# Have we ranted about annoying people at the gym lately? **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [May 7, 2004, 7:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-we-ranted-about-annoying-people-at-the-gym-lately/244056 "2004-05-07T19:10:54Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 19\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Liberal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/848f3c/32.png) [@Liberal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Liberal)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2004, 11:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-we-ranted-about-annoying-people-at-the-gym-lately/244056/41 "2004-05-09T11:58:27Z")
> [@vix](#): > > 1. People who don’t wipe off the machines when they’re done. The gym provides towels for a reason! I’ve always wondered about that one. Isn’t wiping the stuff just spreading it around, like using a rag on a kitchen countertop? Whatever might be icky or bacterial is still there even after it’s dry. ---
**Author:** ![Epimetheus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/c4cdca/32.png) [@Epimetheus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Epimetheus)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2004, 12:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-we-ranted-about-annoying-people-at-the-gym-lately/244056/42 "2004-05-09T12:03:20Z")
Ewww! Most gyms provide a disinfectant spray in a little bottle as well, thankfully! ---
**Author:** ![Lynn\_Bodoni](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e47c2d/32.png) [@Lynn\_Bodoni](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lynn_Bodoni)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2004, 2:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-we-ranted-about-annoying-people-at-the-gym-lately/244056/43 "2004-05-09T14:52:19Z")
I don’t know HOW many gym offenses I’ve committed. For the most part, however, I’m going to blame the gym staff. They’re ONLY interested in getting my money, and have never offered to show me how to use the equipment, much less breathed a word about gym etiquette. Nor is anything outlined in a handbook, or even put up on a wall. I’ve tried a few times to ask how the exercise bikes work, for instance, only to be greeted with a blank look and told that “I don’t know how to do the bikes, (Person X) does, but she’s gone home for the day.” I guess that everyone is supposed to just figure out on their own how to use the gym equipment. ---
**Author:** ![Wesley\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wesley_clark/32/20581_2.png) [@Wesley\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wesley_Clark)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2004, 3:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-we-ranted-about-annoying-people-at-the-gym-lately/244056/44 "2004-05-09T15:35:09Z")
> [@Jadis](#): > > 1. People who smell. OK, I know…it’s the gym, people sweat. But there’s a difference between clean, fresh sweat and “I’m too lazy to wash my gym clothes” old funky sweat. This means you, Old Guy in the Brown Shirt Who Hasn’t Bathed Since WWII. Barf. You wouldn’t happen to go to sportsplex would you, that sounds like me. I wear clean clothes but get all sweaty after 60 minutes on an elliptical. I sometimes feel ashamed, everyone walking around in their clean clothes and i have sweat all over my shirt. At least i have the decency to towel off and change shirts before i start lifting weights after that, if i were to use the weightlifting machines while covered in sweat that would be pretty sick. What _I_ dont like at my gym is how it is filled with 40 year old women who barely break a sweat and monopolize all the tvs so they can watch dr phil and oprah. Avoid the gym between 3-5pm is my motto. ---
**Author:** ![Jadis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/87869e/32.png) [@Jadis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jadis)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2004, 4:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-we-ranted-about-annoying-people-at-the-gym-lately/244056/45 "2004-05-09T16:06:30Z")
**Wesley** , no fear…people who sweat _while_ they’re working out are not the target of my ire. I sweat profusely during my workouts as well…I’m a total biohazard when I get off the elliptical trainer. No, the people I object to are the ones who get on a machine next to you and almost knock you out with the BO before they even start…you can tell they unearthed their gym clothes from some skanky gym bag that only gets emptied and the contents washed once a week at best. Blergh. Where’s the barf smiley when you need it? ---
**Author:** ![mhendo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mhendo/32/3159_2.png) [@mhendo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mhendo)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2004, 4:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-we-ranted-about-annoying-people-at-the-gym-lately/244056/46 "2004-05-09T16:23:39Z")
> [@Jadis](#): > > **Wesley** , no fear…people who sweat _while_ they’re working out are not the target of my ire. I sweat profusely during my workouts as well…I’m a total biohazard when I get off the elliptical trainer. No, the people I object to are the ones who get on a machine next to you and almost knock you out with the BO before they even start…you can tell they unearthed their gym clothes from some skanky gym bag that only gets emptied and the contents washed once a week at best. Yeah, and the smell of a clean person who has just had a tough workout is considerably different from the smell of an unwashed person who has just had a tough workout. Plain old exercise sweat doesn’t smell too bad at all, but exercise sweat combined with unwashed body odor is awful. ---
**Author:** ![Wesley\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wesley_clark/32/20581_2.png) [@Wesley\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wesley_Clark)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2004, 4:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-we-ranted-about-annoying-people-at-the-gym-lately/244056/47 "2004-05-09T16:28:19Z")
yay im in the clear. ---
**Author:** ![MLS](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/919ad9/32.png) [@MLS](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MLS)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2004, 4:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-we-ranted-about-annoying-people-at-the-gym-lately/244056/48 "2004-05-09T16:48:06Z")
> [@Flutterby](#): > > Sounds great! > > I’ll be okay though. The majority of people at my gym are just average ladies (it’s a female gym) it’s just the odd few that seem to stare at me as I head for the treadmill… now that I’ve got a waist pouch for my discman (I wish I had an MP3 player I could just clip onto my clothes) I find it easier to ignore those few and go about my workout. Oooh! Oooh! Did I understand you to say there’s a way to “wear” a CD player so that you can carry it with you without using your hands? I’ve looked all over the place for something like that. What’s the brand, and where did you get it? ---
**Author:** ![Wesley\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wesley_clark/32/20581_2.png) [@Wesley\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wesley_Clark)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2004, 5:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-we-ranted-about-annoying-people-at-the-gym-lately/244056/49 "2004-05-09T17:36:12Z")
> [@MLS](#): > > Oooh! Oooh! Did I understand you to say there’s a way to “wear” a CD player so that you can carry it with you without using your hands? I’ve looked all over the place for something like that. What’s the brand, and where did you get it? Yeah, they make those. [http://www.riffroadie.com/product\_pix.htm](http://www.riffroadie.com/product_pix.htm) > **[Shop by Category | eBay](https://www.ebay.com/n/all-categories)** > > Shop by department, purchase cars, fashion apparel, collectibles, sporting goods, cameras, baby items, and everything else on eBay, the world's online marketplace You need a skip proof CD player obviously. but if you use one to work out i assume you already have one. ---
**Author:** ![MLS](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/919ad9/32.png) [@MLS](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MLS)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2004, 5:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-we-ranted-about-annoying-people-at-the-gym-lately/244056/50 "2004-05-09T17:45:12Z")
Thanks, WC! No, I don’t already have a skip-proof CD player; in fact, I don’t have a portable one at all, since I could not figure out a way to actually use it withoug carrying it in my hands. These products are exactly what I was looking for. I wonder why Radio Shack, Sharper Image, CD World, and every other dam place I looked and asked told me there was no such thing!!?? ---
**Author:** ![Flutterby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/6f9a4e/32.png) [@Flutterby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Flutterby)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2004, 6:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-we-ranted-about-annoying-people-at-the-gym-lately/244056/51 "2004-05-09T18:36:58Z")
Well you can buy ones that hook on to you with a band over your hand and/or arm (mainly the MP3’s that attach to your arm I see at my gym). I have a pouch that my CD player fits in and it clips around my waist, it was given to me as a present years ago and only recently have I found a use for it (as usually I just carry my CD player in my jacket pocket or in my hand, but I can’t do that at the gym). You can pick that up at pretty much any music store in the accessory section, or check at Future Shop or places like that. The pouches aren’t that expensive, around 10 bucks. ---
**Author:** ![CanvasShoes](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/74df32/32.png) [@CanvasShoes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CanvasShoes)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2004, 7:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-we-ranted-about-annoying-people-at-the-gym-lately/244056/52 "2004-05-09T19:28:34Z")
> [@velvetjones](#): > > Don’t even get me started… > > Groaners - Those big guys lifting tons of weight on a machine or in the free weight area who think that every rep must be accompanied by a groan. An extremely loud, reverberate through the entire building grown. I swear this one guy is going to burst a blood vessel the way he’s carrying on. Oh lord yes!! Plenty of folks manage to do heavy duty workouts WITHOUT the sound effects, so it’s pretty obvious it’s a “listen to me, Tarzan, lift big weights, me strong, me manly” attempt at getting attention. Ditto for the women who do the “oh, I’m so tiny, helpless and feminine, I can’t POSSIBWY lift this mean ole 3 pound weight all by my pwecious pwincess-y self” playboy bunny squeaks and squeals. GOD people get over yourselves. ---
**Author:** ![CanvasShoes](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/74df32/32.png) [@CanvasShoes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CanvasShoes)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2004, 7:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-we-ranted-about-annoying-people-at-the-gym-lately/244056/53 "2004-05-09T19:38:13Z")
> [@bump](#): > > The one that routinely seems to get me (and I know it’s probably not PC) is when people come to the gym, and use like 10 lbs on the leg extention, go extremely slowly and don’t appear to be straining at all. I get pretty pissed off when I’m waiting on people who appear to just be going through the motions. VERY slight hijack. There are a number of different ways to get a workout out of sets and reps when doing weights, and they don’t always mean that you have to up the weights. Doing super slo-mos is a way to create more work and stress the muscle without ramping up the weights. Especially for those that aren’t quite strong enough to make the 10 pound jumps most machines make. Not all gyms have the little 5 pound add-on weights. Also, I don’t sweat when I do weights, even when I’ve ramped up to my highest weight sets. I usually only sweat when I do cardio. And I don’t even necessarily breathe hard enough for it to be apparent and audible to other gym goers, but when I get off the machine after doing several sets of super slo-mos at light weights, I’m DEFINITELY noodle-legged. And I REALLY feel it the next day. I, (and the other people who do super slo-mos), may not be sweating, but that doesn’t mean that they aren’t working or feeling the burn. Not saying that YOUR particular perpetrators are doing that, but super slow doesn’t always = not working. It’s a great way to shake up your routine and make your body work and adapt in different ways. End hijack ---
**Author:** ![Ashes\_Ashes](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/db5fbb/32.png) [@Ashes\_Ashes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ashes_Ashes)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2004, 10:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-we-ranted-about-annoying-people-at-the-gym-lately/244056/54 "2004-05-09T22:31:31Z")
Stinky comes in many forms. A couple of women at my gym soak themselves in perfume and scented lotion before arriving. It’s bad enough having to breathe in their fumes, but using a machine after them coats me in their glop so I reek as well. I’m not sensitive to perfumes, thank goodness, but it must be awful for someone who has allergies. Then there’s the girl, about fourteen, who has a perpetually runny nose. Please darling, don’t wipe your nose on your hand and then go straight back to your workout. ---
**Author:** ![minor7flat5](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/minor7flat5/32/258_2.png) [@minor7flat5](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/minor7flat5)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2004, 11:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-we-ranted-about-annoying-people-at-the-gym-lately/244056/55 "2004-05-09T23:54:35Z")
I’m totally with the OP about those folks who saunter on the machines. There is a certain category of folks who grab a Cosmo and calmly flip its pages while strolling along at 2mph. I don’t really get annoyed by them since I am not really concerned with what they get out of the workout – I do cardio like I _mean it_, and my knees tell me so (unfortunately). The only reason why I even pay attention to them at all is because they frequently stay on one machine for an hour or so, in flagrant violation of the half-hour limit on cardio machines at peak times. That is plain inconsiderate. In general, I like the crowd at my gym. There is a large number of Trenton city cops there, and it’s kind of cool to be jogging next to a burly dude wearing a shirt that says “Homicide… Our day begins when your day is done.” These guys are serious about what they do, and an average Joe like me can feed off that kind of energy. About those CD players – get an MP3 player if you have the $$$. Go to a store that lets you return stuff so that you can try out a few models. Make sure that it works on your computer, has a robust construction (the battery cover shouldn’t be flimsy since you’ll be removing it frequently). Observe where the plug goes in, since you’ll be plugging it in all of the time. Make sure it can stand being banged into a barbell from time to time. Buy those new Duracell NiMH rechargable AAA batteries – they are so convenient. I ended up buying the somewhat pricy Nike one, it straps to my arm and is designed for abuse. I gave my CD player to my nephew. > [@pilot141](#): > > But they do one set, and then…sit on the machine until they are ready again. They sit there, staring directly at a sign that reads “Be Courteous - Do NOT Rest On Machines.” They spend about a minute trying to comprehend these strange figures sometimes known as “writing” until it’s time for them to do another set. > … > But if you’re the jerk who does light weights and then rests on the machine…that’s just plain rude. I often find myself resting between sets on the bench or on a machine. That said, in general, I always try to avoid annoying other people. If I am resting on the machine, I am fully aware of my surroundings (thanks to the mirrors), and I will see if anyone comes by. If you see me on a machine you wish to use, just tap me on the shoulder and ask “Can I work in?” I’ll let you work in anytime! ---
**Author:** ![minor7flat5](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/minor7flat5/32/258_2.png) [@minor7flat5](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/minor7flat5)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2004, 12:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-we-ranted-about-annoying-people-at-the-gym-lately/244056/56 "2004-05-10T00:04:14Z")
> [@Flutterby](#): > > I have a pouch that my CD player fits in and it clips around my waist, it was given to me as a present years ago and only recently have I found a use for it (as usually I just carry my CD player in my jacket pocket or in my hand, but I can’t do that at the gym). There’s a chick at my gym who clips her CD player to the waistline of her painted-on-skin-tight-hip-hugger pants, pulling that side of her pants down a good amount. It is really quite distracting 🆒. ---
**Author:** ![iamthewalrus\_3](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/258eb7/32.png) [@iamthewalrus\_3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iamthewalrus_3)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2004, 12:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-we-ranted-about-annoying-people-at-the-gym-lately/244056/57 "2004-05-10T00:09:57Z")
> [@bump](#): > > The one that routinely seems to get me (and I know it’s probably not PC) is when people come to the gym, and use like 10 lbs on the leg extention, go extremely slowly and don’t appear to be straining at all. I get pretty pissed off when I’m waiting on people who appear to just be going through the motions. You should cut these people some slack. Just because they’re not physically straining doesn’t mean that they’re not working. They may be recovering from an injury or chronically injured in a way that they can’t exert themselves. The connective tissue in my back and ribs occasionally hurts, but when that happens, I don’t stay home from the gym. I just go and do the exercises that would hurt with very low weight so that I keep the range of motion and have a little resistance to work against. Looking at me, I can clearly lift more than that, but it’s not my muscles that’s the problem. ---
**Author:** ![MLS](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/919ad9/32.png) [@MLS](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MLS)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2004, 3:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-we-ranted-about-annoying-people-at-the-gym-lately/244056/58 "2004-05-10T03:48:09Z")
> [@minor7flat5](#): > > I do cardio like I _mean it_, and my knees tell me so (unfortunately). What you do is, of course, your own business. But is it really good to do something like that until your knees hurt? Is it not possible that you’re accumulating excessive wear and tear on your soft tissues? There was a time (back when dinosaurs ruled the earth) when gym teachers used to have us do deep knee bends. They sure did make your thighs strong. Unfortunately, it was found years later that this also did horrible things to knee innards. ---
**Author:** ![Flutterby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/6f9a4e/32.png) [@Flutterby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Flutterby)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2004, 5:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-we-ranted-about-annoying-people-at-the-gym-lately/244056/59 "2004-05-10T05:07:58Z")
> [@minor7flat5](#): > > About those CD players – get an MP3 player if you have the $$$. Go to a store that lets you return stuff so that you can try out a few models. Make sure that it works on your computer, has a robust construction (the battery cover shouldn’t be flimsy since you’ll be removing it frequently). Observe where the plug goes in, since you’ll be plugging it in all of the time. Make sure it can stand being banged into a barbell from time to time. Buy those new Duracell NiMH rechargable AAA batteries – they are so convenient. > I ended up buying the somewhat pricy Nike one, it straps to my arm and is designed for abuse. I gave my CD player to my nephew. Thanks for the tips, when I get some cash I will be checking out MP3 players. Just right now I don’t have spare cash, and I already had both the CD player (plays regular and MP3 CD’s and doesn’t skip, I love it) and a player pouch. Kind of annoys me that right now my ISP has a promotion… for any new customer they get a free MP3 player. I want one! Ah well… it’s probably not a very good one anyway. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-we-ranted-about-annoying-people-at-the-gym-lately/244056.md?page=2)