People you hate at your gym

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:1. Guy who won't let me work in on the squat rack in between his sets. Fortunately, it's rare.

2. Trying to get in on the smith machine for a quick set of 8 pushups. Girl doing squats on smith machine first questions why I would need it for pushups then says "one more set". Plays with phone for a minute or two then does a "set" of 30. WTF. I should have just snapped back with why on earth are you using the smith machine for squats?? Terrible way to do squats but I'm not about to say something to her.


Mostly people are alright though. Once I got into lifting I started asking bros who look like they know what they are doing to help me out and if I have questions about an exercise they're doing they're always happy to talk.

I use the smith machine for squats (and lunges) and can't think of how you would do pushups with it...! (But I wouldn't care if you wanted to do country line dancing in there--your turn is your turn)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Once I was in a yoga class that tends to be very packed every week. A woman came in about 10 minutes late and tried to squeeze in between some people in front of me. The girl who was asked to move - maybe 23 years old - said, "No, I'm not moving. I got here on time. Perhaps you should leave and come back on time next week." The whole class could hear her. I almost applauded. I've always wished I could be the person to put a stop to the people who come in late and disrupt everything in a full or over-full class.

My pet peeve is people who camp out on machines and rest more than they're actually working out, and play on their phones while they rest. I just want to get in, move quickly between stations, do my 25 reps and get out. If someone is hogging one machine (the only one of its kind) for 15-20 minutes, I can't use it and that just annoys me. If you need a single circuit weight station for that long, you are doing it wrong. And yes, I'll ask to work in, but the same people who hog machines are typically the ones who aren't very nice if you ask to work in.

So hateful, so rude - a yoga class? How humiliating! This makes my stomach turn. I have no idea why you find this admirable (or even acceptable!).

For all anyone knows, the woman could have been having the day from hell and was stuck in traffic that made her late to the class. Big deal. Have some compassion!

Not pp, but I don't think it's necessarily rude. If you attended classes regularly, you know who the regular faces are. I would be MORE than happy to accommodate a regular face I see, who normally comes early or on time, but was late one day. I'm absolutely happy to make space/room.

But just the same, if you attend classes regularly, you know who the chronic late-comers are. They do it regularly, even though class starts on time every week. No patience for those folks. It's extremely rude and selfish to expect others to constantly accommodate you. Ditto for the people who are chronically late in their regular life - they have no respect for other people's time.

And while I think instructors should be a little firm about the "rules," usually announcements are made at the beginning of classes, which the chronic late-comers conveniently miss. Often these are also the types to sneak out early every class.

[Anonymous]

Those who come to class late and leave early.

I bet they're the same ones who do this at work.

[Anonymous]

Don't hate, but he is annoying. Walks around with his chest puffed out, wearing 1980's garb, chomping gum with mouth open. He thinks he's hot. He's far from it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'm working in an Eastern European country where the gym culture and attitudes are totally different, and I hate them. Here, people strongly believe that cold air (air conditioning) AND open windows are unhealthy. It is so stifling hot in the gym that I could barely breath as I ran on the treadmill. But people became indignant if I open the window or ask to have the air conditioner on, and it seems no one else is bothered by the stale heat. Also, in the changing room I see women wrapping/unwrapping plastic cling wrap around their abdomens; they believe it helps burn stomach fat. I recently got a home treadmill and am much happier now.

I worked and worked out in Switzerland and also saw the "cold makes you sick" at my gym as well. Strangely, in Scandinavia they think cold/fresh air is healthy and will crack the windows at night even in winter.

[Anonymous]

There's a woman who walks on the treadmill, for what seems like 5 hours. She walks very slowly, or sometimes faster, but needs to hold on to the bars. She comes with a library of newspapers, magazines, and spreads it out all over the place.

Brings small cups (8-10oz) of coffee (provided by the gym) with her to the treadmill, with 10+ splendas in it (I've seen her pour packet after packet after packet). Then hangs out in the locker room, takes up the only couch in the small lounge area, spread out with her suitcase (not kidding) of stuff. Does her hair and makeup, then goes to "work out."

And then often talks on her phone while on the treadmill.

[Anonymous]

are there benches where people like me can just come and watch the freak show? this sounds like better people watching than the boardwalk.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:are there benches where people like me can just come and watch the freak show? this sounds like better people watching than the boardwalk.

I don't know. But I've seen lots of folks lounging around on the equipment. Shooting the breeze, staring into space, people watching....doing whatever they do I guess.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:are there benches where people like me can just come and watch the freak show? this sounds like better people watching than the boardwalk.

I don't know. But I've seen lots of folks lounging around on the equipment. Shooting the breeze, staring into space, people watching....doing whatever they do I guess.

This is why I stopped going to the gym on my college campus. It was very difficult to get in and get out in a timely manner based on what you stated above.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:1. Guy who won't let me work in on the squat rack in between his sets. Fortunately, it's rare.

2. Trying to get in on the smith machine for a quick set of 8 pushups. Girl doing squats on smith machine first questions why I would need it for pushups then says "one more set". Plays with phone for a minute or two then does a "set" of 30. WTF. I should have just snapped back with why on earth are you using the smith machine for squats?? Terrible way to do squats but I'm not about to say something to her.


Mostly people are alright though. Once I got into lifting I started asking bros who look like they know what they are doing to help me out and if I have questions about an exercise they're doing they're always happy to talk.

I use the smith machine for squats (and lunges) and can't think of how you would do pushups with it...! (But I wouldn't care if you wanted to do country line dancing in there--your turn is your turn)

Hah! My chest is not that strong. So to churn out reps of pushups I put the bar low and put my hands on that and am gradually getting closer to a floor pushup. So let's say day 1 you're at waist height, you gradually just move the bar lower until you are doing pushups on the floor. Harder than a knee pushup and gets you closer to a floor pushup.

As for squats, if you have a free standing squat rack try that - it gets a lot more bang for your buck since you have to stabilize the bar a bit, so the muscles in your outer and inner thigh get some more action. And, you are free to move along the horizontal plane, too

Re: Country line dancing - you are nicer than I am. I rage when I see people doing bicep curls in the squat rack, but am mollified if they let me work in.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There's a guy at my gym who randomly yells (at the top of his lungs) HOO-RAH while on the treadmill. Scares the shit out of me every time.

Is this at the Gold's in Lorton? Scares me every time too!

I encounter him at Equinox in Bethesda, but maybe he travels! ?

[Anonymous]

HOO-RAH at Equinox Bethesda scares the crap out of me too!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:
I never hated her, I only had great compassion and felt helpless.

There was a 4-hour a day woman, who was clearly unhealthy. Skeletal, and was full-cardio for hours at a time. Sometimes she went so slowly and took such effort, it was painful to watch.

The managers were aware of her presence, she was there religiously. They, from my understanding, never took her aside or counseled her out. They were successful in removing someone else who was far, farrrrr worse off.

Is this at Lifetime in Centreville? There is a painfully anorexic woman who is there all the time.

[Anonymous]

People who reserve their bike at spin class...

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There's a guy at my gym who randomly yells (at the top of his lungs) HOO-RAH while on the treadmill. Scares the shit out of me every time.

Is this at the Gold's in Lorton? Scares me every time too!

I encounter him at Equinox in Bethesda, but maybe he travels! ?

His brother must be the one at another gym periodically yelling " THIS IS WHAT I LIVE FOR!" while running on the treadmill. I don't go to that location anymore because of him.