So I'm nerdy. If you need confirmation of just how nerdy, look at some of the tabletop rpg stuff I post on r/pathfinder. Yeah, it's like that.
3 years ago, at the urging of a friend and personal curiosity, I started working out, and became active in the whole fitness community to ensure I was doing it optimally. I was nearly certain I would have nothing in common with the "bros" at the gym, but I was doing this for me, not them.
There were some of the stock characters I expected- the obnoxious guy who SCREAMS every time he does a rep, the obnoxious guy loudly bragging about his maxes, etc, but these were the outliers.
The majority of people at the gym just popped in their music and did a workout. I appreciated this, especially since I was embarrassed about my physique at first.
As I slowly progressed through my first year, I began to make acquaintances. (It's difficult not to when you see someone 500 times at a water fountain or near the free weights.)
The oddest thing was that most of the guys, especially the "big" ones, seemed to have personalities inverse to what I'd allowed myself to believe about gym rats. Without exception, they were quiet, rarely went out (beer is empty calories), and spent most of their time working on their physiques in one manner or another. They reminded me more of extremely passionate programmers than the stereotypes I'd been fed.
The more social gym goers tended to either not come regularly, not make progress, drop out after a month, or just be generally less fit than the very serious folk.
The serious gym goers never talked about slamming beers or anything else stereotypical- mostly it was discussion about supplements, new programs, fitness research, and how many slices of pizza they were going to eat on cheat day. Many of them were singularly focused on fitness, and seemed to genuinely enjoy spending all their free time improving their physiques. They didn't have time to be frat boys- that was for casuals just looking to keep the beer weight off.
I guess the whole point of this was to highlight that I was wrong to stereotype these people and project my insecurities on them. I was also floored by how much they reminded me of the people I met through tabletop rpgs. Though frankly the rpg people were probably more social.
Idk if this is the right place to put this, but it kinda blew my mind. The people I'd always written off as meat heads were mostly studious, courteous, and reserved. The hyper-macho frat-boy stereotype I had envisioned didn't exist. People who live like that inevitably get fat.
So... yeah... sometimes people/communities can surprise you. Don't be a judgemental dick like i was. Also, even if you feel insecure about your physique, or personal interests- consider signing up at your local gym. You may have a lot in common with the people there if you're as geeky as I am.
