘staring’ is the worst flirting technique, states in the South have the highest % of people who dislike ‘showing off’ as a flirting technique (23%).

Texans above 50 are fans of flirting in the weight-room! Over half said they love flirting in the gym. Fitness fanatics from the Lone Star State also think the worst way to flirt in the gym is by ‘complimenting someone’s gym gear’ with 22% agreeing.

Florida don’t believe in a single approach to flirting at the gym, with respondents favoring both ‘just smiling’ (35%) and ‘making friends in common’ (31%) as the best flirting combination.

Flirters in Maryland are lost in love with 86% tragically not knowing whether their flirting techniques were successful or not.

Flaunting your muscles is a major turn-off in North Carolina, with half of respondents saying ‘showing off’ is the worst way to flirt in the gym.

South Carolinans have their flirting techniques perfected with 67% of respondents from this state saying they have been successful at flirting in the gym.

Arkansas are the least lucky in love, having the highest % of people whose flirting techniques weren’t successful – 67% compared to the national average of 28%.

Tennessee is hard to please with respondents from this state voting that ‘complimenting gym gear’, ‘offering some workout advice’, ‘showing off’ and ‘staring’ are all equally bad ways of flirting in the gym (22% each).

Conclusion

Ultimately, our survey shows that Americans are very open to flirting or being flirted with at the gym, and that this way of meeting someone new often results in a date or relationship.

This popularity of flirting in the gym opens new doors for singles knowing that the gym is a place you could meet your next date.

Although flirting in the gym is a modern way of meeting someone new, you don’t necessarily need to put a fitness spin on your romantic routine. The tried and tested methods of just smiling and getting to know someone are still the best flirting techniques out there.

If you want to surprise your gym-crush or treat your fitness lover this Valentine’s, why not check out our recommended Valentine’s Day fitness gifts?

For any related press queries, please contact press.myprotein@thehutgroup.com