Pet peeves at the gym- what are yours?

[neatski]

After years of only working out at home, I spend time at a gym now (which I love) but it's given me the opportunity to develop some pet peeves about it!

I know I'm not a kettlebell guru (and I know there are soft and hard styles of training), but the basic premises of kettlebells- using momentum and deriving explosive power from the core and lower body- are things I've been working on for almost 6 months with the help of tons of workout videos and YouTube. It annoys me so much when I'm at the gym and I watch people "swing" kettlebells by basically just moving their arms back and forth. Then, they look at me like I'm doing it wrong because I'm using momentum and the hip snap. GRRR. Even the trainers have bad form! I wanted to go up to one the other day, but I decided to keep my mouth shut.

Ok, plus there's this kid who comes in and yaps away on his cellphone while one-handedly using some of the equipment.

What's your gym-related pet peeve?

[Elise7]

Men grunting. Men doing 5 reps with swinging and then sitting there and chatting with their friends for 5 minutes before doing anything else. Men swearing to show just how hard they are working.

I love working out in the privacy of my own home! But when I'm at college and I want to do free weights, I have to put up with the above!

[kali1]

Originally Posted by Elise7

Men grunting. Men doing 5 reps with swinging and then sitting there and chatting with their friends for 5 minutes before doing anything else. Men swearing to show just how hard they are working.

I love working out in the privacy of my own home! But when I'm at college and I want to do free weights, I have to put up with the above!

Ain't that the truth. I hate it when they throw the weights, even though they know they shouldn't. I also hate ass-crack or the "ball-roll" if ya know what I mean. That's just disgusting. Like we all wanna see the equipment.

[Harantwanders]

People who don't wipe and disinfect equipment before and after use, people who have colds, people who talk to me beyond just saying hello or something, people who don't know how to lift weights trying to do so without getting instruction and I am afraid they will hurt themselves.

[Lizzo]

People who are too lazy to properly place weights in the right spot. At one gym I use to go to there was a tree rack for barbells, from 10lbs up to 110 lbs. Basic physics would tell you to place the lightest weights at the top and the heaviest at the bottom, but many of the patrons--specifically the men--would just place them anywhere they pleased. Nothing was more annoying that trying to lift a 90 lb barbell from a chest level positioning just so I could use it for dead lifts. That is an injury waiting to happen. I swear there were times these guys would do it to be spiteful.

[Sue B]

People who occupy benches while playing with their cell phones or ipods, or stand around in groups chatting on valuable floor space (that I need for doing pushups, etc.)

I don't notice or care what exercises people are doing; sometimes weird-looking exercises were prescribed by PTs or something.

[dela]

People that set up too close to me when I'm already doing an exercise in that space, it throws me off mid-move. I understand when it's crowded and can't be helped, but otherwise PLEASE just move over a foot or so.

This is probably why I am more cut out for home workouts , but the gym has been giving me great results that I just can't deny.

Oh and using a cell phone in the locker room for anything other than talking, there is just no way to know if someone is taking a picture when they appear to be texting.

[summer breeze]

Originally Posted by dela

Oh and using a cell phone in the locker room for anything other than talking, there is just no way to know if someone is taking a picture when they appear to be texting.

Oooh yeah, creepy. I don't use the gym for this and probably most of the other reasons stated.

[ellaenchanted]

I just switched gyms - due to hours but I have belonged to both gyms over the past 10 years. I haven't had much in the way of pet peeves except one. At the gym I just left, there a few regulars in the classes that would carry on full-out conversations during the workout. Sometimes, even stop for a minute to chat. It was distracting and very rude to the instructor. The instructor was really sweet and I could tell by the look on her face that it annoyed her. She would say things like to try to get them back on track like "take a break when you need it then get right back into it" or "challenge yourself and keep going." But, I think what she really meant was "do the workout or get out and let other people enjoy it."

[Kyra]

People who go up to the dumbbell rack, select a weight, and JUST STAND RIGHT THERE AND DO THEIR EXERCISE. I feel like saying, Dude (it's ALWAYS a guy), if you can't carry the weight a whopping five feet or so back to a bench to use it, it's probably too heavy for you.