Fitness Class Rant

kgagnon7779
kgagnon7779 Posts: 216
edited September 2024 in Fitness and Exercise
I should start by saying, Yes, I admit it, I am very competitive. Almost to a fault. BUT, this really drives me crazy. I go to a Power Sculpt class twice a week where we often do circuits. We all start at the same time and work at our own pace. Well, there is a woman in my class who is always done before everybody else...because she doesn't to ANY of it right!! We were lunging around the track this morning and I hear her huffing and puffing behind me (annoying by itself) so I moved over and she lunged by me, but calling what she was doing "lunging" is very generous - she was slightly bending at the knee. So, I shouldn't care what she does (or doesn't do, in this case), but it's so hard to ignore! Why do people cheat in workouts? They're clearly only cheating themselves (well, and also pi$$ing me off).

Okay, feeling slightly better now.

Replies

  • Laceylala
    Laceylala Posts: 3,094 Member
    You know what? That is the fault of the fitness class leader - they should be correcting that stuff otherwise those people who aren't using proper form are going to be prone to injury. And while it would annoy me to no end as well, I also have to say that I can't do every exercise to its fullest potential due to weight, bad knees, muscles that are still developing and getting used to the exercises, etc. So I modify. Maybe that is what this person is doing?
  • kdiamond
    kdiamond Posts: 3,329 Member
    Yeah we have one lady who doesn't do the workouts correctly either in Crossfit, it annoyed me slighly at first, but then I look at her and look at me and think, "Ha!". :wink:
  • chicago_dad
    chicago_dad Posts: 357
    totally agree with LAceylala
  • papastu
    papastu Posts: 737 Member
    surely if people choose to cheat themselves in this manner just leave them to it, not the class leaders fault imo, just some people in life choose to live it this way...

    got to be 1st at what ever they do

    just my opinion


    Stu
  • Amo_Angelus
    Amo_Angelus Posts: 604 Member
    probably because she doen't realize that she's doing it wrong... It's impossible to ee what you're doing without a mirror and if you don't know your own body perfectly well it's not always possible to tell that you're doing anything different from what others are doing.
  • NikkisNewStart
    NikkisNewStart Posts: 1,075 Member
    I stopped caring what other people do a long long time ago. When I work out- it is for me alone. Choose your battles. I have a huge list of things that you can be pissed off about, other than this... lol
  • sahm23ladies
    sahm23ladies Posts: 91 Member
    Does she have mobility issues? Perhaps a knee replacement? Cement in her bones? lol Who knows! Maybe she was put there to remind you how hard you should work to get the results you want... and her moves ain't cutting it!
  • kgagnon7779
    kgagnon7779 Posts: 216
    You know what? That is the fault of the fitness class leader - they should be correcting that stuff otherwise those people who aren't using proper form are going to be prone to injury. And while it would annoy me to no end as well, I also have to say that I can't do every exercise to its fullest potential due to weight, bad knees, muscles that are still developing and getting used to the exercises, etc. So I modify. Maybe that is what this person is doing?
    I totally agree with you that the instructor needs to correct more often - she's REALLY sweet and I almost think she doesn't want to hurt anybody's feelings. But, I know this woman and her personality - she wants to be finished first, so she takes shortcuts. There are a few others in our class - actually a super fit 67 year old guy who has to modify all the time and is often done before everyone else, so I get that. But, I'm pretty sure that is not the case with this woman.
  • sawalter68
    sawalter68 Posts: 24 Member
    I agree - where is the instructor. I teach a resistance class and even though I repeat myself and show proper form there are still those that are ALWAYS going to do their own thing. I try not to single out people unless they are doing something that could lead to an injury. If there isn't time to show it in class I pull them aside after class.
  • SavCal71
    SavCal71 Posts: 350 Member
    Yeah we have one lady who doesn't do the workouts correctly either in Crossfit, it annoyed me slighly at first, but then I look at her and look at me and think, "Ha!". :wink:

    This!
  • Jenscan
    Jenscan Posts: 694 Member
    I hate to sound bad here, but so what if she wants to finish first? Do your thing and ignore her.

    Threads like this are exactly why I don't go to a gym.
  • kerriBB37
    kerriBB37 Posts: 967 Member
    Eek! I am ALSO very competitive and it is to a fault ;) I feel the same about classes I take but I learned to not let what anyone else is doing bother me! She will have flabby untoned muscles if she doesn't do it right ever! =) One time during a CrossFit WOD I skimped on my form and f'ed up my back. When the coach asked me what happened I honestly said that I was more interested in getting more reps than my form. He was like, WHAT THE F!? Sounds stupid saying it outloud now.
  • ShaeDetermined
    ShaeDetermined Posts: 1,525 Member
    it only bothers me when it drags down the level of the class.
    otherwise, as has been mentioned before, she's just cheating herself.
  • therobinator
    therobinator Posts: 832 Member
    You know what? That is the fault of the fitness class leader - they should be correcting that stuff otherwise those people who aren't using proper form are going to be prone to injury.
    And also, otheer people who might not know how to do the exercises correctly might copy the person doing it wrong in the first place. The instructor should step in here.
  • amymeenieminymo
    amymeenieminymo Posts: 2,394 Member
    That would annoy me too....I often use the circut training room at Planet Fitness, and you're only supposed to be in there if you're doing circut training (ie, using the machines in a counter-clockwise order, only staying on each machine for the alloted anount of time. I hate when people come in there, go the wrong way, and just pick and choose which machiens they want to use.

    Granted when I hurt my back, I skipped the ones that would hurt me, but I still followed the order and I wasn't in anyone's way.
  • garysgirl719
    garysgirl719 Posts: 235 Member
    I hate to sound bad here, but so what if she wants to finish first? Do your thing and ignore her.

    Threads like this are exactly why I don't go to a gym.
    ^^^ This exactly!
  • AlsDonkBoxSquat
    AlsDonkBoxSquat Posts: 6,128 Member
    Yeah, first while it is super annoying she's the only one getting cheated out of a work out. You feel like you're not "winning" because you're not completing the task first, but you really are the one "winning" because you're the only one that's getting the intended benefit out of the move (careful to not say she'll see no benefit, since she's still getting a workout just not the one the instructor is intending).
    Instructor liability only goes as far as "I've told you the right move, I've shown you the right move, I've tried to correct your error once maybe twice, now the onus is on you." When the instructor is constantly correcting it turns the positive mood of the group fit class very critical, you have to find the right way to be supportive and positive while still encouraging (not forcing upon people) proper form and function. This is especially true when you have someone who is hesitant to be in the class in the first place but really need it. They're not going to stay if they feel constantly put down or they perceive that the instructor is overly critical. Hopefully the instructor is giving tips here and there and emphasising in all the right places for participants to be safe.
  • kgagnon7779
    kgagnon7779 Posts: 216
    I hate to sound bad here, but so what if she wants to finish first? Do your thing and ignore her.

    Threads like this are exactly why I don't go to a gym.

    You don't go to the gym because someone might think you're not working to your potential and then go anonymously online and complain about it? To each their own, but that just sounds like a very bad excuse to not go to the gym.

    I acknowledged in my first sentence that I was VERY competitive. It's something I'd like to work on. Admitting it is the first step! I am not making this woman feel bad - I'm on here speaking out about it bothering me and she is none the wiser about how I feel about it.
  • rodneyderrick
    rodneyderrick Posts: 483 Member
    As a GFI, I usually tell people to work out at their own pace. Step is my favorite class to teach, and not all people have the perfect form in the beginning. When doing lunges, the front knee shouldn't go over the toes, and the rear leg should be parallel to the ground. If a participant can only bend the back leg a little, I'm okay with that as long as the front knee doesn't bend over the toes. Lunges take a lot of balance and coordination; and usually the more advance students can do them perfect, and the beginners look a little off balance with horrible form. I always tell my students if they mess up it's okay because nobody is paying attention as long as they're not passing out or bleeding. I hope I'm not wrong about that; because if they think they're being judged, they won't come back.
  • AlsDonkBoxSquat
    AlsDonkBoxSquat Posts: 6,128 Member
    As a GFI, I usually tell people to work out at their own pace. Step is my favorite class to teach,

    I love male step instructors, they're so rare, and my absolute favorite. I teach bodystep and when I'm traveling for work I seek out classes that have male instructors, it's such a novelty for me.
  • kgagnon7779
    kgagnon7779 Posts: 216
    I should clear something up here. This is a VERY high intensity class. High weights, high reps, high cardio. We did 100 push-ups and 100 sit-ups this morning and that was just our cool down. The woman that I am referring to is totally capable of doing a full lunge and pretty much everything else we do, BUT, she is skimping on them because she wants to be done first. There is nothing wrong with her physically, she is not overweight, she is just one of those people. I would NEVER pick on someone who has bad form because they are clearly struggling from the intensity of the class. We have new people who venture in all the time and have to sit out half the class because it's too hard. Again, this is not my problem. I give them kudos for even trying.
  • SkateboardFi
    SkateboardFi Posts: 1,322 Member
    circut training (ie, using the machines in a counter-clockwise order, only staying on each machine for the alloted anount of time. I hate when people come in there, go the wrong way, and just pick and choose which machiens they want to use.


    ARGGGGHHH that drives me CRAZY! also when they come in to use just ONE particular machine and stay there for extended periods of time, especially because they have the exact machines out in the rest of the gym, and then look at ME crazy when they see me switching machines!
  • AlsDonkBoxSquat
    AlsDonkBoxSquat Posts: 6,128 Member
    I should clear something up here. This is a VERY high intensity class. High weights, high reps, high cardio. We did 100 push-ups and 100 sit-ups this morning and that was just our cool down. The woman that I am referring to is totally capable of doing a full lunge and pretty much everything else we do, BUT, she is skimping on them because she wants to be done first. There is nothing wrong with her physically, she is not overweight, she is just one of those people. I would NEVER pick on someone who has bad form because they are clearly struggling from the intensity of the class. We have new people who venture in all the time and have to sit out half the class because it's too hard. Again, this is not my problem. I give them kudos for even trying.

    If she's not pushing her potential, she's the one missing out. I have to remind myself of that all the time when teaching, I correct, they maintain, I look at them and correct, they look at me and maintain, I finally just say "f it, they've made a decision." She's made a decision to possibly waste an hour of her time not pushing herself to her fullest potential, you've made the decision to get the most out of the class that you can . . . you're the winner no matter who gets done first.
  • Jenscan
    Jenscan Posts: 694 Member
    I hate to sound bad here, but so what if she wants to finish first? Do your thing and ignore her.

    Threads like this are exactly why I don't go to a gym.

    You don't go to the gym because someone might think you're not working to your potential and then go anonymously online and complain about it? To each their own, but that just sounds like a very bad excuse to not go to the gym.

    I acknowledged in my first sentence that I was VERY competitive. It's something I'd like to work on. Admitting it is the first step! I am not making this woman feel bad - I'm on here speaking out about it bothering me and she is none the wiser about how I feel about it.

    It's not an excuse not to go to the gym. I prefer to work out at home.
  • SkateboardFi
    SkateboardFi Posts: 1,322 Member
    There is nothing wrong with her physically, she is not overweight, she is just one of those people.

    :laugh:
  • kgagnon7779
    kgagnon7779 Posts: 216
    I should clear something up here. This is a VERY high intensity class. High weights, high reps, high cardio. We did 100 push-ups and 100 sit-ups this morning and that was just our cool down. The woman that I am referring to is totally capable of doing a full lunge and pretty much everything else we do, BUT, she is skimping on them because she wants to be done first. There is nothing wrong with her physically, she is not overweight, she is just one of those people. I would NEVER pick on someone who has bad form because they are clearly struggling from the intensity of the class. We have new people who venture in all the time and have to sit out half the class because it's too hard. Again, this is not my problem. I give them kudos for even trying.


    If she's not pushing her potential, she's the one missing out. I have to remind myself of that all the time when teaching, I correct, they maintain, I look at them and correct, they look at me and maintain, I finally just say "f it, they've made a decision." She's made a decision to possibly waste an hour of her time not pushing herself to her fullest potential, you've made the decision to get the most out of the class that you can . . . you're the winner no matter who gets done first.

    Yes, Yes, Yes. Thank you. I do try to remember this. I know you're right. I'll just keep repeating this in my head and focus on myself. I have to say though - it's super hard when you're a competitive person!!
  • kgagnon7779
    kgagnon7779 Posts: 216
    I hate to sound bad here, but so what if she wants to finish first? Do your thing and ignore her.

    Threads like this are exactly why I don't go to a gym.

    You don't go to the gym because someone might think you're not working to your potential and then go anonymously online and complain about it? To each their own, but that just sounds like a very bad excuse to not go to the gym.

    I acknowledged in my first sentence that I was VERY competitive. It's something I'd like to work on. Admitting it is the first step! I am not making this woman feel bad - I'm on here speaking out about it bothering me and she is none the wiser about how I feel about it.

    It's not an excuse not to go to the gym. I prefer to work out at home.

    I don't want to beat a dead horse here, but you did say "Threads like this are exactly why I don't go to a gym." I don't want you to think that there are people at the gym who will berate you for not performing at a certain level. You should never feel bad about doing something at your level, whatever it is. I do hope you understand after I explained more that this is not what I was talking about.
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