ONE MORE AT THE GYM

A stranger grabbed her arms mid-set, shoved them back onto the machine, and barked, "One more!"

The poster, a 32-year-old woman, says the whole thing happened at her gym, and that it was only the latest in a string of unwanted interactions she wanted none of. Most days, she keeps to herself. She talks briefly to staff, maybe exchanges a few words with someone using equipment, and then goes back to work. Partly, she says, it's about efficiency. Mostly, it's because she goes to the gym "stoned AF" and wants to stay in her zone.

The first test came after a workout, when she stopped at food carts near the gym for tacos. A man in his 40s or older told her he went to the same gym and insisted on walking with her and talking. She was annoyed, but tried to be polite and get away quickly.

Then he appeared again.

Back at the gym, she was foam rolling with headphones in when he came over, said hi, and offered a fist bump. She acknowledged him briefly, but ignored the fist bump and avoided eye contact. The next day, he was there again. He didn't approach right away, but later, while she was doing leg lifts, he came back and tried to fist bump her once more.

This time, she pulled one headphone out and shut it down plainly.

"Look man, I don't want to do this. I'm here to work out, I'm not here to make friends. I don't want to talk to you, okay."

He answered, "I was just saying hi."

"Yeah, I get it. Please don't."

Then she put her headphone back in and kept going.

In an update, the poster said the reaction had nothing to do with attraction or awkwardness differences. She said she struggles with conversation no matter who it is if it goes past a single question and response. She also mentioned a post-it note she keeps in her gym bag: "Hi, my name is (name). I think you're cute, but I want to respect your gym time. Text me if you want to get coffee sometime." She said she has never handed it to anyone.

Then came the incident that really rattled her.

While doing isolated bicep curls, she felt a face suddenly three inches from hers. A plump, middle-aged man in a baseball cap grabbed her arms and forced them back onto the machine's handles. "One more!" he told her.

She pulled away and confronted him. He rolled his eyes and said, "Actually, I wanted to use that." She shot back, "What the f***?!" and told him she was in the middle of a set. He drifted off.

She said she was shaking.

Another man then walked up and told her, "You really shouldn't have to put up with that." She thanked him.

Afterward, she reported the baseball cap incident to the gym manager. She hasn't seen that man since and doesn't know whether he was banned or simply stopped coming. As for the man from the food carts, she says he hasn't approached her again. They've been in the same space a couple times, and she says she's good at pretending people do not exist during workouts.