The guys at my gym still look at me with awe, and ask how I managed to nail “Anna Kournikova.”

No, I didn’t actually sleep with that unbelievably hot Russian tennis player who is also a worldwide sex symbol. But there WAS a girl at my gym who looked JUST like her — so much so that we all referred to her (behind her back) by that nickname.

And we ALL would have crawled a mile over broken glass to bang her!

This girl was BEYOND hot, and she was Russian, too (with a super-sexy accent). She would show up at the gym wearing skimpy little spandex shorts that revealed a world-class ass, and a skin-tight top that showed off breasts that were so unbelievably perfect that we all assumed she had implants.

(As I eventually found out, “Anna” was all natural…)

Anyway, allow me to rewind, explain how it went down, and give you some tips on how to approach women at the gym…

First, very few guys have any clue about how to approach women at the gym — and so they don’t even try. They think it would be weird, or awkward, to approach a woman while she’s in the middle of a workout, or cooling down and getting ready to leave.

They figure she’s in her own “zone,” focused on her exercise, and not in the mood to have some stranger walk up and start talking to her.

The funny (and ironic) thing is that most of the guys in the gym are there because they want to make themselves more attractive to women! They’re getting in shape and building up their muscles because they want girls to notice them.

And yet, when they’re actually IN the gym, they think the women there are somehow “off bounds.”

(Actually, nothing could be further from the truth. Hot girls LOVE going to the gym in their sexy outfits, so that they can get attention from guys and hopefully meet someone.)

The dudes who stand there holding barbells, wondering about how to approach women at the gym, are missing out on GOLDEN opportunities. So if you want to know how to approach women at the gym, I’ll tell you how I was finally able to score a date with “Anna” and get her back to my place for a “private lesson.”

If there’s a girl at your gym that you want to talk to, wait until she’s deep into her workout session. Don’t try to talk to her when she first shows up, or when she gets on the Stairmaster ten minutes after arriving.

Let her work up a sweat. This means she’s feeling good and her brain is releasing endorphins (our natural pleasure chemical.) Technically, she’s actually feeling a bit “high” at this stage!

And if she’s been working out hard and could use a break, she’ll welcome the chance to chill out for a minute and talk to you. (IF you approach the right way, of course.)

So here’s the gym approach that I used with Anna (as she was doing her stretches after a hard workout, causing every guy in the gym to stop and stare):

“Hey, let me ask you something real quick. You look like you keep in good shape, and my friend Jennifer just had a baby — I’m the baby’s godfather, and he is soooo adorable — and anyway, Jennifer really wants to get back in shape and lose the weight she gained from her pregnancy. Do you know any trainers you can recommend? Or maybe some exercise classes?”

This approach worked on several levels. First, I did not ask permission. I didn’t say, “Excuse me, do you mind if I ask you something?” Screw that. Never give a girl a chance to say no to you. Jump right into it.

Second, I mentioned how I am the godfather to my friend Jennifer’s adorable baby. As a woman, I’m pushing some of her emotional buttons. If I’m a “godfather” to an infant, then I must be a sensitive, loving, protective guy.

Third, I threw out a specific QUESTION that is easy for her to answer. She’s a hot chick who works out a lot. Naturally, she wants to share her knowledge on this. So she starts talking about the best way to get my friend Jennifer back in the gym…

And from there, now that I’m “in the door,” I simply need to use the right conversation tactics to BRIDGE to other topics and build a connection with her.

We spent 45 minutes talking, then I used a “stealth” move to get her number and suggest a place for us to meet on Friday night, and the rest is history. Knowing how to approach women at the gym is actually very easy, when you use the right tactics.

Dean Cortez