Gym Etiquette

[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.

[Pax]

People who don't re-rack their weights!

I work out at a University gym and end up following very young fit guys from station to station, they will load up the bar with anywhere from 200-500 lbs. of weights (depending on the station), do their set, and walk away. I end up getting most of my workout re-racking their weights.

[nscrbug]

Oh gosh...where to begin!

1. The lady who stomps on the treadmill while running...SO annoying! And she is a tiny lady, too...can't see how someone so small, can make so much noise with their feet.

2. People who are clueless on using weight machines. For example...we have a seated calf machine, whereby you sit on it and push a bar with your TOES to engage the calf muscles. I cannot tell you how many people I see on a daily basis, use this machine as a LEG PRESS! Ya, I shouldn't care...but it bugs me to no end.

3. People who are wearing headphones and SINGING OUT LOUD. Just stop...okay.

4. Guys who refuse to strip the 10 45lb weight plates off machines that they have just used. If you can load it up, then you can strip it down.

5. Women in the locker room who spread out all of their stuff on the one bench that we have to share, leaving no room for anybody else to put their belongings on, while changing.

6. Another locker room issue...people who put their coats in a locker and then DO NOT lock it! This drives me crazy, because then I have to go hunting around for an open locker because half of them have crap in them and aren't locked. Grrrrrrrrrr!

7. The guy who always ends up on the elliptical next to me, and proceeds to make these horribly gross-sounding snorting sounds...you know that noise you sometimes hear when people are about to hock up a loogey. Disgusting!

These are just the ones off the top of my head (since I just got home from the gym and they are fresh in my mind). I'm sure there are many more. FWIW...the grunting doesn't really bother me much. It kind of goes with the territory if you're working out in a co-ed gym. I just ignore it.

[mandiam]

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.

Yay! another bodypumper---how do you like it? i do it twice a week to keep my upper body going strong. I actually really like it. I am more in love with crossfit--but bodypump is great too!

In the winter, I like to do spin classes to let my legs fly...and when i go, i wear my team bibs--i get the weirdest look. I hope they dont think i'm "trying to be better than them" bc my bibs have sponsors on them. I get that vibe a lot. I try to just keep to myself in a corner bike. I'll go every now and again during other seasons and i get the same vibe and weird looks.

bothers me. ha!

[shootingstar]

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.

Funny, Tri Girl...Hopefully someone will tell her one day. I'm trying imagine this when she hits...40,60 yrs. It ain't too flattering as the years march by, for exercising purposes only. You should write this up on your blog....educate some folks.

[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.