What is the strangest thing you have ever seen in your gym?

I'm just curious if other people see weird things...

Yesterday there was a potato on the floor under the chest press.

Weird.

I was going to go into some stupid stuff I've seen people do (guy on a chest press machine - pushes arms straight out, brings them in an inch, out, in by an inch, out - range of motion was nil!)

But a potato? I don't even... was it raw or cooked?

I've seen a guy lifting weights while wearing flip flops, and a different guy laying facedown on a bench with a weight on his head and lifting his neck, and another guy was belching and hocking loogeys (spelling?) while lifting.

No offense to the guys here on CC, but almost all the guys I've run into in the weight room are nothing short of morons :P

It was raw, I think it was an Idaho

And it was a huge ordeal...no one saw how it got there, and the guy working didn't want to touch it, so he had to go get the maintenance guy to pick it up with gloves.

I once saw a woman eating a chocolate chip cookie while peddling furiously on one of the bikes.  Looking back, I figure that maybe she just really wanted a cookie but wanted to burn the extra calories off as well.  But at the time, it was just so strange to see, and quite random.

Can't beat a contaminated potato, but there is one guy who does these odd looking situps on the chest press bench.  He gets on backwards, hooks his feet under the bar and then vaguely lifts his head toward his feet.  He'll do about 100 of those.  Then he'll stand up and pinch the sides of his waist about 100 times.  Then he'll repeat.  It goes on for about 30 minutes.  He's already lean so I can't imagine what this does for him.

The other interesting sight was the guy who hooked himself up to the chinup bar wearing inversion boots and did various twists.  He was in darn good shape but it was a little unusual.

Original Post by meganr:

Then he'll stand up and pinch the sides of his waist about 100 times. 

As in - "do I have any more fat left" pinching?

Ha ha, I love the potato story. That is wildly random.

I love this thread! I don't know where to begin. There are so many example of strange behavior I've seen at the gym I can't even list them all! 

My most bizarre gym experience ever has to have been the time I was walking out of the studio, and in walks in a 6 foot tall woman in a bikini and high heels, and she starts lifting weights. In a bikini and high heels! Also, she was crazy built! My male friend looked at her and said "Damn, I wish I had those shoulders!". As if the whole thing could get any stranger, I think noticed that she had a tattoo right above the crotch area, and it looked like it was coming out of her bikini like pubic hair! I just cannot see why someone would think that was an attractive place to put a tatoo. 

Now I'm completely desperate to find out her story. I'm pretty sure she was training for one of those body-building competitions bikini events, but it was still completely bizarre.

Now that I think about it, so many gym people are so messed up! It's great though, their wacky behavior keeps me coming back! 

Original Post by amethystgirl:

As in - "do I have any more fat left" pinching?

I guess so.  Either than or he thinks that pinching it will make whatever IS left go away?

Hunh, lifting in high heels.

 There is always food in our gym even though there isn't a vending machine near by.

Candy bars, Health bars, candy in wrappers in general,cookies, unopened drinks/sodas, even a hamburger left in a Carls Jr. bag, etc. I don't understand why people bring this stuff to the gym... Much less leave it there. >_< Trying to taunt people? Are there hidden cameras?! I mean seriously... Is it some kind of joke to punk someone? FYI: I don't think anyone wants to smell your Carls Jr. while working out!!!

I've joked that if I'm ever hungry and without cash... I'm just going to swing by the gym for a quick snack. :) The poor/hungry should just camp outside the gym. That's where all the food is at... apparently.

Original Post by elfkittie22:

No offense to the guys here on CC, but almost all the guys I've run into in the weight room are nothing short of morons :P

 D: !

The 2-year old on the treadmill? 

But of course the treadmill was turned off and it was in my spare room and she was my granddaughter.  But she *really* wanted me to turn it on so she could walk on it! 

i have a million stories from my gym.  sometimes the weird bus parks right out front and a whole parade of weird will enter at any given time.  some classics:

1) there is an older man (probably almost 70), with a long, white beard...kind of santa clause looking.  he wears a BIG sweatshirt, hammer pants, and flip flops.  he brings a 2 liter bottle of coke (not diet) and spends about an hour picking up 100lb weights, lifting them up one stair, and then rolling them in a corner.  it's like a version of nesting (for cat owners).  maybe he is santa clause.

2) there is an iranian man who comes to the gym almost every morning AND evening.  he listens to gospel (not music, the sermons) OR the local hip-hop station in his car at the highest volume.  when he's inside the gym, he puts on his head phones and does a fencing (minus the epee)/dance routine up and down the aisles of the gym.  he only takes breaks to talk to someone, where he inevitably laughs uncomfortably loud.  oh, and he reads/carries around WOMEN's body building exercise books.

3) miscellaneous random items that i've spotted: snow boots (i live in LA), jello, a few blankets, thongs (in the cardio area), a children's book, an avocado, all-mesh shirts, and for about a month there was a jock strap laying in the middle of the squat racks, i assume because no one wanted to pick it up. 

but never a potato. 

My parents once belonged to some insane high-end gym that only plastic people went to.. I was definitely the exception, going in wearing my high school PE shorts and a wife beater.  Anywho, I never liked the gym, so I always sat down in the little cafe and drank a smoothie that they always gave me free because they thought I was "adorable".. I was short in high school I guess?  Maybe I looked like I was in elementary school?  Who knows.

Anyways, I looked up and saw this lady running on a treadmill and she was trying to adjust her bra.  She just kept running and fixing her bra at the same time.  Her boob popped right out and looked at me, and without even noticing that I saw and was hysterically laughing under my breath.. which is hard to do, I bet it burns calories, and she put it back in.  To this day she probably doesn't think anybody saw it...  I guess lesson learned, I will never get implants.

To add on to the high heel story...

I took a class for group fitness instructors and our teacher told us about some girl who came into one of her step classes wearing high heels... heels in a step class! She said she lasted 5 minutes.

avocado, potato, weird people...maybe you guys should switch gyms ;)

Original Post by laura916:

when he's inside the gym, he puts on his head phones and does a fencing (minus the epee)/dance routine up and down the aisles of the gym. 

whaaat?  I'd slap him.  If you get in his way does he pretend to jab you?

thongs (in the cardio area),  and for about a month there was a jock strap laying in the middle of the squat racks

how.does.that.happen?

Potatoes are funny all on their own, but under the chest press? That's hilarious!

I've never seen anything funny at my gym, but in my bf's building gym, there is a guy who is down there working out EVERY time we go down to use the pool, without fail, and he always wears black dress socks under sandals. I can't help wondering, is it a coincidence that he's always there when we are, or is it that he's there ALL THE TIME and so we see him every time we're there? And why black dress socks with sandals? He takes the time to put on workout clothes, so why not shoes and sports socks too? It can't be comfortable sweating in polyester dress socks. My bf doesn't seem to think it's strange at all, but I am fascinated by Mr. Black Socks.

ok...i've been trying to come up with a possible reason for a potato to end up on the floor of the gym. i just came up with a theory. could it be possible that someone had been pulling the old gym socks down the pants routine...but with a potato? trying to look.....large and in charge? 

Original Post by jules817:

ok...i've been trying to come up with a possible reason for a potato to end up on the floor of the gym. i just came up with a theory. could it be possible that someone had been pulling the old gym socks down the pants routine...but with a potato? trying to look.....large and in charge? 

 

 heh...anythings possible!! although that would be rather uncomfortable...

Original Post by jules817:

ok...i've been trying to come up with a possible reason for a potato to end up on the floor of the gym. i just came up with a theory. could it be possible that someone had been pulling the old gym socks down the pants routine...but with a potato? trying to look.....large and in charge? 

 

that would bring new meaning to the idea of carb "loading"