Teenagers at the gym

Our gym has a specific time for teens, and they can only go then but their membership is discounted. it works really well. They fill the gym from 3-5 then the grown ups get it back

As others have said, teens need their spaces to hang out. But it does have to be a balanced use of space

I guess it’s hard not get defensive when you have a kid who is sensible and appropriate in the gym (and I know she is as both me and her dad have been in at the same time), pays full price, would agree with the op and I still get a snarky comment in response to what was meant to be a light hearted comment about teenagers on holiday never getting up.

I get it’s frustrating but I see just as much bad behaviour from other groups (as does dd).

fwiw op, dd has a job (sports coach) but is very lucky to have that as part time jobs for teens are really hard to get. She’s also allowed a holiday and she’s allowed to go to the gym as is the kid who is an elite athlete and the other teens who are responsible and respectful. This does genuinely sound like you think you are more important than these kids when you should be (rightfully I agree) pissed off at anyone who doesn’t behave

Could you go there straight from work? I know that I would mentally find it harder to get back out the door once home. Whereas if I tell myself I'm going to the gym from work I'm more likely to follow though and just do it without too much faff.

Some oddly defensive posts here. Nobody is saying teenagers should not be allowed into a gym, just that if they are there they should use it for exercise and not goofing around or hogging equipment while not actually working out. Hardly unreasonable.

You can't seem to go anywhere these days without negotiating poorly socialised kids &/or dogs.

What an odd response. The OP wasn't complaining about teenagers out lifting her (and I can move 200kg too, do I'm also not green with envy), but about groups being inconsiderate and inappropriate with gym space.

Responses like these are like if you're lying quietly on a sun lounger and the pool lifeguard tells kids running round with water pistols to settle down. You don't jump up shrieking 'but I'm not running round', because you've got the intelligence to understand he wasn't talking to you. Imagine that, but this scenario.

Why on earth didn’t you just ask her if you could have a go. You could even explain it’s your favourite bike and I bet she would have jumped off.

I do sometimes think society as a whole has become a little disempowered when it comes to children/teenagers. My dad always says that whenever he was out as a lad his dad would always know what he’d been up to before he got home as his dad’s mates would have been keeping an eye on him. Even when I was younger the adults around me would keep an eye on me.

they are oversized children getting excited at the gym. If they go too far, you are allowed to say something.

I bet if you said to the girl screaming in enjoyment- ‘come on now, less screaming needed in the gym’ she’d laugh embarrassedly and pipe down. Teenage girls do scream when they are having fun, they can also be told not to.

equally if they are hogging a machine it will be because they are totally oblivious. Suggest they move over and give you a turn and I bet you any money they’ll move off straight away.

as a mother I’d feel a lot happier letting my teenagers out and about if I thought adults were collectively keeping an eye out and putting them right when they got things wrong.

That means that @TouchtheEarth wrote a post, thought better of it & since posts can’t be deleted, replaced it with … . If you tap on the Edited just under the ellipses, you’ll see.

I have one of the exercising ones - she goes 5 times a week, plan all mapped out, mostly by herself as friends get in the way of her work out (she can lift some fairly impressive stuff now) and is on nodding terms with some of the daily gym Bros. It has been a total godsend through her exam period as she uses it for mental health reasons and I pay full price.

she would totally agree with you tbh. She tries to avoid when others go - pre GCSEs she’d leave the house at 6 to go before school. During exams she tends to go quite late. She will happily ask them to move though or a particular favourite tactic with a bunch of lads is to rack up her deadlift weight next to them and do her set - she’s quite intimidating in her own way

I hate to break it to you but exam haven’t finished - GCSEs mostly finish next week so they are still at school albeit with a lot of study leave (mine went lunchtime this week as soon as her exam finished). I’d aim for late morning/lunch time if you can as most will still be rotting in bed

what does this mean @TouchtheEarth ?! You know you can watch a thread without posting inane ellipsis to clog it up?

You have a "favourite bike"...?

Was she expected to know this?! YABU

Meh. I think it’s fantastic that teenagers are exercising (sort of) and spending time at gyms rather than drinking cider in parks which is what we did in the 80s.

They have just the same rights as you to use the machines. Let them be teens like you were once.

...

There was a girl of about 15 sitting on my favourite bike, scrolling on her phone, and turning the pedals so slowly, they were barely moving, the other day.

For over 40 minutes.

Go to more expensive gyms. They also have a right to exercise.

Funny, I had the same when I couldn’t reach the lat pull down to change the attachment, I’m very small 😂

I find it perplexing when it’s groups of boys suited and booted, no actual gym gear
asked my boys (who go in actual sports attire) and apparently it’s a thing to go in chinos and Chelsea boots

I go early, in and out by 7am.

I ended up injured after oblivious teen walked into my barbell mid-lift. I had them bump into me and what not and most were defo under 16 so shouldn’t have been allowed in to begin with. I would go in the morning to avoid this and eventually had to change gyms.