Gym ettiquette-- do you have the right to confront someone i

TeamLeela

Today, I was at the gym and I bumped into an old coworker who I haven't seen in over a year. He was working out on the treadmill next to me. When I was finished, I wiped down the machine and went on to my next activity. Then I seen him get off, all sweaty from running and started doing another machine. I wanted to confront him and just say lightly or jokingly, "hey, you gonna wipe down that machine?" But I didn't have the guts to do it.
So how do you guys feel about that? I usually try to wipe down my machine BEFORE and after because you never know if the previous person wiped it down or not. Have you ever seen this happen and your gym and if so, how did you handle it?

HealthyChanges2010

HI,
I wipe down my machine before I use it, then again after I use it for the next person. If someone doesn't, that's up to them, it's not for me to confront them. I'm there for me time to workout hard and get fit.

I don't let that sort of thing bother me, now if it was a machine I was about ready to use, I would wipe the sweat off really well so my *kitten* didn't get wet while I sat down & then sweated on it myself.:drinker:

But to add if it was someone I knew really well and they knew my sense of humor and how I used it I would likely something like say 'hey, (while tossing a towel) ya left your sweat!'. So for me it would be if I knew them but in a close way and that they knew me well. I wouldn't confront a stranger about a machine at the gym, I only can allot so much time for my workouts, confrontation time isn't on my clock

Becca:flowerforyou:

pniana

Honestly, I am a wipe down before kind of girl. I believe that it is nice if someone wipes down afterward but, if I want to avoid getting sick, it is my responsibility to be sure the equipment is clean before I use it and not assume someone else did it when they were done. It is not your responsibility to make sure I stay well. See my train of thought there? Thanks though for being a "wipe down after" person! You are nice to do that!

That is my opinion. I know that others differ in this.

LoriLou67

If it's someone you know, I'd say something...or hand them the bottle and towel as a not so subtle hint. When I had a gym membership, I'd often just grab a bottle and towel and carry them with me wherever I went - wiping before and after. Just me though.

HealthyChanges2010

oops

dragonfly__

I am a wipe down before and after person... NO ONE at my gym wipes down after themselves it seems... despite the fact that there are signs posted everywhere that says "please wipe down equipment after use". i would never say anything to anyone about it though, basically because I know they don't care!

Nina74

We have signs everywhere that ask people to wipe down afterwards. Unless the person looked completely nuts, I'd probably say something.

I never thought about the pre-hand wiping down, until I read all these posts. Now I'm a before AND after wipe-downer!

mvl1014

I don't wipe down before unless it's REALLY wet (so I'm not sitting in a puddle), because I honestly don't give a crap if the person before me was dirty. I'll be taking a shower afterwards anyway. But I do wipe down after because it seems the polite thing to do.

I'd say if you feel like you have to say something, say it to the employees. They probably won't do squat, but it might save you from a busted lip.

xonophone

I've given up overestimating the consideration level of my fellow humans and wipe down the machines I use before and afterwards. Oops - did that come out a little to harshly? :ohwell:

bluiz13

on the same note....what about the meatheads that sit on the weight/nautilus machines watching their watches waiting in between their sets for their super big huge muscles to recover before they lift another 5000lbs of weights?

do you say, hey can i jump in? what is the acceptable amount of time you should wait before being a pain in the *kitten* and saying hey do you mind? or better yet, how long can they leave their sweaty *kitten* on the machine making me wait???

just curious?? usually i dont have a problem but last night i did and it realllllyyyyyy bugged me...i swear i stood there a good 2 mins while this guy wrote shiat down in his book, wiped his head, checked his watch, adjusted himself, got his weights up and then finallllllllllyyyyyyyyyyy did 3 more reps....seriously dude, all that for 3 reps....goooo away...

okay, i'm done, i'm just saying get offfffffffffffffffffffffff
LOL

spob

I find in most cases it is not worth confrontation. If it is not directly dangerous or morally, physically harmful I would not bother to confront!. It will cause anger maybe worse. I teach my children to tend their own garden. I know that it can drive you crazy internally when people are thoughtless and downright un-clean but I think it is better for your soul to do the right thing without judgement of others. (well maybe not without judgement because sometimes when I am at the grocers I want to hunt down the people that leave their carts in the parking lot!!) We all have our achilles! But if I were waiting for a machine at the gym I would truly appreciate that you wiped it down!!! Role modelling good behaviour is the best method of teaching, I think anyway!! You are a good gym citizen!

HOSED49

A subtle thing to do, since you would see them at the gym again, is let them see you wiping it down, maybe it will strike up a conversation about it, maybe they will feel guilty and start doing it themselves, or they will walk off without doing it....whichever one happens, at least you are cleaning things!

SHBoss1673

on the same note....what about the meatheads that sit on the weight/nautilus machines watching their watches waiting in between their sets for their super big huge muscles to recover before they lift another 5000lbs of weights?

do you say, hey can i jump in? what is the acceptable amount of time you should wait before being a pain in the *kitten* and saying hey do you mind? or better yet, how long can they leave their sweaty *kitten* on the machine making me wait???

just curious?? usually i dont have a problem but last night i did and it realllllyyyyyy bugged me...i swear i stood there a good 2 mins while this guy wrote shiat down in his book, wiped his head, checked his watch, adjusted himself, got his weights up and then finallllllllllyyyyyyyyyyy did 3 more reps....seriously dude, all that for 3 reps....goooo away...

okay, i'm done, i'm just saying get offfffffffffffffffffffffff
LOL

It's perfectly acceptable to ask if you can jump in. If there are no other machines available, it's as much your machine to use as it is theirs. If they are using it, then obviously you don't ask them to stop, but if they are resting between sets, then most people won't mind. I do it all the time, I've never had someone complain before.

Schula03

Maybe he forgot!!!

HOSED49

on the same note....what about the meatheads that sit on the weight/nautilus machines watching their watches waiting in between their sets for their super big huge muscles to recover before they lift another 5000lbs of weights?

do you say, hey can i jump in? what is the acceptable amount of time you should wait before being a pain in the *kitten* and saying hey do you mind? or better yet, how long can they leave their sweaty *kitten* on the machine making me wait???

just curious?? usually i dont have a problem but last night i did and it realllllyyyyyy bugged me...i swear i stood there a good 2 mins while this guy wrote shiat down in his book, wiped his head, checked his watch, adjusted himself, got his weights up and then finallllllllllyyyyyyyyyyy did 3 more reps....seriously dude, all that for 3 reps....goooo away...

okay, i'm done, i'm just saying get offfffffffffffffffffffffff
LOL

Lots of guys like this one out there, I would usually ask them "how many more sets you got" , if he says," I just got started", ask if you can jump in...if he only has a few left, maybe you just motivated him to get done faster, but not all will think in a courteous manner. I have been guilty of being in a good training zone, completely oblivious to my surroundings, completely focused on my workout and nothing or anyone else...my workouts almost over and I just have my last three sest to get in, 5 minutes to do it before I have to leave and head out...so I dont want any distractions or delays....I just want to get done.
So theres food for thought from both mindsets, the one wanting to jump in and the one not wanting to be distracted...occasionally they both work together!

Azdak

You can try talking to the people who run the gym--if this is a chronic thing, they should have already intervened.

At my center, we would talk to them pretty quickly--although we wouldn't have to because the other members would be after the guy immediately--they would never let him get away with it.

Our problem is not with the cardio, but the guys who won't wipe the benches after they lift. To me, nothing says "inconsiderate dumbass guy" like seeing a sweaty bloch where their head was resting against a bench or on a machine. But those are "hit and run" incidents, so they are harder for me to catch.

TeamLeela

Thanks for everyone's feedback. I would only talk to the staff if I see the same person not wiping down the machine on multiple ocassions. I would rather the staff handle that confrontation. Like some of you said, I have to hold myself accountable for making sure the machine is clean when I use it. I'm certainly not there to play gym police.

bluiz your story cracked me up. I see that same type of thing on such a regular basis, I'm used to them jotting things down or better yet, sitting there watching the tv. I'm thinking to myself....just get up already!

Azdak, I notice that too with the weight benches. I know they are so focused on moving on to the next part of their routine, but its just common courtesy to wipe down the machines.