Gym etiquette.....is it just me......

[aroundhky 1,174]

Guys and gals.......looking for some honest feedback here......

I'm at the gym at lunch today and I'm doing upper back (pullups, bent over rows, seated rows & rear delt flies). I usually do them in that order as well. So while I'm doing my pullups and bent over rows, I see this guy doing some stuff with dumbbells in the dumbbell section using several different sets of dumbbells while bouncing around all over the gym doing other things (different lifting stations, talking, etc). Every 5 minutes or so he would circle back to the dumbbell section and do a set or two and leave to use something else in the gym and come back. Anyway, by this time I'm well into my seated row sets. About my 2nd set, I can still see the guy is away from his dumbbells and for a long time now....10-15 minutes they've just been sitting there on the floor, not re-racked, but also not being used. I look around and he's nowhere to be seen and I know that my rear delt flies are next and some of the dumbbells he has left lying out are the ones I'll be using on my rear delt flies that are next. Another 5-10 minutes pass and I finish up my 4th set of seated rows. He is still nowhere to be found...I'm guessing "Elvis" has left the building. So I go over there and start in on my first set of dumbbell flies with a set of the dumbbells he left lying on the floor. While I'm pushing out my last couple of reps all of a sudden he appears and I see him with my peripheral vision looking at me very anxiously. I finish up and look at him and just nodded my head acknowledging him, but not saying anything. He told me was using those dumbbells. Going on instincts.....I'm wondering if we have a problem here and I'm measuring him up. He's fairly big and muscular, but kind of short and looking not all that flexible. I have the reach on him, but he's younger....probably 30 or so. But I want to allow for due diligence before getting into whatever he may be seeking. Thinking I have to at least try and seek out diplomacy, I replied back that they had been laying on the floor for about 20 minutes and since my time in the gym is limited (I'm on my lunch break), I needed to use them as I didn't have a lot of time to spare. He seemed to be going through some type of roid rage by this time. So I'm trying to compromise for us both, probably more than he deserved, and I offered him to work in with me if he wanted. I've been seeing that the dude had been trying to piss all over so many stations at the gym in an apparent attempt to mark his territory or something and thinking he can claim several different stations and implements, while at the same time holding everyone else in the gym hostage and expecting us to wait while he goes and does something else. I'm thinking, I'm not going along with this and I'm not going to be a full on enabler, so I'm not leaving "his area" like he wanted. But I do offer a compromise and offered him to work in with me. He then gets all loud talking saying...."Well I was in the middle of using this but you know what....I can just go do these on the cable machine" like he was all put out and making sure everyone heard this and knew about it. It worked, I could see people stopping and looking. I just shrugged my shoulders and went about my business after telling him that I don't mind him working in with me. He acted all butt hurt and was really loud on the cable machines a few feet away trying to cause a scene or something. I do another 3 sets of rear delt dumbbell flies and leave to go back to work.

It's guys like this that think the gym is theirs that really chap my a$$! Everyone else there is paying for their membership and have as much right to the equipment as he does. No wonder so many people who genuinely want to workout...don't.....because of people like this dude.

Anyway......was I wrong to go and use the precious dummbbells of his that were left lying in the floor for 20 minutes not being used..... and with him nowhere in sight? Should I have given it more time for him to show up and start using these again..... risking me not being able to do the rear delt flies due to running out of time? On my way back to work, I thought to myself that maybe I was a little harsh or too confrontational. But the more I think about it, I think I gave him more than enough time. Not that he deserved it. I feel that his approach of trying to save 4-5 stations and expecting everyone else to steer clear of all of them while he's there is a little absurd. Seems comparable to grabbing 4-5 pool chairs at a pool when there are not enough for everyone.....just so he can have them all to himself in case he needed them. Just wondering if I'm seeing this the wrong way...........

Perhaps I should've posted this in another forum instead of the exercise section.........? Not sure.....

[marfar7 1,533]

At our gym, you must re-rack your weights after EACH use. Not just after you're done for the day. When you leave, you forfeit your right to those weights until they're free again.

Lucky thing I go to a very small and un-busy gym. Never had to worry about this!

[dork 114]

We have people that do the same thing. I also have people that are really rude. I quit going until I take some weight off. I was getting snide looks and re-wiping my equipment after I just wiped very well. Seems fat people may have a disease they don't want to catch.

[Alyjourneys 117]

You were on the right.

[Kimmy1813 77]

I think you had every right to use those dumbbells. Instead of wandering all over the gym, he should have done his thing with them and then put them back for the next person to use....in this case, you. Other people working out do not have the time to worry about one person being such an a$$, nor should they have to.

[natedog51 34]

I would say you were right to use the equipment. Love the reference to pissing all over the equipment marking his territory!

[QueenBusyBee 46]

You were definitely right! He left them there he does not own them, therefore anybody can use them. I must agree on the whole roid rage dudes get crazy on the juice.. but whatever I'm the type to avoid people like that, some people just have no manners. I know one time I was doing a couple of sets with bicep curls and I was using 2 different set of weights doing one set with one weight then immediately dropping and picking up the other weight, this girl out of nowhere comes and picks up one of the dumbell right from infront of my feet and walks away didn't ask or anything, now in that situation I know is not right I got so mad gave her the meanest look and she said, "oh were you using this?" No ****! She shrug her shoulders and started working out with it my husband at that point had to calm me down. Sorry, went on a little rant there...

[aliekat55 157]

they arent his weights. I use weights as soon as they walk away from them. it is called sharing, i learned how to do that in kindergarten

alex

[bethxxx 304]

If he isn't actually using the weights then he can't complain when someone else starts using them. I actually had a similar situation but it was with a group of 5 or 6 men aged aprox 17- 23 years old all crowding around trying to hog the machines for themselves, sometimes not even to use them... To sit on!!! They would just sit on the machines and chat.

Anyway my friend and I were sick of all the free weights never being put back on the rack and never really being available to use so we told someone at the gym. This group actually got banned from the gym in the end. We were apparently not the first ones to complain about them and when someone said something to them they started vandalizing the front of the gym....

So your guy might not be as much of a hooligan but you could still ask the gym manager to explain to him that he needs to put the weights back when he isn't using them and that once he leaves the weights, they are free for others to use.

P.s don't worry about him making a scene, I'm sure the other people in the gym were on your side and thought he was a moron!

[maharet111 544]

If someone left a parking spot would you think it is too harsh to take it?!?!?

You were in the right!!!

[apelt001 116]

Guys and gals.......looking for some honest feedback here......

I'm at the gym at lunch today and I'm doing upper back (pullups' date=' bent over rows, seated rows & rear delt flies). I usually do them in that order as well. So while I'm doing my pullups and bent over rows, I see this guy doing some stuff with dumbbells in the dumbbell section using several different sets of dumbbells while bouncing around all over the gym doing other things (different lifting stations, talking, etc). Every 5 minutes or so he would circle back to the dumbbell section and do a set or two and leave to use something else in the gym and come back. Anyway, by this time I'm well into my seated row sets. About my 2nd set, I can still see the guy is away from his dumbbells and for a long time now....10-15 minutes they've just been sitting there on the floor, not re-racked, but also not being used. I look around and he's nowhere to be seen and I know that my rear delt flies are next and some of the dumbbells he has left lying out are the ones I'll be using on my rear delt flies that are next. Another 5-10 minutes pass and I finish up my 4th set of seated rows. He is still nowhere to be found...I'm guessing "Elvis" has left the building. So I go over there and start in on my first set of dumbbell flies with a set of the dumbbells he left lying on the floor. While I'm pushing out my last couple of reps all of a sudden he appears and I see him with my peripheral vision looking at me very anxiously. I finish up and look at him and just nodded my head acknowledging him, but not saying anything. He told me was using those dumbbells. Going on instincts.....I'm wondering if we have a problem here and I'm measuring him up. He's fairly big and muscular, but kind of short and looking not all that flexible. I have the reach on him, but he's younger....probably 30 or so. But I want to allow for due diligence before getting into whatever he may be seeking. Thinking I have to at least try and seek out diplomacy, I replied back that they had been laying on the floor for about 20 minutes and since my time in the gym is limited (I'm on my lunch break), I needed to use them as I didn't have a lot of time to spare. He seemed to be going through some type of roid rage by this time. So I'm trying to compromise for us both, probably more than he deserved, and I offered him to work in with me if he wanted. I've been seeing that the dude had been trying to piss all over so many stations at the gym in an apparent attempt to mark his territory or something and thinking he can claim several different stations and implements, while at the same time holding everyone else in the gym hostage and expecting us to wait while he goes and does something else. I'm thinking, I'm not going along with this and I'm not going to be a full on enabler, so I'm not leaving "his area" like he wanted. But I do offer a compromise and offered him to work in with me. He then gets all loud talking saying...."Well I was in the middle of using this but you know what....I can just go do these on the cable machine" like he was all put out and making sure everyone heard this and knew about it. It worked, I could see people stopping and looking. I just shrugged my shoulders and went about my business after telling him that I don't mind him working in with me. He acted all butt hurt and was really loud on the cable machines a few feet away trying to cause a seen or something. I do another 3 sets of rear delt dumbbell flies and leave to go back to work.

It's guys like this that think the gym is theirs that really chap my a! Everyone else there is paying for their membership and have as much right to the equipment as he does. No wonder so many people who genuinely want to workout...don't.....because of people like this dude.

Anyway......was I wrong to go and use the precious dummbbells of his that were left lying in the floor for 20 minutes not being used..... and with him nowhere in sight? Should I have given it more time for him to show up and start using these again..... risking me not being able to do the rear delt flies due to running out of time? On my way back to work, I thought to myself that maybe I was a little harsh or too confrontational. But the more I think about it, I think I gave him more than enough time. Not that he deserved it. I feel that his approach of trying to save 4-5 stations and expecting everyone else to steer clear of all of them while he's there is a little absurd. Seems comparable to grabbing 4-5 pool chairs at a pool when there are not enough for everyone.....just so he can have them all to himself in case he needed them. Just wondering if I'm seeing this the wrong way...........

Perhaps I should've posted this in another forum instead of the exercise section.........? Not sure.....[/quote']

No you were totally in the right I had a situation like this at my gym when I first started. I came in to do my 5k run on the mill and I had my two year old with a sitter who is a little time pushy so I usually make it quick. So all the mills were full so I wait and do a few miles on the bike an wait patiently. No they have distinct signs at my gym to keep your time on any machine to 30 min so i get off when a girl whos time clearly showed 55 min wipes off her mill and leaves so I hop on get half way thru my run and she comes back, the ending was a bit much she told me to get my fat a$$ off the tredmill because she was using it first. And me bein me I told her look you dont to peole that way abd maybe if she didnt have a corn cob so far up her butt and asked nicely then maybe but not today. Ended up finishing my run at 25 min best time yet. people are just rude sometimes

[eerica30 12]

I don't think I would have been that nice! The nerve of her.

[aroundhky 1,174]

Thanks for all of the feedback everyone! Sorry if I made it sound like it was a lady wanting to hog the dumbbells. From my experience, it seems that guys are usually more rude in the gym. I get it.....I'm a guy.......so it's kind of natural to want to me macho and such......but being rude or a prick is not called for. It took all the patience I had not make a deal of it like he was trying to do.

[aroundhky 1,174]

We have people that do the same thing. I also have people that are really rude. I quit going until I take some weight off. I was getting snide looks and re-wiping my equipment after I just wiped very well. Seems fat people may have a disease they don't want to catch.

Try not to let those people determine whether you work out or not. Those kind of people don't mean anything to you, so I wouldn't even worry about what they might be thinking......who gives a rip! From my experience, most gyms are not like that. I do hope you still try exercising and not let those rude people determine your fitness future. Hang in there!

[Banned member 320]

I've only run into this situation once and it was so dang annoying! The guy was switching back and forth from the ab machine to another machine and just taking his time. My last machine of the day was the ab machine and he kept his towel on that machine so that no one else would use it. I asked him politely if he was almost done and he said yes but it still took what felt like 10 more mins before I could use it.

My absolutely biggest pet peeve is when people leave the 100 pound weights on the leg press machine. I can't lift a 100 pound weight (usually it's 4-100 pound weights total) and I always have to walk all the way to the front and ask for assistance from the people at the front desk. Also the squat machine is always set at the highest setting. I'm only 5'3 and I'm pretty sure the last person that used it was over 6ft tall. I hate appearing like some weak helpless woman in the weight room but I'm not about to throw my back out by lifting those huge 100 pound weights. *Sorry my comment has turned into my own little rant lol*

OP I think you did the right thing by using those weights. I loved how you were sizing him up, that's such a guy thing lol. My husband would of done the same thing as you but I probably wouldn't stand a chance against a roid rager and I highly doubt we'd be using the same weights lol