Gym Rant- Impatient People and the Squat Rack

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martinel2099
martinel2099 Posts: 899 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
Just a rant, but I was working out on the squat rack yesterday and ran into someone who was very impatient and rude while waiting for me to finish my sets. I had just finished my 3rd set and this guy rudely asks me if I'm done yet, I politely tell him no I have two more sets then for the duration of the next two sets he stands next to the squat rack and is huffing and puffing impatiently the entire time staring at his watch as I complete my workout, and the dirty looks he was giving weren't exactly nice either.

I can understand the frustration of having to wait for the squat rack, but my gym as 3 racks and I only spend a minute or two max in between my sets. At least I'm using the squat rack for it's intended purpose and I don't walk away for 5 minutes or more at a time like I see plenty of other people do. Also I've been at this gym for months and I can only count on my hand the numbers of times I've had to wait for a squat rack for more than a few minutes / have never had a problem working in or allowing someone else to work in-between my sets.

I was very close to telling this guy to either be patient or go to hell, I really didn't like the way he was acting. You guys experience this much?
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Replies

  • patrickblo13
    patrickblo13 Posts: 831 Member
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    I haven't experienced it but I go to the gym at 5am and I am usually the only one in the weight room. If I were you I probably would have said something if you were truly not taking extensive breaks.
  • sheath6633
    sheath6633 Posts: 3 Member
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    Without being there it's hard to get a real sense of how this went. Perhaps this person was being impatient and rude; but then again, perhaps you were just being overly sensitive. If you strip out the adjectives from your post, you get:

    Someone asked if you were done with the squat rack. You told them you were not. That person then waited until you were done with the squat rack.

    This doesn't seem all that uncommon, and I can think of several ways where someone could have been far more rude.

    At my gym, there is one squat rack, and one area to do deadlifts/barbell rows. I regularly find myself having to ask other people if/when they'll be done, and then wait for them. Sometimes I do other things while they're finishing. Sometimes I dont, and just wait. I think that's pretty typical.
  • navyrigger46
    navyrigger46 Posts: 1,301 Member
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    He probably just needed a place to do curls, you should have known to just move aside, clearly you were using the rack for squats, which it was never intended for. :grumble: Next time you'll know better.

    Rigger
  • martinel2099
    martinel2099 Posts: 899 Member
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    Without being there it's hard to get a real sense of how this went. Perhaps this person was being impatient and rude; but then again, perhaps you were just being overly sensitive. If you strip out the adjectives from your post, you get:

    Someone asked if you were done with the squat rack. You told them you were not. That person then waited until you were done with the squat rack.

    This doesn't seem all that uncommon, and I can think of several ways where someone could have been far more rude.

    At my gym, there is one squat rack, and one area to do deadlifts/barbell rows. I regularly find myself having to ask other people if/when they'll be done, and then wait for them. Sometimes I do other things while they're finishing. Sometimes I dont, and just wait. I think that's pretty typical.

    Definitely a good point I perhaps was a tad overly sensitive, he was probably just really motivated/ in the zone to start his workout and maybe I picked up a little too much on it.

    Never had a problem like this before, usually the guys at the gym are friendly when inquiring to my status and they will wait close by but will give me plenty of space and time to finish my workout. Hearing him constantly huff, puff and sigh was starting to get to me and was distracting, wish he would have given me more space is all.
  • JTick
    JTick Posts: 2,131 Member
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    I wouldn't worry about it. I'm sure there are times that people have thought I'm rude at the gym - in reality, I go to the gym right after work. On days when I'm stressed out or something went wrong at work, I carry it into the gym. I might be "huffing and puffing", but not necessarily because I'm waiting for a rack.
  • _lyndseybrooke_
    _lyndseybrooke_ Posts: 2,561 Member
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    Reason #184 why I invested in lifting equipment for my house. The gym sucks. I never have to wait for a machine or deal with pushy people. It's just me, myself, and I in the comfort of my own home wearing as little as possible. It's pretty great. :)
  • martinel2099
    martinel2099 Posts: 899 Member
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    Reason #184 why I invested in lifting equipment for my house. The gym sucks. I never have to wait for a machine or deal with pushy people. It's just me, myself, and I in the comfort of my own home wearing as little as possible. It's pretty great. :)

    As soon as I stop renting and purchase my own home I'm actually really excited about the idea of having my own squat rack that's adjustable for bench press. That's the only real equipment I need aside from free weights so that would be awesome.
  • scottacular
    scottacular Posts: 597 Member
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    Reason #184 why I invested in lifting equipment for my house. The gym sucks. I never have to wait for a machine or deal with pushy people. It's just me, myself, and I in the comfort of my own home wearing as little as possible. It's pretty great. :)

    If I had my own home gym, I'd just workout naked.

    Anyway, if someone's waiting to use the equipment you're using - then as long as they don't intend to do sets with a ridiculously high number of reps, I think it's always decent to invite them to use it whilst you're resting between your sets.
  • jcr85
    jcr85 Posts: 229
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    Come on man maybe he had to get in a set of curls real quick...
  • yopeeps025
    yopeeps025 Posts: 8,680 Member
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    Yeah I do not get that at the gym. If people ask how many sets I have. I tell them then say "you can work in if you want to. '
  • yopeeps025
    yopeeps025 Posts: 8,680 Member
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    Come on man maybe he had to get in a set of curls real quick...

    You mean shoulder shrug because he cannot deadlift it up first.
  • bugaboo_sue
    bugaboo_sue Posts: 552 Member
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    It always amazes me when people just stand there waiting for equipment. I don't get why you can't go do something else -- while keeping an eye on the equipment you're waiting for (and if the person who is using the equipment is nice they will politely tell people that someone else is using it after them -- and work in a set of something else.

    My husband and I were using the cable machine one day -- both sides which typically a lot of people do -- and this one guy was just hovering watching us. He didn't ask if we were almost done, didn't say a word. He was just standing there. Staring. Then he'd walk away for a minute and come back. And just stand there. Finally he left (we saw him another day doing that to someone else and came to the conclusion that that's his thing).

    Anyway, I typically go to the gym knowing what equipment I'm going to use for my workouts. If it's a dumbbell day and the dumbbell area is full then I'll use the cables or something else or I'll do a warm up set and keep my eye on equipment that's being used and when it's vacant I'll take it. There have been plenty of times I've had to alter my workout because something I wanted to use was occupied.

    It's really not that difficult. But maybe I'm just odd.
  • Alluminati
    Alluminati Posts: 6,208 Member
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    He probably just needed a place to do curls, you should have known to just move aside, clearly you were using the rack for squats, which it was never intended for. :grumble: Next time you'll know better.

    Rigger

    :laugh: :laugh: :laugh:
  • martinel2099
    martinel2099 Posts: 899 Member
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    He probably just needed a place to do curls, you should have known to just move aside, clearly you were using the rack for squats, which it was never intended for. :grumble: Next time you'll know better.

    Rigger

    :laugh: :laugh: :laugh:

    Ok I had to share this, cracks me up every time

    10 Machines You Didn't Know Were Bicep Machines

    http://youtu.be/GzxRhtZLItY
  • darrensurrey
    darrensurrey Posts: 3,942 Member
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    If I had my own home gym, I'd just workout naked.

    I used to - until I caught myself in the lat pulldown machine.
  • AntWrig
    AntWrig Posts: 2,273 Member
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    Just a rant, but I was working out on the squat rack yesterday and ran into someone who was very impatient and rude while waiting for me to finish my sets. I had just finished my 3rd set and this guy rudely asks me if I'm done yet, I politely tell him no I have two more sets then for the duration of the next two sets he stands next to the squat rack and is huffing and puffing impatiently the entire time staring at his watch as I complete my workout, and the dirty looks he was giving weren't exactly nice either.

    I can understand the frustration of having to wait for the squat rack, but my gym as 3 racks and I only spend a minute or two max in between my sets. At least I'm using the squat rack for it's intended purpose and I don't walk away for 5 minutes or more at a time like I see plenty of other people do. Also I've been at this gym for months and I can only count on my hand the numbers of times I've had to wait for a squat rack for more than a few minutes / have never had a problem working in or allowing someone else to work in-between my sets.

    I was very close to telling this guy to either be patient or go to hell, I really didn't like the way he was acting. You guys experience this much?
    I would have told him to go to hell.
  • Serah87
    Serah87 Posts: 5,481 Member
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    Reason #184 why I invested in lifting equipment for my house. The gym sucks. I never have to wait for a machine or deal with pushy people. It's just me, myself, and I in the comfort of my own home wearing as little as possible. It's pretty great. :)

    tumblr_mi1mc5jkQd1rqfhi2o1_500.gif
  • Bry_Fitness70
    Bry_Fitness70 Posts: 2,480 Member
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    Maybe he was running out of time and needed to get his workout in, so he didn't want to risk you walking away and having someone else swoop in? I've had situations where I was bumped 2-3 times because I didn't happen to be standing next to the equipment I needed to use when the person finished and someone else "stole" it.
  • _lyndseybrooke_
    _lyndseybrooke_ Posts: 2,561 Member
    Options
    Reason #184 why I invested in lifting equipment for my house. The gym sucks. I never have to wait for a machine or deal with pushy people. It's just me, myself, and I in the comfort of my own home wearing as little as possible. It's pretty great. :)

    If I had my own home gym, I'd just workout naked.

    Anyway, if someone's waiting to use the equipment you're using - then as long as they don't intend to do sets with a ridiculously high number of reps, I think it's always decent to invite them to use it whilst you're resting between your sets.

    tumblr_lxtjxbKOWY1r3dtleo1_400.gif
  • darrensurrey
    darrensurrey Posts: 3,942 Member
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    It's really not that difficult. But maybe I'm just odd.

    I agree with you. But that doesn't mean you're not odd. :-D

    I wanted to use the cable row machine last week. 3 BIG guys were busy using it so I did DB rows instead. Still got a decent workout. And didn't get wedgied in changing rooms. WIN-WIN!

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