I'm just not that into you

My morning gym experience has been ruined by a guy that keeps talking to me. I'm there to work out, not make friends. I don't know how to tactfully tell him to go away. I know it's my fault for letting him talk to me in the first place, but it's becoming weird.

I've even started wearing my wedding rings when lifting weights and no weight-lifting gloves. You should see the callouses I've developed on my palms in the last couple of weeks. Plus it hurts like hell lifting 25-pound dumbells while wearing rings. I know he knows I'm married, I think he's just lonely. He told me he had to break up with his girlfriend last fall because she was crazy and since then he's gained 30 pounds. Do I seriously need to know these things?

He likes to get on the elliptical next to me when I'm doing my cardio, then come down and lift weights with me. He's told more than once that I'm a beautiful woman and he really appreciates seeing a woman sweat and lift weights and blah blah blah. See what I mean? It's getting kind of icky.

A guy friend of mine told me to tell him I'm flattered, but I'm really there to workout and not socialize. I'm trying to build up the courage to do this, but I'm not good at rejecting people. I guess I'm going to have to learn. I feel sort of sorry for him, but it's really starting to hinder my workouts.

I don't think I'm doing or saying anything that would make him think I'm interested, and he doesn't appear stupid, but I just don't know how to get rid of him. I know he works out at 6am so I'm doing my best to work out at 5am or at lunch or at night. That's how I deal with difficult things in general, just avoid them. It's my standard M.O. in life, avoidance.

I'm not sure how much longer I can get up at 4:40 a.m. to make a 5 a.m. workout. I hate working out at night and can only do a noon workout if I'm telecommuting (like today). It kind of sucks to be honest. There really should be a rule at the gym, just like the "only use cardio equipment for 30 minutes", there should be a rule "don't speak to anyone that you don't know".