AIBU to expect gym staff to stop people blocking machines?

I find a polite “excuse me do you mind if I jump in while you rest between sets” normally works as people get the hint

Because I work early mornings, I usually go to the gym in the early or mid afternoon. It's a lot quieter than peak times.
However, the treadmills do go pretty quickly and you could be waiting indefinitely to use them. Gyms should just invest in more treadmill

OP you described approaching a machine hogger as 'difficult and confrontational' but it doesn't have to be at all. It's normal gym etiquette to ask someone how many sets they have left/how long they will be or to ask to work in. Some equipment is popular but people generally share if you ask them.

If they have got distracted on their phone it can be a subtle reminder to get a move on, and even if they are timing their rest periods (as I do) there is generally enough time to swap in and out.

Learn to use free weights. This gives you lots of options to hit the same muscle groups. If someone’s hogging a piece of equipment that I want I usually just think of a different exercise to do

I also need my workouts to be efficient, so I do my sets with rest in between and get out. If anybody has timed their workouts, the recommended 60-90 seconds is very short.

I don't think anybody is complaining about those rest periods, but about people who hog the machines way beyond for what is needed for a reasonable rest. Sure, if you prefer to have 15 minutes between each set, so you can scroll or walk around chatting with your friends - up to you, the social aspect of gym is also important. But then let others work in.

The staff should be managing this better.
Otherwise ask the person sat on their phone if they will be long. Then wait close to them.
Or, find a better gym.

Rest time between sets is normal particularly when strength training. I do 6-8 reps 2 min rest x 3 so probably 5 min at the machine in total. I don’t want to leave as I won’t get back on after the rest.

@Sugarnspicenallthingsnaice
I don’t need to work on anything thank you,😂
Just to clarify things for you, the poster you were replying to was clearly expressing their annoyance with selfish gym users just as the OP was. They also mention the fact that people claiming to have done a 60 minute workout have probably only really done 20 minutes. Even the most basic comprehension skills would tell you this means they are wasting the other 40 minutes. It’s reasonable to assume that the poster thinks these people are hogging machines for longer than necessary given that this has also been witnessed by others on this thread.
You also seem quite dismissive of those of us who want to get our workouts done quickly. I don’t really see how this impacts you in any way. The selfish behaviour of those hogging machines does impact others who are waiting to use them. You seem strangely defensive of what is clearly selfish behaviour!

I’m getting too old to tolerate this and will speak up. Obviously a fair amount of rest time is acceptable but some people just sit and scroll. So inconsiderate.

No, I didn't miss the point. It's quite clear I wasn't relying to the OP but rather quoting another poster and addressing her comments about wanting to whiz through a work out as quickly as possible. Maybe you're the one who needs to work on understanding the point of a post before you reply to it.

we have a couple who comes to the gym regularly, she sits on the leg press and he stands next to it. If nobody specifically asks how long they will be, they will simply sit there and chat for an hour. Why on earth they can't do it sitting on the sofa, nobody knows.

@Sugarnspicenallthingsnaice
I think you’ve missed the point of the post. The OP is referring to people hogging machines for long periods of time, not those who are having 90 second rest periods. I observed a guy using the leg press machine yesterday. He was on there for 20 minutes! He did 3 sets of 20 during this time and was on his phone for the rest of the time. Oh and he just walked off afterwards without removing the weights he had placed on the machine. If you can’t see that’s selfish then maybe you’re part of the problem. Being on a cardio machine for 20 minutes where there are usually multiple machines is fine but not something there is only one of especially not when the gym is particularly busy!

Our gym took the seating out of the infrared sauna as there was a cliche of women taking it over and stopping others having free access. It is now very uncomfortable so easier to get access if you just want a quick sauna.

No it isn't

Smashing your workout ASAP might work for you but I don't think your approach is superior to that of the people pottering around taking their time with recommended rest periods between sets. The latter is necessary for lifting heavy.

A good gym will have multiples of popular equipment so that people can do 3 or 4 sets with a short rest period in between and not overly inconvenience anyone else. If you're taking 60-90 second rests- phone or no phone - that's ~3 minutes of extra waiting. That's not worth working in with another person and having to keep wiping down and readjusting settings in between.

Another problem I see is that the PTs at my gym give every new starter the same, formulaic workout. Then those people all want the same machine and haven't been shown how to use an alternative if it's busy.

This drives me crazy. It’s another symptom of people’s thoughtlessness and the impact of smartphones. In the past those people would not have just been sitting there doing nothing.

Complain formally to the gym and if they don't address it, then cancel your membership and say why. Part of what you are paying for is effective gym management.

I feel your pain. I go to a council run gym where they opened up a Pure Gym round the corner. Presumably to replace the lost customers, my gym has now lowerred its age limit and is now full of 11-15 year olds who spend most of their time messing around and filming each other. They are always in large groups and take it in turns to go on the machines meaning nobody else can get a look in. Parking is shit at Pure Gym so I have to stay at the council run one. Despite there being signs up saying that under 16s are not allowed to use anything other than cardio machines, the staff do nothing to enforce this. Two young boys were throwing heavy bar weights around last weekend, they or someone else could have been injured. I raised a concern with the member of staff and was told ‘Oh they’re with their mother, they can do what they want!’ 🙄
I’ve now started going stupidly early to avoid kids.

i have a gym in my garage to avoid this kind of twattish behaviour. Appreciate this isn’t possible for everyone but you can do very effective workouts at home with just dumbbells if that’s all you have. Plus save a fortune on gym membership and no longer have to worry about selfish dicks!

It's their job.

The women that hog treadmills going at 1mph while scrolling TikTok are the worst. Would you not rather just work hard for twenty mins and be done?

Gives me the rage! Are you working out or checking your social media? When I go to the gym I want max effort in the shortest time, suspect these people say they 'worked out' for an hour when in reality they've done maybe 20 mins max. I'm lucky enough to have a work gym that is quieter but have also got a decent workout using free weights/bars/kettle bells that mean I'm not waiting for equipment. That said last week someone had left the weights bar loaded, at my shoulder height, with 90kg...I couldn't unload 20kg plates from that height safely...selfish wankers...

The poor people who work at the gym aren’t some kind of police officer, they have no authority over grown adults.

it's literally their job to see that gym users follow the rules and while no, they are not police, but gym is a private establishment and repeat offenders can be banned.

YANBU, it's annoying if the staff just expects you to be the police.
But if they won't help, gym etiquette if someone forgets themselves on a machine is to go ask how many sets they have left and if you can work in. Same effect, less confrontational (as some people are indeed jerks)

Yep that's what I do.

I'm also pretty flexible with my workout. I have a plan in mind of which muscle groups I'll target in that session; if one machine is busy there's usually something else that will do the job.

And you can always use the free weights/pullies/kettlebells etc to work almost any part of the body.