Why do we get annoyed by Resolutionists

13

Replies

  • Bluwaves1
    Bluwaves1 Posts: 191 Member
    AnvilHead wrote: »
    Fair enough.

    I would say that "gym etiquette" isn't on the new members though. I feel that it is the gym's responsibility that all members know and understand gym etiquette.
    Agreed. The gym I go to has an etiquette "policy" that is posted on their website, and is explained (and a copy provided) to every new member when they sign their contract. I agree with the rules and think they're a pretty good guide for etiquette for a newbie:

    * All cell phones must be on silent. Use of cell phones is restricted to the front lobby area!

    * Dropping weights and using loud, foul or slanderous language will not be tolerated!

    * Food and beverages other than bottled water are not allowed in the workout area.

    * Use of alcohol and/or tobacco products is prohibited.

    * Ask if you may “work in”, and always let others work in.

    * When working in with someone, return the seat and weight to the last user’s setup.

    * Wear proper athletic shoes and clothing. Bare feet, socks-only, sandals and work boots are prohibited.

    * Towels are required. Wipe off equipment when finished.

    * Limit perfume and cologne use.

    * Gym bags are not allowed in any workout area.

    * Ask for assistance if you do not know how to use equipment.

    * Work out at your own fitness level.

    * Do not remove weights, benches or equipment from their proper place.

    * Collars on weight bars are mandatory!

    * Always use a spotter when attempting to lift maximum weight.

    * Re-rack weights and return all other accessories to their proper locations.

    * Use of chalk is not permitted.

    * Misuse of equipment and disregard of this policy will result in immediate expulsion!

    Do we go to the same gym? At my gym it also says "second warning, loss of membership"
  • chiltonenator
    chiltonenator Posts: 33 Member
    Guess people on here never started going to the gym - they were born there!

    I say more power to those trying to get fit and healthy! If you see some idiot giving you the stink eye because you're using "his" squat rack, just remember you paid your money and you have as much right to be there as he does.

    To heck with judge mental morons in the gym
  • neohdiver
    neohdiver Posts: 738 Member
    Newcomers often don't understand that they should 'mark' the lane they want with their towel or water bottle and wait for the swimmer using it to finish. Jump in and stretch out if you want, but don't just assume that someone wants or is able to lane share with you. If I ask you to wait ten minutes, hop in the hot tub and I'll alert you when I'm good to share. Don't just jump in and start swimming.
    I have left-side nerve damage, and I WILL run into you, bump you, etc, without even realizing I've done it. Get the HECK OUT OF MY LANE until I'm in cool-down laps at which point I'll invite you to share. Most pools don't allow lane sharing at all. Wish 24 Hour would clue into safety as a swimming issue, but they're more concerned with packing as many clients dollars into the lanes as possible.
    . . .

    I try to let newcomers know about lane etiquette when it's clear they don't know what's going on, but sometimes, I'll make my flip turn, come around, and there's someone in my lane coming straight at me.

    Hmm...I empathize with you, but this has not been the etiquette at any pool I've ever swum at. Many of the pools actually post the sharing rules and, especially during swim team season, reserve no more than 2 lanes for lap swimming. Not to mention that the swim teams whip up so many waves in the remaining 8-ish lanes that it makes it hard to avoid drowning.

    So - as much as I hate sharing, it is not practical to reserve one of the two lanes, wait for a lone swimmer in the lane to finish, and then expect exclusive use for my hour long swim.

    The etiquette where I swim is that you watch long enough to determine which lane is swimming at about your pace, then wait until the swimmers in that lane are evenly spaced (at the other end, if there is only one, 2/3 of the way down if there are two, etc.). The exception is that if all lanes are swimming faster than you, you can push off just after one of the swimmers to maximize the distance before s/he has to pass you.

  • 3dogsrunning
    3dogsrunning Posts: 27,167 Member
    edited January 2016
    neohdiver wrote: »
    Newcomers often don't understand that they should 'mark' the lane they want with their towel or water bottle and wait for the swimmer using it to finish. Jump in and stretch out if you want, but don't just assume that someone wants or is able to lane share with you. If I ask you to wait ten minutes, hop in the hot tub and I'll alert you when I'm good to share. Don't just jump in and start swimming.
    I have left-side nerve damage, and I WILL run into you, bump you, etc, without even realizing I've done it. Get the HECK OUT OF MY LANE until I'm in cool-down laps at which point I'll invite you to share. Most pools don't allow lane sharing at all. Wish 24 Hour would clue into safety as a swimming issue, but they're more concerned with packing as many clients dollars into the lanes as possible.
    . . .

    I try to let newcomers know about lane etiquette when it's clear they don't know what's going on, but sometimes, I'll make my flip turn, come around, and there's someone in my lane coming straight at me.

    Hmm...I empathize with you, but this has not been the etiquette at any pool I've ever swum at. Many of the pools actually post the sharing rules and, especially during swim team season, reserve no more than 2 lanes for lap swimming. Not to mention that the swim teams whip up so many waves in the remaining 8-ish lanes that it makes it hard to avoid drowning.

    So - as much as I hate sharing, it is not practical to reserve one of the two lanes, wait for a lone swimmer in the lane to finish, and then expect exclusive use for my hour long swim.

    The etiquette where I swim is that you watch long enough to determine which lane is swimming at about your pace, then wait until the swimmers in that lane are evenly spaced (at the other end, if there is only one, 2/3 of the way down if there are two, etc.). The exception is that if all lanes are swimming faster than you, you can push off just after one of the swimmers to maximize the distance before s/he has to pass you.

    @ElizabethOakes2
    I agree with Neohdiver. The etiquette is you lane share, preferably with someone around the same pace. If you do have to swim with someone faster, be aware of the other person. Don't push off the wall if they are right behind you, allow them to pass and you can leave right behind them.

    I swim with a swim club and two different pools for public swims. It is exceedingly rare that there would be enough room for everyone to have their own lane. I've never heard of a pool forbidding lane sharing.

    In your case you may want to give someone a heads up who gets in your lane you might bump them but in most pools it is unreasonable to expect your own lane.
  • jofjltncb6
    jofjltncb6 Posts: 34,415 Member
    I don't hate them, and I encourage them to join in and get fit, but... I mostly swim. And since our gym changed hands (Bally's sold us out) the new owners who will remain nameless but are a large famous national chain, don't care what happens in the pool at all. They have a few rules posted, but they're all hygiene rules, not etiquette rules. (Hygiene is hyper important because they don't clean the pool every day, or even as far as I can tell, once a week).

    Newcomers often don't understand that they should 'mark' the lane they want with their towel or water bottle and wait for the swimmer using it to finish. Jump in and stretch out if you want, but don't just assume that someone wants or is able to lane share with you. If I ask you to wait ten minutes, hop in the hot tub and I'll alert you when I'm good to share. Don't just jump in and start swimming.
    I have left-side nerve damage, and I WILL run into you, bump you, etc, without even realizing I've done it. Get the HECK OUT OF MY LANE until I'm in cool-down laps at which point I'll invite you to share. Most pools don't allow lane sharing at all. Wish 24 Hour would clue into safety as a swimming issue, but they're more concerned with packing as many clients dollars into the lanes as possible.

    4' pool means NO DIVING. There are signs that say "No Diving", Don't dive in, rock the lap swimmers into the lane buoys and then laugh when everyone glares at you. Moron. Or do dive in and hit your head. Cuz then we all get to laugh.

    SHOWER! The signs all say SHOWER BEFORE ENTERING POOL AREA! Don't work out, throw on your swim trunks over your filthy sweaty body and then come jump in the pool or the spa. If you do, you are a disgusting pig. OR better yet, you come, go into the sauna, get even sweatier and nastier, then 'spin rinse' in the little cool-down shower, and dive into the pool. "I showered!"... no, ya didn't. You rinsed your shoulders and got your hair wet.

    Make-up in the hot tub? Seriously? You do know your sweating that slime into the water, right?

    I try to let newcomers know about lane etiquette when it's clear they don't know what's going on, but sometimes, I'll make my flip turn, come around, and there's someone in my lane coming straight at me.

    This is why I swim at home and stopped going to the corporate pool.
  • AllonsYtotheTardis
    AllonsYtotheTardis Posts: 16,947 Member
    bluefox9er wrote: »
    my gym etiquette is simple..wear high vis gear when it's dark and a head torch, smile at people who look at you as if you are delusional , run against the flow of traffic and fire snot rockets at bikers who try to scare you. 'pausing' your garmin = epic fail.

    You I like
  • AllonsYtotheTardis
    AllonsYtotheTardis Posts: 16,947 Member
    I don't hate them, and I encourage them to join in and get fit, but... I mostly swim. And since our gym changed hands (Bally's sold us out) the new owners who will remain nameless but are a large famous national chain, don't care what happens in the pool at all. They have a few rules posted, but they're all hygiene rules, not etiquette rules. (Hygiene is hyper important because they don't clean the pool every day, or even as far as I can tell, once a week).

    Newcomers often don't understand that they should 'mark' the lane they want with their towel or water bottle and wait for the swimmer using it to finish. Jump in and stretch out if you want, but don't just assume that someone wants or is able to lane share with you. If I ask you to wait ten minutes, hop in the hot tub and I'll alert you when I'm good to share. Don't just jump in and start swimming.
    I have left-side nerve damage, and I WILL run into you, bump you, etc, without even realizing I've done it. Get the HECK OUT OF MY LANE until I'm in cool-down laps at which point I'll invite you to share. Most pools don't allow lane sharing at all. Wish 24 Hour would clue into safety as a swimming issue, but they're more concerned with packing as many clients dollars into the lanes as possible.

    4' pool means NO DIVING. There are signs that say "No Diving", Don't dive in, rock the lap swimmers into the lane buoys and then laugh when everyone glares at you. Moron. Or do dive in and hit your head. Cuz then we all get to laugh.

    SHOWER! The signs all say SHOWER BEFORE ENTERING POOL AREA! Don't work out, throw on your swim trunks over your filthy sweaty body and then come jump in the pool or the spa. If you do, you are a disgusting pig. OR better yet, you come, go into the sauna, get even sweatier and nastier, then 'spin rinse' in the little cool-down shower, and dive into the pool. "I showered!"... no, ya didn't. You rinsed your shoulders and got your hair wet.

    Make-up in the hot tub? Seriously? You do know your sweating that slime into the water, right?

    I try to let newcomers know about lane etiquette when it's clear they don't know what's going on, but sometimes, I'll make my flip turn, come around, and there's someone in my lane coming straight at me.

    Overpriviledged much? Pool etiquette is that you share lanes. Get over yourself.
  • JoRocka
    JoRocka Posts: 17,525 Member
    myempire wrote: »
    I feel more sorry and concern for them as many come into the gym unprepared to maximize their time in a productive and beneficial manner.

    When I see a anyone for the first time come in and preacher curl then head over confused to the elliptical, I just want to run up to them and give a big hug and scream "you need programming! Programming!!!!"

    This. I get sad for them. I realize it can be overwhelming to walk into a gym- my gym is a straight up meat head gym- it's got more weight trees than cardio equipment. I love it. But you can see fresh faces walk in and get overwhelmed- the machine equipment is a straight maze- they crammed a ton of it into a very small space. I actually "lost" a piece of equipment I regularly use for natural hammy raises- I had a mini freak out and went to the front desk and said "WTF DID YOU PUT THE XXXX MACHINE!!!!" and pretty much all they had done was turn it around and shift it 3 feet and put another piece in it's place- it's THAT Kind of crowded with machines. and I KNEW what I was looking for and where it was supposed to be.

    So walking in fresh with NO plan at all- and seeing all that- I'm sure it's painfully uncomfortable. I do feel bad- but- we are adults- almost everyone has google. Research a little and you can really set yourself up to win.
  • ovidnine
    ovidnine Posts: 314 Member
    I'm happy they keep my membership rates low and that most of them are terrified of the squat rack.

    I'm sad that they mostly won't stick to it and wonder why 3 weeks of using the elliptical for 40 minutes 3x a week hasn't helped them meet their often completely unrealistic goals.

    I'm annoyed by how many of them clearly ignore the "please park your big freaking truck/SUV in the truck/SUV area" signs though.

    More annoying to me than the resolutionists are the late night bros who think its awesome to randomly rerack weights and generally leave lots of 45lb plates on various bars. :|
  • DYELB
    DYELB Posts: 7,407 Member
    I don't hate them, and I encourage them to join in and get fit, but... I mostly swim. And since our gym changed hands (Bally's sold us out) the new owners who will remain nameless but are a large famous national chain, don't care what happens in the pool at all. They have a few rules posted, but they're all hygiene rules, not etiquette rules. (Hygiene is hyper important because they don't clean the pool every day, or even as far as I can tell, once a week).

    Newcomers often don't understand that they should 'mark' the lane they want with their towel or water bottle and wait for the swimmer using it to finish. Jump in and stretch out if you want, but don't just assume that someone wants or is able to lane share with you. If I ask you to wait ten minutes, hop in the hot tub and I'll alert you when I'm good to share. Don't just jump in and start swimming.
    I have left-side nerve damage, and I WILL run into you, bump you, etc, without even realizing I've done it. Get the HECK OUT OF MY LANE until I'm in cool-down laps at which point I'll invite you to share. Most pools don't allow lane sharing at all. Wish 24 Hour would clue into safety as a swimming issue, but they're more concerned with packing as many clients dollars into the lanes as possible.

    4' pool means NO DIVING. There are signs that say "No Diving", Don't dive in, rock the lap swimmers into the lane buoys and then laugh when everyone glares at you. Moron. Or do dive in and hit your head. Cuz then we all get to laugh.

    SHOWER! The signs all say SHOWER BEFORE ENTERING POOL AREA! Don't work out, throw on your swim trunks over your filthy sweaty body and then come jump in the pool or the spa. If you do, you are a disgusting pig. OR better yet, you come, go into the sauna, get even sweatier and nastier, then 'spin rinse' in the little cool-down shower, and dive into the pool. "I showered!"... no, ya didn't. You rinsed your shoulders and got your hair wet.

    Make-up in the hot tub? Seriously? You do know your sweating that slime into the water, right?

    I try to let newcomers know about lane etiquette when it's clear they don't know what's going on, but sometimes, I'll make my flip turn, come around, and there's someone in my lane coming straight at me.

    Do you only take breaths on your right-side stroke? Maybe you're so angry because of oxygen deprivation?
  • granturismo
    granturismo Posts: 232 Member
    Guess people on here never started going to the gym - they were born there!

    I say more power to those trying to get fit and healthy! If you see some idiot giving you the stink eye because you're using "his" squat rack, just remember you paid your money and you have as much right to be there as he does...

    +1
  • G33K_G1RL
    G33K_G1RL Posts: 283 Member
    ovidnine wrote: »
    I'm happy they keep my membership rates low and that most of them are terrified of the squat rack.

    I'm sad that they mostly won't stick to it and wonder why 3 weeks of using the elliptical for 40 minutes 3x a week hasn't helped them meet their often completely unrealistic goals.

    I'm annoyed by how many of them clearly ignore the "please park your big freaking truck/SUV in the truck/SUV area" signs though.

    More annoying to me than the resolutionists are the late night bros who think its awesome to randomly rerack weights and generally leave lots of 45lb plates on various bars. :|

    I have to say, at the time I go to the gym, there are barely any resolutionists. Most of them are headed to Zumba class as I leave :) With barely anyone in the free weights I can't say I am in any way annoyed at them.

    But when I get to the deadlift platform and there are still 6 45 lbs large bumper plates on the bar, it just ruins my mood. Please, please, rerack your weights!
  • Caporegiem
    Caporegiem Posts: 4,297 Member
    Surprisingly there weren't a lot of new members at the gym I go to after the first of the year. Most of the ones that did join stuck to the treadmills/ellipticals or took some of the classes they offer. The biggest annoyance that goes on there is during winter when all the kids are home from college and decide to hold a class reunion in the power racks.
  • stealthq
    stealthq Posts: 4,298 Member
    G33K_G1RL wrote: »
    ovidnine wrote: »
    I'm happy they keep my membership rates low and that most of them are terrified of the squat rack.

    I'm sad that they mostly won't stick to it and wonder why 3 weeks of using the elliptical for 40 minutes 3x a week hasn't helped them meet their often completely unrealistic goals.

    I'm annoyed by how many of them clearly ignore the "please park your big freaking truck/SUV in the truck/SUV area" signs though.

    More annoying to me than the resolutionists are the late night bros who think its awesome to randomly rerack weights and generally leave lots of 45lb plates on various bars. :|

    I have to say, at the time I go to the gym, there are barely any resolutionists. Most of them are headed to Zumba class as I leave :) With barely anyone in the free weights I can't say I am in any way annoyed at them.

    But when I get to the deadlift platform and there are still 6 45 lbs large bumper plates on the bar, it just ruins my mood. Please, please, rerack your weights!

    +1

    It goes double if you leave the bar hanging way up in the air.

    I'm short. Unloading heavy weights over my head is not fun. If I have to grab a random gym-goer or trainer and get them to help me because I'd have to climb the power cage like a monkey in order to reach the weights I will be super annoyed (yes, I've had to do this).

    To be fair, the only time I've had issues like this it's been with long-time members who got lazy.

    Only consistent problem I have with new people is the indecisiveness and not paying attention to where they're going. I wouldn't care, except I don't want people bumping into me while I'm doing anything, really. It's annoying, but they apologize and figure things out soon enough.
  • ovidnine
    ovidnine Posts: 314 Member
    G33K_G1RL wrote: »

    I have to say, at the time I go to the gym, there are barely any resolutionists. Most of them are headed to Zumba class as I leave :) With barely anyone in the free weights I can't say I am in any way annoyed at them.

    But when I get to the deadlift platform and there are still 6 45 lbs large bumper plates on the bar, it just ruins my mood. Please, please, rerack your weights!

    YES!!! And agree with stealthq, its rarely noobs that do this.
  • T1DCarnivoreRunner
    T1DCarnivoreRunner Posts: 11,502 Member
    My 2 cents:

    This is my busy time of year at work and I'm a FT grad student. So far this month, I've been "working" 75-85 hours between paid work and class work. I'm political active (here in IA, we have the first in the nation caucuses on Feb. 1) and have been busy with that in my down time.

    Fortunately, this is a slightly slower week for me for both work and class. I didn't exercise much in the last half of Dec. due to an injury (which is 95% healed now). Anyway, I actually had some time last night and visited the gym for the first time in more than a month. It was busier than it was in Dec., but that didn't bother me because I was still able to get in on the equipment I needed with little or no wait (I sometimes have waits throughout the year, so no difference).

    The part that bothered me was #4 in the OP. Specifically, there is the etiquette about cleaning up after yourself. There was trash (used paper towels from wiping machines, disposable seal from powder, etc.) on the floor and items left out rather than wiped and put away (mats, jump rope). I did my part by picking up some of what was left by others, but it is annoying to feel like I have to do that.

    Aside from that, I started seriously trying to lose weight in 2014 as a resolutioner and have stuck with it this long (though I admit I had been thinking about it and wanting to do it for a long time prior to 1/1/14). I have no gripes with resolutioners specifically, it's just that I don't remember the gym being that messy last month. I would probably have a similar complaint during the year for the same thing - it is just easy right now to blame the new users for what seems like a new problem. For all I know, it is long-time users who just recently became slobs.
  • Asher_Ethan
    Asher_Ethan Posts: 2,430 Member
    I usually don't mind the, "resolutioners," but sometimes they give uneducated advice for no reason.
    I was lifting at my gym last week, one of these resolutioners came up to me and said, "you're lifting way too heavy, especially for a girl. If you really want to get toned you should be lifting half that weight," I replied,
    "I want to tell you everything wrong with what you just said, but I would rather finish my workout."
  • kshama2001
    kshama2001 Posts: 28,052 Member
    I usually don't mind the, "resolutioners," but sometimes they give uneducated advice for no reason.
    I was lifting at my gym last week, one of these resolutioners came up to me and said, "you're lifting way too heavy, especially for a girl. If you really want to get toned you should be lifting half that weight," I replied,
    "I want to tell you everything wrong with what you just said, but I would rather finish my workout."

    Let me guess - it was a dude who said that?
  • kshama2001
    kshama2001 Posts: 28,052 Member
    edited January 2016
    How to Declare War on New Years Resolutioners

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VVt_wzsVgQk
  • Alatariel75
    Alatariel75 Posts: 18,364 Member
    neohdiver wrote: »
    Newcomers often don't understand that they should 'mark' the lane they want with their towel or water bottle and wait for the swimmer using it to finish. Jump in and stretch out if you want, but don't just assume that someone wants or is able to lane share with you. If I ask you to wait ten minutes, hop in the hot tub and I'll alert you when I'm good to share. Don't just jump in and start swimming.
    I have left-side nerve damage, and I WILL run into you, bump you, etc, without even realizing I've done it. Get the HECK OUT OF MY LANE until I'm in cool-down laps at which point I'll invite you to share. Most pools don't allow lane sharing at all. Wish 24 Hour would clue into safety as a swimming issue, but they're more concerned with packing as many clients dollars into the lanes as possible.
    . . .

    I try to let newcomers know about lane etiquette when it's clear they don't know what's going on, but sometimes, I'll make my flip turn, come around, and there's someone in my lane coming straight at me.

    Hmm...I empathize with you, but this has not been the etiquette at any pool I've ever swum at. Many of the pools actually post the sharing rules and, especially during swim team season, reserve no more than 2 lanes for lap swimming. Not to mention that the swim teams whip up so many waves in the remaining 8-ish lanes that it makes it hard to avoid drowning.

    So - as much as I hate sharing, it is not practical to reserve one of the two lanes, wait for a lone swimmer in the lane to finish, and then expect exclusive use for my hour long swim.

    The etiquette where I swim is that you watch long enough to determine which lane is swimming at about your pace, then wait until the swimmers in that lane are evenly spaced (at the other end, if there is only one, 2/3 of the way down if there are two, etc.). The exception is that if all lanes are swimming faster than you, you can push off just after one of the swimmers to maximize the distance before s/he has to pass you.

    @ElizabethOakes2
    I agree with Neohdiver. The etiquette is you lane share, preferably with someone around the same pace. If you do have to swim with someone faster, be aware of the other person. Don't push off the wall if they are right behind you, allow them to pass and you can leave right behind them.

    I swim with a swim club and two different pools for public swims. It is exceedingly rare that there would be enough room for everyone to have their own lane. I've never heard of a pool forbidding lane sharing.

    In your case you may want to give someone a heads up who gets in your lane you might bump them but in most pools it is unreasonable to expect your own lane.

    +2 (or 3 ore whatever we're up to) you lane share at our pool. No one would ever expect a lane to their own, and it would be considered completely unreasonable to think otherwise. There are lane sharing rules and you expect people to abide by those.
  • kshama2001
    kshama2001 Posts: 28,052 Member
    I don't hate them, and I encourage them to join in and get fit, but... I mostly swim. And since our gym changed hands (Bally's sold us out) the new owners who will remain nameless but are a large famous national chain, don't care what happens in the pool at all. They have a few rules posted, but they're all hygiene rules, not etiquette rules. (Hygiene is hyper important because they don't clean the pool every day, or even as far as I can tell, once a week).

    Newcomers often don't understand that they should 'mark' the lane they want with their towel or water bottle and wait for the swimmer using it to finish. Jump in and stretch out if you want, but don't just assume that someone wants or is able to lane share with you. If I ask you to wait ten minutes, hop in the hot tub and I'll alert you when I'm good to share. Don't just jump in and start swimming.
    I have left-side nerve damage, and I WILL run into you, bump you, etc, without even realizing I've done it. Get the HECK OUT OF MY LANE until I'm in cool-down laps at which point I'll invite you to share. Most pools don't allow lane sharing at all. Wish 24 Hour would clue into safety as a swimming issue, but they're more concerned with packing as many clients dollars into the lanes as possible.

    4' pool means NO DIVING. There are signs that say "No Diving", Don't dive in, rock the lap swimmers into the lane buoys and then laugh when everyone glares at you. Moron. Or do dive in and hit your head. Cuz then we all get to laugh.

    SHOWER! The signs all say SHOWER BEFORE ENTERING POOL AREA! Don't work out, throw on your swim trunks over your filthy sweaty body and then come jump in the pool or the spa. If you do, you are a disgusting pig. OR better yet, you come, go into the sauna, get even sweatier and nastier, then 'spin rinse' in the little cool-down shower, and dive into the pool. "I showered!"... no, ya didn't. You rinsed your shoulders and got your hair wet.

    Make-up in the hot tub? Seriously? You do know your sweating that slime into the water, right?

    I try to let newcomers know about lane etiquette when it's clear they don't know what's going on, but sometimes, I'll make my flip turn, come around, and there's someone in my lane coming straight at me.

    I hate sharing lanes and when I belonged to a gym with a pool looked at the pool schedule to get a sense of when I'd have my best shot at my own lane. However, lane sharing was expected when the pool was crowded.
  • jofjltncb6
    jofjltncb6 Posts: 34,415 Member
    My 2 cents:

    This is my busy time of year at work and I'm a FT grad student. So far this month, I've been "working" 75-85 hours between paid work and class work. I'm political active (here in IA, we have the first in the nation caucuses on Feb. 1) and have been busy with that in my down time.

    Fortunately, this is a slightly slower week for me for both work and class. I didn't exercise much in the last half of Dec. due to an injury (which is 95% healed now). Anyway, I actually had some time last night and visited the gym for the first time in more than a month. It was busier than it was in Dec., but that didn't bother me because I was still able to get in on the equipment I needed with little or no wait (I sometimes have waits throughout the year, so no difference).

    The part that bothered me was #4 in the OP. Specifically, there is the etiquette about cleaning up after yourself. There was trash (used paper towels from wiping machines, disposable seal from powder, etc.) on the floor and items left out rather than wiped and put away (mats, jump rope). I did my part by picking up some of what was left by others, but it is annoying to feel like I have to do that.

    Aside from that, I started seriously trying to lose weight in 2014 as a resolutioner and have stuck with it this long (though I admit I had been thinking about it and wanting to do it for a long time prior to 1/1/14). I have no gripes with resolutioners specifically, it's just that I don't remember the gym being that messy last month. I would probably have a similar complaint during the year for the same thing - it is just easy right now to blame the new users for what seems like a new problem. For all I know, it is long-time users who just recently became slobs.

    My theory:

    Regulars get annoyed by resolutioners invading "their space". So regulars lash out by trashing the place and not clearing their weights.
  • singingflutelady
    singingflutelady Posts: 8,736 Member

    kshama2001 wrote: »
    How to Declare War on New Years Resolutioners

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VVt_wzsVgQk

    Love this
  • lithezebra
    lithezebra Posts: 3,670 Member
    I've never noticed who is new to the gym and who is just someone I haven't seen before.
  • playmadcats
    playmadcats Posts: 199 Member
    As someone who has just changed gym (last one had three month cancellation period), the timing of joining a new gym really made me apprehensive. Luckily the members there has been fine, however getting any information out of staff is the tricky bit. There's plenty of things offered to help new members but half of it is hidden in small print on obscure pages of website.
  • myempire
    myempire Posts: 10 Member
    edited January 2016
    If you see some idiot giving you the stink eye because you're using "his" squat rack, just remember you paid your money and you have as much right to be there as he does.
    Here's the thing I wish Resoluters and gym neophytes would understand: I am not going to go up to you and offer you unsolicited advice even though I can clearly identify that you need help. We all know how well the lead balloon of unsolicited advice floats.

    I'm one of the few (if only) competitive powerlifters at the globo gym I'm train at, which means I'm the guy in back "hogging" the rack.

    But that is only ones perception. There's is nothing more I'd rather do than work out with someone and share that rack and talk shop as we do, or answering someone's questions as long as it doesn't interfere with my training. I don't even mind changing and lowering the plates.

    Lesson: Approach us. Be yourself and give us a chance.



  • Panda_brat
    Panda_brat Posts: 291 Member
    AnvilHead wrote: »
    Fair enough.

    I would say that "gym etiquette" isn't on the new members though. I feel that it is the gym's responsibility that all members know and understand gym etiquette.
    Agreed. The gym I go to has an etiquette "policy" that is posted on their website, and is explained (and a copy provided) to every new member when they sign their contract. I agree with the rules and think they're a pretty good guide for etiquette for a newbie:

    * All cell phones must be on silent. Use of cell phones is restricted to the front lobby area!

    * Dropping weights and using loud, foul or slanderous language will not be tolerated!

    * Food and beverages other than bottled water are not allowed in the workout area.

    * Use of alcohol and/or tobacco products is prohibited.

    * Ask if you may “work in”, and always let others work in.

    * When working in with someone, return the seat and weight to the last user’s setup.

    * Wear proper athletic shoes and clothing. Bare feet, socks-only, sandals and work boots are prohibited.

    * Towels are required. Wipe off equipment when finished.

    * Limit perfume and cologne use.

    * Gym bags are not allowed in any workout area.

    * Ask for assistance if you do not know how to use equipment.

    * Work out at your own fitness level.

    * Do not remove weights, benches or equipment from their proper place.

    * Collars on weight bars are mandatory!

    * Always use a spotter when attempting to lift maximum weight.

    * Re-rack weights and return all other accessories to their proper locations.

    * Use of chalk is not permitted.

    * Misuse of equipment and disregard of this policy will result in immediate expulsion!

    I am glad my gym does not have a water only rule. spilled water can be slipped on just as much as any other liquid. I want something with some caffeine to get me going. I have not gotten one complaint in the last 2 years of me going regularly. And even in January, I have always been able to get my full routine in. I might have to switch things up a little, but it all gets done.
  • Bry_Fitness70
    Bry_Fitness70 Posts: 2,480 Member
    edited January 2016
    lithezebra wrote: »
    I've never noticed who is new to the gym and who is just someone I haven't seen before.

    I generally work out at 5am when there are only a handful of the same people there, so anyone new sticks out. This time frame seems to attract the more frantic resolutionists, the ones who think that it is not only a great idea to suddenly jump into a new fitness regime with both feet, but to do so at an ungodly hour of the morning. I think the combination is too much, and they either start working out later at some point or totally quit, probably the latter.
  • ElizabethOakes2
    ElizabethOakes2 Posts: 1,038 Member
    edited January 2016

    Do you only take breaths on your right-side stroke? Maybe you're so angry because of oxygen deprivation?

    Seriously? You have nothing better to do than be rude and insulting? No, I'm actually used to pools that give a crap about the safety of their members. Our gym does not. I can't currently afford to go back to the swim club where it mattered.

    As to other pools; I can't speak for yours. I can only speak for the ones where I've swum before, and ALL of them have had differing lane-sharing etiquette, but they at least posted it and let people know what's expected.

    Yes, I lane share because it's expected, but it's rude to just assume that someone can and will lane share with you. Period. There are several members of the gym who have been going there since I have (back when it was still Ballys) We tend to swap lanes and share with each other during January when the newbies who have no clue about etiquette show up.
    Oh, here's how much the current gym cares about our safety- "Can I speak to a manager? There's four women in the pool, and one guy, and he's at the end of the far lane, masturbating into the pool while he watches us swim.:"'
    Manager: We don't have surveillance in the pool area and unless you have proof that's what he was doing, he'll just deny it. There's nothing we can do about it. You might want to wait until he leaves to swim."
  • LKArgh
    LKArgh Posts: 5,178 Member
    edited January 2016
    Used to dread the first couple of months of the year at the gym, because of all the crowds. Nothing against the individuals, more a problem with the number of them. This year, my main exercise is swimming in an open pool and it has been a pleasant surprise. In late evening, it is me, and the kids of the local swim team. Apparently no one has as new year resolution to join an open pool in the middle of winter :)
    I am avoiding the weight room like the plague for the next weeks , but since I have been mainly doing bodyweight stuff lately, no big deal.
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