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?

I do have an inside smile at the newbies at the beginning of January. 95% of them will not be attending at the end of January.

Gym etiquette has been dropping for a while in my experience. Really loud conversations between people and on mobiles, people singing loudly, people sat on a small mat area chatting away taking up the space when others what to use it etc.

I don't think people should respect regular gym goers' routines - I'm not really sure what that means tbh. I do think they should just be respectful users of the gym though! E.g. using machines properly, not hogging equipment etc. I'm a swimmer, and we get the same influx of newbies. So annoying when people swim the wrong way round, or don't know how to overtake (or worst of all, swim very slowly in the fast lane!).They learn soon enough though!

Lol at the reading comprehension of some. 'A massive influx of newbies at the gym in January means there are loads of inconsiderate people who don't think about/ research gym etiquette which disrupts my enjoyment of using the facilities' apparently means 'I have been going to the gym for years which makes me more superior than the embarrassing new starts. I am better than them because I know what I am doing and they don't, only us gym veterans should be allowed in.'

A lot of very superior people here - you were new at the gym once and I bet other users moaned about what you were doing and said you would give up by the of the month. Give them a chance, some of them will end up attending more than you do and quickly be better than you. It’s a gym not the Olympic Games!

This is why I'll wait until February to join.
I only plan to walk on the treadmill, maybe for 5 minutes, and would rather not be laughed at.
(So as not to drip feed, I have brittle asthma so weather affects me, so no, I can't necessarily just walk outside)

Iamthewombat
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?

Because its not just the "newbies" that do this.
It is also this attitude that stops people going to the gym.

@IHaveBrilloHair good for you. My mum has severe arthritis in her knees so the warmth of the gym helps her movement and she only does around 5 minutes each time and I'm there to support her throughout.

And this is why I'm terrified of going to a gym. I've not managed to find one yet that isn't clicky and judgemental.

Exactly the same here. And this thread has confirmed it.

Thanks, obviously I hope to increase, and maybe try other things, but walking is a start.

Don’t be put off going to the gym. 90% of regular gym goers are lovely. I help people if they look like they’re struggling with a bit of equipment, etc. Especially in pump classes where newbies struggle to change their weights quick enough. I’ve been there.

Yabu
The gym isn’t exclusively yours to use or for long time members.

New people can cause annoyance and outage. Slight over reaction.

Maybe you and your old timer pals could have big badges made so the newbies know to treat you with due deference? Or maybe you could have an area cordoned off with red rope where only the VIPs such as yourself go?

@Iamthewombat

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

What was in your first paragraph again, @ChristmasSweet?

Yeah they are really just proving my point aren't they? Can't read, can't connect the dots, can't use their brains. It's really quite sad.

@WendyMoiraAngelaDarling 😂😂😂

Meh. We put up with you lot crowding in to our pubs and getting in the way in December.

Give and take.

The gym I used to go to had a list of rules on the wall- no talking on phones (people ignored that), always wipe down equipment after use, only spend 20 mins on cardio equipment during busy times.

Just give me a moment to look for the pub meme that went round in December, from the regular pub goers who frequent the boozer all year round rather than the light weights just at Christmas....

I've never experienced what you have at the ten or so gyms I've been to over the years. Most people keep to themselves and just want to work out and go. The only annoying people are the ones (generally male) who grunt and groan loudly when using weights as if to announce to everyone how heavy they are lifting. Occasionally there's someone who seems impatient for me to finish a set on a machine/equipment but no one has any more right to use any piece of kit no matter how long they've been coming to the gym.

@PaperbackBlighter, sorry, cross posted!

Fuck me! Just listen to yourself.
Do you realise how much if an arrogant twat you sound?

You are precious!! It is not your personal gym and you do not take presidence because you are a regular gym goer. Alot of these people are trying to build exercise into their routine and they have to put up with people like you thinking you own the place!!

We get this every year at the tennis club loads of newbies for a few weeks while Wimbledon's on, and at the rink winter Olympics and everyone's on the ice for a month. But we all have to start somewhere.

There's a massive difference to being new and unsure at the gym, and standing taking selfies in the mirrors or talking on your phone/to friends whilst blocking a machine. One is fair and normally pretty short lived as you learn and develop your own routine, the other is completely selfish behaviour and I'm not surprised it annoys Op.

Equipment is there to be used, not as an arm rest or a towel holder, nor is it a prop for a photo shoot.

I don't gym as much as I used to now, but when I did everyone was pretty decent (aside from a handful of arseholes you'd get anywhere who generally weren't particularly well tolerated). If the regulars could see you were new and serious about wanting to exercise (trying to figure out the machine or just generally looking nervous or a bit clueless), they'd be helpful and accommodating and give you tips. On the other hand, the new joiners that hogged a bench taking selfies when it was packed and didn't put their weights away afterwards got pretty short shrift because they were acting like selfish idiots, not because they were new.

Ye pay the same Fee
The machines don’t care

I think this post is very mean and likely to put people off going to the gym.