Picture the scene: A gym on a nice, quiet weekday morning. You're on the elliptical, sweating hard and reading about how Brad may be leaving Angelina for the comforting arms of Jen Aniston, and suddenly your peace is shattered with a loud GGGRRRARRRGGGGHHHHHHH!!

You're startled: Someone has to be suffering a heart attack or stroke if they're carrying on like that. You whip your head around to the weight area only to see some jacked up dude with a neck like a ham grunting and growling while he lifts.

So annoying. Here's the deal, meatheads: If you can't lift a weight without sounding like you're giving birth, shut it. And if you absolutely need to disturb the peace with your yowling? Work out at home.

One guy who works out at the Chicago Tribune's corporate gym actually quit in a huff after being asked to tone it down a little. Seriously? If you can't understand how screaming like a howler monkey might possibly impact someone else's workout, you're a tool.

I might add ... I never, but never, see women engaging in this behavior.

Why is grunting and screaming so disturbing? Lots of reasons: It sounds like sex and/or pooping, both of which are activities you should enjoy privately. It also sounds as if you could be pitching over dead any moment. And for many of us, our workout time is one of the only "me" times of our day ... it's relaxing and relatively peaceful and quiet. Having that quiet shattered by an inconsiderate boob is just really not fun. Yes, we want our heart rate elevated, but not because we've been startled half to death.

Should gyms ban grunters?

 

Image via RightIndex(Lin Mei)/Flickr