Gym Etiquette - what bugs you?

lizzynewm

i hope during my cool-downs and off-days, people aren't annoyed by me at the gym for my lack of effort. and i hope when i go to the gym at night after a long school day, people aren't severely bothered by my makeup!

what annoys me are unsupervised kids at my gym who just kind of run around playing on the machines - not necessarily because they are inherently annoying, but because i begin to feel sort of responsible that they don't get hurt on the equipment.

and when friends go to the gym, don't really use the equipment, and just sit and talk. these two girls planted themselves on the leg press and abductor and didn't use either for 10 minutes and just talked about winter formal. and of course, that was during my leg day. grumble grumble

starcyndycyn

People that come on the internet and whine about other people at the gym.

Agreed. What is to anyone if someone wears jeans, is moving slow, or whatever else? Just do your workout and don't look at others doing theirs.

deedee303z

One of the biggest reasons I gave up my gym membership was other people.

There were a dozen ellipticals and yet more than once a crazy person came up and insisted that they needed the machine I was on RIGHT NOW and How Dare I use THEIR machine! None of the others were even in use at the time.

There was only one circuit course (and one of each machine) and yet people thought it was ok to sit on a machine for 20 min or longer "resting" (ie, chatting). Polite inquiries as to the availability of the machine were met rudely--and they would wait until you left before getting up. Many times it wasn't worth the hassle to even bother with the circuit because you wouldn't be able to use half the machines anyway.

Locker room. I'm not a prude. I do NOT, however, care to be sitting on a bench putting my shoes on to look up with your bent over bare bum right in my face--complete with tampon string hanging out. Nasty! (I did, however, learn how to put my shoes and socks on without sitting on the benches).

Mostly, though, I got tired of hearing husband complain about the above the whole way home (um not the ladies locker room part though!).

(Apparently, I wasn't the only one who had issues with that gym though--it closed a year or so later.)

jolenelf

Two biggest things:

1. When people do not wipe down their machines. I used some weight machines at the gym for the first time last week and ended up with pink eye in both eyes. I will now wipe down every machine BEFORE I use!!
and
2. When someone wears a ton of perfume/body spray/smelly stuff and jumps on cardio equipment next to me. Makes my throat burn!

For the most part, I try not to pay attention to other people and really hope they pay me the same courtesy.

Jerrypeoples

i will profess to being annoyed when someone elses uses the third elliptical machine from the right, i might start peeing on it to mark it as mine.

but if its taken i use the next available one.


mind you the things i listed through out here dont so much bug me as just makes me roll my eyes. its not like i get roid rage at this stuff (other than guys leaving the locker room a damn mess)

clothes - i dont think it should bother anyone but there are things you shouldnt wear to the gym. 3 sizes too small.....biker shorts only (seriously, i dont know how a woman has ever gone near a guys nether region, even just the outline of one in biker pants creeps me out) or people that wear do-rags (this is in general)

slow workout people - dont really mind them either but if you do work out slow pretend your golfing and let someone else play through

smelly people - it happens, its a gym. plus they may have walked through one of my crop dustings.

grunters or loud lifters - this is fine unless i have my headset turned on as loud as possible and can STILL hear you from 50 feet away.

for some odd reason the only people i think who should be put to instant death are un-re-rackers. or if they place them on the wrong spindle.

Slaci_Jo

I dont understand why people are annoyed by girls coming in with makeup on/perfume. Did you ever think that maybe they just came from work or school? I don't believe that its mandatory for them to make sure they wipe off all thier makeup before coming out onto the gym floor so that you dont feel annoyed. Everytime I have gone to the gym I have had make up on because I came straight from work. It shouldn't mattter if they are wearing a sexy outfit either. Maybe being able to wear that sexy outfit and feel comfortable in it is a confidence booster. It says a lot about ones insecurities if little things like make-up and clothes bother them. If it isn't directly affecting your workout then it really shouldn't be an issue.

Luckily for me I have a gym at my apartment complex and my biggest pet peeve is the apartment not supplying at the very least a spray bottle with water for people to wipe the machines down with. I also avoid going around 7pm because a gaggle of women come in and talk so loud that I can't hear my music in my earbuds, even turned up to full volume. This affects me being in "the zone" because its so loud I can't even think straight.

Mostly I try to "get in the zone" where I can block most everything out. Once I am in the zone I pretty much am oblivious whatever else is going on in the gym (besides the loud people). I try to not judge others based on their workout preferences.

OkieTink

I dont understand why people are annoyed by girls coming in with makeup on/perfume.

Perfume bothers me because my gym is small, sometimes it makes it difficult to breath when the inconsiderate gal next to me marinated in Sweet Pea minutes before walking through the door.

1brokegal44

Not so much that this bugs me, as amuses me and makes me wonder....Women, generally much older women, who bring their purses with them into the workout area and hang it on the treadmill/elliptical/bike or other gym equipment instead of locking it in their car.

sallyaj

People who do not wash their hands after using the toilet. Yes, there is a woman at my gym who comes out of the stall wearing her "lifting gloves" and talking on the phone. Doesn't wash her hands. Heads right back to the weights floor.

Lantzbug

What really bothered me today as I was pulling into the gym, was someone who had to hurry and pull in front of me, came so close to hitting someone that she dropped her stuff, just to get a close parking spot. It's a GYM, a little walk won't hurt you.

KateRunsColorado

Just an edit/response on my "girls who wear a pound of make-up" comment earlier.

I don't care if it's leftover after work/school, I'm talking 5:00am and they look like they're going to Prom.

But alas, everyone else's comments about worrying about yourself are correct...I shouldn't care, I'm there for me, and myself only!!! Must work on that!

Jerrypeoples

What really bothered me today as I was pulling into the gym, was someone who had to hurry and pull in front of me, came so close to hitting someone that she dropped her stuff, just to get a close parking spot. It's a GYM, a little walk won't hurt you.

its funny cause we make fun of those people that swim the parking lot like a shark waiting for that easy prey. youre going to the gym, the 300 foot walk is not going to kill you

jbutterflye

Cooking and foodie shows on the overhead TV's. C'mon, really? Last thing I need to look at while working out is Paula Deen's country fried everything. That was at my old gym though. My new one has individual monitors on most cardio equipment... way to go technology!

Also, I really hate it when people try to chat while I'm huffing and puffing to some high BPM music on my ipod, clearly with my earphones on. And then I'll make a big show about stopping the ipod and taking off my earphones to answer them. Then putting them back on. After awhile, if they can't take a hint, I just shrug and point to the earphone with a "gee I'm sorry" look.

sheesh!

cubbies77

People who wear a gallon of body spray or perfume. I'm trying to breathe, moron. You're making it impossible. Just put on some deodorant for chrissakes.

CorvusCorax77

i am pro smart phone usage in the gym! its how i calculate my ORMs between sets!!

I dislike:
- when people don't wipe their own sweat off the machines

I HATE:
-when people don't rerack their weights so I'm sitting there thinking "someone must be using that and just resting in between sets"...

runningfataway

There should be a hall of shame for repeating offenders. Snooze you lose.

Alyssa__Lauren

1. People who don't clean their machines...you're gross.

2. People who think that weight machines are benches or beds....aka people who hog machines for 10+ minutes just sitting there or playing on their phones. I understand resting between reps but sitting on a machine and not using it? Come on. Also I'm too afraid to say anything to these people because the one time I did, it was a bad experience.

3. People who stare at your cardio machine to see how long you've been running, what level you're on, etc. This doesn't happen at my gym but my mom and I were trying out a different gym recently and the woman on the elliptical next to mine was watching my every move. I ended up moving :X

pucenavel

When people give me the crusty for doing curls inside that big metal cage-looking thing.

crazy4lulu

while i work in a gym and i see this stuff on a regular basis... there are a few things that bug the hell out of me.
#1 . you are going to go to a fitness facility.... why must you circle the parking lot like flies on a rib roast to find the closest parking space???? Unless you have a handicap sign in the window and need to park close.... friggan walk will ya!!!
#2. Please people.... take into consideration, that we all do not like the smell of overbearing Abercrombie perfume or what ever the hell you chose to spray on your body before you left your house. I have to keep a bottle of ibuprofen with me just to get rid of the headache i start getting 5 minutes after you walk in the door.
#3. I am on my own time... i have my hat on.. incognito...music... notebook... drink.. gloves... and i am lifting 70 lb dumb bells above my head.........................DO NOT BUG ME!!!!!!!!

stines72

guys who stand 1 inch from the dumbbells to do their sets

ksuh999

The woman FACETIMING her bit on the side in changing room, and then calling her husband straight after... after spending only 10 minutes walking up and down in the gym anyway. All kinds of wrong.

I would've reported her to the staff. She's recording for voyeur sites.

redragtop05

This happens to me all the time.....There are 14 elliptical machines available and they choose to hop on the one right next to me.

Fittreelol

I hate when inept people on the cardio machine next to me spray the machine instead of a paper towel, and just end up disinfecting me instead. They're probably seat pee-rs too.

As many others have mentioned- overwhelming scent. I actually posted in my feed about some random cloud of Axe wandering over near the squat rack JUST as I had gotten ready to do my work sets. Ugh.

Most people at my gym rerack their weights. \o/

Lantzbug

What really bothered me today as I was pulling into the gym, was someone who had to hurry and pull in front of me, came so close to hitting someone that she dropped her stuff, just to get a close parking spot. It's a GYM, a little walk won't hurt you.

its funny cause we make fun of those people that swim the parking lot like a shark waiting for that easy prey. youre going to the gym, the 300 foot walk is not going to kill you

I should have just run over his little bmw with my charger, but I played nice.

dixiewhiskey

People who sit on the weight machines FOREVER not using the machines but simply sitting there
People who spray me with sweat or disinfectant
People who stand in front of the mirror on their cellphones in the change room.. get out of my way!

Aside from that, anything else I just run out on track or machines. Not gonna let dumb folks ruin ME time

danimalkeys

All of this stuff makes me happy to have all the gear I need at home. The people who judge others because they are too fat, too skinny,make too much noise with the weights or don't wear the right clothes, have make up on, don't have make up on, talk on their cell phones, go too fast or too slow on the treadmill, stare at your *kitten*, don't' stare at your *kitten*- can keep it. I'll take my chalky dungeon in the basement and my elliptical set up in front of the TV in the den (where I can watch cooking shows if I want!).

I'm my only judge in my gym, I do what I want when I want and answer to no one but myself. I wouldn't have it any other way.

Some people don't understand different training protocols. If you saw me during my powerlifting days, 5 minutes between sets was normal. It took that long to recover from a set of 500 on squats. It's not circuit training or butt toner squats the personal trainer has you do. It's a full body, maximiumly taxing effort that you don't just pop up from and get under the bar for another set.

blobby10

Having read this thread, it makes me appreciate my gym even more!! No pervy guys, no sweaty pools under machines, no queues for weight machines, no mobiles, no made up to the eyeballs gym bunnies! When I was looking for a gym I went on the website and it freaked my out a bit as the owner and his partner are professional bodybuilders and look so-o-o-o fit! But I went and looked around anyway and am so glad I did. Its so friendly, even at the 6.15am classes and when I go back in the evening to lift my beginners weights, the professional guys will always show me what to do if I ask. And I'm not a fit bird but a 43 year old mother of 3 with more than a little flab!

Jribeiro86

3 things, all of which I witnessed in tandem last night:

-Chit chat on a given machine. I dislike when someone decides to lay down on a weight bench like it’s naptime, but even worse than that is when two people decide to carry on a FULL-BLOWN conversation while seated on a piece of equipment, not using it in the least. This is, of course, usually the machine I want. -_-

-Possessive hovering. I’ve gotten lucky at my gym that this has only ever really happened to me once or twice, but I’ve often seen members come up alongside someone who’s occupying the machine they would like to use and straight up hover in that individual’s personal space until they feel uncomfortable enough to leave and go elsewhere. It’s so wrong!! The few times it’s happened to me, I refused to move until I was completely done with my sets, but it was awful. One time, I was using the mid row machine in the gym when this dude came over, put his keys on the top of the machine next to my towel and water bottle, and then literally LEANED against it with his arms crossed. And I had JUST started my routine! Obviously I called him out on it and politely asked him to move, which he did. …About 2 feet away, and with an attitude. *sigh*

-Exhibitionism in the locker room. Yeah, people are naked from time to time in the locker room, I get that. You do what you gotta do to get yourself ready, whether it’s for a workout or for life in general, right? What kills me, though, are the ladies who just wander around in there seemingly without a purpose. I see women sitting nude on benches in the locker room (GROSS) while watching TV and then sauntering over to dry their hair or put on makeup, still without a stitch of clothing on. ……I don’t know. Maybe this makes me a prude, but I seriously think that if you are in a semi-public space, you show courtesy to others by getting dressed when you are free to do so. I swear I once walked in from a workout and saw some lady completely naked, sitting on a leather ottoman in front of one of the vanities, painting her nails!!! O.o Disgusting.

bbygrl5

Re-rack your f*cking weights! The end.

Aeriesified

It was either yesterday or the night before that I said that I had NO problems with anyone at the gym. So what happened in yesterday's workout? I got off the track to use a piece of equipment that some girl had just wiped down and vacated, right next to another empty one so my best friend can workout next to me. Right on. But she's left her empty water bottle and sweaty towel in the holder thing. Awesome. Thanks. Didn't realize how annoying something that small could be until now.