Embarrassed myself at the gym

So what, we have all made mistakes.

It's been 20 years since high school, and I still vividly remember the day my track team all worked legs in the weight room, my first time ever lifting. We were already tired from having run a full running workout on the track, but coach wanted to try something new. I somehow managed to not embarrass myself too badly (other than the fact I was using the same weight as the girls, while the guys were all lifting far heavier, but I was a scrawny shrimp back then), but there remained one more obstacle to overcome. The weight room was on the first floor, but the locker room was in the basement. After the workout was over, I tried to go down the stairs to the locker room. Tried being the operative word, because my very first step down my leg buckled from being so wobbly and I went head over heels the entire flight, wiping out two others who were also wobbly.

Two decades later, my kids wonder why I insist on holding the stair rails.

BrentJulius wrote: »

I did 4 sets of dumbbell presses today before I realized I had a different amount of weight in each hand. I was wondering why I kept failing on one side before the other lol.

I did this on the bench press two days ago.

Also, one time I was doing light squats to work on form and really working on sitting back on the descent. You can probably guess the outcome. I fell flat on my butt and 75 pounds crashed down onto the gym floor and made a sound like the grand finale of a destruction derby.

Carlos_421 wrote: »

I came expecting a poop story.
Real life wasn't as embarrassing.

Me too.

Everybody makes mistakes...that's how we learn! Just shake it off and push forward.

valskeete wrote: »

I have done more embarrassing things at the gym than I could possibly name. Here's what you do, you use a specific equipment properly and then use it in an extremely innovative way (improperly to most, but ingenious to others). Look at YouTube/Instagram videos for ideas.
For example: on the Smith Machine (since u mentioned it):
You lie on the ground on your back and put the bar with weight in the middle of the bottom of your feet, hip thrust up with straight legs, keeping your shoulder blades on the floor, tighten you glutes at the top -- for your abs.
Or you can do traditional donkey kicks again with the bar with weight on the bottom of you foot.
People will get used to you using equipment "un-traditionally" they won't think twice when you actually use it wrong. Just make sure your form is always good.

Actually hip thrusts are for your glutes

I was air drumming on the treadmill once, hit the emergency stop and flew halfway across the room. I was alone in the upstairs part of the gym but I knew from the look on the receptionist's face when I came downstairs later that she'd seen it on the CCTV.

THIS. Is. Amazing. Best story ever.

I was once on the treadmill when the chap on the treadmill next to me went flying off the back. Turned out he'd had a bit of a brain fart, and forgot he was on the treadmill, thought he was running outside and stopped running to adjust his shoelace.

I didn't know what the bosu ball was for and stood on it the wrong way with no coordination. I fell off and did a rolly polly across the floor. I laughed my *kitten* off while sprawled on the ground, then got up and gave it another go.. still the wrong way.. wasn't until I saw someone on it that I realized, lol
It helped that I was with my daughter and embarrassing her way more than myself, hahaha (evil but funny)

kristib12 wrote: »

I didn't know what the bosu ball was for and stood on it the wrong way with no coordination. I fell off and did a rolly polly across the floor. I laughed my *kitten* off while sprawled on the ground, then got up and gave it another go.. still the wrong way.. wasn't until I saw someone on it that I realized, lol
It helped that I was with my daughter and embarrassing her way more than myself, hahaha (evil but funny)

You can use the Bosu ball both ways. Bosu stands for Both Sides Up/Utilized. So you didn't use it wrong, you just didn't have the balance for that side, lol.

heatherdear18 wrote: »

Ok, so I'm writing on here basically because I am so embarrassed to tell anyone I know personally.
So I've been working out The gym again for about 6 months. 2 months ago I finally gained the courage to go into the weight side of the gym, it's a military gym so it is quite intimidating. Today I decided to use the squat rack for the 2nd time, instead of the smith machine, for my squats. I used the squat rack wrong, as the levers weren't on it and I used the deadlift portion to put the weight down and lift it back up, ultimately I could have hurt myself. A guy came up to help me set it up properly. Really nice of him. However, now I am just so embarrassed, like I don't even want to set foot in the gym again. How am I supposed to build my confidence back up ? I feel like such an idiot lol

One of the first gym classes I ever took was a yoga class with a friend. I had no idea at the time that certain poses helped, erm, relieve people of gas, and the polite thing to do is just ignore it when it happens.

Being the young sprat that I was, all things flatulence related were hilarious. By the time the third or fourth person farted in a particular pose, my friend and I shaking with laughter. Said shaking caused my friend to fart, we both fell over laughing, and had to leave the class for disruption. I never went back to that class.

Although on second thought, the way I'm still giggling remembering that class, I still think all things flatulence related are hilarious. Except when my husband attempts to dutch oven me

When I was new in the gym I was unloading a bar which had 3*20kg plates on either side. I learned a valuable lesson about unloading the plates alternating sides. I took off 2 from the one side and watched in horror as the bar tipped the other way and crashed to the floor. Noone was in the way to get hurt, but there were enough ppl in there staring at me afterwards!

I don't have a weight lifting one, but when I worked near our company headquarters, we got a pass into the company gym (free!) and I couldn't figure out how to leave. They had put the badge out scanner on a pillar and when I walked out of the women's locker room it was on the opposite side and I couldn't see it. I had to ask the ladies in the office how to get out...The next day I saw a sign on the door telling people how to get out and I couldn't help but think it was because of me.

jdhcm2006 wrote: »

kristib12 wrote: »

I didn't know what the bosu ball was for and stood on it the wrong way with no coordination. I fell off and did a rolly polly across the floor. I laughed my *kitten* off while sprawled on the ground, then got up and gave it another go.. still the wrong way.. wasn't until I saw someone on it that I realized, lol
It helped that I was with my daughter and embarrassing her way more than myself, hahaha (evil but funny)

You can use the Bosu ball both ways. Bosu stands for Both Sides Up/Utilized. So you didn't use it wrong, you just didn't have the balance for that side, lol.

Oh yeah, that was about 1 1/2 years ago when I didn't know it was a Bosu ball, it was the "half-round thingie".. haha

heatherdear18 wrote: »

Ok, so I'm writing on here basically because I am so embarrassed to tell anyone I know personally.
So I've been working out The gym again for about 6 months. 2 months ago I finally gained the courage to go into the weight side of the gym, it's a military gym so it is quite intimidating. Today I decided to use the squat rack for the 2nd time, instead of the smith machine, for my squats. I used the squat rack wrong, as the levers weren't on it and I used the deadlift portion to put the weight down and lift it back up, ultimately I could have hurt myself. A guy came up to help me set it up properly. Really nice of him. However, now I am just so embarrassed, like I don't even want to set foot in the gym again. How am I supposed to build my confidence back up ? I feel like such an idiot lol

Dude, seriously? You think THAT'S embarrassing yourself at the gym? Go on YouTube and look up some embarrassing gym videos. You'll feel much better.