gym rat

• gym-rat

gym rat (plural gym rats)

1. (colloquial) A person who spends an unusually large amount of time at a gym.
   • 1977, Newsweek 89

     Three decades ago, the trappings of sports equipment in those rooms took a magnetic hold on "gym rat" McGuire.

   • 1989, Larry Bird, Drive: The Story of My Life, page 42:

     I was a real "gym rat." I'd go home and eat, then come back to the gym and play some more. I mean, I practically lived in that gym.

   • 1995, David Rabe, A Primitive Heart:

     This gym rat dripping tattoos in a sweatshirt with the sleeves ripped off was brooding at the juke box, like it had just asked him a very difficult question that he was determined to answer.

   • 1998, Arnold Schwarzennegger, The New Encyclopedia of Modern Bodybuilding, page 672:

     They wore suits, casual pants, and sports shirts and generally managed to look like solid citizens rather than gym rats.

   • 2010, Eric Velazquez, “Power Pairings”, in Reps!, 17:84:

     For the average gym rat, Anthony recommends being wary of longer-than-necessary rest periods.

• gym bunny

• musclehead