OK, but why?
OK, but why?
GymEtiquette? wrote:
OK, but why?
[translation: post post post post pleeeeeasseeee..., it;ll make my whole night of i hit 35 replies.]
To me, ‘using’ means either actively using it, hovering nearby, or possibly leaving their gym towel in it.
Yeah, I would agree with the towel too. I always steer clear of equipment that has towels or personal items like a cell phone or notebook on it.
OK, that's fair. I'm not above exploring this further. I'm truly interested in whether or not other people are bothered by this sort of thing. To me it seems natural to be a little miffed that someone who showed no prior signs of using equipment would up and tell me he was on it, but I'm curious how others would react to this. Like, I'm sure the majority of people wouldn't post on letsrun about it so I'm fine to admit that's unusual, but would most people internally think to themselves that he was kind of being a d***?
Yuck, pretty sure that bench wasn't wiped down properly. Hope you sanitized that thing before laying on it.
GymEtiquette? wrote:
OK, that's fair. I'm not above exploring this further. I'm truly interested in whether or not other people are bothered by this sort of thing. To me it seems natural to be a little miffed that someone who showed no prior signs of using equipment would up and tell me he was on it, but I'm curious how others would react to this. Like, I'm sure the majority of people wouldn't post on letsrun about it so I'm fine to admit that's unusual, but would most people internally think to themselves that he was kind of being a d***?
I think the indication that he was using was that HE HAD DRAGGED IT ACROSS THE ROOM. If you saw a ladder out of it normal spot and underneath a light bulb, would you think "sweet I will just snag this, no one is using it"
It wasn't rude to grab the bench since there was no immediate indication that it was still being used. But the moment he indicates he's still using it I think only someone with some issues would be bothered at all by it.
Just let things go, life becomes som much easier.
I was the one who dragged it across the room. Did you even read my original post before throwing in your two cents?
so it teleported over to the smith machine?
No. None of these benches have a specific home. People periodically drag them to different locations on the floor depending on what they want to use (i.e., my dragging it to the bench I wanted to use) but oftentimes it will remain somewhere after it is finished being used until the next person needs it for something different - sometimes people will drag it near the free weights section for that. It's pretty likely that the bench was by the smith machine in the first place; it may not have been, but the assumption shouldn't be that just b/c the bench is in a certain location that it is currently being used in that spot, otherwise no one would ever use any machines. I think the regular bench press didn't have a bench because the personal trainer had dragged it away to work on some stuff with a client; hence, why I dragged the free one I saw.
GymEtiquette? wrote:
No. None of these benches have a specific home. People periodically drag them to different locations on the floor depending on what they want to use (i.e., my dragging it to the bench I wanted to use) but oftentimes it will remain somewhere after it is finished being used until the next person needs it for something different - sometimes people will drag it near the free weights section for that. It's pretty likely that the bench was by the smith machine in the first place; it may not have been, but the assumption shouldn't be that just b/c the bench is in a certain location that it is currently being used in that spot, otherwise no one would ever use any machines. I think the regular bench press didn't have a bench because the personal trainer had dragged it away to work on some stuff with a client; hence, why I dragged the free one I saw.
ok
why were you upset again?
I'm hoping most of these replies are sarcasm. You were perfectly justified in your action. Even if someone leaves a towel on a machine or bench I'll remove it and start my set. I don't believe someone is entitled to save their spot if they have left the machine or bench. I've been going to a gym for 45 years. I think some people now have their heads stuck up their a**
You didn't do anything wrong.
This is what I'm getting at as well. I just don't think it makes sense for any person to come up to you and tell you they are "on a machine" they aren't physically on. The gym would be a free for all if this was commonplace etiquette. A good way to ensure no one takes the equipment you're using is to not leave it in the first place
I initially posted this to see if I was breaking any etiquette rules and most of the responses I got just attacked me for "getting upset" which didn't happen. Was I miffed? Yes. But the whole point of this post was to see what others would have thought about the situation if they were in it and a lot of people missed the point.
most people were telling you that you shouldn't have been upset (ie: in your shoes they wouldn't have been upset). But it doesn't seem like that's what you want to hear.
No one thinks you were in the wrong for taking the bench.
But getting upset over someone indicating they were still using the bench and would like to finish before you drag the bench away seems ridiculous.
GymEtiquette? wrote: Anyway, just wondering what everyone's thoughts are. Was I in the wrong here/should I have checked first? Shouldn't it be enough if no one is on the machine or anywhere nearby?
I don't think you were either right or wrong. you saw the bench was free and started to drag it somewhere more convenient for you. the guy comes up and claims he was using it.
now, either he was, or he wasn't. but how you deal with that is what differentiates adults from children.
I coach 14-year-old kids who can do better than this. didn't you ever learn how to play nicely?
cheers.
old guy 72 wrote:
I'm hoping most of these replies are sarcasm. You were perfectly justified in your action. Even if someone leaves a towel on a machine or bench I'll remove it and start my set. I don't believe someone is entitled to save their spot if they have left the machine or bench. I've been going to a gym for 45 years. I think some people now have their heads stuck up their a**
You didn't do anything wrong.
It's a little different if they are taking the bench away and preventing someone from finishing their set and then getting upset when asked to wait a little bit before taking the bench.
the most obvious path that would benefit everyone the most would be to let the guy on the smith machine finish (w/o taking longer than normal) and then the next person can grab the bench and move it.
Any other course of action is just people whining and moaning about their own self importance while detracting from the overall efficiency. Not every little thing has to be about what you are 'in the right' to do, sometimes there's an overall greater good to consider.
Cottonshirt wrote:
GymEtiquette? wrote: Anyway, just wondering what everyone's thoughts are. Was I in the wrong here/should I have checked first? Shouldn't it be enough if no one is on the machine or anywhere nearby?
I don't think you were either right or wrong. you saw the bench was free and started to drag it somewhere more convenient for you. the guy comes up and claims he was using it.
now, either he was, or he wasn't. but how you deal with that is what differentiates adults from children.
I coach 14-year-old kids who can do better than this. didn't you ever learn how to play nicely?
cheers.
THIS!
it's like when there is a lone care coming down the road and you are trying to cross at a cross walk (with no signal).
you COULD be a dick and walk out in front of the car, but the best case for everyone would be to wait 2 seconds for the car to pass THEN cross.
but thats not the way the world is trending
I think it's the same person using different usernames that is responding negatively. Like I said, I've been working out at a number of different gyms over the last 45 years and laying claim to a bench you've walked away from isn't proper gym etiquette. You are correct to be 'miffed,' I would have been also. In fact, I don't think I would have been as pleasant as you were.
I would have just ignored the jerk and kept using the bench.
This sums it up pretty nicely. Too much entitlement and self importance these days. OP, not everything the other people do is meant to impress you, be it at the gym or elsewhere. Or if you think it is at least save it for yourself.
Accept that the machine was taken (instead of wondering if he was lying or not) and proceed to do any of your other remaining exercises instead of waiting like a washed up entitled p**ck. It's not that hard. After that, don't come here complaining about such trivial matters because as someone said, you're probably slowing down the internet connection for people that actually want to use it for a good purpose nearby.