Gym Etiquette

[Blueberry]

Those who ignore the 30 minute time limit for cardio machines (and/or cover the time up with their towel). Last time I was waiting for a machine, there was someone who had been on the machine well over 30 minutes (she ended up stopping after an hour).

I'm never sure whether to say something. I usually end up just waiting and someone else will give it up. But - when there are multiple people doing the long workout thing, it can be a 20+ minute wait. I get that people need to workout longer than 30 minutes - when I do, I get off, wait for another machine, get back on. Not sure what the correct etiquette is.

[Veronica]

I'm never sure whether to say something. I usually end up just waiting and someone else will give it up. But - when there are multiple people doing the long workout thing, it can be a 20+ minute wait. I get that people need to workout longer than 30 minutes - when I do, I get off, wait for another machine, get back on. Not sure what the correct etiquette is.

That's a toughie because if your training plan calls for doing a longer workout... but I think I'd still do the polite thing and get off if there were people waiting.

When I have to do cardio at the public gym I belong to, I try to be there when it's not crowded so I can be on as long as I want. Not a luxury everyone has, I know.

Veronica

[Veronica]

Unavoidable funny faces... You can't see the 30 pound dumbbells I'm holding.

Veronica

[skhill]

Biggest annoyance: folks who have the volume on their devices so high that it's audible to others. Of course, with it turned up that high you might not notice the dropped weights...

[OakLeaf]

Biggest annoyance: people who can't keep their hands off the thermostat and/or fans, who make everyone else work out with stiff, cold muscles because of their pathological need never to sweat.

Close second: people who wear perfume or strong-scented products, either while working out or applying them in the locker room.

[mandiam]

Unavoidable funny faces... You can't see the 30 pound dumbbells I'm holding.

Veronica

LOL i love that photo. The annoyance I have with the grunts is mainly pointed to a certain gentleman at my gym. He grunts---when he walks. He grunts--when he sits. It's not the normal "this is heavy" type grunt. It's the loud obnoxious ones. I didn't mean to not use heavy weights--I know it sounded as such!

and 30lb dumbbells? what were you doing with those bad boys?!

[Catrin]

LOL i love that photo. The annoyance I have with the grunts is mainly pointed to a certain gentleman at my gym. He grunts---when he walks. He grunts--when he sits. It's not the normal "this is heavy" type grunt. It's the loud obnoxious ones. I didn't mean to not use heavy weights--I know it sounded as such!

and 30lb dumbbells? what were you doing with those bad boys?!

He may not even be aware that he does it, I know a couple of people who does the same thing and I am convinced that at least one of them isn't even aware of it. It is the kind that certainly gets the attention of everyone else around!

My current annoyance are a couple of members who provided unsolicited "guidance" because they don't seem to like what I am doing. Outside of that I can't think of much else, I tend to reserve my cardio for the bike outside or the Helix Lateral Trainer - and the latter doesn't appear to be very popular outside of cyclists (and there are three of them).

[Crankin]

I don't do anything except walk into the group exercise room at my gym, for my strength/core class. I also went to a few spin classes this winter. Nothing has really annoyed me there, except for the perceived cheapness of the owners, but at the last gym I went to (12 years), there were lots of things. This was a huge, multi-purpose club, with tennis and swimming, lots of trainers and lots of classes. People routinely bugged me there, as in the woman who ran on the treadmill all morning, every morning, in full make up. I wanted to say "go outside." Sometimes, I would have to wait for ellipticals or treadmills in the late afternoon, but they really did a huge number of pieces of equipment.
People in spin class bothered me a lot. There was the fan issue, as has been discussed on another thread and more annoying, the "mommy crowd," who talked incessantly through classes. I still belonged to this gym during my first year of grad school and sometimes I went in the mid morning and it was soooo annoying. Then there was the guy who wore the same ripped sleeveless t shirt every single class for like 4 years. He smelled, too. Now, this guy has an $7K bike, he can afford a jersey.
At first, the women in the classes I am taking at the new place were not too friendly, but now that it's been 6 months and I am still there, they talk to me occasionally.

[Tri Girl]

I really only go to our gym to swim anymore, but when I used to go daily for Body Pump and running on the treadmill (before we got one of our own), there was this HORRIBLY annoying perky cute young little thing next to me (how she ALWAYS wound up next to me or near me, I'll never know). Anyway, when she ran, she would grunt with EVERY footstrike. And not an angry grunt from exertion, more like the kind of grunt/moan you would hear in the bedroom. Oh good gravy- it drove me insane. I would often stop my run and move to another treadmill just to get away from her. Thankfully our gym has 2 dozen treadmills to choose from. I thought "man- she *really* likes running". I couldn't run and concentrate with that going on next to me! Jeez! Now, there were always a few young male things that would inevitably wind up running near her. Go figure...
Now the only grunting I hear is from our chocolate lab who sits at the front of the treadmill looking at me and grunting because she wants me to take her outside and run.
So I guess I'm saying that it would be good to keep your treadmill moans to yourself.

[Veronica]

and 30lb dumbbells? what were you doing with those bad boys?!

Dead lifts on a step - sets of twenty. That round also had single leg hamstring curls, side to side jumps, lunges with a 20 pound vest and running with high knees (also while wearing the vest.)

Veronica

[ClockworkOrange]

Unavoidable funny faces... You can't see the 30 pound dumbbells I'm holding.

Veronica

Have you cropped the photo so we can't see how long your arms are, I mean 30 lbs, that must be stretching your arms!

[ClockworkOrange]

Only just started using the gym, now hoping I am not going off Topic too much but it's etiquette in the swimming pool that is my number one annoyance.

When I go it is never busy but the majority of the male swimmers (this is in the non-laned area) just swim in a straight line, regardless of anybody swimming towards them. If both swim at a slight angle, it is nice and straight forward, it's not rocket science.

So there are 3 or 4 men all doing front crawl and then I come along, doing my slow but extremely effective breast stroke and go past them all and lap them, got to confess to grinning under the water, now that's bad.

[Blueberry]

That's a toughie because if your training plan calls for doing a longer workout... but I think I'd still do the polite thing and get off if there were people waiting.

I really, really try to be sympathetic to that - with my own workouts and when others are working out. I do my bike workouts at home on my trainer and I'm still banned from running - so I'm talking about elliptical trainers on my "off" days for extra cardio. There are giant signs with the time limit posted, though - so it's not like it isn't an "official rule." Gym officials have definitely asked people to stop before, but they don't do it regularly.

My gym is affiliated with a major university, so most of the people working out are students. The people I mentioned are working out while reading magazines, chatting with friends, talking on cell phones and otherwise not really focusing on their workouts. My own perception and prejudices coming through - but I find it hard to believe that what they're doing is part of their training plan....

[kajero]

Those who ignore the 30 minute time limit for cardio machines (and/or cover the time up with their towel)

I complained about this to the manager one time. He said that they pay their dues and are entitled to stay on the machine for as long as they want. I guess in a way, he is right. We know it is proper etiquette to share, but I guess you have paid for something you really don't have to share if you don't want to.

[kajero]

Another thing that I really hate is when I was attending spin classes at 6:00 a.m. in the morning there would be a lot of "saved" bikes with towels by friends for people who came in around 6:00a.m. It was frustrating because I was always there at 5:45 and sometimes although there were maybe 5 actual people in the room, there would be only one or two bikes left.

Sometimes the bikes that were saved were never used. Many people were often turned away and they shouldn't have been.

I've made numerous suggestions to the management on how this situation could easily be resolved, but nothing ever came of it.