I HATE going to my gym
diana_marie8302
Posts: 84 Member
So I've had a gym membership to Any Time fitness for about 4 months now. I've hardly gone at all. Its mostly just a money pit. It's so close to my apartment but that has not been a motivating factor in getting me to go. My main issues with the gym is 1) that regardless of what I'm doing, the owner will come over and talk to me. I could be mid-stride on the treadmill or using the weight machines or doing one of the videos in the privacy of a separate room, he always finds a way to distract me or to talk to me. Its usually something very superficial, like about money or cars or something like that, in which I have no interest. He often will ask me what I think of his pricing for the gym or the pricing for the personal trainer there, which I always preface by saying, well I can't afford it but its better than what it was. I am definitely not the only person he talks to but its super annoying. I always have my earphones on for that very reason and yet he continues to interrupt me. Suggestions? My other issue is that 2) I'm not the most knowledgeable on working out so I keep it simple. If I actually go to the gym, I usually do about 30 minutes of cardio and then a few of the weight machines, upper one day and lower the next. I don't feel like this is really maximizing my time and actually, I miss going to Planet Fitness. 7 months until I can get out of my contract... but I feel like I should be making use of my gym membership. I have less than zero motivation to go that particular gym, despite its ridiculous closeness to where I live. Not sure what kind of advice I'm looking for but I could certainly use some.
(I realize this probably sounds like a bunch of excuses but I guess I just wanted to get this off my mind and see what other people do.)
(I realize this probably sounds like a bunch of excuses but I guess I just wanted to get this off my mind and see what other people do.)
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Replies
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Then don't go to that gym. Work out at home. Problem solved.0
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Then don't go to that gym. Work out at home. Problem solved.
^^^ My thoughts exactly!!
I have a gym membership (fortunately is super cheap $10 a month). I'm lucky if I make it there once a month. I'd much rather - go for a walk, run, jog, hike, bike or anything outdoors!! I also work out at home a lot!! There are TONS of youtube videos and channels to work out to in the comfort of your own home and they're FREE!!!
And my other piece of advice is to just come out and tell the owner you don't like to talk while your working out.0 -
When I go to the gym I generally stay on the same routine. Cardio and weights. As long as you are doing some type of excercise it is far better than nothing. I very seldom have people approach me, but when they do, especially if I am midstride, I simply tell them I am not hear to chat, sorry. Could be why I am seldom approached! I love the fact that my gym is about two blocks from work. I can literally hit the shower 15 minutes before I need to be to work, and get to work with time to spare. I feel that having the gym so close should be a motivator, not a deterrent. I guess it boils down to how bad you want to reach your goals. Honestly, 7 months is a drop in the bucket in the big scheme of things. I have to get up at 6 am to get to the gym, get a good workout, and get to work. I hate getting up that early, but after work it gives me time to spend with my wife and daughter. Hate to be a bit cliche' but Just Do It!0
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Does the gym offer classes? He shouldn't be able to bother you right in the middle of a class & it's a great way to work out.
Also, is the owner there 24/7? If not, go there when you think he won't be there (nights, weekends).
If niether of those are an option, then turn the tables on him & ask him how to use a certain machine & then say "thanks for your help, I got this now! I'll let you know if I need anything else! Bye!"
Man, that sucks though! I wish there was a nice way of telling him to butt out.0 -
time to find a new gym. Also, there are lots of great training routines online for beginers and how to preform these exercises properly. My swim coach made a statement that took me years to truly understand. "It is impossible to train yourself to excellance." So, find a good plan online and do it. A set plan will push you harder than you can push yourself and seeing how to properly do the exercises online will less your anxiety.0
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Just tell him that you're there to workout and not chit chat and could he please respect that. The more you pacify him to let him talk to you, the more he'll continue.So I've had a gym membership to Any Time fitness for about 4 months now. I've hardly gone at all. Its mostly just a money pit. It's so close to my apartment but that has not been a motivating factor in getting me to go. My main issues with the gym is 1) that regardless of what I'm doing, the owner will come over and talk to me. I could be mid-stride on the treadmill or using the weight machines or doing one of the videos in the privacy of a separate room, he always finds a way to distract me or to talk to me. Its usually something very superficial, like about money or cars or something like that, in which I have no interest. He often will ask me what I think of his pricing for the gym or the pricing for the personal trainer there, which I always preface by saying, well I can't afford it but its better than what it was. I am definitely not the only person he talks to but its super annoying. I always have my earphones on for that very reason and yet he continues to interrupt me. Suggestions? My other issue is that 2) I'm not the most knowledgeable on working out so I keep it simple. If I actually go to the gym, I usually do about 30 minutes of cardio and then a few of the weight machines, upper one day and lower the next. I don't feel like this is really maximizing my time and actually, I miss going to Planet Fitness. 7 months until I can get out of my contract... but I feel like I should be making use of my gym membership. I have less than zero motivation to go that particular gym, despite its ridiculous closeness to where I live. Not sure what kind of advice I'm looking for but I could certainly use some.
(I realize this probably sounds like a bunch of excuses but I guess I just wanted to get this off my mind and see what other people do.)
A.C.E. Certified Personal/Group FitnessTrainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition0 -
1. Don't take your headphones out, tell him you can' t hear him and walk away. He'll get the hint. You should only have to do that twice and he'll never talk to you again. If he goes to pull out your headphones, I suggest a superman punch to the throat. Here is a video demo of the superman punch (Oh yeah you welcome)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SrxEe0Hxtyc
2. Fitness Buddy Free App - Will show you proper technique for various exercises by muscle group.
3. No one is going to do this for you. Once you truly get sick of your fat, then you'll find the motivation for yourself.
Good luck.0 -
]Just tell him that you're there to workout and not chit chat and could he please respect that. The more you pacify him to let him talk to you, the more he'll continue.
+1
Try not to enable his bahavior.
Do enable yours. I see from your profile that you want to run a 5K. Great! Lifting plus running is a hard combination to beat for both fitness and weight loss. Ask here about lifting/running cross taining. Then you can get out of the gym to run, and back into the gym to lift. Wisconsin can have heavy winters (I used to live in Dubuque, Iowa), so that may deter your getting out; but, seriously, have a go!0 -
Obviously the advice is all going to be "get a new gym", but you've stated you're in a contract so that's a no go for some months.
With regards to the annoying guy: it's any time fitness so I'm assuming it's open 24/7? Why not try going unusual hours when he's not there? That's what I do with my 24 hr gym.0 -
Go to a different gym. I go to one that only offers classes. I chat with people at the gym, but the classes are intense (HIIT), and there's no time for chatting and if you can talk while working out you're not working hard enough. It's a little more expensive than other gyms, but totally worth it. I have made more progress there that I ever did working out solo. Every class is like working with a personal trainer, but for a tiny fraction of the cost.0
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Just tell him that you're there to workout and not chit chat and could he please respect that. The more you pacify him to let him talk to you, the more he'll continue.So I've had a gym membership to Any Time fitness for about 4 months now. I've hardly gone at all. Its mostly just a money pit. It's so close to my apartment but that has not been a motivating factor in getting me to go. My main issues with the gym is 1) that regardless of what I'm doing, the owner will come over and talk to me. I could be mid-stride on the treadmill or using the weight machines or doing one of the videos in the privacy of a separate room, he always finds a way to distract me or to talk to me. Its usually something very superficial, like about money or cars or something like that, in which I have no interest. He often will ask me what I think of his pricing for the gym or the pricing for the personal trainer there, which I always preface by saying, well I can't afford it but its better than what it was. I am definitely not the only person he talks to but its super annoying. I always have my earphones on for that very reason and yet he continues to interrupt me. Suggestions? My other issue is that 2) I'm not the most knowledgeable on working out so I keep it simple. If I actually go to the gym, I usually do about 30 minutes of cardio and then a few of the weight machines, upper one day and lower the next. I don't feel like this is really maximizing my time and actually, I miss going to Planet Fitness. 7 months until I can get out of my contract... but I feel like I should be making use of my gym membership. I have less than zero motivation to go that particular gym, despite its ridiculous closeness to where I live. Not sure what kind of advice I'm looking for but I could certainly use some.
(I realize this probably sounds like a bunch of excuses but I guess I just wanted to get this off my mind and see what other people do.)
A.C.E. Certified Personal/Group FitnessTrainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
^This. There's nothing wrong with telling him you're not interested in talking, that you're there to work. No need to be nasty about it (unless he escalates it), but you're paying to use the gym & he's interfering with that. If he continues to interrupt tell him you want out of the contract because he's not allowing you to use the facilities you're paying for.
As for not knowing what else to do in your workout, look online - there are many resources out there (including on MFP). You could also talk to friends (both male & female) who work out & find out what they do. If your interests are in cardio, talk to people who do a lot of cardio & find out what they do, for how long, what machines they use, etc. If you're interested in lifting talk to the weight lifters. There's also nothing to preclude you from talking to people at the gym, if the owner takes it as permission for him to start chatting you up again just firmly remind him that you're not interested in his idle conversation.......0 -
Have you even told him you are not interested in talking?0
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Just tell him that you're there to workout and not chit chat and could he please respect that. The more you pacify him to let him talk to you, the more he'll continue.So I've had a gym membership to Any Time fitness for about 4 months now. I've hardly gone at all. Its mostly just a money pit. It's so close to my apartment but that has not been a motivating factor in getting me to go. My main issues with the gym is 1) that regardless of what I'm doing, the owner will come over and talk to me. I could be mid-stride on the treadmill or using the weight machines or doing one of the videos in the privacy of a separate room, he always finds a way to distract me or to talk to me. Its usually something very superficial, like about money or cars or something like that, in which I have no interest. He often will ask me what I think of his pricing for the gym or the pricing for the personal trainer there, which I always preface by saying, well I can't afford it but its better than what it was. I am definitely not the only person he talks to but its super annoying. I always have my earphones on for that very reason and yet he continues to interrupt me. Suggestions? My other issue is that 2) I'm not the most knowledgeable on working out so I keep it simple. If I actually go to the gym, I usually do about 30 minutes of cardio and then a few of the weight machines, upper one day and lower the next. I don't feel like this is really maximizing my time and actually, I miss going to Planet Fitness. 7 months until I can get out of my contract... but I feel like I should be making use of my gym membership. I have less than zero motivation to go that particular gym, despite its ridiculous closeness to where I live. Not sure what kind of advice I'm looking for but I could certainly use some.
(I realize this probably sounds like a bunch of excuses but I guess I just wanted to get this off my mind and see what other people do.)
A.C.E. Certified Personal/Group FitnessTrainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
This tell him you want to get your workout in and you can talk to him afterwards... problem solved...0 -
This is annoying and kind of funny that I used to have a similar problem at my gym. And I also live in Milwaukee.
I also hate my gym. Because it's a craphole. But it's cheap.
And it's a craphole.
I work out at 5:30am most days right when the gym opens. The opening employee used to come talk to me every morning regardless of what I was doing or what effort I was putting in. It annoyed me. I eventually just started being rude and kind of smirking when he talked, not taking my headphones out if I had them in, and generally started annoying him.
Now he doesn't talk to me at all except to say hi and bye.
just ignore the guy. Or if you can be more assertive just ask him to leave you alone. That's harder, in my opinion.
As for the routine - I always pay attention tow hat other people are doing. Not just one person but I watch how other people move through various machines to get new ideas. I do get "stuck" sometimes though and that can be super frustrating to feel lost for a little while not knowing where to move to next.
Also - have you re-read the contract? There might be a clause that you can pay a little extra to get out and then not have to deal wiht it and join the gym of your choice. And don't join blast. Ever. That's the craphole
Good luck!0 -
Then don't go to that gym. Work out at home. Problem solved.
Took the words outta my mouth. Find something you like to do and do that. I also hate the gym, so I workout at home and am much happier and look forward to my workouts now! 0 -
Nobody needs a Gym. Also - since this guy is not the owner of your Gym and Any Time Fitness is a franchise I recommend you to have a word with this company and let them know that this dumb**** is disturbing you and by doing this causing damage to the companies reputation. Contact them memberexperience@anytimefitness.com
Good luck.0 -
First let's give you a routine so you won't feel so lost when you go in the gym:
3 sets of 12 reps of each exercise (12th rep should be hard to complete):
Legs:
Squats
Romanian deadlifts
lunges
leg extension machine
leg curl machine
calf raises (seated or standing)
Back and biceps:
Lat pulldown machine
seated row machine
bench over one arm dumbbell rows
bicep curls with dumbbells
hammer curls with dumbbells
bicep curl machine
Chest, shoulders, triceps:
Bench press
Incline dumbbell press
Dumbbell shoulder press
Standing dumbbell lateral raises
Seated bent over lateral raises
Triceps pushdown on cables
Dips on flat bench
Only do cardio after your weight session, not before.
Second, ignore the owner and keep on working out. If he continues to talk, short answer him with "uh huh" or "oh" or "ok." Don't let him ruin it for you. You're in there to work, not chit chat. Is there another owner you can tell that will be descrete about letting him know to stop bothering you?0 -
I killed the thread.... oops....0
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I also have a membership to Anytime Fitness and I rarely use it now. I used to work with the personal trainer at mine and I loved it. The owners are hardly ever there, however I would have to agree with the don't take your headphones out. I've never had anyone that worked there approach me during a workout unless it was the trainer to tell me that I should try a different move or to help me get one right that I may have been doing incorrectly. If ignoring him doesn't work then I would ask that doesn't interrupt you during a workout because you are paying to workout not talk to him.0
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It's interesting that so many people are suggesting that the OP go to a different gym, try to go at odd hours when she won't see the owner or skip the gym entirely and workout at home.
It can be difficult for people, particularly women, to tell people, particularly men, to leave them alone. But it is an invaluable skill.
Practice what you are going to say before you say it if you think that will help you in the moment.
Next time he saunters up to you and tries to talk, just tell him you don't like to be distracted when you are working out. I promise you, it works.0 -
Oh excellent...I used to live in Greenfield! In fact my husband and I looked at the AF on 60th street (not sure if it's the same one you're at)...it was just a mile or so north of our apartment, but we ended up not joining since we decided to go house hunting and moved out to Waukesha. Not sure if I ever met the owner...if I did, I don't remember anything about him.
All I can say is keep going! I know the guy sucks...but there has got to be a way to get him to scram. Maybe if you're there more, he'll actually talk to you less. Perhaps him talking is actually him trying to be friendly and welcoming...and motivating? I don't know...he might have a different definition. Just tell him to get lost...but politely!
I keep going back and forth whether or not to join a gym now. I live less than a mile away from an AF here and a Wisconsin Athletic Club and only 2-3 miles from Gold's. But honestly, I haven't run out of fun things to do at my house yet. There are so many fitness videos to do (thank you fitnessblender!) and bodyweight exercises to try out. But, now that we've had our first "snow" on the ground, I'm starting to rethink the whole jogging/walking outside thing. I nearly slipped last night...so I might try a couple gyms out to see how they are. At least for treadmill and freeweight access.0 -
It's really hard to be assertive but you have to smile and say "Sorry, I really have to concentrate, I'll catch up with you when I finish" then put your headphones back in and don't make eye contact. He's probably trying to drum up business for the PTs or he's just bored. Until you can get out of your contract you can't really change gyms and it's such a waste of money to pay for a subscription and not use the facilities. Be polite but firm!0
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In these parts, having head phones in is universal for "don't talk to me unless I'm on fire." Keep 'em in, and don't let him distract you. If he refuses to respect your personal (mental) space and touches your shoulder to get your attention, use your newfound muscles to drop his *kitten* like a bad habit.0
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It's interesting that so many people are suggesting that the OP go to a different gym, try to go at odd hours when she won't see the owner or skip the gym entirely and workout at home.
It can be difficult for people, particularly women, to tell people, particularly men, to leave them alone. But it is an invaluable skill.
Practice what you are going to say before you say it if you think that will help you in the moment.
Next time he saunters up to you and tries to talk, just tell him you don't like to be distracted when you are working out. I promise you, it works.
I agree- why should the OP have to work out at home or use the gym at 3 AM just to avoid the guy? Tell him you don't like carrying on a conversation when you're working out. Repeat as often as necessary. If he doesn't get the message, then you complain to the franchisor- but try to resolve the problem with him directly first.0 -
When I go to the gym, I usually have my headphones on and don't make too much eye contact.
But the reason I hate my gym s because so many of the cardio machines are always out of order!!0 -
Cut the membership and workout at home. Educate yourself (youtube) then once you really know what you want/need to do, to take it to the next level go back to the gym if you choose.0
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This tell him you want to get your workout in and you can talk to him afterwards... problem solved...
This is EXACTLY what I was going to say. There's no need to be rude, and he should get the idea not to bother you while you're working out.0 -
Next time he asks how you like his gym, say you'd like it a whole lot better if you could focus on your workout without distractions.
There's a trainer at my gym keeps screaming "SPRINTS!!!" at me while I'm on the treadmill (context: I run for an hour about 3-4 times per week, steady pace). It's really annoying. WORSE... he tries to set me up with some of his clients!!! The last one? EASILY 15 years older than me!!! REALLY? Do I LOOK like I have Daddy Issues?
I just keep the headphones on, & wave. Or pretend to be completely zoned out. They go away.0 -
You have all been super helpful! I do really appreciate the advice. I do go to the AF on S 60th in Greenfield, literally 3 blocks away. The cardio seems like its refurbished, most of the time 1 or more of the few cardio machines there are broken in some way and the tvs attached never work like they are supposed to. The owner is there from 11-7 M-Th and 11-3 on Fridays. I go right after work because if I go home, I won't go to the gym... the couch always wins and I know myself well enough to not even try that game. It is a very small gym and even though its $30/month, its still seems like its filled with cheap equipment. Getting the personal trainer to help me is not an option unfortunately... I tried once and had to limp for a week after that because he really had no clue how to train someone who wasn't already somewhat physically fit. I literally couldn't sit or stand or walk without some sort of major pain shooting through my legs and butt and arms and everywhere else Lol I previously went to Planet Fitness and I really like their 30 minute circuit because it takes the guesswork out of making a routine. That's not an option at AF. I had been there before and it helped me get to my weight loss goal. I want to get there again and I don't think AF is the key to that. Just the thought of going makes me unhappy... which I know I have to change if I want to lose weight. I know I need to cut the excuses and just get off my *kitten* and do it. Thanks again for all of your advice!0
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