Gym rant...
 

Okay so...I almost had a conniption at the gym today:

I go to the gym on campus because it's cheap and really convenient because I can do my workouts in between classes and there's no traveling required. Before I came to university I went to an all-women's gym with my mum but it never occurred to me that it'd be such a drastic change to have to workout with guys. I've been doing it for two years but I never noticed the problems so much until I started changing my routine. Today was the final straw and I just have to get this off my chest...

So, I circuit train and the idea is that I do like a set of lat pull downs, a set of leg press, jump rope for a minute. I do that circuit three times. So I do my first circuit and just as I'm about to start my second this guy gets on the leg press machine before me. Fine. Cool. I still had to do my lats. Well...apparently this guy doesn't think he should have to wait for a machine because it was the only leg press working at the moment and HE THINKS it's appropriate to leave his water bottle/id card on the machine to "save it". He then proceeds to walk away to do three different exercises before returning to the leg press. He was away from the machine for 10 MINUTES. I was so furious I was just about to throw his stuff off the machine and do my set when he returned and decided to sit on the machine for a nice, long drink of water. Anyway, I did squats in place of the leg press but I swear to god, I almost lost it. Had I "saved" the machine after my first set he would've been out of luck...or he would've probably just tossed my stuff on the floor. It's just so frustrating. Way to have no sense of common decency. You're not the only person in the gym!

Another reason I hate working out with guys...some do like 10 different sets of the same machine and rest on the machine in between. Like...fine if you want to do 10 sets - go for it - but move away from the machine in between so someone else can use it while you rest. I'm seriously considering complaining but I did that once about an issue with the treadmills and the people running the place are just students and don't seem to really care. It's so frustrating.

Anyway, I just HAD to get that out. I miss my old gym more than ever these days :(.

Guys are weird about weight machines. I was on a machine once and this guy gets up from another machine, storms up to me and says, "I am using that". I told him I wouldn't be long and he proceeded to stand over me while I worked.

He didn't know that I worked there and was probably very surprised when he got a letter from management reminding him of the fitness center rules.

Interestingly enough, this was also on a college campus, so maybe it's college guys?

Either way, just do your thing and don't let them (or anyone else) interfere with your workout. You have just as much of a right to be there as anyone else!

Why didn't you just ask if you could work in with him? You could have just taken turns on the machine?

But squats are better exercise anyway, so I think you're probably better off.

Because he left the machine unattended for ten minutes. Lol. I have asked (not that anyone should have to "ask") to use the machine while someone else was resting between sets and some people are jerks about it like it's the end of the world and others are cool... I do a lot of squats as well so the leg press is something different which is why I like it. I was more frustrated with the throwing your stuff on the machine and disappearing when it was the only one of it's kind working. It's just so inconsiderate.

My gym makes you reserve the cardio machine for this reason, methinks.
Men are innately different. Just hold your ground - if heès not using it when you get there, you can use it.

If he says "I was using that", simply answer "No you weren't, you were over there" and continue. Let him watch you - be a man ;) You can always make a complaint - after your workout ;) (priorities!)

That is just plain rudeness. When I used to go to a gym regularly, if it was busy, others would ask to 'work in' between sets. It is perfectly acceptable. I would've moved his stuff and did my workout :)

:lol: Me too Nelie, I would have just moved his things! ;)

i would have moved his stuff too!

Yeah, I agree. He was pretty inconsiderate. I'd find the big man or woman who actually runs the place and bypass the students altogether and make a complaint.

Hahaha. I definitely will be next time. Thanks guys! This was just the final straw for me...I'm so over men right now. Ugh.

And good idea Diva on bypassing the students. I was trying to figure out who I would complain to. I know my friend's campus gym has signs on the machines specifically prohibiting this kind of behaviour. At least I could then rub that in someone's face if they tried to pull crap like that again...

I would have gently moved his stuff and used the machine, I've done it... and no one wants to deal with MY look if he would have DARED asked why I moved his stuff...

I find young men in the gym between the ages of 16 to 30 are extremely immature, yes it is a big age gap :lol: ... But men, or most men, will be babies for a very long time... I think Moms/Wives/Girlfriends spoil them too much...

Male bashing, I know :shrug: ....

Ugh! I know your frustration!

I don't understand why people think it is okay to "save" a machine - even for just a minute or two, let alone ten!

My favorite thing is when women stand around chatting on the gravitron when they're not even doing any work. It's like HELLO, some of us have a schedule and we are here to work out, not for a social event.

Sorry, I guess I had some venting to do as well..thanks for the outlet :)

-Liz.

Hahaha. Anytime Liz! Thankfully, (although maybe not because like I needed another reason to be anti-men these days), I haven't noticed as much as a problem with the girls. Most of them aren't into the weights and the ones that are take it pretty seriously for the most part. Most of the girls I know just go up to the ellipticals and do their half hour at the lowest intensity possible while reading a magazine... whatever works I guess! At least they aren't in my way!

I agree with most of the above. Just quietly and politely move his stuff and when he says, "I was using that!" say what my kids would say, "No. you wern't. If you were using it I would be on top of you now, right?"

nuff said.

Well yanno, if it looks like a duck, quacks like a duck and walks like a duck, it's a duck! LOL!