Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. Child-safe in minutes.

Meet the Other Phone.
Child-safe in minutes.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To have been shamed at the gym

311 replies

Bonbon12 · 04/01/2017 20:42

I am a plus size lady who has made it her New Years resolution to lose weight. I joined a gym in December and mainly use the pool. I suffer from knee pain so I have to use the pool for my exercise I can't do running or bike.

So I do little bit of swim-hops/walking which helps my knee and also helps me lose weight. When I arrived I went into the fast lane as it was completely empty and was the smallest lane. It suddenly got really busy and that made other lanes quite busy.

Then two men moved into my lane. They started a fast swim. I asked them could they wait another 15 mins for me to finish and that I have a knee problem so this is helps me.

They replied that "that's not our problem and that the pool was for those who do real exercise". I replied it is real exercise and then I heard one of the men mutter "it's not the lard lane" and I left straight away.

Aibu to think that these men are complete cunts.

OP posts:
CaraAspen · 04/01/2017 23:11

As others have said you had no right to ask them to wait for you to be done. However, the comment was nasty but would perhaps not have been made had you not made your request.

WowserBowser · 04/01/2017 23:11

YelloDraw Grin

Bobochic · 04/01/2017 23:15

I think you were naive, OP. You set yourself up for a ticking off because you were using the wrong lane and, worse still, thought you could ask people who were in the right lane to defer to you. So you came across as entitled and were put back in your place!

TheCatsMother99 · 04/01/2017 23:19

Somehow I don't think this has gone the way the op expected it to.

LassWiTheDelicateAir · 04/01/2017 23:26

I don't understand how you can hop a length of a pool anyway, don't you start to drown about half way?

This post came up just after Purple daisies wanker posts and had me in stitches. I can just see the OP sedately hopping along as the water closes over her head.


GilMartin · 04/01/2017 23:41

How come I can run, but get knee pain when I bike?

I'd echo the previous comment that it may well be a case of the saddle being too low. At the bottom of a pedal stroke there should only be a slightly flex in your knee (no more than 30degrees)

The best method I've found for setting a bike saddle to the correct height is that your leg should be completely straight when the heel is on the pedal.

Then when you put your foot in the proper position for pedaling you will have a bit of flex in your leg.

Kayakinggirl86 · 04/01/2017 23:44

You were not shamed the guys were annoyed and took it out on you. Yep they were dicks. But you most likely had just ruined their work out (and if like me that really affects your full day/mental health).

I swim 1km in 13min. And can keep a pace of 16min a km going for over 10km. So not going to an American all star any time soon but happy in the fast lane (most of the time). The first thing I do when in any pool is 1km solid of crawl and I need to do thus in under 16min (or session is ruined). If any one disturbs this unless they have a good reason i will often be a bitch to them. Also when swimming crawl my head is down music up in a 25m pool I will only breath 3 times a length so if you are messing around hopping there is a high chance I will not see you till last min when you scare/ panic me.

So you mess with their session, then ask them to wait 15min! Sorry but if it was me I would be rather annoyed and (not justifying it) but I would have been rude to your face. As you have just ruined my swim (my me time and my mood for the rest of day).

TheFullMinty · 04/01/2017 23:54

Jeez how fucking entitled are you? Fair enough you say you don't understand pool etiquette but presumably you are an adult and understand its entirely unreasonable to expect the world to revolve around you?

Fast lane = fast, you were going slowly therefore get in the slow lane. No one there cares about your knee, everyone's got their own shit going on, amazed that you think your behaviour in asking them to wait was acceptable.

But yes, in answer to your question they were mean to say that.

DontTouchTheMoustache · 04/01/2017 23:58

I find that people swimming at the incorrect speed for the lane incites the same rage sensors as inconsiderate drivers. Nothing else gets your heckled up as quickly at a complete stranger Grin

ALLthedinosaurs · 05/01/2017 00:13

You are worthwhile. You are someone to be proud of. The people who don't even get down to the gym are the less than worthwhile ones...

OH what the fucking FUCK is this bollocks?
😂

You are worthwhile though, OP. Hope you have better experiences in the pool in the future... in the correct lane.

If you see him again, you can say "I'm sorry I was in the wrong lane the other day, I am new, silly me. Isn't swimming great for getting fit though? Shame it won't work for your personality! "

GilMartin · 05/01/2017 00:14

OP it doesn't take an understanding of lane etiquette, it takes common sense and an understanding of the words 'fast' and 'slow' (although if you can't or won't swim properly I'd question if any of the lanes in a length swimming session is for you.

If you were using the gym, would you plonk yourself down on the weights bench and have a nice sit down and a cuppa and decorously wave away anyone who wanted to use the equipment for its proper purpose, telling them to come back in 15 minutes? Because that is effectively what you did by hogging the fast lane.

Oh and you weren't 'shamed' you were called out for acting like a selfish, self-important ninny. There's a world of difference.

MrsMargoLeadbetter · 05/01/2017 00:19

They didn't mutter something about "the fast lane"? Could sound similar...

polyhymnia · 05/01/2017 00:20

They were rude and unpleasant but you were incredibly unreasonable and arrogant to try to take over the fast lane for 15 minutes.

showmetheminstrels · 05/01/2017 00:29

This thread's been done really but I haz thoughtz anyway :D

  1. They were inexcusably rude and unnecessarily personal.
  1. You were entitled and selfish.
  1. There is no one condition called "knee issue". I can name you a dozen different knee conditions without blinking. They won't all respond to the same solutions. There, I've solved the bike/no bike mystery.
  1. I'm a decent swimmer. I swim a mile regularly and on a good day when I'm not weighed down by Christmas cake my breaststroke is fast enough to overtake many people's front crawl. I still pretty much never use the fast lane, cos it freaks me out and makes a statement I'm not brave enough to make :D

Anyway. OP I hope you go back.

Still don't understand what swim hopping is.

2017watchoutherewecome · 05/01/2017 00:38

What do you mean by 'swim properly' ? I do head up breast stroke as I have a water phobia but swim a mile daily, I'd say that I swim properly.

ClarissaDarling · 05/01/2017 00:39

This reply has been deleted

Message deleted by MNHQ. Here's a link to our Talk Guidelines.

user1480946351 · 05/01/2017 00:43

It might help if you didn't try and apply such silly yet trendy labels to events..you weren't "shamed" ffs, you were in the wrong place and acted like a bit of a tit, and they were rude back.
No need for the ridiculous terminology.

HadEnoughThisChristmas · 05/01/2017 00:55

How on earth does hopping round a pool help someone to lose weight? Misses point of thread

GilMartin · 05/01/2017 00:56

What do you mean by 'swim properly' ? I do head up breast stroke as I have a water phobia but swim a mile daily, I'd say that I swim properly

By which i mean actually swimming (ie. propelling yourself through the water using your arms and legs) . From what I can make out, the op was walking the length of the pool during a lane swimming session. I don't doubt she'd benefit from water based exercise, like aqua aerobics but a busy lane session (especially its fastest lane) isn't the best place for someone who can't or won't swim.

QueenLizIII · 05/01/2017 00:58

This reply has been deleted

Message deleted by MNHQ. Here's a link to our Talk Guidelines.

user1480946351 · 05/01/2017 01:01

You are worthwhile. You are someone to be proud of. The people who don't even get down to the gym are the less than worthwhile ones...

That is such a dickish comment. PEople who go to the gym (even to hop around a pool and piss off the people trying to use it) are somehow more "worthwhile" than people who exercise elsewhere, or even don't exercise at all? What a bizarre metric to use!

AthenasOwl · 05/01/2017 01:17

I don't really give a stuff what lane you were in. No one has to right to speak to anyone that way.
They were a couple of pricks!

Guavaf1sh · 05/01/2017 01:41

YABU

viques · 05/01/2017 01:48

You were very unreasonable to ask them to wait 15 minutes. Maybe they only had 15 minutes for their whole swim. Yes they were rude to you, but you were in the wrong, you knew you were using the fast lane and should have moved over as soon as someone wanted to swim there.

BadLad · 05/01/2017 02:05

"Just having a pee, then I'll be out of your way"

For next time, OP.