To be annoyed by new people in the gym

[NotHereToMakeFriends]

So I'm an avid gym-goer (been going to the same gym for 4 years) and always encouraging people to join. However there is a usual spike in January (always to be expected) but these new people can cause annoyance and outrage to use regulars as they don't know the gym etiquette, hog the machines without even using them (just standing their and talking) or talk on phones ridiculously loud. Now I know that most people will drop out after a few weeks and I try to move my workout around the rush but AIBU for thinking that new people should try to respect the regulars routine as they will be there long after they stop going?

Terrified is probably the wrong word as it implies it is something I would like to do but am too scared to try. It's not. I've tried and a hate it because there is ALWAYS a 'regular gym goer' who thinks that I shouldn't be in their space with all my ignorance. I'd rather stick pins in my eyes.

I’ve been a regular gym goer for years and ime it’s some of the regular gym goers who hog the machines and weight benches more. Newbies tend to do a couple of sets and wander off.

Some of the regulars think nothing of trying to hog a bench for over an hour, and think they can go and use machines at intervals but still keep the bench. So they “bag” the bench with a water bottle and towel but are the other side of the gym! And I’d say that for some 60% of the time they’re actually on the bench they’re talking to their mates rather than actually doing anything.

I've changed gyms to get away from the machine hoggers who do exactly that!

The only thing in your post OP that you can reasonably be annoyed by is the taking of photos (by anyone, not just new members). I thought most gyms don't allow photography?

January pains me so much :( I have to run twice a week to maintain my precarious bone density and obviously I can't run on ice in my state because I don't want to break my legs (the fear is real and the fear makes you fall!). Getting an empty treadmill in January is just a complete nightmare, I hate it so much.

We’ve all got to start somewhere. Try using it as an opportunity to change up your routine.

YABU.
Get a grip.

I've been going for 16 years and it doesn't bother me in the slightest. Everyone is welcome.

@TulipCat - it doesn't stop people though. Neither do the notices asking people not to drop free weights/ kettle bells etc

How do they know you're a regular and what your routine is.

Oh guys seriously! The OP is not saying she can't stand all new members. She is saying she can't stand new members who are inconsiderate and rude.

I'm sure none of you would enjoy going to a gym filled with people who are too loud, sweat everywhere and don't wipe after themselves and are just sat on equipment taking selfies or playing games on their phone.

From many conversations with people who are new to the gym environment, I have found that they are often put off by those very same inconsiderate people not by people who are focused on their training and aim to get in and out like the OP.

I’m surprised it took until 2nd Jan for such a thread to be started. Have a little patience and then you can feel too smug in Feb when they all collapse back in their sofas.

At my gym the regs like to use their own little patch of floor for their mat/step and their regular bike for spin. They get very frothy in Jan.

@Strongmummy I'm glad you clarified that it was tongue in cheek, I was about to get all uppity at you

Seriously though OP, I avoid the gym in January and workout outside because I mind the cold less than a busy gym.

It's the regular meathead men who hog equipment more than newbies in my gym. They can fuck off with their "I'm doing circuits so need that bench as well as the chest press" Bullcrap. Thankfully they've mostly buggered off to the new "functional skills" part of the gym.

As for the noobs who haven't learned etiquette yet, just sodding well ask, "hey, if you're taking a break can I use that?" Or "Hey, I don't want to be in the background of any of your photos, thanks". And get over things like people getting on the treadmill next to yours.

@Strongmummy 😂😂 apologies, I hadn't yet had my coffee. My gym is full of those people too, so you may have touched a nerve 💪

God you people on here will jump on anything to be offended by. All I've seen now is a list of people who can't read.

OP said people are turning up to the gym and 'using' machines by standing on them and talking to other people. They aren't working out. They are the usual 'it's January so I'd better go to the gym to post on FB that I'm into exercise now but won't be in two weeks time when the next shiny thing catches my eye' people. They are blocking access to machines. It's quite simple.

The ones talking loudly on phones are just plain irritating. It's a gym, not a pub. You want to talk to someone, great, go outside or to your own home. Why stand in a gym doing it, again no doubt blocking access to equipment?

You want to start going to the gym? Great, carry on. But actually do something there, otherwise its a waste of time, money and you're ruining other people's chances of actually doing something. If you go there and do something on a machine, no one will care. If you go and stand on a treadmill chatting to your friend and not even walking on it, you're a twat.

Very simple.

Yes the gym can be intimidating but the basic etiquette is not a mystery or rocketscience. Things like don’t hog equipment or machines. Let others work in if you are taking long breaks between reps. Put things back when you have finished with them. Wipe equipment down after use. Wear suitable shoes. Don’t drop weights on the floor. None of these are difficult to follow.

At my gym it’s the PTs who are a pain in the arse. They get a lot of new clients at this time of year and there can be 5 or 6 trying to work out their client in a small free weights space, plus they are the biggest culprits of leaving equipment out or bullying other gym goers off things. I think this is why some new gym goers get on peoples nerves because they are learning this is an ok way to behave when they come on their own. Not to mention the inappropriate activities the PTs make them do. Over Christmas I saw a small gym class led by a PT (group was mixed sex, middle age, not that fit) and she was making them do push ups on medicine balls. It was so ridiculous given most of them couldn’t do it and were struggling. Top tip, showy moves are good for the ego and little else.

Also people taking videos and selfies. Again the PTs do this (I guess for marketing) but it makes me very uncomfortable to be in the background of someone else’s video. I would happily join a gym that banned this on the gym floor.

How dare people decide to join the gym to get fit? Honestly!

How dare people decide to join the gym to get fit? Honestly

What was in your first paragraph again, @ChristmasSweet?

Once again: the OP is not complaining about any of the following:

• people joining gyms
• people attempting to get fit
• people using machines she has somehow earmarked for herself

She is remarking, with some justification, that it is pretty selfish to hog machines in a busy gym for the purposes of chatting or taking selfies.

Why the tide of bile?

Thanks to those who understand what I am trying to say.

Just back from my lunchtime swim....don't get me started on pool etiquette or lack of...

She is remarking, with some justification, that it is pretty selfish to hog machines in a busy gym for the purposes of chatting or taking selfies.

Sounds like a pretty shit run gym. Where’s the staff to make sure everything is running smoothly.

omg I used to get such rage after training swimming, I feel you chocolate!

@chocolatesaltyballs22 someone once swam over me in a near-empty pool so I feel your pain.

@TSSDNCOP Gym staff are present but because it's quite big they move around so they don't know that people aren't just having a break.

I always make a point of speaking to newbies, especially if they look flustered on the treadmill or whatever. We were all new once.

However - the car park is full, the pool lanes are taken up by women swimming too fucking slow and I am having to wait for the showers.

Roll on February and natural wastage.

Well aren’t you full of yourself. You’re exactly the reason why people are reluctant to even join a gym. I can just imagine you looking down your nose at the newbies. You don’t have a monopoly on the equipment. Try being nice and friendly. People will appreciate it.

@Yetanotherwinter you didn't read my post correctly did you? All are welcome and it's great that they want to get fit, hats off to them, they just have to be considerate of the other gym users.