To me, going to the gym is an intensely personal experience, mostly because I don't want anyone standing too close after working out for an hour. That's also why I find the concept of picking someone up at the gym to be so foreign, so misguided, so inescapably gross. When you're trying to make a romantic connection, the goal is to be looking, acting and feeling your best. Past minute five on the treadmill, chances are none of those things will be true.
But I'm a sex columnist, which means keeping an open mind. Rather than merely dismissing the phenomenon, I figured it might be worthwhile to look at the why and wherefore of gym hook-ups.
First, there's the obvious, so let's get that out of the way. We look awkward when we're working out, but it's probably on par with how we look in the bedroom. If you're looking to meet someone for sex, that whole heaving breath, covered in sweat thing is probably something you're going to have to get used to.
At the same time, there's got to be more to it than that. Knowing that a potential mate will eventually look silly in the throes of passion doesn't necessarily mean you want a sneak preview. Perhaps it's not just simple logic. What if there's-dare I say it-science involved?
Let's go back to the "covered in sweat" situation. Not the sexiest three words in the English language, granted, but maybe that initial "ick" response is only surface level. In fact, "covered in sweat" might be just what you need to get yourself going. Body odor usually doesn't smell great, but it may be doing more than meets the nose. Starts with a "p." Ends with a "heromones."
My scientific education at UC Berkeley consisted of Astronomy 10 and a class about marine mammals, so I'm not going to pretend to know much (read: anything) about human biology. Instead, I'll defer to down-to-earth science writer-and Oakland resident!-Mary Roach. In her latest book, "Bonk: The Curious Coupling of Science and Sex," she writes, "A compound called androstenone was found to exist in men's underarm sweat. Androstenone had long been known as a potent swine sex pheromone; when a pig in heat sniffs it, she becomes receptive to being mounted by a boar."
OK, androstenone is something only guys produce. Not to mention the fact that its effect on women and gay men is still pretty much speculative. Still, it's something, a possible explanation for a courtship phenomenon that continues to boggle my hygiene-loving mind.