To think that new gym members have as much right to use facilities as older members?

[LunaGracie]

I have just joined a gym. It's my local branch of a national chain

I went to a spinning class yesterday and turned up early for the class, and went into the spinning studio.

The instructor came in and told me that regulars had bikes that they always "like to use" and to wait until the rest of the class were there and then once all the regulars were there I could choose a bike out of the remainder!

I told him that I had paid as much as the regular members and therefore could choose any bike I liked, and chose one.

AIBU to think this is ridiculous? Do new members get turfed off treadmills if a longstanding member wants to use them? Or do they chuck people out of the showers naked if they've only been a member for a month and someone who's been a member for 6 months wants a shower? Weird!

Some woman asked me to move from her favourite spot in combat once. I did but made damn sure I got that spot every class from then on. PA me no?

YANBU. Well done OP for saying something to the trainer.

This is one reason I no longer go to a particular gym. I really disliked the way certain (not all of them) trainers had favourite members and would reserve equipment even classes for particular members only.

I'm going to join our local council gym today as they do a family membership (including swimming) for a really decent price as we can take the kids swimming/roller skating/ice skating on the membership at no extra cost. I'm hoping the trainers are somewhat more professional than at my last gym.

That's ridiculous! It's a gym for adults, not a PE class at school, it shouldn't be so cliquey with the popular kids getting first dibs on the equipment and the instructors playing favourites. You're paying the same and should get the same access.

At my body pump class it often gets far too hot (no air con) so we open the back doors. I love being by the doors as I overheat very easily. Unfortunately one lady prefers that spot but hates having the doors open because she gets too cold! Bloody move then and choose another spot. She always gets there early enough to save that spot (I have a school drop off first) when we do manage to have the door open and she complains about being too hot I offer to swap. Nope. Door closed whole class overheats.

YANBU but I used to work in a gym and people were so bloody precious about the damn spin bikes. We were ALWAYS dealing with complaints from old members that "their" bike had been taken or they couldn't book into a particular class because "new people have stolen all the places" and they could be pretty unpleasant to new members that had the temerity to "steal" a bike from a regular, so sometimes the spin teachers would give people the heads up