I don’t know how many of you guys have this problem or if it even bothers you at all, but the gym I’m using this summer, it seems as if the majority of the people have poor (if any) gym etiquette . I use the gym at my apartment complex for the summer; it’s small, convenient and private. Unfortunately, many of the users will turn on the television to the program of their choice (this doesn’t bother me because I listen to my MP3 player), then when they’re done with their workout they simply leave without turning the television off. Some people will use every machine in their view and they will not clean the machines after they use them. YUCK! Today I almost broke my neck trying to get over the which are randomly placed on the floor. Come on, there is a huge free weight rack a few feet away, is it that hard to put things back where you get them from and clean up behind yourself.

During the school year I use my schools gym (which is brand new and fabulous) or I go to Bally’s. I’ve never experienced such poor gym etiquette at Bally’s or my schools gym. I think because these gyms are so huge and lots more people are always there (watching), people wouldn’t have the audacity to use a machine and just simply walk away or leave weights sitting in the middle of the floor. Personally, I clean the machines I use when I’m done because I wouldn’t want to subject someone else to that behavior and it’s just plain disgusting! Have any of you guys had this annoying experience?

Ahhhh, bad manners make me

Once, at my gym, there was this kid who was using one of the leg machines. We were the only people in that particular weight room and it looked like he was doing a circuit. So he gets up from the machine and goes to another one just across the room (small-ish room). I finish my set and move to the machine he was on. He promptly gets up, marches over to me, and with his hands on his hips says, "Excuse me, but I wasn't done with that one!" And proceeded to stand over me until I moved.

I think he got banned for stuff like that eventually...

And then there are the girls with their massive amount of stuff that must be spread all around the elliptical, making it impossible to get to the one next to theirs. They wouldn't notice, though, seeing as how they are usually on their cell phone...

Ahhh, good times...

YEECH, I haven't been to a gym in years, but hearing about the sweaty machines reminds why it might be best to invest in a Bowflex instead... It's so unhygienic! I personally hate when people try to have big conversations with you while you're huffing and puffing, or in some weird contortion on a piece of equipment. I find working out in public rather undignified and unladylike myself (I'm so freakin vain!!) so I really don't want to make small talk while I'm trying to appear fit and composed

So funny that you brought this up today. I just cancelled my membership at a very chic all-womans gym because its so crowded. I got to the gym at 9:15pm and couldn't get on the treadmill - there were 6 people on the list in front of me and all of the eliptical machines were taken. So....as I got on one of the bikes, a woman came up behind me sweating up a storm and shook her head up and down and splashed me with her sweat. On top of that, I think she forgot to put on her deoderant because she was very smelly. Because of the combination of the sweaty smell and the sweat being splashed on me, I just had to go to the front desk and cancel. I'll just workout with my tapes in the privacy of my own home where the only sweat splashed on me will be my own. Geez........

I go to the gym at my apartment complex too. I love it for the reason that its small and private. However, during the summer when the kids are home from school with nothing to do. They usually hang out at the indoor basket ball court connected to the gym, listening to very loud music blaring the entire gym area too. Its annoying because I cannot even hear my iPod its so loud. They keep going in and out of the gym making a lot of ruckus. I mostly go to the gym at night so that I dont get irritated as much, but you can still find them there even at 10pm.

Then you have some kids just trying to fool around on the machines because they think they are toys. That's even more irritating!!

The televisions usually don't bother me so much as the previously mentioned things. I have noticed that the gym does not have paper towel wipes to clean down the equipment which is another down side.

Another irritating thing to me, (probably should bother me but it does) is that I saw this one lady on the treadmill with flip-flops on. Is it me or is that just wrong?? She was taking a brisk walk but still its not gym attire.

Anyone else see people with inappropriate gym attire???

oh man the stories. well i stopped going to the gym some time ago (sadly). A pet peeve besides people not wiping down the machines after using them are people who go well over the time limit alloted. At the gym I used to go to.. you had to sign up for a machine and were allowed 30 minutes max on that machine (you could of course, do 30 minutes on one machine, go to another machine 30 minutes there etc.) Well on several occasions people would either NOT sign up for the machine and be using it when *I* had signed up for it. OR they would still be on it lonnnggg after their 30 minutes was up, when I had signed up for it after them. That really bothered me, after it happened a few times I either went on another empty machine or said something to the person who was on it (especially if the gym was crowded!!).

Also yes! The tv thing is a pet peeve. Now, I don't mind watching other people' crappy tv shows most of the time.. because Im not watching.. im just listening to music. But this one time, I went to use the eliptical machine which was right next to the tv. I went to change the channel (mind you, there was no one around otherwise i would have asked..) and this girl is like OH i was watching that! .. and she wasn't on a machine she was sort of walking around at the time. I was really annoyed.. but not enough to get into an argument over it because she wasn't even working out or anywhee at the time.. I just let it go. Despite the annoyances the gym was great.. I really should get back into it..

I don't have a gym when I'm home from college, but when I'm there I use the school's gym. It's really nice! The TVs are always set to the same channel, but I've got my iPod and sound-isolating headphones (I use Shure E2cs), so I can't hear a thing besides what I'm listening to. Those headphones are seriously the best investment I've made. I love listening to audio books at the gym.

The elliptical machines--my preferred cardio machine--are usually packed unless you go first thing in the morning or late at night. Girls like to use them for an hour at a time--we've got no time limits.

The only thing that bothers me about the gym at school is that it seems segregated. The cardio machines are on one side, the weight machines on the other--and there's like this invisible gender divide. The cardio side is the "girl's" side and the weight machine side is the "guy's" side. It was really intimidating for me at first to venture over to the "guy's side" of the gym. I'm into free weights now, so I'm even more nervous about going over there--cause the girls NEVER use the heavier free weights.

I just joined a gym and the other day I was doing a circuit. There was a guy beside me whom smelled really bad. He didnt wipe off hte machines so when I went to use it, the arm pads smelled horrible.

We can't use the machines without a towel so I think as long as we put the towel down we dont have to wipe it off??? No idea, I didnt get an orientation so I dont know the rules. I do wipe off my cardio equipment.

I goto our school gym which is brand new and awesome! In the cardio room, we have 6 different TV's all set to different channels, and you just plug headphones into a little device mounted on each machine and pick your channel. I looove that.

My pet peeve is when people stay on the machines forever! We are *supposed to have a 30 minute time limit per machine, but nobody respects that rule.

I also hate when I see sweaty guys on the circuit machines who DON'T wipe it down. Come on, I don't want to sit in your sweat!

azure- at my school we have the whole "girl's side" and guy's side" too....I need to use the weights so I do go over the the other side but I always feel so weird.

One of my biggest pet peeves about the gym is the guys who go in thinking they're all tough, grab the heaviest weights imaginable, make a big show about lifting them using the worst form ever (because they're too heavy for them), and make grunting noises.

Do people who grunt when they lift make anyone else uncomfortable? I hate it.

Seriously, if its causing you that much pain lift something lighter. Deep breathing works so much better while lifting then moaning.

Ok...rant is over.

I go to a women's gym, and I love it. We have 4 big screen tvs that play different movies and you plug your headphones into a little thing on the cardio machine. There is another cardio room that has a bunch of tvs set to different channels, or had the tv on the treadmill, but you always have to plug into them to get sound so no one else is bothered.

Generally people are pretty good about wiping down machines but you do get those few who will sweat all over the cardio machines and walk away! I can't stand that, there are paper towels and spray placed all throughout the cardio machines so they are handy where ever you are but some people can't be bothered.

Glitter, grunting guys annoy me as well!!!

There is this one guy who uses the gym at my apartment complex and I noticed he only looked in the mirror in between sets, not while he lifts. I found this rather odd yet intriguing so I decided to "study" this guy. I also noticed he would stare in the mirror at angles, then I realized he does so to look at the women's bums. One time I was in the gym alone and this guy came in and I immediately freaked out. However, I did not leave, I just kept going on the cross trainer. So he goes and does his "grunt lifting" and in between reps I notice he of course was looking at my behind!!!

It bothered me at first, then I forgot about it and kept going again.

There is this other guy, really young, I'm sure no more than 150 lbs. He comes in before he goes for a swim and he'll lift more than his weight on the lat pull down machine. He always grunts and turns beet red, rather annoying, yet funny and intriguing.

okay well i go to Golds Gym...which is the biggest gym in my town....and i have to say....there are alot of things that annoy me.....i like working out....but i get sooooo uncomfortable when i go right after work.....because 85% of the women who go to the gym at that time all wear these cute little work out clothes (because half of them dont need to be at the gym..they need to be at home eating) and here i am in shorts and a tshirt.....because i know i wouldnt look near as good as they do....and they priss around making sure they are seen....ive even seen them in the bathroom putting on make up before and during there "workout" I feel like the gym im going too is more of a social hookup then anything....my old gym which is almost 40 miles from me now was sooooo much better....and much more convinent bc of being opened 24 hours....and there are 2 tv's above the treadmill...but they also play music...and the music is usually way to loud to hear the tv when there is somthing good on..and when the music is low....im stuck watching the gym for the 2nd gym visit of the day!!!! WOW...well i could go on...but im just gonna keep on going....im not going to loose weight for them....or look good for them...im going for myself!! and that in itself feels good!!!

One of the instructors at my gym (she teaches spinning, and some incredibly challenging muscle-building/weight lifting classes) always has a full face of makeup on, and I wonder what the point is...and also how she prevents herself from sweating it off.

There are only two people who really bother me at the gym...the guy who gets on the elliptical (usually next to me, just my luck) and does a routine that consists of intervals...only on the intervals his pace is so fast and his resistance so low that his feet are FLYING around the path, making tons of noise (louder than my music!) and causing him to fling sweat everywhere because he is jerking around so much trying to keep pace. I understand the desire to get a good workout, and that people sweat (heck, I sweat!). But if you are working out at such a level of difficulty that you are literally flinging your sweat onto the person next to you, thats a problem. Why not raise the resistance and cut the speed a little so you're not going so fast that you have to make wild movements in all directions?

The other is this woman who pulls at least 4-5 pieces of high-demand equipment from the women's room at the gym (an incline bench, at least 3 different weights of handweights, the Bosu trainer, the body bar, and an exercise ball) and proceed to go through a 90 min strength training workout, not allowing anyone to work in on the equipment with her, even if she is not using it. Example - she was working on the incline bench, and I asked to work in on the Bosu while she started a different exercise that she had JUST STARTED. She said "Um, no, can't you see I'm using it" and then didn't touch it for another 30 minutes.

thats ridiculous mandalinn.....see i dont ask...if there is no one on the equiptment at that time....i take it as fair game and use it anyway....i pay my money just like they do!! and my time is precious as well!!