Bad gym behavior - vent

[Anonymous]

guy at the gym this morning was making such ridiculous moaning noises while lifting that I had to cover my face with towel to hide my laughter. Each groan was done with increasing loudness too.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This isn't really "bad behavior" necessarily, but I'm forever confused by women that go to the gym with makeup, or workout with their (longish) hair completely down. I just don't get it. What's the point?

If you're going to workout, you should break a sweat. But maybe they're there just for appearances?

What's confusing about this? Many women go to the gym directly from work or some other activity. Are they supposed to wash their faces before working out?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm 14:04 and I've asked in the past, and it hasn't always gotten a good response. People who are machine hogs don't always respond well to being asked. In most cases, I just do other stuff until they are done. I just thought this guy's behavior was obnoxious - blocking a machine (when there are a ton of other places to lift) for that long when it's the only one of its kind.

A couple weeks ago, some kid came up to me and asked if he could work in. I had literally been on the machine for one minute and planned to be on for one minute more. The machine had been unoccupied before I got on, and the person before that had been on for over 5 minutes. So I said "no, I'll be done in about a minute." He tried to get me to reconsider, and I wanted to say, "why didn't you use it when it was unoccupied?" It really annoyed me. In the time it took for him to ask me and for me to say "Just a minute", I could have been halfway done.

I don't think you understand what "working in" means. It means that when you are done with your set, you get up during your rest time and he uses the machine for one set, then you switch back and forth until one of you is done. If you are only using a maching for 2 minutes than you probably aren't doing it correctly.

Also, with the guy blocking the maching I would have asked "are you using this right now?" If he's not, I'm not sure how someone can save a machine. If he says yes, then just say, "okay, I'll wait" and stand there. He should then feel obliged to either use it himself or let you use it.

+`

14:04, you sound like a PITA that needs a home gym.

[Anonymous]

14:04 here - I understand what "working in" means, and I don't see the point in letting someone "work in" if I'm only going to be on the machine for 2 minutes, with no rest time. I do a full-body workout on about 20 minutes, and on most stations, 1-2 minutes is all I need to do about 25 reps. I would never ask someone if I could work in if they were only on for a couple minutes. I would ask someone if I could work in if I just needed to get in one more station and they'd been on it for a very long time. (otherwise, I will work around that station until it is open.)

I don't need a home gym. I have worked out almost daily for the last 10 years, and most gymgoers don't piss me off. But this is a vent thread about bad gym behavior and I posted the behavior I've recently seen that is outlier behavior.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:14:04 here - I understand what "working in" means, and I don't see the point in letting someone "work in" if I'm only going to be on the machine for 2 minutes, with no rest time. I do a full-body workout on about 20 minutes, and on most stations, 1-2 minutes is all I need to do about 25 reps. I would never ask someone if I could work in if they were only on for a couple minutes. I would ask someone if I could work in if I just needed to get in one more station and they'd been on it for a very long time. (otherwise, I will work around that station until it is open.)

I don't need a home gym. I have worked out almost daily for the last 10 years, and most gymgoers don't piss me off. But this is a vent thread about bad gym behavior and I posted the behavior I've recently seen that is outlier behavior.

yet you became annoyed because someone had the gall to ask to work in, and couldn't divine that you only do 25 reps in 2 minutes and not sets of three with rest times. likely you would have also been annoyed if he would have observed you long enough to see that you don't do sets.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:14:04 here - I understand what "working in" means, and I don't see the point in letting someone "work in" if I'm only going to be on the machine for 2 minutes, with no rest time. I do a full-body workout on about 20 minutes, and on most stations, 1-2 minutes is all I need to do about 25 reps. I would never ask someone if I could work in if they were only on for a couple minutes. I would ask someone if I could work in if I just needed to get in one more station and they'd been on it for a very long time. (otherwise, I will work around that station until it is open.)

I don't need a home gym. I have worked out almost daily for the last 10 years, and most gymgoers don't piss me off. But this is a vent thread about bad gym behavior and I posted the behavior I've recently seen that is outlier behavior.

Just understand that most people do more than one set of an exercise, so his request was reasonable. In your op, you indicated his request was bad gym behavior and it simply was not. You seem annoyed by people at your gym if they are in your way or simply talk to you.

[Anonymous]

Ah, yes, the conflict between the three-setters on one machine and the circuit riders. As a "circuit rider" I always try to work around the folks using a machine for three sets. I don't mind doing things in a different order but I hate it when they take a long time and I eventually have to ask to work in. But the discomfort is my problem because most people have no problem if you ask them to work in - they expect you to.

[Anonymous]

"People who have no space awareness in a fitness class and start to move move move into your space. "

+1 And add to that those women who show up to class 10-15 minutes late and set up in a tight space next to me when there are wide open spaces elsewhere. I get that you're "embarrassed" to show up late, but get over it and don't crowd me out of my space that I've been using for 15 minutes. Rude, rude, rude. I've actually said to women "There's wide open space right up there."

[Anonymous]

My favorite is people (mostly women) who want to talk on their phones using speakerphone while walking as slowly as humanly possible on the treadmill. Usually it involves relaying word for word whatever judge or crap talk show is on at the time. As loudly as possible.

But usually these folks look like they need the exercise so I don't say anything.

[Anonymous]

People that get on a cardio machine and set it for an hour during peak gym times when there are clearly people waiting. Dude, there is a sign asking you to keep your workout to 30 minutes or less! You are not special!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It annoys me so much when people sit on a weight machine and play with their phone (not exercising) while I wait to use it.
People at my gym are also known to put a jacket etc on a machine to "save" it while they use an adjacent machine. Anyone else have gym pet peeves?

You don't wait. You ask them, "Excuse me, do you mind if I work in?" In our gym you are not supposed to use your cell anyway.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP, those things bug me too. The other day I went to the gym and wanted to do some ab work on that captain's chair thing. (the only one.) This guy was standing RIGHT in front of it, lifting weights, blocking it. So I figured I'd work out at other stations and wait for him to finish. He stopped lifting a couple minutes later, but "saved" the machine by rolling the weights in front of it. He walked around the gym for awhile.

After I had literally lifted at 12 other circuit stations, he came back to the ab thing and stood in front of it for another 5 minutes without doing anything. Then he did about a minute of abs, then stood around again. While I did another 5 stations.

He and his stuff finally moved away from the machine - literally 20 minutes after he'd taken it over, and with him doing about 1 minute on the actual machine. I've never seen such ridiculous machine-hogging with so little actual workout involved.

I hate it when the grunters sound like they're having sex. It makes me feel like I'm intruding on something private - really uncomfortable.

FYI it's called a Roman chair.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This isn't really "bad behavior" necessarily, but I'm forever confused by women that go to the gym with makeup, or workout with their (longish) hair completely down. I just don't get it. What's the point?

If you're going to workout, you should break a sweat. But maybe they're there just for appearances?

A couple of days ago I looked at the car next to me in the parking lot and a woman who was also going to the same class I was (60+) was putting on makeup beforehand. I don't get it either.

[Anonymous]

Women who hang around the shower/locker area, chatting with each other and blocking the common areas, while I'm trying to blow dry, dress and get out of there as quickly as possible. After one or two "excuse me" prompts, they should take a hint and move to a corner or out entirely.

[Anonymous]

Back to annoyances:

Men (it's always the men) who don't wipe their sweat off the machine. Yes, that Seinfeld episode. Gross, gross, gross.