I 24M have been going to the gym consistently for over a year now. By no means do I think I’m some attractive man but I do constantly get complimented on how my body looks as I am relatively lean with little body fat. Because of this recently some of my female coworkers have asked me to help them get in shape. They are very attractive women as well constantly getting stared at from other guys at the gym so they like to stay around me as kind of like a bodyguard (at least for the ones they find creepy). I usually go by myself as I don’t like being the center of attention and am really just at the gym to work out but since they all have started coming I have noticed a number of more people particularly women staring in my direction. I am by no means an antisocial person and have made multiple male acquaintances at the gym. However because of the stares I get from women I feel a little uncomfortable going up to them to have a conversation especially when I have anywhere between two to five women around me at all times. They aren’t disgusted stares but they also aren’t welcoming stares either they are very quick and subtle immediately looking away when I see them. I am single and do find some of the women in the gym attractive but when they make consistent eye contact with me it doesn’t seem like it’s one where it is okay for me to approach so I am genuinely confused.

Edit:

I’ve read a lot of these things so I’m going to add a little bit more context. My female friends are attractive but I honestly don’t want nothing to do with them sexually. I work with them for one and I don’t work relationships and they have told me some things that I know I wouldn’t want my partner to be like so I’m cool of them.

Also I understand how some women don’t like to be hit on in the gym. But the benefit of going to the gym with some of my female friends is that at least from their perspective they don’t mind being hit on as long as it is from a person they are physically attracted too. I’ve heard them constantly say amongst each other “hey that cute guy here again”. I’ve even helped some of them secure numbers since like I said before I have no problem being social in a setting. It’s just weird knowing how people see women going to the gym as oh don’t approach them but on the flip side I hear girls talk about how they want some guys to approach them. It’s kind of like a battle between two ideas that both contradict each other.