I hate the new year. I joined the gym in June of last year. Most weekends there would be about 25 people at the gym. Yesterday, the first of the new year... the entire parking lot 200+ spaces full. About 15 of the equipment pieces were broken and, when I did find an open treadmill someone had left it all wet -- either sweat or cleaner and I put my hands right on it..

ewwwww.

just ranting. Ugh.

Don't worry it will end soon

Same here, I hate it. I'm all for people getting in shape but it does get annoying when it's overcrowded. My biggest issue is it generates too much heat which I don't tolerate well.

Don't worry about it by the end of February it calms right back down again

Oh, I know. I don't have a gym membership but when I did I used to actually stop going for the first 3 weeks of January. That's generally how long it takes for the people not truly committed to drop back out. But in the meantime, you'll have to deal with the crowds.

It will end soon but you can also switch to the morning. I went today and I had the entire weight room to myself. On Friday morning, I had the weight room almost all to myself.

UGGGHHHH

Went today and it was full! No room in the parking lot!

Luckily most people who are new year's folks just use the machines. The only ones in the free weights area were three guys who obviously knew what they were doing. Sometimes random women would come and use the 5lb weights for a few minutes and leave...made me sad though I wanted to tell them to lift heavier!!

It did suck to wade through everyone just to get to the damn weight training area, but I noticed that none of the newbies would even talk to me!! When I was heavier newbies would always approach me, talk to me, etc. (I guess because they thought I was new too?) but even when I said hi and tried to be friendly they would just look the other way! Am I intimidating now or something?

I'm so glad I have gym equipment in my basement. That is all.

Sontaikle- Maybe the newbies are afraid to talk to you because you're one of those "skinny people" ? Perhaps they've had the same experience I did, where all the thin girls were nasty b's and the heavier girls were nice to me. Course, I don't think you're like that at all, but you know what I mean.

The new year's resolution crowd, hahaha. I'm one of those people. I'm committed to staying for at least 6 months and going at least 3-4 times a week though. Hope it's not too crowded at 7am.

@ Sontaikle, I wish I went to the same gym as yours. I sure as heck could use some advice on lifting!

good for them for trying.
there are so many discouraging factors....

what do you mean?

The planet fitness I go to was packed last nite. Fortunately I was able to get a treadmill, yesterday. It was just crazy because I remember just 4 to 6 weeks earlier how empty it was. I remember countless days seeing empty treadmills beside me.

I know this is just my own insecurities popping out, but I hate how crowded the gym is this time of year because having more people around makes me feel self-conscious. I like to play around at the gym, bounce around freely to different equipment, and do some quirkier moves/try out new moves without feeling like a million people are watching.

Plus, today I was doing squats and some young-ish (teenage?) boys that I had never seen there before were kind of leering at me. It made me really uncomfortable and has never happened to me before at the gym. A nice older man went over and straightened them out before things got too uncomfortable, but it was still an experience I don't want to repeat anytime soon. The regulars that I always see there are either nice or keep to themselves, but some of the members of this new year's crowd (at least at my gym) are a bit unsavory.