This only works if you're handsome. I am trying this strategy at gym but yeah, they don't care.
They're more interested in guys who are good looking. And there are 3 guys in my gym who look way better than others and girls are attracted to them which is not hard to tell.
They will deliberately use the machine which is right next to them whereas they will avoid the one next to you. And after a while it gets so obvious that they don't want to be next to you that you just move to the farthest corner to avoid them completely.