Please don't judge other people's work outs

bettieb1988

I dont know why people concern themselves so much with what other people are doing. It shoukdbt matter to anyone how someone else is working out. If its not affecting you who cares? That's how I see it anyways!

makelemonade14

I didn't realize people would judge my reading at the gym. It keeps my mind occupied, the same as someone else listening to music. If I'm not reading, I'm listening to a book. It gets my mind off the fact that I feel like dying.

My husband is a major people watcher and comes home with stories from the gym. It amazes me because there is no way I can focus on my workout if I'm busy watching everyone else. On the flip side, he thinks it's amazing I can read while working out. To each their own I guess.

(Although there are two reasons I've felt judgy at the gym… one guy who was the machine next to me with the fan blowing on him to me who smelled awful, and another guy who makes crazy loud grunting and counting noises with agonized face no matter what he's doing.)

Mustang_Susie

makelemonade14 wrote: »

(Although there are two reasons I've felt judgy at the gym… one guy who was the machine next to me with the fan blowing on him to me who smelled awful, and another guy who makes crazy loud grunting and counting noises with agonized face no matter what he's doing.)

dbmata

I judge everyone and everything. It's my pleasureful curse.

LifterDave

@Mustang Susie God bless you for what you are going through wit the back. People who have not experienced that kind of pain have no understanding of how bad it can be. Five and a half years ago I was 46 and in the best shape of my life when I became debilitated with the same type pain. Turned out I had blown out the disk at L5 S1. I went through 3 sets of epidural injections and then spinal surgery followed by a couple of months of physical therapy. It took me a full year to learn to walk normally again as every step was a conscious effort to keep my right foot pointing forward.

Who cares what anyone thinks about others in the gym. As long as you use a degree of etiquette and are not interfering with others, then what you do is none of anyone's business. So you read a book while on the treadmill. Lots of places are set up with televisions everywhere you turn. Same difference, who cares. It is unfortunate that there are so many gym snobs who feel that if you are not doing what they are doing then you are in the wrong. A lot of people lose sight of the fact that everybody has their own unique goals. After my injury, when I first began lifting again, I had some chump approach me in the squat rack while I was warming up to tell me that if I was squatting so light and not hitting depth that I should not be hogging the rack. At the time it was taking a fair amount of reps to get loose enough to hit depth. This jerk had no idea I was still in re-hab mode. Just another arrogant gym rat trying to project on someone else.

If this gives you any hope that your back issue can be resolved. I went from being almost totally debilitated when I first began lifting again with an empty bar to being able to squat to full depth 465 lbs. It took what seemed forever to get my mobility back, and I still have sciatic issues, but every day is better than the last.

Mustang_Susie

LifterDave wrote: »

@Mustang Susie God bless you for what you are going through wit the back. People who have not experienced that kind of pain have no understanding of how bad it can be. Five and a half years ago I was 46 and in the best shape of my life when I became debilitated with the same type pain. Turned out I had blown out the disk at L5 S1. I went through 3 sets of epidural injections and then spinal surgery followed by a couple of months of physical therapy. It took me a full year to learn to walk normally again as every step was a conscious effort to keep my right foot pointing forward.

Who cares what anyone thinks about others in the gym. As long as you use a degree of etiquette and are not interfering with others, then what you do is none of anyone's business. So you read a book while on the treadmill. Lots of places are set up with televisions everywhere you turn. Same difference, who cares. It is unfortunate that there are so many gym snobs who feel that if you are not doing what they are doing then you are in the wrong. A lot of people lose sight of the fact that everybody has their own unique goals. After my injury, when I first began lifting again, I had some chump approach me in the squat rack while I was warming up to tell me that if I was squatting so light and not hitting depth that I should not be hogging the rack. At the time it was taking a fair amount of reps to get loose enough to hit depth. This jerk had no idea I was still in re-hab mode. Just another arrogant gym rat trying to project on someone else.

If this gives you any hope that your back issue can be resolved. I went from being almost totally debilitated when I first began lifting again with an empty bar to being able to squat to full depth 465 lbs. It took what seemed forever to get my mobility back, and I still have sciatic issues, but every day is better than the last.

Thanks, LifterDave
Same here, just turned 48 with an L5 herniated disk and S1 synovial fluid cyst.
Hoping to avoid surgery and get good results from PT and injections.
Next time feign fatigue and drop a loaded bar on the chump's foot...

Yodee

Since starting with MFP I have been walking/jogging on my treadmill using the c25k app and I love it. I am also addicted to reading so I set my treadmill up, my app up and I open my book on my iPad. I can do two things at once and it makes the time go by fast because I honestly don't pay attention to the time. I hope you are doing better and I for one am very proud of your determination - it gives us all hope!

Mustang_Susie

Yodee wrote: »

Since starting with MFP I have been walking/jogging on my treadmill using the c25k app and I love it. I am also addicted to reading so I set my treadmill up, my app up and I open my book on my iPad. I can do two things at once and it makes the time go by fast because I honestly don't pay attention to the time. I hope you are doing better and I for one am very proud of your determination - it gives us all hope!

Thank you
It's been a lesson in patience if anything

MKEgal

As long as I keep my thoughts to myself, it doesn't matter what I think of someone else... whether that's "why are you using such a light weight?", or "you're doing that exercise all wrong, not getting any benefit from the time you're spending", or "look at you! Yay!".
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tomatoey wrote:

If someone needed a bike and I was over 30 mins, maybe I'd move to an elliptical if it was free, because I can use that now. But I couldn't before. (My gym has no time limit for machines but 30 mins is pretty typical and I guess fair enough.)

Mustang_Susie wrote:

My gym has a 30 minute time limit on cardio machines but I think that's just mainly when it's busy. Otherwise, it doesn't really matter.

There's enough equipment at the gym I use that this isn't really an issue, but I know that the treadmills at least are programmed with a 60-minute limit, except ...
I discovered that there's a 5K / 10K program, and that doesn't run into the time limit.
Or I just take a picture of the display at the end of 1 hour & add it to my time at the end of the next section.
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Dave wrote:

I had some chump approach me in the squat rack while I was warming up to tell me that if I was squatting so light and not hitting depth that I should not be hogging the rack.

Wow. You got there first. As long as you're doing what that equipment is designed to do, and not standing around scratching yourself or playing on your phone for several minutes between lifts you have it for a reasonable time.
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(OTOH, if someone else were waiting it'd be polite to let them work in if possible. I once stood & waited probably 10 minutes for a leg machine that 2 guys were using, switching off between themselves while they did hundreds of reps and probably 15 sets each. They kept telling me to move along to other machines. It would not have been a hardship for them to let me work in between them; resetting the weight pin takes no time.)

llUndecidedll

Regardless of one's fitness levels, you shouldn't judge their workout or perceived level of exertion.

Not every person has the same mindset when it comes to fitness and that's fine.

Jolinia

If you're judging other people's workouts, you aren't giving your all to your own workout. Focus!

brower47

I like to watch people. It's natural for me think about what I see. Sometimes what I think might not be flattering to the person I'm watching; sometimes it is. I judge because it's impossible not to. However, I would never say anything because I don't see it as my business to do so. I do not feel the need to police the actions or thoughts of others (that do not affect me or endanger others) nor should anyone else.

I'll keep being human.

amusedmonkey

Oh wow.. this makes me glad I don't do gyms. OP I totally understand what you are going through. After an accident that left me near paralyzed I had to relearn everything from scratch for a very painful and hard 2 years before I was finally able to walk unassisted. Keep up at it, you are doing amazing, everything and everyone else who gives you condescending looks are just white noise.

Also.. do people really curl in squat racks?

obscuremusicreference

brower47 wrote: »

I like to watch people. It's natural for me think about what I see. Sometimes what I think might not be flattering to the person I'm watching; sometimes it is. I judge because it's impossible not to. However, I would never say anything because I don't see it as my business to do so. I do not feel the need to police the actions or thoughts of others (that do not affect me or endanger others) nor should anyone else.

I'll keep being human.

Exactly. And as it says in the OP, she used to judge people herself and doesn't want to be judged now. I don't want to be judged either . . .but I still try to figure out what kind of person you are based on your attire, attributes, and actions.

Mustang_Susie

amusedmonkey wrote: »

Oh wow.. this makes me glad I don't do gyms. OP I totally understand what you are going through. After an accident that left me near paralyzed I had to relearn everything from scratch for a very painful and hard 2 years before I was finally able to walk unassisted. Keep up at it, you are doing amazing, everything and everyone else who gives you condescending looks are just white noise.

Also.. do people really curl in squat racks?

smashley_mashley

I like to people watch when at the gym as I like to admire the others that are there. Lots of times I see people doing exercises I have never seen but would like to try. The track at my gym is elevated above the gymnasium and circles around the weight room and cardio equipment. It is hard not to people watch when running track.

HeySwoleSister

amusedmonkey wrote: »

Oh wow.. this makes me glad I don't do gyms. OP I totally understand what you are going through. After an accident that left me near paralyzed I had to relearn everything from scratch for a very painful and hard 2 years before I was finally able to walk unassisted. Keep up at it, you are doing amazing, everything and everyone else who gives you condescending looks are just white noise.

Also.. do people really curl in squat racks?

That cartoon is perfection.

jazzy550

I don't know why it would take an injury to stop judging the way someone exercises. I was been of the thought if they are in the gym then they are doing good, they are one step closer to their goal, no matter how slow or how low the weightlifting or if they're in the back of the class doing aerobics at least they showed up.

dave4d

999tigger wrote: »

Im in the gym a lot, which gives me time to people watch. Whatever my opinion it doesnt matter as people o for their own reason. I admire the ones who are really overweight for doing something about it (as I have done) and I hope they will be back and stick with it.

I do find the people who just wander around and either poke at a few machines or spend 80% of their time on their mobiles as rather bizarre. If its judging to think they arent making any effort or arent going to achieve much like that, then so be it. Up to them but why waste your own time like that? Its annoying if they are taking up equipment, but not using it.

I probably look like I'm on my phone a lot while in the gym. I use my phone to log my exercises and look up what weight I'm supposed to lift next. My phone also times my rest sets. I rarely wander unless someone is on a piece of equipment that I need or I'm looking for the plates that I will need to do my lifts.

Cherimoose

Let people do what they want. If they want to curl in the squat rack, i say let them.