(BlackFitness101.com) So what’s a gym potato? Glad you asked. A gym potato is the gym equivalent of a couch potato, a person who has found a comfy spot in the gym and consequently is seeing zero results. Now, I know a person has the right to do whatever he or she pleases in the gym. And, while I do give props to the person who has found their way from the couch to the gym, if you are investing money in a monthly membership, you may as well get the best bang for your buck. So use the following Gym Potato checklist to see where you measure up.
Sign#1
Makes a ‘Couch’ of the Treadmill
The treadmill is to the gym potato what the sofa is to the couch potato; when used repeatedly it becomes nothing more than a stationary movement on a motorized belt. What does a person do on a sofa? Sit or lie comfortably. Switch channels with the help of a remote control. Never experience any degree of challenge. In many ways, the gym potato experiences the same on a treadmill – especially when it becomes the cardio machine of choice.
Solution:
Get off the tread! Get out and exercise under the skies. Get to a 
park. Take a long, brisk walk.. Once those endorphins kick in you may just fall in love with the tread and all of that equipment again! Try something new. Challenge yourself. One great alternative is outdoor running. It improves your functionality, which means you automatically improve your agility, balance and coordination. The bottom line is you recruit and use more muscles with outdoor running or power walking than you would by running on a flat, motorized belt.
Sign#2
Heart Rate Rarely Exceeds Workload
The most important variable of an effective workout is the heart rate. If your heart rate does not exceed your resting heart rate, you won’t achieve many results. The greater your workload in the gym, the higher the heart rate. For the gym potato, there is no such thing as workload, which means their heart rate won’t amount to much, which means a less effective workout.
Solution:
Focus on achieving more from your workout by increasing your workload. Focus on getting and keeping your heart to between 60-70% of your maximum heart rate (To calculate your maximum heart rate subtract your age from 220). Anything over 70% of your max is considered vigorous training, so make sure to check with a doctor if you wish to increase this variable. Get a plan. Hire a trainer. Know what you want to accomplish. Do not equate exercise with a chore. This is a common feeling that afflicts more than just the gym potato. But it hurts the gym potato more because usually the gym potato is already invested in a gym membership and is losing money.
Sign#3
Performs as Many Texts as Reps
Ever walk up to a station in the gym and somebody’s on it? Except they aren’t exactly using the station because they immersed in their cell phones checking social media, sending and receiving texts and checking email. It drives most fitness buffs crazy.
Solution:
If that’s you, it can wait! Know and stick to a plan. Target a specific muscle group and stay focused. Leave the cell in a locker or at least put everyone on notice that it’s your ‘me time’ and you will get with them later. Phase out social media and checking texts and emails until after your workout. In fact, leave your cell at home or at least in your gym bag.
Sign#4
Is a Gym Socialite
One reason why the gym potato doesn’t get any work in is because gym potatoes don’t go to the gym to work; they often go to the gym for social purposes. In short, the gym potato lives vicariously through the workouts of others. The gym potato roams the gym in search of conversation, not stations at which to work-out. They can be spotted on the leg press station tweeting and texting or chatting with their nearest neighbor.
Solution:
Get the most of your gym time! Hold up on the socializing. A good, solid workout only takes about four percent of your time. Get it in and then get to your socializing.
If your gym experience comes near any of the above, reevaluate your goals and become more focused on results.
Staff Writer; W. Eric Croomes
This talented brother is a holistic lifestyle exercise expert and founder and executive coach of Infinite Strategies LLC, a multi-level coaching firm that develops and executes strategies for fitness training, youth achievement and lifestyle management. Eric is an author, fitness professional, holistic life coach and motivational speaker.
In October 2015, Eric released Life’s A Gym: Seven Fitness Principles to Get the Best of Both, which shows readers how to use exercise to attract a feeling of wellness, success and freedom (Infinite Strategies Coaching LLC, 2015) – http://www.infinitefitnesscoaching.com.