Asked to move at the gym

Really interesting reading all the responses to your post OP (and for once I have actually RTWDT!). You were 100% NBU, and it’s totally out of order to interrupt someone mid-exercise in any way, let alone by bloody tapping them on the shoulder and probably startling the crap out of them.

But….for all of those talking about waiting for machines in use….at my gym, it’s considered perfectly good etiquette to ask if you can jump in between sets. Obviously, you don’t interrupt them during their set, and it might not work if the level of effort required to de-rack their weights to change over to yours takes longer than the actual set, but otherwise it’s considered a) fine to ask and b) pretty rude to say “no” unless you’re about to finish or doing supersets.

I had the opposite the other day and am still pretty irritated. Someone asked how many sets I had left, I said 4 and she turned to leave so I told her she could jump in between mine. She did, but didnt say thank you, kept changing all the settings but not changing them back (also bad etiquette if someone has offered to share) and when she finished before me just walked off, again without saying thank you. Sounds super petty when I write it out like that, but it really annoyed me at the time 😂

She was a dick, the world is full of them these days. I understand why people want to go to the gym with a friend (I’ve recently joined one and prefer to go on my own with a podcast but I still get it) however common sense would suggest that you won’t always be able to be side by side as its not your own private gym.

I was at my Gym the other day and the only two free machines were on either side of me. Two friends went on them and proceeded to shout a conversation over at each other so I couldn’t hear what I was listening to. If I hadn’t been nearly done I would have offered to swap just so I didn’t have to listen to it but if they had demanded I move I would have said no because as my Mum always tells me I am quite contrary.

You shouldn't be touching strangers anyway. I had someone tap me really hard on a bus as they wanted a seat that my disabled child was sitting in. She had no right to poke me so hard that it actually hurt. When I explained my child wears splints on his feet and can't walk very far, she said "that's no excuse, I need the seat" after that there was no way I was going to help her.

In the middle of your programme? I wouldn't.

Yes, but it's normally if no other machine is available. My gym has a 20 min rule at peak times. I never go at peak times so never thought much about it.

Op
I'm sorry you had to endure these clowns.
I'd move gym as the staff lacked social skills, otherwise they would have told the two to go to another machine or wait.

move gyms

She then told me that her and her friend like to do it side by side... How pathetic.

so I'd need to move for them. So rude and entitled!

On this occasion there were two CT machines free, they just weren't side by side. These two women could both have done their session without waiting if they hadn't decided to behave like a pair of 12 year olds.

It’s modern day entitlement really isn’t it? Excuse me, but myself and my friend have decided that we’ll use this machine now!! Nobody waits for anything anymore!!!

Well if they had just used manners and politeness when they asked, chances are you may have moved maybe.
But to say "you need to move"..er, no. No you don't.

Except that having a gym buddy might motivate someone to enter the doors of a gym and work out that they wouldn't do without a buddy ..,

I'm not there to chat and make friends,

This is me. I'm so glad of the invention of headphones. I just want to do my own thing and ignore everybody else. My sister can't understand me - she wants to go to organised classes so she can meet new people. My idea of hell!

This is why I go to a bodybuilding gym. Most people here are seasoned gym goers and just understand how to behave

This is why I don't do gyms, whenever I've been to them you always get the gym etiquette which people seem to think they own/are entitled to. I can't be doing with that drama/entitlement when all I want to do is work out!

I had that recently at a swimming pool. Was swimming happily not in a lane just up and down then got someone glare and speak to me about it something about me not doing something properly (can't think what). I said, I'm not in a lane, I'm swimming fine, the way I always do! I mean I do sometimes swim in a lane. And then what really irritated me, there's a sauna and steam room there, I had people chat to me or try to. I'm not there to chat and make friends, I just want sauna and steam etc.

These people who have to do gym things in pairs are pathetic. We had 2 at our gym and one would come in early and "book" one machine by putting her bottle and locker key on it and then her friend would come in about 10 minutes later.

Then there was rowing woman who would stand with her arms folded staring at anyone who dared to use a rowing machine. If there were teenagers on them she would tell them to get off. Needless to say everybody ignored her.

That is absolutely the response needed.

"There's a treadmill over there. You can use it to jog the fuck on."

Not blaming men for what happened to the OP. The two women were ridiculously entitled and OP was right to decline to move.

But in general I have found that it is men who feel waaaaaay more entitled in gyms and in swimming lanes then women. And it is men who are waaaaay more likely to barge into women because they didn't get out of their way on a shared pavement/path/walkway/etc. And it is men who are waaaay more likely to become aggressive and threaten women in driving 'incidents' ... only turning tail and retreating when they discover a man in the other car.

Doormat or considerate. Depend on the point of view I guess. And I'm not talking about literally standing in a queue. You can tell of someone is waiting even if they're going something else and people ask. It is a very "you do you" situstion and we can all do what see fit. Doesn't really matter if people have differnet views

But obviously in op's case there was no need to move since there were free equlments.

Cheeky of them ask you in the first place and then be annoyed but I would be very unhappy with the staff member. You are a paid customer I would complain about this person they had no right to approach you and ask how long you would be.

I just think if there is queue then 40min is a long time. My routine involves 30min on treadmill and if there are people waiting i hop off after 15min and then ginish later. If no queue then stay as long as you want. But obviously there is no need to move at all if you don't want to 🙂
Similarly my (small) work gym has one freeweight area. If nobody else is there I stay there as long as I want/need. If there are others then I prioritise what I need to do and cut the rest. Unfortunately some people just take it for an hour and I don't get to work out that day. But such is life 🤷🏼‍♀️

All four squat racks were busy today when I needed them, did I stand around in a 'queue' and put pressure on those using them? No, I went and did something else.

It's crazy to queue for something at the gym, and it's doormat behaviour to move from a machine or piece of equipment before you're finished.

Good for you for standing your ground. people are so bloody entitled these days!

What a pair of entitled twats