Summer is here and that means working on your summertime tan (with the proper SPF, of course). It also means working on that bikini bod. And that means hitting the gym. And that means dealing with some annoying people who do not understand basic gym etiquette! Look, we're all in this thing together. We're all huffing, puffing, and trying like hell to whittle away those last few pounds or quarter of an inch. This is the time for us to band together and support each other. It's not the time to act like a selfish ass. But some people just can't seem to help themselves. Herewith, 8 Really Annoying Things some peeps insist on doing at the gym!
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Water fountain tailgater. So you're at the water fountain, either drinking or filling up your empty water bottle, and there's the person behind you cooling their heels and doing it NOT very subtly. Gimme a break here, I cannot control how fast the water comes out of the tap!
Creepy dude on machine in front of you. This is the guy who deliberately gets on a machine in front of you as you're doing your thing on the elliptical or treadmill, and he spends the entire time looking back at you, obviously checking you out. So rude! Dude, I'm trapped!
Hot dude on the machine in front of you. This is the guy who gets on the machine in front of you and you are totally enjoying checking him out but he never ONCE looks back at you like the creepy dude does. Hello, I'm right behind you!
Cellphone droppers. It seems wherever you go in the gym now, there's a cellphone. It's on your machine. It's on your bench. It's on your mat. Once I dropped a kettle ball only to have it roll right over someone's iPhone. People, WHY do you need cellphones at the gym?
Speaking of cellphones ... The ones who get on their cellphone on the elliptical and spend the whole time talking right next to you. Ugh. Thanks, I wanted to know every single thing going on in your life.
The machine chatter. These are the people who get on a machine and then don't use it. Nope, they just sit there chatting with someone else, sometimes their trainer! Waste of money, much? And not only are you taking up a machine, but you are NOT gonna lose any weight that way, buddy. Get movin'.
The splatterer. This is the person who sweats, coughs, or huffs all over a machine for an hour and then casually walks away from it without cleaning it. Gross!
The stuff draper. This is the person who drapes their jacket, their purse, their duffel bag, their towel, whatever it is, over the machine next to them. And then the draper actually looks irritated when you ask him to move it.
What gym habits annoy you?
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Comments 23
A lot has already been mentioned, not wiping down the machines, checking themselves out in the mirror for 5 minutes. The one that REALLY pisses me of is when people are using free weights, and DROP them! I've seen guys using 50+ pound dumb bells and just let go of them at their peak height letting them bounce 3-5 feet away from them! The guy right next to me almost had his foot smashed because of it. I reported them, but of course they had to get all pissy with the gym management about it. Apparently, other people and their safety don't matter as long as that one person got to do the workout they wanted. (With our without other people getting injured in the process.) If you can't put your weights down properly, you're lifting too much weight.
OMG - I can't stand the men who just sit on the machines !!! I got to do a serious workout and want to get a few good circuits in but it is often ruined by nitwits just lollygagging on the equipment. Use it or move it folks!!!
Almost none of this really bothers me. I do always wipe down machines but- maybe because I have kids- nothing but actual snot where I have to see it or put my hands on it bugs me.
The only thing that bothers me-- I visit an uncrowded gym, and I bring a book (no, I'm not that kind- my heart rate is always at or over the upper range of where it should be). If there are 30 free machines and I was there before you, please go chat on your phone or with your friends on the exact same machines across the room, so I can read without listening to your conversation. If I get there after you or there aren't spare machines, I don't mind, but if there are...
Ugh, when I worked a job that was close to a local gym, I would stop in and work out. They fight over the radio, the television stations and every little detail in there. Some woman was actually coming in to watch the crafting type network, just standing there between the machines and watching her show until it went off. Another guy would stand there and shout "that's right" at whatever drivel was being said on the political programs. Egad. So much happier working out in my hockey room, thank you very much.