Weightlifters - etiquette question!

agthorn

I went to the gym today and two guys took up the squat rack for a full half hour. I waited about 20 minutes before I gave up and just did squats in the middle of the room (I'm only squatting 50lbs total right now, so not a huge risk of injury here). My question is - while it's obvious enough to ask one person using a piece of equipment "Can I rotate in?" and then do your lifts while they're resting, how do you get in when two people are already alternating back and forth? I don't mind waiting a few minutes, but half an hour seems to be ridiculous to me.

JennLifts

I've seen groups of 5 rotate, so if it means that much to you, I would, but if you can do it in the middle of the room, what difference does it make?

Jemmuno

I'd like to know this too, it seems to me guys squat then sit around for 5 to 10 min and I'm really only going to be in the rack for maybe 2 or 3 min. I'm not there to power lift. I went to a gym once and they had a female section which I think would be nice in most gyms.

sneezles

Men! Just ask next time if theyndon't know they'll keep on keepin' on.

agthorn

I've seen groups of 5 rotate, so if it means that much to you, I would, but if you can do it in the middle of the room, what difference does it make?

It matters because I don't intend to squat 50 lbs forever, and getting the bar over your head is a challenge!

XFitMojoMom

walk up to them and tell them you need to finish a set

msbanana

If I SUPER need the squat rack I'll ask if I can rotate in no matter how many of them there are ( I worked in with 6 guys last night) . You just need to be ready, unload your weights fast and help them load it back up. If you can do it without the squat rack do it. OR what I do when the bench press benches are all taken- go do something else and come back to it. If it's the end of your work out tell them that and ask to rotate in. "Hey, this is the last thing I need to do so I can get out of here. I have 3 sets to do. Can I work in with you?"

Loko_Ino

You really dont..you use another piece of equipment.
I will ask how many sets they have left to give them a hint that I want to use it but I would not expect them to hurry nor would I expect them to let me rotate in if our we are lifting huge differences in weight.

agthorn

I'd like to know this too, it seems to me guys squat then sit around for 5 to 10 min and I'm really only going to be in the rack for maybe 2 or 3 min. I'm not there to power lift. I went to a gym once and they had a female section which I think would be nice in most gyms.

Well, they weren't lollygagging or anything, but when you've got two people doing 5 sets each and switching plates back and forth in between, it adds up. And then they went on to a second exercise and that's when I said **** it. I don't want to turn this into a men vs. women thing though - I just want to know what's considered "appropriate" because I'm going to be doing the same workout every Friday and it seems like a fair assumption that they might be too.

Mixmode

Some people are just rude and selfish or just down right oblivious there is someone waiting their turn. Go up and tell them you want in!

andlovesaidn0

not sure... i know at one gym i joined if its busy there was a 30 minute limit if someone was waiting. speak to someone desk about posting signs and just politely mention it!

agthorn

You really dont..you use another piece of equipment.
I will ask how many sets they have left to give them a hint that I want to use it but I would not expect them to hurry nor would I expect them to let me rotate in if our we are lifting huge differences in weight.

Okay - so if my lifting plan says "Do two sets of squats THEN do exercises B, C, D, and E" - I just ignore A and come back to it later?

janet_pratt

Just ask if you can rotate in. It's proper etiquette for them to let you. That said, I work out and am a trainer at a totally musclehead kind of gym and I'll ask just about anyone, except this one mean little old lady. She sets up a circuit on three machines and she will leave a waterbottle on one, a towel on another and metallic add on weights on a third and God help you if you use any of them or move anything. She's under 5 feet tall and about 70 years old and I'm scared to death of her! I once went nose to nose with a body builder in a bar, and I wouldn't screw with her!

agthorn

not sure... i know at one gym i joined if its busy there was a 30 minute limit if someone was waiting. speak to someone desk about posting signs and just politely mention it!

I have only ever seen this on cardio machines.

Loko_Ino

You really dont..you use another piece of equipment.
I will ask how many sets they have left to give them a hint that I want to use it but I would not expect them to hurry nor would I expect them to let me rotate in if our we are lifting huge differences in weight.

Okay - so if my lifting plan says "Do two sets of squats THEN do exercises B, C, D, and E" - I just ignore A and come back to it later?

course not..you gotta improvise..DB squats, smith machine squats..something like that. It happens to all of us.

JennLifts

I've seen groups of 5 rotate, so if it means that much to you, I would, but if you can do it in the middle of the room, what difference does it make?

It matters because I don't intend to squat 50 lbs forever, and getting the bar over your head is a challenge!

Then yea, just walk about and ask if you can work in.

JennLifts

You really dont..you use another piece of equipment.
I will ask how many sets they have left to give them a hint that I want to use it but I would not expect them to hurry nor would I expect them to let me rotate in if our we are lifting huge differences in weight.

Okay - so if my lifting plan says "Do two sets of squats THEN do exercises B, C, D, and E" - I just ignore A and come back to it later?

course not..you gotta improvise..DB squats, smith machine squats..something like that. It happens to all of us.

I was going to say that, but I figured it wouldn't be accepted well. I'd just do another form of a squat if it mattered that much.

philOHIO

I hate the people who hog the one piece of equipment you are waiting for. Just let them know you are waiting for the machine, because no one seems to have common courtesy anymore.

JennLifts

You really dont..you use another piece of equipment.
I will ask how many sets they have left to give them a hint that I want to use it but I would not expect them to hurry nor would I expect them to let me rotate in if our we are lifting huge differences in weight.

Okay - so if my lifting plan says "Do two sets of squats THEN do exercises B, C, D, and E" - I just ignore A and come back to it later?

No, you're going to want to squat first. I know from experience that a really heavy lift that takes that much, like a squat, should be done at the beginning.

staps065

Just ask if you can rotate in. It's proper etiquette for them to let you. That said, I work out and am a trainer at a totally musclehead kind of gym and I'll ask just about anyone, except this one mean little old lady. She sets up a circuit on three machines and she will leave a waterbottle on one, a towel on another and metallic add on weights on a third and God help you if you use any of them or move anything. She's under 5 feet tall and about 70 years old and I'm scared to death of her! I once went nose to nose with a body builder in a bar, and I wouldn't screw with her!

I agree! Etiquette is that they should let you slide in between sets. Since you are not doing extreme weights they should let you slip in and out while they rest between their sets. And of course, they should be courteous to a pretty young lady like yourself!

alyssamiller77

I'll tell you, in the Gym I'm not shy at all about asking to work in with someone even if it's more than one someone. I know on my end I get into a zone when I'm working out and I don't really realize it when someone else is waiting on equipment I'm using. I'm happy to let others work in. The worst they can do is give you some lame excuse why they don't want you working in with them and at that point you can thank them and walk away. But you won't know until you ask and you pay to be there just like they do so you have a right to be able to do your workout on the equipment you'd like to use just as much as they do.

MikeM53082

It never hurts to ask them if you want to work in. However, usually when people ask to work in, they are doing roughly the same weight. This saves them from taking a bunch of 45 lbs plates off the bar eat time your set is up.

For example, if I need to bench and I see a bunch of guys working out with roughly 250 lbs, it's assumed if I'm working in, I should be doing my sets at a minimum of 225 lbs.

brittg7

when you start lifting more then worry till then your barely doing the bar your really not gonna injure yourself unless you have bad form...and i typically will change up my routine and go do something else then come back to what i want to do...really just because it says to do squats first doesnt mean you HAVE to do squats first...just saying..i never rotate in with guys the changing of the weight is an absoulte *****!

maemiller

i keep a log of my workouts that ill do for the day. if a certain piece of equipment is tied up, i ask the guys to let me know when their done and i do something else. They guys at my gym are really nice and they come up to me when their done. If someone else tries to slip in, they tell them that i was next in line

saraiwarren

Hey there,
I used to work for a training company with all men and this was common. Most of the time they really just didn't pay attention to who was working around them because they were watching their form in the mirrors, and if someone needed to rotate in they expected them to say something. I think this is pretty true for guys in general. It's pretty intimidating for a woman to be in the free weight area in the first place and a lot of women don't usually workout in that spot, so I can imagine it being difficult to ask to rotate in when you may already be outside of a comfort zone. I would just walk right up and say hi, in a friendly way, and ask them if you can work in with them, or if they're in the middle of super sets then just ask politely when they will be done with the equipment. Most guys would LOVE for a woman to ask to rotate in with them because it gives them the ability to show off their technique. As long as you're nice and really willing to work in, they'll probably be stoked to work you in.

mail704m

Absolutely, ask if you can cut in and my experience is that they will, and then will step back in between their next set too...

agthorn

It never hurts to ask them if you want to work in. However, usually when people ask to work in, they are doing roughly the same weight. This saves them from taking a bunch of 45 lbs plates off the bar eat time your set is up.

For example, if I need to bench and I see a bunch of guys working out with roughly 250 lbs, it's assumed if I'm working in, I should be doing my sets at a minimum of 225 lbs.

Okay (and again, this is why I'm asking about etiquette, because I'm pretty new to non-dumbbell weightlifting) but is this still true even if all the plates are coming off between the two guys' sets? If they're de-plating down to the bar anyways it seems a little more reasonable to ask to work in regardless of my weight quantity.

agthorn

It's pretty intimidating for a woman to be in the free weight area in the first place and a lot of women don't usually workout in that spot, so I can imagine it being difficult to ask to rotate in when you may already be outside of a comfort zone.

This is very true

Fredrigo

One benefit of being a behemoth is that if I ask to use a piece of equipment the person on the machine will usually hurry along either out of fear or pity. Since I'm aware this "courtesy" is not always shared with others if I notice others waiting to use a machine I have asked equipment hogs if they'll be much longer and then when they move along to make space for me I offer the spot to those who have been waiting and move along to whatever equipment I was actually planning to use.

Ironically I find teenage girls to be the least likely to politely move along when asked.

meerkat70

It's pretty intimidating for a woman to be in the free weight area in the first place and a lot of women don't usually workout in that spot, so I can imagine it being difficult to ask to rotate in when you may already be outside of a comfort zone.

This is very true

i'm impressed you got there. Still working up the courage to do free weights.