# Note to Gym Users (Warning: Mild) **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [February 11, 2003, 1:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/note-to-gym-users-warning-mild/154341 "2003-02-11T13:56:48Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![HeyHomie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/heyhomie/32/207_2.png) [@HeyHomie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HeyHomie)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2003, 1:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/note-to-gym-users-warning-mild/154341/1 "2003-02-11T13:56:48Z")
Dear Fellow Gym Members: You’ll note that there are several dozen weight-lifting apparati in our gym. We have the free weights, the Nautalis™, and the Life Circuit™, all of which have seats. Please be advised that those seats are there so that you might sit on them _and use the equipment._ They are **not** there so that you may take a breather and drink your water, so that you may read your newspaper, so that you may check out the girls, or so that you may rest. Please, dear people: do your reps and then move on to something else. Don’t just sit there WHILE SOMEONE ELSE IS WAITING TO USE THE MACHINE! Thank you. ~Your fellow gym member who, thanks to diet and exercise, has lost almost 75 pounds in the past 14 months. 🆒 ---
**Author:** ![auntie\_em](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/5e9695/32.png) [@auntie\_em](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/auntie_em)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2003, 2:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/note-to-gym-users-warning-mild/154341/2 "2003-02-11T14:08:46Z")
Amen, brother! I can’t tell you how many times I’ve wanted to thunk someone in the head for sitting on the butterfly machine, watching TV. ---
**Author:** ![Zanshin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/e274bd/32.png) [@Zanshin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zanshin)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2003, 2:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/note-to-gym-users-warning-mild/154341/3 "2003-02-11T14:14:04Z")
\ **HeyHomie** , congrats on the weight loss! Way to go! \ May I offer an addendum? An additional headthunk for those slobs who use the equipment and then don’t wipe it off afterwards, leaving a steaming pool of condensed body funk for the rest of us to enjoy. That’s why most of us bring towels to the gym, sparky, so we can clean up after ourselves! Now make like a good little musclehead and wipe down the machine or I’ll rub your nose in it like a recalcitrant puppy. ---
**Author:** ![pravnik](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/8edcca/32.png) [@pravnik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pravnik)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2003, 2:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/note-to-gym-users-warning-mild/154341/4 "2003-02-11T14:18:14Z")
Don’t forget, the person may just be resting between sets and oblvious to your hovering presence. I myself have been guilty of this sin. Don’t be afraid of a polite “can I work in?” And congrats on the weight loss. You rock! 😃 ---
**Author:** ![BURNER](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ccd318/32.png) [@BURNER](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BURNER)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2003, 2:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/note-to-gym-users-warning-mild/154341/5 "2003-02-11T14:35:52Z")
My pet peev is when some weakling asshole is accross the gym talking to some other weakling asshole , but comes running over as soon as I start to change the weight to tell me he is useing the machines. I try to be understanding, but if I have already pulled off his 2 , 25lb plates and replaced them with my 4 , 45lb plates he is SOL for 2 reasons. #1 he should STFU and lift. Its a gym, not a sewing circle. #2 if he lifted grown up weights he wouldnt be bitching because I put more weight on. The same thing goes for all of the Justin Timberlake look alikes in the gym. Just because you have a 6 pack doesnt mean you are strong. You are still a 90lb pussy and I know girls who lift heavier weight than you. STOP FLEXING IN FRONT OF THE MIRROR!! It is pathetic and just makes people laugh at you. ---
**Author:** ![Patty\_O\_Furniture](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/96bed5/32.png) [@Patty\_O\_Furniture](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Patty_O_Furniture)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2003, 3:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/note-to-gym-users-warning-mild/154341/6 "2003-02-11T15:06:18Z")
“Warning: Mild”?? I want to know who might cringe at the lack of profanity in a thread. Next thing I know the waitress will warn me that the plate being served to me is cool enough to handle. ---
**Author:** ![Boo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7feea3/32.png) [@Boo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boo)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2003, 5:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/note-to-gym-users-warning-mild/154341/7 "2003-02-11T17:34:36Z")
how about the people that are using equipment a, equipment b, and equipment c all at the same time…circuit training should be restricted to off hours. have you ever seen the group of 3 to 5 young men that do the bench press together…except they all get their own bench instead of sharing one? every gym has at least one group. ---
**Author:** ![Duke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e8c25b/32.png) [@Duke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duke)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2003, 5:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/note-to-gym-users-warning-mild/154341/8 "2003-02-11T17:37:50Z")
Can I also make a suggestion to gym managers as well? To the managers at our university gym: Extra paper towels. Put enough there for a day’s use. I don’t know who used the excercise bike before me, and I don’t want to know. Thank you. ---
**Author:** ![Lizard](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/dfb087/32.png) [@Lizard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lizard)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2003, 5:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/note-to-gym-users-warning-mild/154341/9 "2003-02-11T17:43:50Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Boo \* > \*\*have you ever seen the group of 3 to 5 young men that do the bench press together…except they all get their own bench instead of sharing one? every gym has at least one group. \*\* Oh yes. Even better are the women who wear some skin-tight neoprene thingie just to get this same group of guys to swivel their heads as one and follow her across the gym with their eyes. And what’s with those guy who wear pants and a sweagtshirt to lift?! I want to say"excuse me, are you trying to make weight for your next wrestling match? If not, than WTF are you doing?" And then there are the guys who wear shirts that are skin tight across their shoulders and around their biceps, but billow out around their belly. Nice try, pal. It doesn’t matter if you have big shoulders, you’re still fat. ---
**Author:** ![Feynn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/ecb155/32.png) [@Feynn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Feynn)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2003, 5:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/note-to-gym-users-warning-mild/154341/10 "2003-02-11T17:52:29Z")
“My pet peev is when some weakling asshole is accross the gym talking to some other weakling asshole , but comes running over as soon as I start to change the weight to tell me he is useing the machines. I try to be understanding, but if I have already pulled off his 2 , 25lb plates and replaced them with my 4 , 45lb plates he is SOL for 2 reasons. #1 he should STFU and lift. Its a gym, not a sewing circle. #2 if he lifted grown up weights he wouldnt be bitching because I put more weight on. The same thing goes for all of the Justin Timberlake look alikes in the gym. Just because you have a 6 pack doesnt mean you are strong. You are still a 90lb pussy and I know girls who lift heavier weight than you. STOP FLEXING IN FRONT OF THE MIRROR!! It is pathetic and just makes people laugh at you.” This reminds me of one of my peeves and the following may not appy to BURNER although the weakling = asshole line of thought bugs me. Some people are weak, some people are strong, assholes come in a variety of sizes. So I am at the gym and make my way to the inclined leg press machine. The muscular and fit looking guy working there has about 400 pounds on and is making a big production out what he’s pressing. I ask to work in and with a sneer he asks if he should take some weight off. I replied that I usually warmed up with the weight he had there… I set the gym record that day by pressing nearly 600% of my weight. So guess what pisses me off? People who think that because a person doesn’t look like they have steroid-o’s for breakfast that they are somehow inferior. Size isn’t everything and yes… wipe the seat when you’re finished. ---
**Author:** ![jeevmon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/87869e/32.png) [@jeevmon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jeevmon)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2003, 6:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/note-to-gym-users-warning-mild/154341/11 "2003-02-11T18:05:25Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by BURNER \* > \*\*My pet peev is when some weakling asshole is accross the gym talking to some other weakling asshole , but comes running over as soon as I start to change the weight to tell me he is useing the machines. I try to be understanding, but if I have already pulled off his 2 , 25lb plates and replaced them with my 4 , 45lb plates he is SOL for 2 reasons. #1 he should STFU and lift. Its a gym, not a sewing circle. #2 if he lifted grown up weights he wouldnt be bitching because I put more weight on. The same thing goes for all of the Justin Timberlake look alikes in the gym. Just because you have a 6 pack doesnt mean you are strong. You are still a 90lb pussy and I know girls who lift heavier weight than you. STOP FLEXING IN FRONT OF THE MIRROR!! It is pathetic and just makes people laugh at you. \*\* I was with you until “grown up weights”. One of the biggest psychological barriers that guys who have never lifted weights have about starting is the feeling that muscle-bound no-necks are going to mock them publicly for not being able to lift that much. Thankfully, it doesn’t happen that much in today’s gyms, but it’s still something that many guys worry about, especially if they were wedgie targets in high schools. So, just STFU yourself about “grown up weights”. It’s counterproductive and rude. Now, I agree that if he’s not right there at the station, he’s forfeited his right to it, especially if you’ve changed the weight. And you can be pissed off at that. But just leave it at that. ---
**Author:** ![Gary\_Kumquat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/4491bb/32.png) [@Gary\_Kumquat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gary_Kumquat)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2003, 6:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/note-to-gym-users-warning-mild/154341/12 "2003-02-11T18:09:40Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Boo \* > \*\*have you ever seen the group of 3 to 5 young men that do the bench press together…except they all get their own bench instead of sharing one? every gym has at least one group. \*\* Yup, it’s a universal thing. Some sort of territorial imperative I guess. That also explains people who don’t wipe the machines down - I think it’s some strange attempt at marking territory. ---
**Author:** ![3trew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/3/13edae/32.png) [@3trew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/3trew)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2003, 6:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/note-to-gym-users-warning-mild/154341/13 "2003-02-11T18:40:10Z")
I don’t care how big or small or strong or weak you are, you’re obviously strong enough to pick up the bar and hold it during your entire set of wrist curls or shrugs or whatever it is that you’re doing. Just for the sake of harmony with the rest of the gym’s users, do you think you could maybe move someplace else and put the bar on the floor in between sets so that others might have a chance to use the squat rack to, I don’t know, squat or something? It’s just a thought. ---
**Author:** ![Shirley\_Ujest](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/45deac/32.png) [@Shirley\_Ujest](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shirley_Ujest)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2003, 7:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/note-to-gym-users-warning-mild/154341/14 "2003-02-11T19:19:02Z")
I totally agree with you, HeyHomie! It is a place to work out, not chit chat? If you want to talk, go to the juice bar or to a bare section that has not had some hi falutin’ peice of equipment plopped on it. My mini-peeve ( and it is my problem) is that between three TV sets blaring, the pounding of the treadmills, the conversations going on, the clang of the weights, the muted bark of the aerobics instructor in a closed room nearby and the loud music (that is not my style, but …feh…) I cannot \*concentrate \* and get into my work out zone. ( I wasn’t like this before kids, something has happened to my brain.) I feel so ADD it is not even funny. Congrats on your weight loss! That is simply outstanding! ---
**Author:** ![blowero](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/41988e/32.png) [@blowero](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blowero)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2003, 7:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/note-to-gym-users-warning-mild/154341/15 "2003-02-11T19:23:11Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by BURNER \* > Its a gym, not a sewing circle. #2 if he lifted grown up weights he wouldnt be bitching because I put more weight on. The same thing goes for all of the Justin Timberlake look alikes in the gym. Just because you have a 6 pack doesnt mean you are strong. You are still a 90lb pussy and I know girls who lift heavier weight than you. STOP FLEXING IN FRONT OF THE MIRROR!! It is pathetic and just makes people laugh at you. Ja, listen to me now and believe me later. You puny girly-men are all flab. I will pummel your weak little body until you go home crying to your mommy. You can only dream of having strong, muscular buttocks such as mine.😉 ---
**Author:** ![BURNER](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ccd318/32.png) [@BURNER](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BURNER)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2003, 7:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/note-to-gym-users-warning-mild/154341/16 "2003-02-11T19:29:33Z")
originaly by : **jeevmon** > [@](#): > > I was with you until “grown up weights”. One of the biggest psychological barriers that guys who have never lifted weights have about starting is the feeling that muscle-bound no-necks are going to mock them publicly for not being able to lift that much. Thankfully, it doesn’t happen that much in today’s gyms, but it’s still something that many guys worry about, especially if they were wedgie targets in high schools. So, just STFU yourself about “grown up weights”. It’s counterproductive and rude. Well , I was one of thoes wedgie targets in school. The diffrence is that I have always been strong for my size. My refrence to a weakling asshole could be a refrence to any one of any size, and usualy is. Just because you are small doesnt mean you are weak, there are guys twice my size and half my strength roaming around the gym. Everyone just assumed I was refering to small people. I have no time for people who spend more time talking and less time lifting when they are at they gym. All they do is get in the way and clog up the machines. While I am back in here can I add that yelling at the weights doesnt make them go up any faster. People who curse and shout whenever they pick up something heavy need to shut up too. Its a barbel , not your mom, show it a little respect. ---
**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:** [February 11, 2003, 8:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/note-to-gym-users-warning-mild/154341/17 "2003-02-11T20:01:53Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by jeevmon \* > \*\*I was with you until “grown up weights”. One of the biggest psychological barriers that guys who have never lifted weights have about starting is the feeling that muscle-bound no-necks are going to mock them publicly for not being able to lift that much. Thankfully, it doesn’t happen that much in today’s gyms, but it’s still something that many guys worry about, especially if they were wedgie targets in high schools. So, just STFU yourself about “grown up weights”. It’s counterproductive and rude. > > Now, I agree that if he’s not right there at the station, he’s forfeited his right to it, especially if you’ve changed the weight. And you can be pissed off at that. But just leave it at that. \*\* Right on. Poor gym etiquette is poor gym etiquette, whether you bench 50 pounds or 350. It’s muscle-bound, blowhard, egotistical dickheads like **Burner** that can make gyms unpleasant places for just about everyone else. > [@](#): > > _Originally posted by Burner_ > \*\*My refrence to a weakling asshole could be a refrence to any one of any size, and usualy is. Just because you are small doesnt mean you are weak, there are guys twice my size and half my strength roaming around the gym. Everyone just assumed I was refering to small people. \*\* No, i didn’t assume you were talking about small people. You were, and are, ridiculing anyone who is weaker than you, which demonstrates that while your body might be in good shape, your brain needs lots of work. Some people that go to the gym are weaklings, and some are assholes, but you demonstrate perfectly that you can be the latter without being the former. ---
**Author:** ![Boo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7feea3/32.png) [@Boo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boo)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2003, 8:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/note-to-gym-users-warning-mild/154341/18 "2003-02-11T20:46:12Z")
here’s a few more 1. people who spit in the drinking fountains…I drink out of there asshole. 2. people who use the bathroom and don’t wash their hands…I love fecal matter and urine on the machine grips, asshole. 3. people who carry their gym bags around with them…someone’s going to trip over it 4. people who don’t rack their weights when they are done. 5. people who come in and demand the channel be changed in the cardio theatre 6. people who think sitting in the sauna is a workout because it makes them sweat 7. guys who take their shirts off…no one is impressed 8. women who wear spandex two sizes two small and act like it bothers them when men stare at them 9. soccer moms that pay for a years membership workout the first two weeks of january 10. mem who try to lift way to much weight, use terrible form, then walk around like they are the second coming 11. some people grunt too loud…if I can hear you across the gym you are faking it and trying to get attention 12. overweight people that have lost a few pounds and think they are now in shape…they decide to show off their flab with new skimpy clothing. 13. People who don’t wash their gym clothes…you reek asshole. I wish I could find a gym that actually enforced their etiquette rules. ---
**Author:** ![pravnik](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/8edcca/32.png) [@pravnik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pravnik)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2003, 9:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/note-to-gym-users-warning-mild/154341/19 "2003-02-11T21:16:41Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Boo \* > **1) people who spit in the drinking fountains…I drink out of there asshole.** Yes, yes, yes, a million times yes. I _hate_ this, especially when someone spits their freaking _gum_ in the water fountain. Like the fact that it’s not there the next day must mean it magically disappears when they walk off, leaving a sparkly-clean non-disgusting water fountain for the next guy. Sheesh. ---
**Author:** ![whiteboy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/d6d6ee/32.png) [@whiteboy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/whiteboy)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2003, 9:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/note-to-gym-users-warning-mild/154341/20 "2003-02-11T21:21:09Z")
600% of your bodyweight? Bull-fucking-shit What do you weigh? 120 lbs? [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/note-to-gym-users-warning-mild/154341.md?page=2)