16 Y/O punk gym employee boy tells me I have to get off the treadmill

I hate all the new year's resolution people--literally had to wait the other day to use the treadmill on a dude that was at least 300 pounds walking at 1.4 mph...just ridiculous.

Seems to me that the 300lbs guy actually needs a treadmill so that he can get his weight down to a point where he can run. Whereas you are just too lazy to go outside and run.

False. The 300 pound guy can go outside and walk.

Blathering Blatherskyte wrote:

Seems to me that the 300lbs guy actually needs a treadmill so that he can get his weight down to a point where he can run. Whereas you are just too lazy to go outside and run.

varunner1 wrote:

walking at 1.4 mph...just ridiculous.

He must be a newbie. All the seasoned veterans at my fitness center put a towel over the readouts so you can't see how slow they are going.

sloshing sweat at 6 pace wrote:

varunner1 wrote:

walking at 1.4 mph...just ridiculous.

He must be a newbie. All the seasoned veterans at my fitness center put a towel over the readouts so you can't see how slow they are going.

Those towels aren't there to hide our speed. They are there to hide how long we've been on so 16 year-old gym employees don't boot us off like they do some sloggers.

You should have said: " I want to talk to a manager"

that would have taken the 6 minutes.

I agree - the kids was just doing his job, and it sounds like he did it pretty well.

On the other hand, the simplest solution to me seems to be to restart the clock after 30 min or put a towel over the screen so no one complains.

Blu wrote:

You should have said: " I want to talk to a manager"

that would have taken the 6 minutes.

16 year old kid in the gym has good odds of being the manager.

Seriously, you had already run 50 minutes, the gym was busy, and dollars to donuts you're way past your prime. Ask yourself: what difference was the 10 minutes going to make?

At 16, you were still probably sponging off your parents. It sucks to be that age, working a crappy job only made worse by douchenozzles such as yourself.

stating the obvious... wrote:

On the other hand, the simplest solution to me seems to be to restart the clock after 30 min

bingo

Its annoying for the machine to slow down for a few seconds, but if you restart the clock,you can point to it and say I've been on 24 mins, I have 6 minutes left or whatever. The fatties can go get on an elliptical or bike or something if they are going to do "cardio" which is different from running, even when done on a treadmill.

Most of the responses on this thread are ridiculous and they just want to be argumentative.

The bottom line - if there was a sign that said there was a 30 minute limit, then you should have gotten off immediately with no questions asked.

If there was no sign, then you should have stayed on and told the kid that you will get off when you are finished.

Either way I would switch gyms immediately.

I think the kid probably picked on you because you're a d***!

What is a d***! ?

Tea Leaf wrote:

I think the kid probably picked on you because you're a d***!

Curry Boy wrote:

The bottom line - if there was a sign that said there was a 30 minute limit, then you should have gotten off immediately with no questions asked.

.

If the sign says 30 minute limit during busy times,

the problem is that sometimes when you jump on the treadmill there are 14 empty ones. Thirty minutes into your run, you look around and there are 9 empty treadmills. Twenty minutes later you look around and every treadmill is full and 12 other people are standing around waiting.

Should the half hour when they are busy start when the treadmills become full (if they ever do) or from when you started your run?

If the lines were turning over that fast, you could have run 30 minutes, stopped for 5, then got back on. No big deal.

You are paying for a certain service. You abide by their rules. If you don't like their rules, say something. If they do nothing, change gyms or deal with it.

I'm sympathetic, and I'd be pissed too, but the gym punk was in the right here.

Oh, and one more vote for "just run outside."

Mark and Mary"s wrote:

30 minutes, quick water stop, now you're entitled to another 30 minutes.

+1 this! Actually, you must be the noob. At 30min. Stop the dang machine, reset the time, and start again. Takes 15secs. You took a break, no one was using it, and you started again.

Or, you could man up and do the right thing and give the machine to someone else.......

Stop being a p ussy and run outside. It's "pitch black and frozen outside" is no excuse. I'm 51 and know better than to run on a treadmill during resolutionist season. Do you wear a fanny pack too?

These new year resolution folks are just as annoying as those sloggers running their 7min/mi. What are they trying to achieve? Burn muscle?

Oh well, another two weeks and I have the mills for myself and my SPRINTS.

You can't sprint on a treadmill. Takes too effing long to increase the speed.

You're no more entitled to use the equipment because you are...

not fat

a committed customer

a serious runner

But what you should be doing is talking to someone in charge of the gym, explain your situation.

Your a serious customer who is paying to use the equipment for 60 continuous minutes and That is what you Expect.

Ask if it is fair for you to have a full hour block to do your long run. Explain the value you bring to the gym by being a disciplined athlete (and why that desereves and exception to the rule), likely you could be inspiring other people in the gym to train and be more committed. If the gym hopes to survive it needs more people like you, and the gym should be focused on honoring its commited/repeat customers.

Directly state the value you bring to the gym. And then personally ask for an exception to the 30 minute rule.

If that person in charge does not seem to be negotating with you, figure out what he wants. But maybe there is a 0% chance he will change his policy.

At that point you can...

start asking for benefits to comensate for your loss of percieved value. Because now this gym is worth less money to you. You want a Free locker, Free gym classes, A free month membership, free guest passes. Get something back.

Go to another gym, find their policy on treadmill use. get a quote on what'd they'd offer you to switch. Bring this information to your talk.

Avoid...

loseing your cool. You can gently threaten that you know your options with other gyms (and tell them), but you'd prefer to stay. But once you give an ultimatiom (example. 60 full minutes or i quit), you end negotioation. And if you dont want to switch gyms, dont say that.

Meet the language of the gym, expolit their needs and wants, if they sell themseleves as a serious product, tell them you make serious expectations with their product and you need full results.

You can also threaten to go online and write negative reviews of the company, tell your friends your story, create negative image in the community. (If they seek to have an online pressence, that would be signifigant.)

As long as you dont come across like a jerk, but resonable and pratcial, they will like you and meet the needs you ask. Be on their side so they want you there.