Law Student Scams Way Into City's Gyms

It's hard enough to motivate to go to the gym, nevermind trying to scam a free workout every time you need to feel the burn. 24-year-old Columbia Law student Julia Neyman (pictured) has dedicated herself to scoring a full year of free workouts, however—and of course, she's blogging about it.

The thriftster has sweet-talked her way into gyms and yoga studios throughout the five boroughs, without having to pay a dime. She tells the Daily News, "All want my nonexistent money, and they're willing to lure me with the offer of a free session, or sometimes even a free week." She credits her mostly successful endeavours to "desperation, and the willingness to travel all over the five boroughs to make sure my workout is gratis."

She has 11 more months before reaching her year-long goal, and has already hit a few snags when Equinox called her out on her shenanigans, and David Barton Gym in Chelsea didn't fall for her flirting tactics (because, she realized, it was a "predominantly gay gym: My gender had absolutely zero pull"). She may have some more trouble now that her story has hit mainstream media... but no worries, surely having to "lie, finagle, and beg" on a weekly basis is all doubling as training for her career in law.

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By Jen Carlson in News on February 22, 2010 4:25 PM

Comments [rss]

Rocknrope

Here's a nice, close-minded bit from her blog:

"I felt compelled to try my hand at legit, whole, creepy-looking spider of the seas. And where else do you buy octopus, but in Chinatown, the place for all things creepy and smelling of the sea?

A word of advice to this déclassé mooch: stick to writing legal briefs. Your prose is amateurish and unfunny.

mrguy

BO-RING

Lame person, lame story. Wake me when she actually gets through a year of this. I'd be surprised if she's even telling the truth about doing it for a month. What law student has the time to travel "all over the 5 boroughs" to work out? and why would they? this all sounds like BS.

robingee

A jog in the park is free and a lot less travel time.

ANGRYGOD11

Most people I know who went to law school had no time.

Her blog was interesting. However, instead of blogging and running around town for free gym trials, she should just use the school gym and hit the books.

aspiringrapper

Why do you keep highlighting these opportunistic/self-serving skanks?

Wouldn't attendance at Columbia include admission to whatever on campus athletic facilities they have?

Classless. Disgusting. Future lawyer.

asg749d

I wish she never gets a job in creative, financial-crisis-inducing finance at a big firm in the city...

doo

Nice job using motivate as an intransitive verb. That's a new one to me.

NannyState

Looks like she found some free pizza.

rlhbomb

She will get her little 15 minutes, a gym will offer her a free membership in hopes of some free publicity. She will blog about how she got a free gym membership.

WHO CARES.

verbal

Law student = future whore/liar/thief; are any of you really that shocked?

Listen honey, work that ass real tight and work on your back for a few years. You'll pay off that school debt in no time.

JenChungsBaby

I'm exercizing my taint muscles right now. Free of charge.

Angelheaded Hipster

a whole year of working out ain't gonna help that mug she's got

valeriob

Ouch, easy there...

henryhamilton

I used to work the desk at a popular gym. This schemeing little harridan is pretty typical.

bigmikebrooklyn

you keep using that word, i do not think it means what you think it means.

nycviabos

And Columbia Law had the nerve to reject my application?! At least I know how to do sit-ups and push-ups at home for free.

whyyyy

seriously. shouldn't she be studying?!

Jon

1. Use the friggen Colombia Student gym

2. You're gonna be a columbia educated lawyer act like a friggen adult and not like a jobless hipster blogger. You will make gobbs of money when you graduate so suck it up and buy a gym membership, some are only 30$.

3. LAWLZ @ Barton gym comment.

JMH

I've gotta give her credit for one thing, though: "Buns of Steal" is a good title.

Regarding longacre's comment about the NY bar having an issue with this, I don't really see why they would. "[S]cams", as used in the post title, isn't really the right word. She's not really doing anything illegal, she's just taking advantage of all kinds of free offers that are out there, and conceptually flirting with a guy at a gym check-in desk to get a free workout isn't any worse than flirting with a guy at a bar to get a free drink. She's a penny-pincher, sure, but she's hardly a criminal.