The way I see it, most people fall into two categories when it comes to the gym: Those who embrace the sweaty workout sessions and shake those protein bottles faster than your local bartender when he whips up a martini. And those who validate all the walking you do to and forth the fridge in between those Netflix binge sessions as cardio.

The past few months something inside of me clicked. I went from hitting the snooze button to waking up before 6am so I could get a solid gym session in before work.

While I was on the treadmill, hoping I looked like one of those fit Instagram models, I realised the people at the gym are actually symbolic of various different life lessons.

#1 The Aggressively Loud Grunter

At every gym you’ll have that one person who grunts so loud when they’re lifting that you’d think it’s a mating call. They draw excessive attention to themselves when there really isn’t much to show for it.

Similarly, in life you’ll come across people who’ll post pictures of the sunlight hitting their bed during those early hours with the #grind posts on their Insta stories, but will immediately proceed to pull the covers over their head and get an extra hour of sleep instead.

This just goes to show that some people talk smack but don’t know how to get their hands dirty when it comes down to it.

#2 The Subtle Grower

Similarly, you’ll have that one skinny guy who you never really notice in the corner. Quietly, he’s increasing his bicep curl counts as the weeks and months pass then BAM: he hits you with that glo-up. I’m talking brace face in high school to Bradley Cooper in uni kinda glo-up!

It’s important to note that not everyone you meet likes to update the world of their hustle game through social media. Some like to keep it low key and let the work speak for itself. But that doesn’t mean they aren’t staying up and hitting their targets. Sometimes the only person you need to check-in with is yourself, not Facebook.

#3 The Pusher

Then there’s the pusher. If you take a moment to observe your next gym session you’ll notice that every gym pair has an assigned hype person. The one person who’ll push you to do an extra set when you don’t want to. The one person who’ll add those extra 10kgs because she knows you’re capable of going that extra mile. She’ll yell out whatever it is you need to hear to prepare you mentally so you can progress physically.

We all need that person in our lives. Even though your ambitions are based on you efforts, behind every successful person is a hype person picking you up when you’re worn out. Find that person and keep em close.

#4 The New Year, New Me

Finally, there’s the New Year’s resolution person. That one person who joins on the 1^st of January and basically disappears faster than your Tinder date on a Saturday night. This is the type of person who’ll turn up motivated and go hard for a few weeks before dropping off the face of the planet.

I’m not saying it’s easy to stay consistent with external factors coming into play. But we also know that Rome wasn’t built in a day. When you want to achieve a personal goal, understand that it can be time consuming and might require a life-long commitment, but it’s worth putting a ring on.

(Lead image: How I Met Your Mother/CBS)