Was I in the wrong?

Capt_Inzane
Capt_Inzane Posts: 733 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
First off I'm a newbie I don't know crap but at my gym these kids (12-13 yrs old) were working out on some machines. I saw one of them load WAY too much weight and was jerking like a spasm trying to lift it. It was really hard not to notice as they were right in front of me.

I typically wouldn't say anything but after watching 5 minutes of this I finally walked by to grab a towel to clean the workout equipment and simply said "Hey man, just letting you know that jerking like that could really hurt you. Focus more on your form and maybe put a little less weight." They didn't say anything to me just looked at me like "wow this fat *kitten* is telling me how to get fit"...

Just wondering if I was in the wrong, should I had told the staff, or just ignore it and let them get hurt?

Replies

  • HacheraTsarine
    HacheraTsarine Posts: 278 Member
    You were being a Good Samaritan. You gave them advice. Whether they follow it or not is not up to you.
  • micheleb15
    micheleb15 Posts: 1,418 Member
    No one under 18 is allowed in my gym. They probably aren't going to listen to you, but at least your conscience is clean and you did what you thought you should.
  • froeschli
    froeschli Posts: 1,292 Member
    OMG imagine their reaction if you were a girl :-p
    i assume they knew what they were doing was a bad idea, but thought it was the 'cool' thing to do. kinda like smoking...
  • bearkisses
    bearkisses Posts: 1,252 Member
    they could have looked at you like that because you are much older than them as well. Kids are their own special species, I think telling them was awesome, and it sounds like you were super respectful about it.
  • TheGymGypsy
    TheGymGypsy Posts: 1,023 Member
    You did them a favor and they reacted like kids do, with immaturity. When one of them seriously hurts themselves they will look back on the incident and wish they had listened to you.
  • SergeantG
    SergeantG Posts: 92
    I don't think you were in the wrong at all....I do wonder, however, the policy of your gym allowing adolecents using equipment without some sort of 'supervision'....12, 13 even 14 year olds still don't have a solid grasp of how hurt you can get from some of these pieces of equipment....hell, adults have trouble understanding that!

    I would have also brought it up to managment, because they may not realize what is going on, and I'm sure the last thing they want or need is an accident involving these kids....

    One time, I was in the gym and I saw a trio working out together (two males and a female) and I noticed that they were really pushing her to perform skull crushers with weight that was more than obvious was too much for her...I could see that she was struggling and they kept trying to tell her that 'she could really do it'....she seemed frustrated so I finally went over to them and gently explained that they couldn't pressure her into lifting more than she could and offered a variation of the movement....once they tried that, she was much more comfortable and thankful that I showed her a way to do it without the pressure...and they guys were actually appreciative of it....
  • edge_dragoncaller
    edge_dragoncaller Posts: 826 Member
    In my opinion, you did the right thing telling the, but you should have also told the staff.

    I love my gym and the last thing I want to happen is for some kid to get hurt being stupid and then their sue-happy parents go after the gym.
  • Capt_Inzane
    Capt_Inzane Posts: 733 Member
    I was surprised that they were even there. I think they were with their mom. I didn't judge that as if they truly want to get in better shape (both were a little bigger) then more power to them.

    Thanks everyone for the answers. I just didn't wanna be like that guy that butts into others business.

    If I see them again I'll definitely let the staff know.
  • MinnieInMaine
    MinnieInMaine Posts: 6,400 Member
    I agree, you did the right thing. Kids are just weird, especially these days so don't even worry about their reaction. I would however maybe give a little heads up to someone on staff about it though...just in case. Even if they are there with Mom, she should know better than to allow them to "play" with the equipment as they could get seriously injured.
  • Unknown
    Unknown
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  • TribeHokie
    TribeHokie Posts: 711 Member
    Teenage boys are aliens.
  • ItsCasey
    ItsCasey Posts: 4,021 Member
    In general, I think it's best for people to learn lessons the hard way. However, kids think they are invincible and don't have the first freaking clue how badly they could hurt themselves, so yeah, I probably would've said something. If they were behaving like punks, I would've said it to the adult they were with or to a staff member. If they seemed like generally good kids who just didn't know what they were doing, I would've said something to them directly.

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