gym etiquette?
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raygunn_viola
Posts: 88 Member
so I was at the gym and the only exercise I had left to do was leg press. There was a woman on the machine, so I sat down close by and started stretching. I was going to wait for her to get done, but she stayed on it a while and I didn't want to be the creepy person who sat and watched someone else work out. If I had another exercise to do, I would have left and come back, but I had already done everything. What do you do when someone is on the machine you want?
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Replies
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Three options:
1) Wait.
2) Ask if you can work in with them (do your sets while they're resting).
3) Choose another exercise (do squats, lunges, DB split squats, etc. instead of leg press).4 -
I politely ask 'How many reps do you have left?' this typically gets the point across that you are waiting for the machine and tends to make folks taking their sweet time put a little more pep in their reps.
Worst case, start slam dancing around them chanting, "MINE MINE MINE!" in your best german-techno-bass yell you can muster! This also works wonders!!9 -
raygunn_viola wrote: »so I was at the gym and the only exercise I had left to do was leg press. There was a woman on the machine, so I sat down close by and started stretching. I was going to wait for her to get done, but she stayed on it a while and I didn't want to be the creepy person who sat and watched someone else work out. If I had another exercise to do, I would have left and come back, but I had already done everything. What do you do when someone is on the machine you want?
Totally depends. Some of the guys I know I better, I "vulture" them. Like this...LOL
Someone I haven't worked out around much, I would ask if I could work in on their rests. Sometimes, I'll sub in a different exercise rather than ask (lunges or goblet squats or something, in this instance).
Of course, if I have other things to do, I would go do them and come back. But you addressed that already.
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Three options:
1) Wait.
2) Ask if you can work in with them (do your sets while they're resting).
3) Choose another exercise (do squats, lunges, DB split squats, etc. instead of leg press).
This.
I tend to do #3 on the list. I mostly workout at home because I don't have to wait for equipment. When I go to the gym, I have in mind 2 replacement exercises for each exercise I want to do because I don't like hanging around and I don't really like asking people if I can work in.4 -
If I have plenty of time I'll just walk on a treadmill or wander around a little and maybe try out a piece of equipment that I don't normally use.
At my gym there are usually multiple ways to work the same muscle. So sometimes I look for an alternate, even if it's not my favourite.
And sometimes I do just what you did, loiter nearby but keep my eyes elsewhere so I don't make them feel pressured.
On rare occasions, if they rest for long periods of time between sets, and if it looks like I could keep the seat settings the same, I might ask to work in.1 -
I find something else to do as a substitute. The only exception is the bench press. If all of those are taken, I'll physically move everyone out of my way.*
*Probably not serious, unless I am.1 -
thesupremeforce wrote: »I find something else to do as a substitute. The only exception is the bench press. If all of those are taken, I'll physically move everyone out of my way.*
*Probably not serious, unless I am.
We know you own the bench!
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Work in or sub.0
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Three options:
1) Wait.
2) Ask if you can work in with them (do your sets while they're resting).
3) Choose another exercise (do squats, lunges, DB split squats, etc. instead of leg press).
Yup...
9x10 I just sub an exercise unless they tell me that they just have one more set or whatever...1 -
i ask how many more sets they have. so they know i'm waiting. if i'm gonna use the same weight or a weight easy enough to add or subtract plates, i'll ask to rotate in.
if i dont wanna work in, i tell them "i'm next after youre done" and then I do something else but keep an eye on their sets close to when they finish so someone else doesn't jump in .1 -
Yeah some people sit on the machine so no one else can grab it from them. I generally will just do an alternate exercise, as I like to mix things up between barbells, dumbbells and machines anyway.
I am not much of a "how many sets left?" guy, I usually have my music on, and try not to chit chat too much so I just do my own thing.
I have people ask me politely when I was using a bench or squat rack. Never bothered me and it was a nice ice-breaker so now we give each-other the 'bro nod' when we see each-other in the gym.
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raygunn_viola wrote: »so I was at the gym and the only exercise I had left to do was leg press. There was a woman on the machine, so I sat down close by and started stretching. I was going to wait for her to get done, but she stayed on it a while and I didn't want to be the creepy person who sat and watched someone else work out. If I had another exercise to do, I would have left and come back, but I had already done everything. What do you do when someone is on the machine you want?
Politely ask "Can I ask how many sets you have left?"
They may say "________ sets" or "Would you like to work in".
Then you go from there.
A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
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Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
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what everyone else says. just make sure to wait for a non-disruptive moment. imo it's okay to 'interrupt' anything that is not physical. you don't butt in while they're in the middle of a set, or if they're doing some stretch between sets. but you don't have to wait for them to look up from their phone or unplug their earbuds. you can flag them for eye-contact then. the two important pieces of info are: whether someone else is already in line, and how much longer the current person will be. most of the time it doesnt' matter which question you ask. polite people will give you both pieces of info so you can plan your own time in the meantime.
the only thing i find socially complicated is when guy A asks if he can be next, and then guy B comes along and asks if he can work in while guy A is waiting. i discovered it can be like i promised it to guy A and then i let guy B cut in on him, because i finish my stuff but now guy B is in there doing his six thousand sets. so now i tell B that he's welcome for as long as i still have left, but after that he'll have to re-negotiate with guy A because that's who'll be getting it next.1 -
This entire discussion highlights why I don't work out at "the gym" anymore and set up a gym at home.
My current workout routine for DLs and SQTs is 10x3 and takes about 45 mins each, including warm-ups, work and rest periods to complete. I also take about 90 mins in my rack to do my upper body workout doing BP, PR (Pendlay Rows) and OHP.
No one is going to want to wait that long and I wouldn't want to "hog" a DL platform or squat rack that long at the gym. No problems taking as long as I need at home w/o worrying about such things.
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There's always someone on the leg press at my gym. I usually keep an eye on it and, if I finish an exercise and see it's free, I go over to it. One nice gesture is to offer to spray down the machine for the person who just finished. I leave the popular machines like leg press until later just so I can squeeze it into the routine whenever it's available. Unfortunately you should really do leg press first as it works multiple large muscles, but it can be difficult to do that unless the machine happens to be free when I start.
BTW spraying the machine when you're done is a really important part of gym etiquette, you don't want to forget to do that.3 -
No problems taking as long as I need at home w/o worrying about such things.
it is a bit overhead, especially if you're an i-love-silence introvert type like me. but even so, i've gotten to where i like 97% of those little handoff negotiations now. i get a little 'yay for the species' kick out of the collaboration itself.
it's probably because i'm such an isolationist, actually. it takes so awesomely little to impress me with things like that.
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I would ask how much there are left to do and weather I can work in between that persons set - rest period.
If on some days I dont feel like talking to someone, I just simply substitute the workout.1 -
I just wait well off to the site or do an alternative exercise. I think hovering or trying to rush people along sucks. Now, if they are sitting there staring at their phone for a long time, that is a different story.1
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hip check her off the machine and start doing your thing, works like a charm...2
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canadianlbs wrote: »No problems taking as long as I need at home w/o worrying about such things.
it is a bit overhead, especially if you're an i-love-silence introvert type like me. but even so, i've gotten to where i like 97% of those little handoff negotiations now. i get a little 'yay for the species' kick out of the collaboration itself.
it's probably because i'm such an isolationist, actually. it takes so awesomely little to impress me with things like that.
Every time somebody asks me how many sets I have left, I automatically start worrying that I somehow cut in front of them. Something like nine months ago a guy asked how much longer I'd be on the back extension and every time I see that machine (stand/whatever you call it) I wonder if I somehow slipped in when he was waiting for it.1
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