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What’s your pet hate at the gym?
Replies
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Theoldguy1 wrote: »cwolfman13 wrote: »Theoldguy1 wrote: »cwolfman13 wrote: »Getting there. From my house it's a 20 minute commute there and 20 minutes back. I do a pretty basic full body barbell workout that takes me about 45 minutes so I spend almost as much time in the car commuting as I do working out.
A large local chain gym just opened up a new facility about a mile from my secondary office so I'm thinking about joining there so I can start lifting there during my wellness break and lunch break. On the plus side, it's very close and I will also have access to their other locations which I believe is 8 around the metro, including one that is closer to my home than where I am now...down side is right now I pay $22 per month for an excellent facility with all the bells and whistles you can possibly think of...this new place is pretty much exactly the same amenity wise, but it's $50/month with a 12 month commitment.
I struggle with that a bit because all of my cardio is on my road bike, mountain bike, walking, and hiking and really only use the gym for the weight room.
Most places will bargain with you. Tell them you pay closer to $20 for the same thing somewhere else and see what they can do.
I'm going to check it out after work, but I'm not holding my breath. Defined Fitness is the largest local gym chain in the state and they lost quite a few customers when Chuze Fitness (where I'm at now) opened up offering the same stuff at half the cost and I didn't see Defined cutting any deals to existing customers. Chuze is a national chain who's financial business model seems similar to Planet Fitness...high volume, low cost membership and banking on people signing up for $10-$20 in droves but not necessarily showing up.
It'll be worth a try...I know Defined was hit pretty hard during the height of the pandemic and lost a lot of customer base when Chuze opened their two locations in town in 2018.
Interesting, never heard of Chuze, looked on their site just in CA, NM, AZ and CO, I'm in the midwest maybe they will expand here at some point.
Good luck getting a deal.
Didn't really get a deal but ended up signing up with Defined. About a 3 minute drive from my office. They do discount the start up fee if you were a patron before, which I was about 20 years ago when I was in college. The startup fee to go month to month is usually $100 but it was $20 for me since I was a member before and it's $40/month.
It was funny updating my information and seeing 20+ year old land lines, addresses, and email addresses from yesteryear.6 -
cwolfman13 wrote: »Theoldguy1 wrote: »cwolfman13 wrote: »Theoldguy1 wrote: »cwolfman13 wrote: »Getting there. From my house it's a 20 minute commute there and 20 minutes back. I do a pretty basic full body barbell workout that takes me about 45 minutes so I spend almost as much time in the car commuting as I do working out.
A large local chain gym just opened up a new facility about a mile from my secondary office so I'm thinking about joining there so I can start lifting there during my wellness break and lunch break. On the plus side, it's very close and I will also have access to their other locations which I believe is 8 around the metro, including one that is closer to my home than where I am now...down side is right now I pay $22 per month for an excellent facility with all the bells and whistles you can possibly think of...this new place is pretty much exactly the same amenity wise, but it's $50/month with a 12 month commitment.
I struggle with that a bit because all of my cardio is on my road bike, mountain bike, walking, and hiking and really only use the gym for the weight room.
Most places will bargain with you. Tell them you pay closer to $20 for the same thing somewhere else and see what they can do.
I'm going to check it out after work, but I'm not holding my breath. Defined Fitness is the largest local gym chain in the state and they lost quite a few customers when Chuze Fitness (where I'm at now) opened up offering the same stuff at half the cost and I didn't see Defined cutting any deals to existing customers. Chuze is a national chain who's financial business model seems similar to Planet Fitness...high volume, low cost membership and banking on people signing up for $10-$20 in droves but not necessarily showing up.
It'll be worth a try...I know Defined was hit pretty hard during the height of the pandemic and lost a lot of customer base when Chuze opened their two locations in town in 2018.
Interesting, never heard of Chuze, looked on their site just in CA, NM, AZ and CO, I'm in the midwest maybe they will expand here at some point.
Good luck getting a deal.
Didn't really get a deal but ended up signing up with Defined. About a 3 minute drive from my office. They do discount the start up fee if you were a patron before, which I was about 20 years ago when I was in college. The startup fee to go month to month is usually $100 but it was $20 for me since I was a member before and it's $40/month.
It was funny updating my information and seeing 20+ year old land lines, addresses, and email addresses from yesteryear.
I really loved belonging to a gym that I could use during my work lunch break! Enjoy!0 -
MargaretYakoda wrote: »ChaoticMoira wrote: »MargaretYakoda wrote: »
HAHAHAHA Brilliant!
I don’t work out at gyms anymore.
But my TV B Gone has been absolutely brilliant at the VA, my car dealership, and other places.
Wait, so tvbgone is a real thing that actually works??? I would so use this at the VA and every other waiting room in my life.
https://www.tvbgone.com/
https://www.amazon.com/TV-B-Gone-Universal-TV-Control-Keychain/dp/B0006GD9CE/2 -
cwolfman13 wrote: »Theoldguy1 wrote: »cwolfman13 wrote: »Theoldguy1 wrote: »cwolfman13 wrote: »Getting there. From my house it's a 20 minute commute there and 20 minutes back. I do a pretty basic full body barbell workout that takes me about 45 minutes so I spend almost as much time in the car commuting as I do working out.
A large local chain gym just opened up a new facility about a mile from my secondary office so I'm thinking about joining there so I can start lifting there during my wellness break and lunch break. On the plus side, it's very close and I will also have access to their other locations which I believe is 8 around the metro, including one that is closer to my home than where I am now...down side is right now I pay $22 per month for an excellent facility with all the bells and whistles you can possibly think of...this new place is pretty much exactly the same amenity wise, but it's $50/month with a 12 month commitment.
I struggle with that a bit because all of my cardio is on my road bike, mountain bike, walking, and hiking and really only use the gym for the weight room.
Most places will bargain with you. Tell them you pay closer to $20 for the same thing somewhere else and see what they can do.
I'm going to check it out after work, but I'm not holding my breath. Defined Fitness is the largest local gym chain in the state and they lost quite a few customers when Chuze Fitness (where I'm at now) opened up offering the same stuff at half the cost and I didn't see Defined cutting any deals to existing customers. Chuze is a national chain who's financial business model seems similar to Planet Fitness...high volume, low cost membership and banking on people signing up for $10-$20 in droves but not necessarily showing up.
It'll be worth a try...I know Defined was hit pretty hard during the height of the pandemic and lost a lot of customer base when Chuze opened their two locations in town in 2018.
Interesting, never heard of Chuze, looked on their site just in CA, NM, AZ and CO, I'm in the midwest maybe they will expand here at some point.
Good luck getting a deal.
Didn't really get a deal but ended up signing up with Defined. About a 3 minute drive from my office. They do discount the start up fee if you were a patron before, which I was about 20 years ago when I was in college. The startup fee to go month to month is usually $100 but it was $20 for me since I was a member before and it's $40/month.
It was funny updating my information and seeing 20+ year old land lines, addresses, and email addresses from yesteryear.
Enjoy. Convenience is important. My gym was always about 10 minutes east of my house and work anywhere from 40 to 60 miles west. Would have been nice to go past the gym on the way to and from work.0 -
kshama2001 wrote: »MargaretYakoda wrote: »ChaoticMoira wrote: »MargaretYakoda wrote: »
HAHAHAHA Brilliant!
I don’t work out at gyms anymore.
But my TV B Gone has been absolutely brilliant at the VA, my car dealership, and other places.
Wait, so tvbgone is a real thing that actually works??? I would so use this at the VA and every other waiting room in my life.
https://www.tvbgone.com/
https://www.amazon.com/TV-B-Gone-Universal-TV-Control-Keychain/dp/B0006GD9CE/
It is a real thing. That you can use very discretely.
If someone else appears to actually be watching the blasted thing I don’t turn it off.
But if it’s blathering on and on and on to no one? Off it goes! Blissful silence.5 -
But that's relatively easy to fix. You ask to work in, or just stand there and tap your foot.ChaoticMoira wrote: »- People who don't wipe the equipment down when they're done.
- People who don't put their effing weights back!!!!
These.
And “that guy” who takes 20min breaks between sets but won’t vacate the bench / squat rack / machine to do so preventing others (ok, me) using it.
A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
You would be surprised and I hope saddened how often the answer to “excuse me can I work in?” or “are you nearly done, I’d like to use that too?” is “No. I need it”
After a while, it tends to make one give up asking. And there are rarely any staff to ask to intervene.
The same goes for the bars left waaayy above my head height (often loaded) in the rack - although other gym goers are more helpful there when I ask a random person to fish it down for me.9 -
No, not unless one steps back 6 ft or so from the rack so others can get dumbbells they want to use. Unless there is nobody else in the gym one doesn't know when someone will walk up want a dumbbell in front of where the person is shrugging.8 -
But that's relatively easy to fix. You ask to work in, or just stand there and tap your foot.ChaoticMoira wrote: »- People who don't wipe the equipment down when they're done.
- People who don't put their effing weights back!!!!
These.
And “that guy” who takes 20min breaks between sets but won’t vacate the bench / squat rack / machine to do so preventing others (ok, me) using it.
A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
<snipped>
The same goes for the bars left waaayy above my head height (often loaded) in the rack - although other gym goers are more helpful there when I ask a random person to fish it down for me.
Oh yeah, that reminds me! I hate it when I want to use the cable machine and the last person left it clicked in at the very top.* I'm 5'3" so I have to drag the small box over to stand on to get it into a lower hole, then drag the box back. Sometimes I stand there and look frustrated and a taller person in the vicinity will come to my rescue 😊
*Of course, there's nothing wrong with leaving it wherever you finish, it's not like there's a rule that says thou shalt leave the cable machine within reach of the shorter among us 😄8 -
But that's relatively easy to fix. You ask to work in, or just stand there and tap your foot.ChaoticMoira wrote: »- People who don't wipe the equipment down when they're done.
- People who don't put their effing weights back!!!!
These.
And “that guy” who takes 20min breaks between sets but won’t vacate the bench / squat rack / machine to do so preventing others (ok, me) using it.
A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
<snipped>
The same goes for the bars left waaayy above my head height (often loaded) in the rack - although other gym goers are more helpful there when I ask a random person to fish it down for me.
Oh yeah, that reminds me! I hate it when I want to use the cable machine and the last person left it clicked in at the very top.* I'm 5'3" so I have to drag the small box over to stand on to get it into a lower hole, then drag the box back. Sometimes I stand there and look frustrated and a taller person in the vicinity will come to my rescue 😊
*Of course, there's nothing wrong with leaving it wherever you finish, it's not like there's a rule that says thou shalt leave the cable machine within reach of the shorter among us 😄
At the gym I used to belong to, that is actually a rule.
Likely because some of the long time fitness instructors are short women.
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Pet hate at the gym?
Hmmm. There would likely be other people there and you're expected to use their equipment?
Clearly, gyms are not for me. I don't like people and like exercise equipment even less. Except for my at-home treadmill. 6 -
Pet hate at the gym?
Hmmm. There would likely be other people there and you're expected to use their equipment?
Clearly, gyms are not for me. I don't like people and like exercise equipment even less. Except for my at-home treadmill.
I can't help but agree with you nothing like fresh air open ground and nature of course!! 🤣🤣2 -
i have a long list of things that annoy me.... from not wiping machines down (and i dont trust anyone which is why i wipe down not only after but also before my workouts) to not putting away weights or accessories but my #1 most hated offense, that i think should result in an immediate ban from every gym everywhere?
wearing perfume or cologne while working out.
just GTFO16 -
A bunch of open treadmills and somebody gets on the one next to me and starts running with sweat flying everywhere. Yuck
I posted this earlier in the thread and I think I jinxed myself I've only been back to the gym for about a week, and I go at times when I know it'll be mostly empty. We have a big cardio room with at least two dozen treadmills among other machines, and there will only be three or four in use when I'm there, so easy to social distance. The county mandated masks indoors, so you can't get past the front desk without one, but most people take their masks off as soon as they're inside, and believe me the front desk kids don't get paid anywhere near enough to be the mask police.
Yesterday I was on a treadmill with maybe four people spaced out, and some kid with no mask gets on right beside me, forcing me to move to another machine in the middle of my program. I usually try not to assign motives to people when they do things that piss me off, but since he kept looking over and smiling he clearly intended to make me uncomfortable. He stayed on the treadmill for all of a couple of minutes then moved on to the weight room.
I'm still irrationally angry today and stupidly apprehensive about going back. I only started going in the first place because we have a smoke advisory and I have asthma, and realistically I'm unlikely to run into him again, so I just need to get over it
I guess my pet peeve for today is people who intentionally make others uncomfortable for their own entertainment (staring while others are working out, commenting on bodies or clothing, deliberately "reserving" benches and machines they have no intention of using then acting insulted when asked to move their towels).15 -
A bunch of open treadmills and somebody gets on the one next to me and starts running with sweat flying everywhere. Yuck
I posted this earlier in the thread and I think I jinxed myself I've only been back to the gym for about a week, and I go at times when I know it'll be mostly empty. We have a big cardio room with at least two dozen treadmills among other machines, and there will only be three or four in use when I'm there, so easy to social distance. The county mandated masks indoors, so you can't get past the front desk without one, but most people take their masks off as soon as they're inside, and believe me the front desk kids don't get paid anywhere near enough to be the mask police.
Yesterday I was on a treadmill with maybe four people spaced out, and some kid with no mask gets on right beside me, forcing me to move to another machine in the middle of my program. I usually try not to assign motives to people when they do things that piss me off, but since he kept looking over and smiling he clearly intended to make me uncomfortable. He stayed on the treadmill for all of a couple of minutes then moved on to the weight room.
I'm still irrationally angry today and stupidly apprehensive about going back. I only started going in the first place because we have a smoke advisory and I have asthma, and realistically I'm unlikely to run into him again, so I just need to get over it
I guess my pet peeve for today is people who intentionally make others uncomfortable for their own entertainment (staring while others are working out, commenting on bodies or clothing, deliberately "reserving" benches and machines they have no intention of using then acting insulted when asked to move their towels).
I wonder if you spray water in his face, he'd get that he was being bad....like a cat. And if that would be an assault charge. 😀6 -
callsitlikeiseeit wrote: »wearing perfume or cologne while working out.
just GTFO
OMG YES! It really sucks to be breathing heavy and all of a sudden choke on someone's perfume. That happened to me the other day. It kept wafting at me and I actually had to get off the treadmill earlier than I intended to get out of the area.
5 -
Clean and press lifters who drop their weight from the top of their lift, bar and weights overhead. Everyone always gives each other the same "did they really need to create that much of a racket" look.6
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richardgavel wrote: »Clean and press lifters who drop their weight from the top of their lift, bar and weights overhead. Everyone always gives each other the same "did they really need to create that much of a racket" look.
Yeppers... we had 1 guy at the gym I went to pre-pandemic who didn't finish a single dead lift - always pulled the weight to his waist and then dropped it every. single. time.2 -
richardgavel wrote: »Clean and press lifters who drop their weight from the top of their lift, bar and weights overhead. Everyone always gives each other the same "did they really need to create that much of a racket" look.
My gym won't allow any dropping of weights. Not only is it an annoyance to other people but it is dangerous. Can you imagine the weight dropping and hitting someone's ankle?3 -
golfchess6 wrote: »richardgavel wrote: »Clean and press lifters who drop their weight from the top of their lift, bar and weights overhead. Everyone always gives each other the same "did they really need to create that much of a racket" look.
My gym won't allow any dropping of weights. Not only is it an annoyance to other people but it is dangerous. Can you imagine the weight dropping and hitting someone's ankle?
In a regular gym I totally understand why it’s annoying. But this is part of Olympic lifts. In an ideal world you have enough energy and strength left after a heavy jerk or snatch to drop the bar to your legs, catch it and lower it down. But that takes serious amounts of energy and no one can do that with their 1RM. We train to drop it safely away from us. If we drop it badly trying to muffle noise, it will do a lot worse than hit an ankle, trust me.
6 -
richardgavel wrote: »Clean and press lifters who drop their weight from the top of their lift, bar and weights overhead. Everyone always gives each other the same "did they really need to create that much of a racket" look.
That is how an Oly lift is performed. If it's light you can let it down, but it doesn't take long to get heavy enough to where letting it down is just going to *kitten* up your shoulders or throw out your back or otherwise injury yourself. The top of the lift is the end of the lift and then you drop the weight. It is technically the proper way to perform the lift. This is why those lifts are performed with bumper plates on an Olympic platform that is also padded.
There shouldn't be anyone standing with you on your platform, so there's no real risk to those around you.6 -
People who comments on your workout.
I was doing a mostly light cardio day because I had a hurt shoulder. And someone came to me and said: You wont lose weight only walking on a threadmill. Like what the hell? The same guy kept going person to person and comment on stuff. (He was not an employee)
People that keep changing machines for no reason. And people who block the machines to do stretches. There's an area for that.
People who comment on my lack of warm up or my lack of stretches before leaving the gym.
You don't know my life. I bike 12km from work to the gym mostly uphill, I'm already warmed up at this point and I bike back home after too so I do my stretches at home.
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1st and foremost -- people who don't re-rack weights. I have a home gym now, but at the time of day I used to go to the gym I was the only guy there. Many times there were older people there who wanted to use the leg press machine, or maybe the smith but couldn't because there was too much weight on it for them to get it off safely. When this would happen, I'd place my workout on hold to help them. It actually got to the point that before I'd start working out, I'd just go unload all the equipment for everyone.
#2 -- I worked out at a 24/7 facility. They started to institute classes. These classes would take up copious amounts of space and block people off from using multiple pieces of equipment. Usually what I wanted to use were the battle ropes and medicine balls. Multiple times people would be laid out on their mats in front of the equipment, to which I would politely ask them to move. "We have class in 10 min..." "That's nice, I'll be done in 5".10 -
1st and foremost -- people who don't re-rack weights. I have a home gym now, but at the time of day I used to go to the gym I was the only guy there. Many times there were older people there who wanted to use the leg press machine, or maybe the smith but couldn't because there was too much weight on it for them to get it off safely. When this would happen, I'd place my workout on hold to help them. It actually got to the point that before I'd start working out, I'd just go unload all the equipment for everyone.
#2 -- I worked out at a 24/7 facility. They started to institute classes. These classes would take up copious amounts of space and block people off from using multiple pieces of equipment. Usually what I wanted to use were the battle ropes and medicine balls. Multiple times people would be laid out on their mats in front of the equipment, to which I would politely ask them to move. "We have class in 10 min..." "That's nice, I'll be done in 5".
Repacking weights is a big one in a busy gym because it's how everyone tells the equipment is free and unused as opposed to "I stepped away to the water fountain or something".3 -
I hate that the two employees who manage the gym where I go keep coming around to tell me I'm not doing the right exercise or I need to be in a class, etc. I don't care that they have been there 20 yrs. I KNOW what and how to exercise for ME at 71. No, I don't need them to set me up a program. I hate that there is a Clicky bunch who stand around talking instead of working out, when I just want to get done. I try to go early, so I avoid that crowd.8
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I hate that the two employees who manage the gym where I go keep coming around to tell me I'm not doing the right exercise or I need to be in a class, etc. I don't care that they have been there 20 yrs. I KNOW what and how to exercise for ME at 71. No, I don't need them to set me up a program. I hate that there is a Clicky bunch who stand around talking instead of working out, when I just want to get done. I try to go early, so I avoid that crowd.
I hate cliques at gyms that stand around and laugh at people who are working hard to improve their health. I actually had this experience at an outdoor group class where the cocky guy, leader of the gang wouldn't stop passing snide comments and causing his mostly lady friends to laugh. It was a small group I was new. I quit. I'm done with being bullied everywhere I go.10 -
People drying their clothes in the sauna, gross, stinky smells, too much cologne that gives you a headache and dirty machines.5
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Exercise.5
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Bridge_marie wrote: »Texting/playing on the phone while on the machine I’m waiting for…
I bet those people are the same people that are busy texting/playing when the stop light turns green.0 -
Ironwoman1111 wrote: »People drying their clothes in the sauna, gross, stinky smells, too much cologne that gives you a headache and dirty machines.
ha, the joke is on them because the clothes not only stay wet in the sauna but their clothes capture all of the "aroma" from all of the other people in the gym1
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