Cardio & Wt.room pet peeves.The guy that walks in front you while you're doing your set.The foot duffers.The lap pool sharer

Taking the topic out of the locker room pet peeves.  Does anybody have weight room, cardio room, or pool pet peeves?  Here are some of mine:

1)I sit at a bench with my weights and the gym is not crowded.  What happens? someone decides to do weights all in MY space.  Move down buster there's 4 benchs that are completely open just 3 yards away!  Or the girl who decides to walk in front of me to get the dumbells while I am concentrating on my set in the mirror.  Hey girl, could you just walk 3 feet around me instead of in front of me?

2)The treadmill.  The lady who everyday picks the machine next to mine and spends at least 2 miles of her running workout with her legs strattling the sides of the treadmill instead of pausing the machine.  That's cheating, as the calorie counter and the miles increase, but she's talking to her friends and drinking water why her legs are not on the belt!  Then she gives me a look like I'm LAZY when I get off at 2 miles, and her digital screen reads something impressive!  Lady, you didn't do more than one mile total!!

3) The lap swimmers who prefer one pool over the other (our club has 2 lap pools, one is new, the other is older... but a pool is a pool!), and so I'm in the new lap pool, as I'm there early and I have my own lane (and the early bird gets the brand new swimming pool!).  Then some guy asks if he can share my lane as all lanes are taken in the new pool, but the old pool, right next to the new pool is completely open.  Go swim there... I don't want to share my lane when there are 8 lanes open in another pool.  Fine that pool is shorter in length, but it's swimming!  Just do more laps!

4) Women who insist on watching some terrible tv show on the main tv in the cardio space like Regis & Kelly or Days of our Lives.  Hey, I like the View, but shouldn't the main tv be on something that everyone can watch like the news?  Thankfully my ipod drowns out Regis's voice. 

5) People who copy your routine.  I have a weight routine for my arms that I do religiously.  And this lady is always copying what I do.  Hey, she should pay me for personal training.

6) Foot duffers on the treadmill.  The old man I see and can hear even with my ipod on.  The way he runs on the treadmill, he sort of drags one foot and it makes this terrible sound and it's a constant.  So it's like "run, run, thud, run, run, thud".  It has it's own beat! 

And finally to end on a good note, in my gym everyone is good about the towels and wiping down machines.  So no pet peeves there.  The men are the best at it, as they are the sweatiest.  The women though tend to leave magazine racks, towels, newspapers, water bottles all over the place, but at least everyone does a good job at wiping the sweat off the pleather seats and bars, etc.

I totally was just complaining to my husband the other day about things that annoy me at the gym! I definitely can identify with you especially your comment about the person who has to workout right next to you when the gym is empty. Anyway, here's my list:

1. The person who sits on the weight machine that I want to use not lifting any weights but messing with thier ipod instead FOR 5 MINUTES!

2. The person on the treadmill/elliptical or whatever machine that's next to yours who thinks you're in a race with them and will adjust their speed every time you adjust yours.

3. The guys in the weight room who think that it's theirr domain and no woman should even think of stepping in; and when a girl walks in the weight room she instantly becomes a piece of meat.

4. People who insist on watching you while you work out.... no let me clarify, those people that insist on staring at you the entire 45 minutes you are working out.

Oh my goodness -- your #2 is my biggest pet peeve.

I can't stand to see someone jump to the sides on the treadmill.

-- Or, when they put all their weight onto their arms and pretty much just swing their legs -- what the heck is that working?.

-- Or, they have the incline up so high, they have to hold on for dear life to avoid falling off. There are machines to work your arms -- go find one.

-- one more treadmill -- when they actually lean on the handles practically bent in half. Not only bad form, but again, what are you working in that position?

Thanks for the laugh, I needed it.

haha! excellent!

1. girls more obsessed with the personal trainer than with the workout.

2. "the stretcher": the man occupying space in the stretching area at my gym. i see him every day, in the same t-shirt and sweatpants, which i guess he can wear because he never sweats.. because he NEVER works out. he just stands in the corner staring at everybody while he does the same two shoulder stretches over and over. using up space that other people are vying to get at. it's just creepy. and obnoxious. 

3. super buff guy that has to let everyone know just how super buff he is. 

Original Post by msdemeanor70:

Oh my goodness -- your #2 is my biggest pet peeve.

I can't stand to see someone jump to the sides on the treadmill.

I know!  Not sure why this makes me mad, as it doesn't affect my cardio, my fat burning, my workout or anything and it's not invading my space, but well, it still makes me irritated!  I think it's because there is an embarrassment thing with treadmill, say if you can only run at 4.7 for 5 minutes and then have to go back down to 3.6 to catch your breath.  These people would rather have the "break" by not doing anything at all.  For me, I totally go up and down in speed during my cardio, and could care less if the guy next to me is laughing at my 3.2 speed (somedays after a busy weekend, I just want to do a nice slow paced walk!). 

I personally think it's dangerous too, to just jump back onto the belt when it's whizzing by at 4.7 from the strattle position.  I'm sure there have been injuries with this technique. 

Like I said, I've seen people jog for like 1/2 a mile on the thing, but their digital read out is like 3 miles and then you know they're bragging to their boyfriends that afternoon that they had a nice run earlier (because they go by what the computer says!!). 

My pet peeves in the gym (actually I'm not going to a gym right now, but I remember my peeves well)

1. Girls who wear more makeup to the gym  than I ever do to go anywhere and have their hair super perfect, so they can...what? sweat it all off? Oh wait, they don't actually sweat.

2. Guys and girls that are more interested in checking each other out and flirting than in working out. I especially hate it when the (usually very good looking) staff stand around flirting and ogling each other. Help somebody with something!!!

3. Trainers who yell at you to "motivate" you.

Original Post by cklapp2:

My pet peeves in the gym (actually I'm not going to a gym right now, but I remember my peeves well)

1. Girls who wear more makeup to the gym  than I ever do to go anywhere and have their hair super perfect, so they can...what? sweat it all off? Oh wait, they don't actually sweat.

I think a lot of that is that you have women who might be going to work at 8am and then sneaking in a workout at 11am, so they are in makeup?  For me, I don't care too much about the makeup, but if they put on a ton of perfume when they went to work, and then 3 hours later they're sweating on the treadmill, I can't stand the odor of perfume and bo.

I too gotta say something for the ladies that show up at the gym wearing make-up and hair done.. I go after my evening shift @ around 9:30 pm, make up and hair done...  I also never go to the gym with out atleast foundation on b/c I have horrible discolouration and uneven skin tone from skin problems that Ive had over the past few years.  Don't flame all of us maybe some of us are very self concious about our skin or have a good reason why they are wearing make up : )

Hey, Nothing against you platinum but, its a gym. What look like when going there should be 100% irrelevant because its not a place where looks matter or should even be judged,  

A for my pet peeves, the people who walk infront of you while working out is my biggest pet peeve,

As for strattling the treadmill it annoys me when people do it for a while.. but i myself do 4 minute run on speed 6 then 30 break of standing on the sides

 For trainers that yell at you to motivate you, I dont have much to say as i never had a trainer but, I have my workout buddy yell at me when im lifting something and have like 3 or so reps left, (yelling motivates me)

creepy guys

people who sweat on machines and do not clean up after themselves

creepy guys who walk, stand, position themselves behind the treadmill when there is no good reason for them to be there

people who put their feet on any part of a machine that is not supposed to have feet on it (handle bars, sides, consoles)

did I mention creepy guys? yuck

people who smell bad (fabreeze, perfume, body odor, moldy clothes). Again, yuck.

and creepy guys

Gawd, I can sympathize with most of these peeves...

My own:

1. People of either gender that wear spandex when the fashion law says you're a Michelin Man (or Woman) if you do so :-P  Just joking - it's laughable, what what the hey...if you feel comfortable in it, fine, just don't complain that people snicker.  Now that I melted off 50 lbs and actually look lean in spandex, I feel good about flaunting a bit.  I didn't when I was Flubber.

2. People that go to the gym smelling nasty (i.e., not bathed/showered in the last day or so, and/or no anti-perspirant, or wearing previously used workout clothes).  Fresh body perspiration "lifting" off the stale odour is so *yack*! There should be a Haz-mat squad like in Monster Inc. for people like that ;-)

I got so fed up with crowded gyms full of trolls that I do all my workouts outside (or at home in the winter).  Nothing like a bike trainer, treadmill, or an elliptical sitting there in front of you to motivate you - no draggin' ur butt off to a gym where all the surfaces are teeming with nasty bacteria from who knows what. 

There's a whole 'nother thread someone could start on peeves about clueless wonders on the bike/blading/running path....

1. People who drive around the parking lot for 10 minutes to find a space close to the door, then spend a half hour walking on the dreadmill.

2. People who do bicep curls in the squat racks.

floggingsully - dreadmill?  Is that a typo?  Either way, hilarious! 

My peeves:

- People who talk extremely loudly to their friends the whole time they are working out...when do these people even breathe??  I've seen it on treadmills and elliptical machines.  It's bad enough if I can hear you from across the room.  If you're next to me...come on, my ipod can only drown out so much noise.

- Bad hygiene.  A girl I see regularly at the gym doesn't spray & wipe down the elliptical machines when she's done using them.  I tried to be okay with that, until I saw her use the restroom and go back into the gym area...without stopping to wash her hands.  YUCK.

I guess screaming is understandable if you're having trouble, but I shouldn't be able to hear an "OOOWWWAAAAARRRRRRRGGGGHHHHHAAAAAAAHHHHHH! *pant pant pant* OH HELLZ YEAH!" from the elliptical on the farthest side of the gym. Followed by rapping. And screaming across the gym to your less annoying friend. And dropping the freaking weights.

Come on now.

Original Post by floggingsully:

1. People who drive around the parking lot for 10 minutes to find a space close to the door, then spend a half hour walking on the dreadmill.

 

That's super funny.  I've been guilty, but usually it's more to do with my children and all their gear for the gym's babysitting room (snack bags, stuffed animals).  So I look for a close spot.  Then of course you think what if it's raining when I exit the gym, so you want to be close.  But of course there are days when it's sunny, no kids, and I'm guilty of looking for the dream spot.  Next time, I'm going to park further away and get an additional 10 calories burned off!!

I know this is late, but I didn't mean ALL women with makeup on. I wear makeup to the gym, too, and I usually go in after work as well. I don't mean no make up at all (I understand being self-concious or just wanting to look respectable wherever you go)

I meant, totally 100% made up because you want to walk around the gym looking cute than because you want to workout.

I didn't mean to flame women who wear "normal everyday" makeup and are really working out at the gym

Original Post by floggingsully:

1. People who drive around the parking lot for 10 minutes to find a space close to the door

my friend does this everywhere but I find it really hilarious when I meet her at the gym and she does this..  The parking lot is a horseshoe shape so if you don't find it on one end of the horseshoe you have to drive aaaaaaaaall the way around to the other side..

1. Cellphones. Turn them off when you go for a workout. Honestly, if you can dish out gissip about how the fat chick next to you on the treadmill should NOT be wearing what they are wearing (I'm not DEAF) You obviously aren't working out hard enough!

2. Grunters. If I feel like I have to call a Young priest and an old priest to rid your soul of Astaroth while on the military Press machine, YOU NEED TO LOWER THE WEIGHTS.

3. Machine hogs. Not the kind of hogs that actually DO exercise, but simply do two or three moves on the machine, and then spend 5 or 6 minutes 'resting up'. Also, see 'Cell phones'

4. Chicks who go to the gym decked out. And I mean DECKED out. FULL make up, their hair all done, nails all done, clothes all super-duper matchy. And it's not bad enough they're dressed like they're going clubbing, they end up schlupping around machines and water fountains, flirting with whomever catches thier fancy.

5. The garbanzo-heads who leave the machines with ungodly levels of weights on them. And on that token, people who leave machines on insanely light levels of weight and leave. I'm not impressed by how much you lift, and it's not too much work to remove that little pin or remove the weights from the machine, trust me.

6. Weight hogs. Or people who take ONE free weight and hide it away. Oh yeah, I want to do my exercises with just ONE weight. Thanks.

7. People who want to race on Treadmills. You know, the people who obviously look at your stats on the treadmill, then put them at ONE higher than yours is. I'm VERY competitive, and I get a thrill over winning, but it's still annoying.

New pet peeve of the week for me.  The staff at my gym that do absolutely nothing except hang out at the front desk and gossip about who knows what. 

This comes into play when there is a gym client not following rules and they do absolutely nothing to step in.  I don't think it's my job to educate fellow gym users on what they can and can't do, and I find it very concerning that the Staff will come in and out of areas, see the same bad behaviour and say nothing too.

For instance cell phone users.  My locker room has about a billion signs saying NO CELL PHONES, yet there are 5 people a day using them.  You'll see it, shake your head, and then witness the fri'ken manager of the gym, the staff from the front desk and other staff like housekeeping walk by these same individuals and they say nothing as well.  They're the ones in charge and should feel comfortable to tell the offender that they can't use cell phones in the locker room. 

You see it with people who like to take their 7 year old to the cardio machines as they're to cheap to use the babysitting service.  Isn't little "billy" cute on the treadmill?  No he's not, and it's dangerous.  But does any staff member come over and say so?  No.  So you've got 15 angry clientel looking at this situation, but nobody says anything.  I have in the past, but usually it's met with "mind your own business lady". 

Can you staff members please do your work?  Yes, you are hired to be trainers or clean up the areas, but isn't is also your job to enforce club rules? 

Original Post by forgetcasagemas:

haha! excellent!

3. super buff guy that has to let everyone know just how super buff he is. 

 

 

Reminds me of a comic act I heard on the radio (XM) the other day the comedian was saying how all those men may look good but they can't reach their own "manhood" anymore cuz the muscles are in the way LOL

People that straight up stare at you when you work with a trainer. Inevitably, at each session with my trainer, there's at least one persone staring, following us, all but writing down what we're doing. It's fine to maybe casually observe what someone is doing with their triainer, but come on! I'm the one that paid for the sessions!! Plus, my trainer has developed the program specifically for me and the way my body works. If you try it, you may end up hurting yourself.

Also, the guy wearing sandals and the exact same gym clothes everytime, standing on the bosu ball FACING the row of cardio equipment, staring at people and doing some sort of bizarre squat then "trying to take off and fly" with your arms thing. (I can't explain it) Sandals are not appropriate gym shoes! And your staring at people while doing some strange movement that no one's ever seen before is creepy. If you want to do your own thing, cool...but must you be facing 25 people in rows on cardio equipment? I'm trying to breathe...you are not what I want to see. Last time I got a pain in my neck from staring at the TV so intently as to avoid seeing you.

Lastly, the people who drop their weights either free or machine. It's about CONTROL people!! Same goes for the foot thumpers or draggers on treadmills. Slow down if you can't take it! Pushing yourselves to the limit is good. Tripping on your own toes and eating it is not!!