I love going to the gym. It’s where I go to de-stress, get my aggression out, and train. But, as with all public environments, there are people who are extremely inconsiderate of others and act as if they’re the only ones using the gym. Buddy, I’m paying the exact same membership fees as you are, so show me some respect too. This goes for both guys and girls. The gym isn’t your house, so don’t treat it as such.
Don’t be THAT guy or girl.
My LEAST favorite person at the gym. You used a set of weights. That’s great. I’m glad you’re lifting. But you couldn’t return it to the rack? You obviously could pick it up, so put it back please. Other people need to use it too. I don’t care if it’s 5 pounds. I don’t care if it’s 50 pounds. You used it. Put it back.
Hunting down misplaced dumbbells is time-consuming and annoying. No one should have to clean up after YOUR mess. It takes less than ten seconds to re-rack weights, so do it. As much as I think you’re bad ass for bench pressing 225 pounds, removing four 45-pound plates should be YOUR job when you’re finished, not mine.
This is not limited to just dumbbells. Barbells, weight plates, bosu balls, yoga balls, mats, foam rollers, ANYTHING.
If you used it, return it to its proper location.
I know the last rep is brutal. You’re giving it all you’ve got. Your arms are ready to fall off. Your legs feel like they’re ready to buckle. But I promise you, grunting like you’ve got a hernia won’t make you stronger. Adding to my gym soundtrack won’t make you put on more muscle. You don’t need to grunt like a dying bull every single rep. Sounding like you’re constipated will not earn you more gym cred nor will it help you bulk.
Tone it down, buster.
I know you’re working hard. I don’t need to hear it, too.
Seriously. You HAD to drop that 60-pound barbell from four feet above the ground? That’s just dangerous. For you and everyone around you. I realize that once again, you might be giving 150% of your effort and your arms feel like they’re ready to detach from your body. But despite what you might see in YouTube videos of Olympic weightlifters completing cleans and dropping the bar, you’re not an Olympic weightlifter, you’re most likely not doing cleans, and you’re at a crowded gym where other people are walking around or near you.
Please don’t break my foot.
The entire row of treadmills is open and you HAD to take the one immediately next to mine. All treadmills are created equal. Those ten other ones you see? Yeah, they work too. I’m flattered that you want to run right next to me because that means I don’t stink.
But I like my space. Don’t you?
And last but not least…
I use my iPhone as my iPod but personally, I HATE it when I get phone calls during my workouts. It interrupts my personal time. My gym time is when I fully unplug and concentrate on myself, disconnecting from the outside world. I realize that sometimes, there’s important phone calls that need to be taken, so go answer them outside or tell the person you’ll call them back. Your friend will not cry a river if you drop their call.
Also, nobody at the gym needs to hear about how wasted you got last night. Nobody at the gym needs to hear about that guy you picked up at the bar. And frankly, nobody at the gym gives a damn about that new Gucci purse you just bought. If you need to be on the phone for longer than 5 minutes, take it outside. Bragging about last night’s hook-up does not make you a hot shot.
Nobody at the gym cares.
So get your workout in. Be efficient. Be effective. But be courteous as well.
Remember: Don’t be THAT guy.
Who’s on your THAT guy list?
Pizza Margherita – Dinner: lavash topped with tomato paste, fresh tomatoes, white onions, fresh mozzarella cheese, and fresh basil.
Asparagus, Mushrooms & Feta Pizza – Dinner: lavash topped with asparagus, mushrooms, white onions, thyme, Swiss cheese, mozzarella cheese and Feta cheese.
Nacho Fries – Dinner: baked fries topped with black beans, ground pork, onions, Colby Jack cheese, fresh tomatoes, and jalapenos.
Consumption: 2383 calories, 69.25g of fat.
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Workout: Biceps. Triceps. Interval run. Swim.
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Swam a total of 600 meters with 300 meters freestyle non-stop.
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Female. 25 years old. Chinese. Cook. Foodie. UCLA grad. Traveler. Musician. Scuba diver. GWU Law. Runner.
The pizza margherita looks amazing! Yummy! Ok, I hate that guy that comes in jeans and a tee-shirt. Hello, get serious or go home ya smuck. Funny post Jess. I love the space invader one! So true!
i love the girl who wears more makeup to the gym than I wore on my wedidng day!! and wears the least amount of clothes possible then just walks around! yea your there to work heard if you sweat your face will fall off!!!
I HATE the guy who thinks he’s super buff. He keeps looking in the mirror & ogles at the girls working out.
I DO NOT want to be picked up or hit on! It’s a very uncomfortable feeling. I want to sweat & focus on myself ONLY!
I’m the grunter. I admit it. Not like a hernia, but like “LAST ONE!!!”
The HATE the guy/gal who thinks they don’t have to CLEAN the equipment after they use it. It’s a gym policy, there are reminder signs posted right next to spray and paper towel dispenser. It’s TWO FEET from the machine you just drenched in your sweat. Wipe it down. NASTYASS.
UGH..I am with you on the treadmill guy/girl. Mostly because I am insecure and don’t like to be crowded when I’m breathing heavy and sweating LOL.
I can’t stand that guy or girl who come in and take up a machine but not realy use it. Like they are there just to say they went to the gym, move it buddy others really want to workout! Or my favorite latly, the swimmers who take up a lane and only swim part of the time and teh rest they spend talking to their friend in the next lane, meanwhile 2 lanes are wasted. Oh and they are always the grumpy ones who refuse to share a lane.
Such fun!
Grrrrr I hate space violator. I liken those people to the violators of the “Seat in between us at the movies” rule. Seriously Dude, I don’t want to sit next to a stranger…Move over!
.-= Tara´s last blog Food as part of the solution, not the problem / Pre-OWiS week in Review =-.
I left you an award on my blog.
*amber*
This is why I don’t go to the gym! Oh yeah … and the kid … and the fact that there isn’t one close by … and even if there was I probably wouldn’t be able to afford it right now …
Instead I just reenact all of those guys all on my own in the basement
Don’t worry. I also yell at them adequately, too!
Word!!!!
I also hate people that try to be chatty at the gym. Some people don’t mind it, but it invades my personal time. When I’m at the gym, I’m there to work. Don’t ask me about my day. If you go with a friend that’s different, but even then my tolerance is low.
.-= Lauren´s last blog Epic Splurge =-.
Oh my gosh — I was JUST thinking about this yesterday, and thinking of my OWN list of pet peeves to blog about.
I love yours and I agree with each and every one.
The thing that annoys me the most is related to your space issue. I absolutely hate when I’m doing some lifting exercise with free weights in front of a mirror, and someone comes and stands right in front of me…when the entire other half of the mirror is wide open!! I usually stand toward the back of the mat to stay out of everyone’s way, and I understand that sometimes the weight this person (ok, let’s say guy because no girls have ever done this to me) wants is pretty much right in front of where I’m standing. But would it really be too much trouble to grab the weight and move over just two inches?? Instead of strategically placing yourself so that when I look in the mirror, all I can see is you doing your bicep curls with an *impressive* amount of weight.
Ugh! haha…thanks for letting me get that out!
I don’t currently have a gym membership, so I haven’t had to deal with any of these first-hand, but they definitely do sound annoying! When I exercise, I like to zone out and just concentrate on what I’m doing, so any of these guys grunting or dropping weight would definitely harsh my mellow
.-= Brandon´s last blog Weekly weigh-in #20 =-.
Yeah, I’m lucky that I don’thave a big box gym to worry about…BUT I do have people in the little gym at work. And it is quite annoying when people feel need to talk to me. Yeah…the chatter is my biggest pet peeve (of course, sometimes, I like to chat, so I’m a TOTAL hypocrite!).
.-= beej´s last blog Fun Day & Stats =-.
That’s awesome. I did this same thing a few weeks back. Called it my ten least favorite people at the gym.
http://www.joetherunner.com/my-10-least-favorite-people-at-the-gym/
.-= Joe´s last blog Recap and Request =-.
At my gym, no one cares about where the weights go, they just leave them anywhere and everywhere. It takes an extra five minutes to find the weights I want to use a lot of the time.
That’s my biggest issue, no one knows how to return the weights.
Great list Jess.
Having worked as a pt at gyms, I have a number of annoyances. I’d say not reracking weights is at the top of my list — having to remove 14 plates from the leg press or 4 plates from the Smith Rack when they are over my head??!! Just gets my ire up.
I don’t mind the grunters, though there are a few who sound like wounded caribou with every rep. And the superpreeners need to join a community theatre group.
In some gyms cell phones are prohibited. When I see someone working out (and I use that term loosely here) while talking on a cell phone I know they are sadly wasting their time and money. You can’t get a great workout unless you are present. The most amusing to me are the ones who tweet their every set…like there is a universe of people hanging on their every rep. Yeesh.
OMG Jess this was hilarious! All of us frequent gym visitors can relate to this for sure! I’d also add don’t be that guy that seems to never WASH his gym clothes and smells horrible. You know the guy – he thinks he’s hot shit but reeks. DON’T BE THAT GUY.
I went to a gym quite a bit for about a year and everything you listed here is why I’m not going back to a large commercial gym. I’m sure this is a great release to get all this out, but unfortunately nothing will ever change.
My gym pet peeves are long…. here is the short version: 1. People who wear a lot of fragrances to the gym. And why do they always work out near me? Once I smelled a guy across the track at the park. TOO MUCH COLOGNE. 2. People who chat with each other for extended periods of time where other people could be working out. 3. People who sweat a LOT and don’t clean up. 4. People who show off in group fitness classes by sucking up to the instructor and buying all the “official” accessories. 5. People who talk while the instructor is talking. Seriously, you would think grown ups would know better.
I saw a girl with a lululemon bag the other day and rolled my eyes, but I think that is more MY issue than hers.
yesyesyes
) annoy me.
why do the men who GRUNT SOOO FLIPPING LOUDLY WHEN THERES NO REASON (she shouts
it maybe wrong—but they totally do.
.-= MizFit´s last blog How I learned to love the gym (guest post). =-.
Jess this is hilarious. I will confess that I do “grunt” a little when I’m working out. Thankfully I don’t go to a public gym, I’m usually just one-on-one with my trainer or with the bootcamp girls. Its truthfully involuntary, it just comes out!
I definitely agree with the rest of your list though!
.-= Meegan´s last blog Bootcamp Insanity =-.
I don’t go to the gym so don’t have to deal with these people or find out I’m one of them
Yes!! I love cranky posts. I’m so all about it. I really hate the guys who do rep – check myself out – rep – damn, I’m buff – rep – I see you checking me out! Ugh, such vanity.