I was reading some old threads, and a in one of them a Doper said that a few women in the gym used to kick his kneecaps if he blocked their shortest route to the ab machine.
Does stuff like that ever happen? I’ve never seen that kind of behavior in any gym I’ve belonged to. I have never never seen anyone in a gym do anything to demean anyone else, outside of good natured ribbing where it’s obvious that all the parties involved are friends.
What say ye?
Not since eighth grade.
Anyone who did that at the YMCA I go to would get a pretty good talking to at least. Rude and threatening behaviour is grounds for membership termination, and that policy is clearly posted throughout the gym.
But I’m astonished that such signs would even be thought necessary.
To think that this sort of behavior does not happen in any gym inside the USA is pretty naive.
I never went to an adult gym but I am sure it happens somewhere. I can tell you from experience it happens at my high school gym., but since I never been to an adult gym I can’t tell you how often it happens there. My guess is that since were dealing with adults here, it will be more rare than high school, but not at all obsolete.
I haven’t seen it since I graduated from high school, and I’ve worked out somewhat consistently for the past 5-6 years.
If anything, the people at the grownup gyms tend to be a tad more polite than the general populace. I think it’s because they know that if they act like jerks, then you’ll not wipe the machine down, not let you work in, or otherwise make it unpleasant.
I have never witnessed this outside of high school. In fact, most people in the gym seem to be more courteous than the general populace. I presume this is because we all feel like we have something in common by working out.
That’s an eye opener. Chalk me as one of those weak girly men who felt too intimidated to go to the gym and work out with Hanz and Franz.
If anyone would get picked on, it would be me. I am the fat foreigner who works out in the basement gym run by a former Mr. Lebanon, surrounded by hugely muscular men who are serious about their workouts. But nobody picks on me.
Since I travel for work, I’ve trained in dozens of gyms over the past 25 years, some of them pretty hard-core, and I’ve never seen any such behavior.
I dunno about “good-natured ribbing” but I have participated in some classic macho bullying, newbie hazing and trash talk among friends/ gym partners in the Nautilus/free weights section of the gym. But as noted before it was usually a regular group of us doing that to each other; pulling the same type of mock intimidation stuff on people for real or on people unwelcome in our circle or people who were too territorial? It happens occassionally, sure. Jerks had it coming.
You shouldn’t be.
Again, I’m sure it happens somewhere, but I’ve never seen it. The guys lifting the huge weights aren’t going to pay any attention to the guys lifting lighter ones because they aren’t going to really cross paths. Plus, there’s the general recognition that everyone has to start somewhere.
Nope, never.
Worst I’ve seen is the occasional rude comment, but that happens very rarely. The vast majority of people in the gym’s I’ve been to do have been very polite, if quiet and reserved.
There was a brief incident at my gym maybe six weeks ago. It was a Sunday, and there were four of us in the weight room: me, another guy, a girl, and this 'roided-up Andre the Giant clone I’d never seen before.
He was sitting on a bench behind the pec deck using his head to push the arm pads. No, really. To further build up his huge neck, I guess.
Andre the Giant had taken the bench from the lat pulldown machine. The other guy went and got another bench, set it down in front of the lat machine, and proceeded to do his thing. His only mistake: the weight slabs make a noise at one point. The Giant flipped out and started yelling at him not to make noise because “some of us” were trying to work out. God forbid you should hear weights clank together in a… weight room.
That wasn’t enough. The 'roid rage kicked in, and he stormed off to the front desk to complain about this horrible act of noise-making. The two girls from the desk came into the weight room, interrogated the disgusting, smelly hulk, and then asked the other guy what had happened. The music was on so I really didn’t hear much.
The staff girls did nothing and left, dismissing it as ridiculous. Rage left soon after, yelling some comment to the poor guy on his way out.
I and the other girl exercising there were just looking at each other, stunned. Like, what was that about? It’s a university gym, not frequented by obscenely muscular types, and in three years of going there on a regular basis I’ve never seen anyone be anything but polite and respectful.
They’re probably only necessary in that, if the signs are posted, if by chance someone does engage in such behavior, they have no argument that they didn’t know that stuff was against the rules. It’s known as CYA, of course, and it’s the same reason the jar of Planter’s peanuts in my kitchen has a warning that it “may contain nut products”.
About 7 years ago, I was assisting in teaching a martial arts class at a gym/country club. Nice place, full of financially well of folks and their kids. Walking to the bathroom after helping teach a class, a group of kids (late teens) started doing the classic Karate Kid crap.
“Wah! Hoo! Look out, I got the crane kick!”
I ignored it, as I am wont to do… finished using the restroom, washed my hands and walked out.
Later that evening I was walking out from a later class, and our instructor’s son (16 at the time, a 3rd degree and the youngest 3rd degree in Kuk Sool Won at the time) grabbed my shoulder and we went walking. The pack of rowdy teens were sitting in the lounge watching TV. They saw us and started cracking wise again. We just stood there and looked at them, waiting for them to shut up. Gradually they did… we continued staring at them, until they got up and left.
I guess we bugged them enough… I saw them several times after that, and nobody ever said anything.
That’s the closest thing I’ve got.
I miss being in shape… sigh
Way back when I was a newbie to the weight room (about 15 years ago), I was doing the leg press when a coupel of guys asked to “work in”. I was just doing maybe 140 pounds and these were really big body builders types. I said “sure” and they proceded to load up the leg press with lots and lots of 45 pound plates. It was obvious they were there for the duration and they just took over the machine so I just walked away. At the time, I was too unsure of myself to say anything but I wouldn’t let it happen nowdays. (it’s also why I’m leary of letting people work in, I’m usually just doing two or three sets with a minute rest, just wait five minutes and let me finish)
I’ve been a gym rat for longer than I care to admit. I have never seen anyone lose their shit at the gym. Sure people are sometimes grumpy or pissy but I’ve never seen anyone be aggressive. I think that’s mostly because if you’re of a mind to blow off some steam, you’re already in the right place.
I don’t have a lot of gym experience, but I was turned off of them for a while in college.
I’d decided to take a weight training class my second semester of freshman year. This was a campus that had a great deal more men than women, so I wasn’t surprised when I came in the first day and saw that there was only one other woman taking the class. We paired pretty much on that glance, probably just due to the fact that we were both female and a bit intimidated.
Well, for the first part of the semester, everything was fine. Then, as my partner got to know the guys outside of this one class, it all went south. They basically decided that the best way to impress the attractive woman who was my partner was to show off and, worse, to pick on me.
I was a total beginner, and yet I was mocked for only being able to bench press the bar when we were doing free weights, or only 40lbs on the machines. I was mocked for my clothes. I was mocked for my form. Note, they didn’t try to help me improve my form, I was just hassled that it was off.
And where was the teacher in all of this you may ask? Honestly, I have no clue. He was there the first few sessions, and then was only around sporadically after that. I wasn’t picked on those few days. I eventually just stopped going. I still got an “A” in the class though.
It’s just a phrase in a larger “rules of membership” poster.
