Bad gym behavior - vent

[Anonymous]

I don't give it too much thought because people can work out however they want to, but when someone doing really whippy abdominal work, like all momentum, well, you can't help but notice that.

[Anonymous]

What are wimpy ab exercises?

[Anonymous]

The people who set the speed and incline of their treadmills up so high they have to hang onto the top to keep from flying off. That's an awesome workout! For your arms! ugh.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote: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.

They also never re-rack their weight plates. Dumbbells, yes, but weight plates on the hammer strength equipment, never. I often complain or get someone else to remove the 300 pounds of weight so I can put on my 45s.

YES! And it is always men. The smith machines or the hip sled is the worst. So many times I have had to strip off 6 or 8 45lb weights. If you are so strong, why is it so tough to take off the weights?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The people who set the speed and incline of their treadmills up so high they have to hang onto the top to keep from flying off. That's an awesome workout! For your arms! ugh.

Sometimes a good - and different - workout is setting it to a high incline. Especially with machines that go up to 50% incline, you need to hang on sometimes for safety.

I do not want to do the same workout every time.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The people who set the speed and incline of their treadmills up so high they have to hang onto the top to keep from flying off. That's an awesome workout! For your arms! ugh.

Sometimes a good - and different - workout is setting it to a high incline. Especially with machines that go up to 50% incline, you need to hang on sometimes for safety.

I do not want to do the same workout every time.

50% incline? Are you climbing walls?

I regularly use the incline for walking, but most of the machines go up to 15 degrees. No matter what setting you're using, if you have to hold on (for "safety" or otherwise), then you're doing it wrong. Slow down, lower the incline, and work your way up gradually. You are not doing yourself any favors or making yourself stronger by holding on.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

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.

Excuse me, may I use that while you're lift/walking around/not using it? Done.

+1

Seriously, PPs, can you explain why you can't just say "Are you using this? Can I work in?"

Right? I've had people say that to me and I'm fine with it. It happens all the time on the leg press. Only one press, tons of demand.

[Anonymous]

Anyone who leers. Walk into the gym and get several pervy guys just staring. So awkward.

[Anonymous]

I went to evaluate a new gym once, and they gave me a 1-week trial membership. I went after work, about 6pm, and headed straight for the free weights area. The area (which was a separate room, not open to the rest of the gym), was occupied by a group of about a dozen guys hanging out. They were lounging around on the benches and mats chatting, joking around. Occasionally one of them would get up, lift some heavy bar two or three times while his buddies cheered him on, then sit back down. It was clearly a hangout zone, not a workout zone. They all stopped and stared when I (125lb female) entered to room, and proceeded to watch me work out (nobody else lifted a single weight while I was in the room). I've been going to gyms my entire adult life, and have never felt so uncomfortable, I was seriously creeped out. I lasted about 15 min, and never went back to that gym.

[Anonymous]

Grunting for every rep. A random one here and there is expected if you are actually straining, but not every time.

Slamming weights down or dropping dumbbells. Use control going down, it not only works other muscles, but is safer. Olympic lifts are the only time dropping weight is acceptable. Even then old schoolers consider it unacceptable and teach controlled drops.

Not wiping off your stations or re-racking weights. Thanks for helping spread the already bacteria filled gym with your germs. You are likely resting between sets and have 20 seconds to put machine in condition you found it in.

Guys that stare at the few ladies in the weight room. I am a guy and this is so annoying, you are there to workout not find a wife. When I was in the military and at the base gym I could tell them to quit without worrying about starting an incident at least. Just as annoying is the girls that flirt with guys at the gym.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The people who set the speed and incline of their treadmills up so high they have to hang onto the top to keep from flying off. That's an awesome workout! For your arms! ugh.

Sometimes a good - and different - workout is setting it to a high incline. Especially with machines that go up to 50% incline, you need to hang on sometimes for safety.

I do not want to do the same workout every time.

50% incline? Are you climbing walls?

I regularly use the incline for walking, but most of the machines go up to 15 degrees. No matter what setting you're using, if you have to hold on (for "safety" or otherwise), then you're doing it wrong. Slow down, lower the incline, and work your way up gradually. You are not doing yourself any favors or making yourself stronger by holding on.

yes, there are treadmills that go up to 50% incline. Nordic makes (or made) them. I know some fitness firsts had them, as well as Golds. I happen to own won.

Don't knock it until you have tried it. It is a good workout - even holding on.