# My Gym, My Rules **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [July 20, 2005, 8:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-gym-my-rules/313346 "2005-07-20T20:29:19Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![SisterCoyote](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/958977/32.png) [@SisterCoyote](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SisterCoyote)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2005, 6:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-gym-my-rules/313346/61 "2005-07-21T18:14:11Z")
> [@Waverly](#): > > Sure, but I would call this arguing the rule through the exception, ya lazy twit. > > And I bet if these people consulted a doctor, like the placard always warns, he’d tell them not to ride a giant belt sander in their condition. Um. My doctor prefers me to use a treadmill or a pool, thanks. ---
**Author:** ![Ethilrist](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ethilrist/32/4604_2.png) [@Ethilrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ethilrist)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2005, 6:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-gym-my-rules/313346/62 "2005-07-21T18:20:19Z")
> [@SisterCoyote](#): > > Um. > > My doctor prefers me to use a treadmill or a pool, thanks. Well, for goodness sake, don’t get them mixed up! ---
**Author:** ![Liz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/liz/32/17737_2.png) [@Liz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Liz)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2005, 6:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-gym-my-rules/313346/63 "2005-07-21T18:24:30Z")
> [@Waverly](#): > > Sure, but I would call this arguing the rule through the exception, ya lazy twit. > > And I bet if these people consulted a doctor, like the placard always warns, he’d tell them not to ride a giant belt sander in their condition. Newp. My wife’s neurologist actually recommended we buy the treadmill in the first place. And, FWIW, you’re right – that’s the exception, not the rule. I’d wager a guess that many of the hanger-ons **are** afraid of falling versus being lazy, though, i.e. **SisterCoyote**. Some people just aren’t as graceful as others. ---
**Author:** ![Waverly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/57b2e6/32.png) [@Waverly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Waverly)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2005, 6:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-gym-my-rules/313346/64 "2005-07-21T18:25:57Z")
I’ve got a new one fresh from my gym visit today. Fiddling with the calibration screw on the scale doesn’t make you weigh any less… so kindly leave it alone. Anyone caught tampering with the screw will be force fed a bag of concrete. ---
**Author:** ![Waverly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/57b2e6/32.png) [@Waverly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Waverly)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2005, 6:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-gym-my-rules/313346/65 "2005-07-21T18:41:57Z")
> [@SisterCoyote](#): > > My doctor prefers me to use a treadmill or a pool, thanks. Use whatever you like; and use it in good health. I’m not mocking you or arguing that you don’t have the right [or good reason] to exercise the way you do. I’m still entitled to my petty little gripe, and won’t be stopped from seething at the sight of an [apparently] able bodied person pacing out 30 minute miles while hunched forward with a death-grip on the bar. Maybe (s)he _is_ cursed with a vestibular condition, weak ankles, trick knees, and debilitating jock itch, and I’m I small and mean-spirited for feeling this way, but I can’t help myself. Maybe I have a neurological condition of my own! ---
**Author:** ![AskNott](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asknott/32/5790_2.png) [@AskNott](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AskNott)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2005, 7:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-gym-my-rules/313346/66 "2005-07-21T19:02:40Z")
> [@mhendo](#): > > Not sure exactly what you’re getting at here. > > Personally, i give someone with a trainer exactly the same courtesies that i would extend to anyone else using the gym. But these people need to obey the rules of the gym and the rules of gym etiquette like everyone else, and they get no preferential treatment just because they want to spend their money on a trainer. What I’m getting at is in the next paragraph. **Jimpatro** talked about nudging somebody (with a trainer) off a machine for resting between sets. He was steamed because the trainer gave him a dirty look. **Jimpatro** was working out for a few hundred dollars a **year** , with no time pressure. The guy with a trainer had to get everything done in his fifty-dollar **hour**. I think it’s reasonable to allow some leeway for the guy who’s paying the gym fifty times as much for his workout. Perhaps, when you buy an upper-deck ticket at the ballpark, you think you’re entitled to hang out in the skybox. ---
**Author:** ![jimpatro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/b9e5f3/32.png) [@jimpatro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jimpatro)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2005, 7:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-gym-my-rules/313346/67 "2005-07-21T19:07:16Z")
**AskNott** > [@](#): > > If you don’t rest between your three sets of 15, you’re doing one set of 45. Is that good form, Jimpatro? That’s not the way I was taught. Rest OFF!!! the machine. Stand next to it and WAIT!!! Personally I do laps around the machines during the minute between sets and it builds great stamina but I don’t expect averyone to do that. ---
**Author:** ![jimpatro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/b9e5f3/32.png) [@jimpatro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jimpatro)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2005, 7:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-gym-my-rules/313346/68 "2005-07-21T19:09:23Z")
Better yet, GO HOME and rest. The gym’s for WORKING OUT!!! Settle back with some Cheetos maybe, there ya go. ---
**Author:** ![jimpatro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/b9e5f3/32.png) [@jimpatro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jimpatro)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2005, 7:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-gym-my-rules/313346/69 "2005-07-21T19:10:55Z")
My workout lasts, er , an hour. Had enough? ---
**Author:** ![Neurotik](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/91b2a8/32.png) [@Neurotik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Neurotik)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2005, 7:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-gym-my-rules/313346/70 "2005-07-21T19:21:08Z")
> [@AskNott](#): > > **Jimpatro** was working out for a few hundred dollars a **year** , with no time pressure. The guy with a trainer had to get everything done in his fifty-dollar **hour**. I think it’s reasonable to allow some leeway for the guy who’s paying the gym fifty times as much for his workout. Perhaps, when you buy an upper-deck ticket at the ballpark, you think you’re entitled to hang out in the skybox. No. But when I buy an upper-deck ticket to the ballpark, I don’t let the guy with the skybox cut in front of me in line for the bathroom. Sorry, but I’m paying my money to be able to use the gym equipment. He’s paying his money to have some guy tell him how to work out. I don’t think there’s anything in his trainer contract that says he gets preferential use of the equipment. And I have no obligation (nor any desire) to give him any preferential use. ---
**Author:** ![Fionn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/a587f6/32.png) [@Fionn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fionn)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2005, 7:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-gym-my-rules/313346/71 "2005-07-21T19:27:13Z")
> [@Waverly](#): > > I agree… if your ass is looking good with your thong over your tights, so much the better to drop the tights. Hell, drop the thong too… Just not while riding an exercise bike, thanks. I’ve had some surreal moments in my apartment complex’s workout room, and one of them was realizing the woman on the exercise bike had simply dropped her denim shorts beside it and was peddling away in her T-shirt and underwear. Weird. ---
**Author:** ![SisterCoyote](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/958977/32.png) [@SisterCoyote](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SisterCoyote)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2005, 7:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-gym-my-rules/313346/72 "2005-07-21T19:34:42Z")
> [@Ethilrist](#): > > Well, for goodness sake, don’t get them mixed up! I feel as though I should have a witty comeback for this, but I don’t. It did, however, make me laugh. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Waverly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/57b2e6/32.png) [@Waverly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Waverly)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2005, 7:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-gym-my-rules/313346/73 "2005-07-21T19:41:04Z")
> [@Fionn](#): > > the woman on the exercise bike had simply dropped her denim shorts beside it and was peddling away in her T-shirt and underwear. Did you check to see if there was still a seat on the bike? ---
**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:** [July 21, 2005, 8:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-gym-my-rules/313346/74 "2005-07-21T20:11:52Z")
> [@AskNott](#): > > What I’m getting at is in the next paragraph. **Jimpatro** talked about nudging somebody (with a trainer) off a machine for resting between sets. He was steamed because the trainer gave him a dirty look. **Jimpatro** was working out for a few hundred dollars a **year** , with no time pressure. The guy with a trainer had to get everything done in his fifty-dollar **hour**. I think it’s reasonable to allow some leeway for the guy who’s paying the gym fifty times as much for his workout. Perhaps, when you buy an upper-deck ticket at the ballpark, you think you’re entitled to hang out in the skybox. Silly analogy. As **Neurotik** has already pointed out, the guy who pays for the more expensive seat does not, as a result, get to jump in front of other patrons in the bathroom or when he wants to buy a hot-dog. Furthermore, even if someone has paid a trainer, he and i have still paid the same amount of money for our membership. Any kickback the gym gets from the trainer’s fee is between the gym and the trainer. Back when i worked out on a regular basis (haven’t done so for a while), everyone i ever worked out with rested for long enough between sets to allow someone else to work in without inconveniencing them in the slightest. People who get angry when someone wants to work in with them on the machine, in my experience, just get angry because they’re selfish bullies and not because allowing someone to work in actually costs them any time or effort. Also, i’ve been a member of gyms in three different countries, and i don’t ever recall a gym whose rules included “Members with personal trainers are exempt from the normal rules of workout etiquette and courtesy.” If i want to work in with some guy who’s got a trainer, then i’ll work in. I will go out of my way not to cause him any inconvenience, but i’m not going to stand around or interrupt my workout just because he’s forking out for private assistance. ---
**Author:** ![AskNott](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asknott/32/5790_2.png) [@AskNott](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AskNott)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2005, 8:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-gym-my-rules/313346/75 "2005-07-21T20:34:08Z")
> [@jimpatro](#): > > **AskNott** > Rest OFF!!! the machine. Stand next to it and WAIT!!! > Personally I do laps around the machines during the minute between sets and it builds great stamina but I don’t expect averyone to do that. Before I retired, I worked with a couple of bodybuilders. They told me that any more than 15 seconds between sets is too much. That’s not enough time to disentangle myself from the machine and run laps. But then, maybe you’re quicker than I am. ---
**Author:** ![AskNott](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asknott/32/5790_2.png) [@AskNott](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AskNott)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2005, 9:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-gym-my-rules/313346/76 "2005-07-21T21:06:59Z")
> [@Neurotik](#): > > No. But when I buy an upper-deck ticket to the ballpark, I don’t let the guy with the skybox cut in front of me in line for the bathroom. The skybox folks have their own restrooms, where you and I are not allowed to go. I don’t gripe about that. They paid for their privilege, and if I were in their expensive shoes, I’d expect special treatment, too. It doesn’t cost me any dignity or money to give a little latitude to the trainer and his client. It’s only courtesy. On the street, I also yield to the bus driver, who is striving to be on schedule. It won’t hurt you to be nice to people. ---
**Author:** ![Morbo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/morbo/32/389_2.png) [@Morbo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Morbo)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2005, 9:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-gym-my-rules/313346/77 "2005-07-21T21:44:30Z")
Here’s one from the track: Yes, I’m very impressed with the speed in which you keep passing me. Sebastian Coe could not have turned in such a dazzling performance. But would you mind telling me why you’re using the 8th lane? Freaking blowing by me every few laps is kinda startling. Go do your one mile in lane 1, hero. Oh, and if you’re going to stop suddenly, could you GET OUT OF THE LANE? And here’s a gym one one from my wife: When there’s a water aerobics class, that means the POOL IS CLOSED. The instructor is not joking. Yes, she’s talking to you. Yes, the entire pool - what are you gonna do, swim in a tiny circle in the tiny space unoccupied by the class? Beat it. ---
**Author:** ![Lockseer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/a5b964/32.png) [@Lockseer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lockseer)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2005, 9:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-gym-my-rules/313346/78 "2005-07-21T21:44:44Z")
> [@AskNott](#): > > The skybox folks have their own restrooms, where you and I are not allowed to go. I don’t gripe about that. They paid for their privilege, and if I were in their expensive shoes, I’d expect special treatment, too. > > It doesn’t cost me any dignity or money to give a little latitude to the trainer and his client. It’s only courtesy. On the street, I also yield to the bus driver, who is striving to be on schedule. It won’t hurt you to be nice to people. Sorry. Paying for a trainer doesn’t give you the right to block my usage of equipment if you aren’t using that equipment as part of your workout. ---
**Author:** ![Neurotik](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/91b2a8/32.png) [@Neurotik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Neurotik)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2005, 9:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-gym-my-rules/313346/79 "2005-07-21T21:51:58Z")
> [@AskNott](#): > > Before I retired, I worked with a couple of bodybuilders. They told me that any more than 15 seconds between sets is too much. That’s not enough time to disentangle myself from the machine and run laps. But then, maybe you’re quicker than I am. I’ve never seen anyone recommend only 15 seconds of rest. I’ve never seen anyone sit there for only 15 seconds, either. It’s usually at least a minute between sets. If they’re doing some sort of program with timed rest of only 15 seconds between sets, then just say so. > [@](#): > > The skybox folks have their own restrooms, where you and I are not allowed to go. I don’t gripe about that. They paid for their privilege, and if I were in their expensive shoes, I’d expect special treatment, too. The difference is that trainer guy hasn’t purchased the privilege of priority machine usage. He’s purchased having a trainer come over and tell him what to do. As for being nice to people, letting trainer guy just sit there on the machine when I want to use it isn’t being “mean.” I’m not asking him to do anything unusual. ---
**Author:** ![jimpatro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/b9e5f3/32.png) [@jimpatro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jimpatro)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2005, 10:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-gym-my-rules/313346/80 "2005-07-21T22:17:37Z")
**AskNott** > [@](#): > > Before I retired, I worked with a couple of bodybuilders. They told me that any more than 15 seconds between sets is too much. That’s not enough time to disentangle myself from the machine and run laps. But then, maybe you’re quicker than I am. Actually I’m not running but walking. And also I do first watch to see what someone is doing before I approach. I know that maybe they might be supersetting or pyramidding for instance so I won’t interrupt. And I guess if you were a contest grade competitor at the time, their advice would have been germaine. But for most of us, 45 seconds to a minute is advised. Also a big part of why I walk around is to give other people a chance to hit the same machine. I bend over backwards in all of life to be nice to people, but when they don’t return the favor they are gonna hear about it. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-gym-my-rules/313346.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-gym-my-rules/313346.md?page=5)