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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Gym bastards

320 replies

Nettletheelf · 05/12/2017 23:22

Am I being unreasonable in being annoyed with tw@ts at the gym? Am I?

  1. Bodypump.

Selfish equipment-hogging woman. Class usually full. This woman arrives half an hour early and sets up a bench for herself with two - TWO! - bars, several of every type of weight disc, a pair of every type of dumb bell and TWO mats.

Means that other class members are short of weights, because she has provided herself with every permutation she might possibly need, although she doesn’t use half of them. When they aren’t enough bars to go around, she stays quiet and waits to be asked to relinquish one of hers, at which point she pulls a face and reluctantly yields the minimum amount of equipment.

She seems unembarrassed by this. Apparently she ‘needs’ two bars so that she can swap over during one of the tracks in case she gets a bit tired. So everybody else can feck off.

  1. Spinning.

Bike hogging bastards saving bikes for themselves and their friends, even when they aren’t sure that the friends will be turning up.

People arriving just before the start of the class have to run the gauntlet - you sign up for the class in advance, so there are theoretically enough bikes - trying to get on a bike with a jacket draped over it whilst somebody snaps, “my friend is on there!”.

Naturally, the friend never turns up and you end up either missing the start of the class or putting up with being scowled at for taking your booked place.

  1. Body attack

Home of the show offs who try to put in extra big jumps and other athletic moves into the routine. No matter how many times the poor instructor says, “don’t put a big jump in here, the routine is designed like this for a reason. No big jumps!”, they still insist on doing them. Just so everybody knows they are really fit and the routine is too easy for them, being virtually professional athletes and all.

Is it just me? Share your stories of gym idiocy. Also your advice on dealing with the equipment hoggers.

OP posts:
Oogle · 06/12/2017 12:23

People turn up an hour early here for the spin class to bagsy their bike Grin

No one really annoys me, except for the guy who lifts weights which are way too heavy for him (his form is completely off), has a mate film it and does the whole bloody routine in his boxers whilst screaming. Yes, I've complained.

Caspiana · 06/12/2017 12:29

Someone comes to my body combat class and puts a free standing boxing bag in front of her which she proceeds to pummel the shit out of

Nettletheelf · 06/12/2017 12:31

Screaming, in boxers! My gym can’t compete with that.

Perhaps he posts it online. To get the ladies going, you know.

OP posts:
FrankensteinsSister · 06/12/2017 12:33

I want to see the boxers screamer. It sounds hilarious, in a cringingly awful way.

FlowerPot1234 · 06/12/2017 12:36

Would never do Body-any class, the exercises are just naff and ineffective, and instructors are terrible in my experience.

Any gym of health club that does these classes shows itself to not taking fitness seriously by using these, but it's been a great marketing gimmick and it's easy for people to qualify to be one of their instructors, all the classes are similar etc, and I accept they seem to be liked by some people.

I've never had the bad experience in the free weights section that so many of you write of. I set myself up, mind my own business, and nobody bothers me, occasionally I'll get a polite smile or an offer of equipment, and if there's another woman there we'll smile and sometimes chat.

Caspiana · 06/12/2017 12:39

Would never do Body-any class, the exercises are just naff and ineffective, and instructors are terrible in my experience. Any gym of health club that does these classes shows itself to not taking fitness seriously by using these

I do them because I enjoy them and I find they make quite a big difference to my fitness. I do not like other classes as much as the Les Mills ones.

leedy · 06/12/2017 12:42

OH GOD SO MANY.

People (MEN) who leave the bar on the squat rack with approximately a bazillion kilo in 25kg plates on it, thus making unloading it more of an exercise than my actual exercise. Ditto abandoning benches at the squat rack.

People who strew dumbbells in random locations around the gym rather than putting them away, meaning that I have to do Dumbbell Safari to find, eg, the other 9 kilo weight.

People who sweat all over things and don't wipe them.

The Man Who Grunts Like A Wildebeest In Labour.

I'm sure I'll think of more... (there's also Tiny Clothes Man, but he's almost more hilarious than annoying: I think he would actually prefer to use the gym in the nude so he can show off even more of his muscles)

BusterTheBulldog · 06/12/2017 12:45

Would never do Body-any class, the exercises are just naff and ineffective, and instructors are terrible in my experience. Any gym of health club that does these classes shows itself to not taking fitness seriously by using these

Each to their own, but I think they are awesome! I am at my strongest and fittest when I incorporate BP, BC and BA into routine. The year I had of no les Mills was most unfit I’ve been. I like the fact you can lose yourself in then as the music matches the actions so perfectly. I also do other classes, run and horse ride too so think I get a good mix Wink

Horses for course etc Grin

Ilovetolurk · 06/12/2017 12:48

KatharinaRosalie

On the presumption we are talking about what the OP was talking about which was individuals ramping up the moves not doing a different programme entirely YABU.

It’s my workout and half the time I go into the gym beforehand to warm up therefore come to a class ready to work at full capacity. I go to one combat class and we miss out the best part of two tracks to accommodate a break between each track for the more unfit amongst the group. Why should my workout be compromised

If sheep behind me find that off putting its tough chips

leedy · 06/12/2017 12:51

(I will say I generally really like my gym and the huge muscly triangular men are usually a) extremely friendly and b) rerack their weights.)

HuskyMcClusky · 06/12/2017 12:51

^Any gym of health club that does these classes shows itself to not taking fitness seriously*

That’s a big pile of bollocks, but okay! Grin

PourMeABrose · 06/12/2017 12:53

I get treadmill rage! Real bad. At people who set the machine to FULL INCLINE then proceed to grab onto the TV/computer and hang off that for the duration. No wonder they’re permanently out of order!

Oh and the step machine which has handles at the side to assist with getting off and on. People who just fully support themselves on those while their legs flail. Gnurgh.

BitOutOfPractice · 06/12/2017 12:53

@SpongeBobJudgeyPants quite the opposite. It's set up to face the wall in 'normal' use. This women faces out into the room with her back against the weights.

That's the machine I mean though, the squeezy machine as I call it

Nettletheelf · 06/12/2017 12:56

I’m with Katharina Rosalie on this one. If people don’t like the standard routine, why go to the class and add your own flourishes? Why continue with your big jumps even when the instructor has repeatedly asked you not to do them?

Ours is at her wits’ end with two of the Bodyattack participants. She has even resorted to saying, “I’m responsible for your safety in this class, please just do the routine as it’s taught”, but to no avail.

The other class members (including me, I am sorry to say) snigger at the show offs. We nickname one of them David Lee Roth. Not just because of her keenness to JUMP!!! but because of her choice of brightly coloured gym attire.

OP posts:
BitOutOfPractice · 06/12/2017 13:01

PourMeABrose I would love to ask the people that do that max incline / hanging on walk thing why? Just WHY?!

Iooselipssinkships · 06/12/2017 13:02

Someone once stole my clip in hair extensions from the Gym changing room! Even though they were mine I still thought it was grim and a bit weird.

rookiemere · 06/12/2017 13:07

Oh I'd forgotten about the Body Pump Bastards.

They're the ones who when the class is finished stand in front of the racks and proceed to loosen off their weights and tidy away from there , thus preventing anyone else from doing it until they finish. Drives me bananas and the instructor should say something.

Oh and a special place in hell is reserved for the swimming snowflakes who are too special to use the actual lanes and instead plow up and down in the family area stopping only to tut when a child - in the family swim area- gets in their way.

On the other hand I'm not sure why anyone would be annoyed at someone elses lack of progress. I go to classes, I disturb nobody so why the heck its of any interest to anyone else what type of press ups I do or weights I lift, I'm not enitrely sure.

KatharinaRosalie · 06/12/2017 13:07

Ilovetolurk you mean your instructor cuts tracks short to accommodate people and have extra breaks? That's not supposed to be happening either, people who can't keep up can take their own breaks separately. I would also not be happy to get a watered down class.

I might be too square but as said, it's a licenced pre-coreographed class that should look the same no matter where you are. If an instructor thinks this is not their cup of tea, there are plenty of freestyle classes to teach.

RhiannonOHara · 06/12/2017 13:11

There is a woman who tries to police where people stand in Zumba. She goes up behind people and growls at them.

There's one of those in my Zumba class.

Someone once asked me to move in Zumba because she couldn't see the teacher. I pointed out that we were all, including the teacher, moving about all the time, so even if I moved I might be back in her way again in a minute. She shook her head and scowled. Saw her talking/complaining to the teacher about something at the end and haven't seen her in class since. I don't know, obviously, if it was about me, but I had to wonder.

Also, people who come and get changed, and spread all their stuff about, right next to me in an otherwise empty changing room. Hmm

SeekEveryEveryKnownHidingPlace · 06/12/2017 13:11

Our LM teachers generally just leave it to people to decide if they want to pause - so after track 4 in BA, some people might be a bit slower getting their mats because they're combining it with having a sip of water: the track would still just start and they'd join in when they got there.

ManateeEquineOHara · 06/12/2017 13:13

Would never do Body-any class, the exercises are just naff and ineffective, and instructors are terrible in my experience. Any gym of health club that does these classes shows itself to not taking fitness seriously by using these

I love Les Mills classes and my gym has brill instructors. I did go to another gym for Body Balance once though and the instructor was dreadful, music really quiet and it was just absolute rubbish, so maybe you have just had bad experiences.

I think I am lucky cos mostly I don't see any of the stuff on this thread and I go to the gym most days (and also do a lot outdoors!). I do get two mats though for any class with floor work because my knees are really sensitive, so maybe I am the one people moan about Blush

SeekEveryEveryKnownHidingPlace · 06/12/2017 13:15

I also think LM classes are great. Horses for courses. And a horse that wants to mess everything up and get in everyone's way by being out of time/sync deliberately and to show off (rather than because new and still learning) should bog off and find another course IMO.

RhiannonOHara · 06/12/2017 13:15

Any gym of health club that does these classes shows itself to not taking fitness seriously by using these

What a silly thing to say. You've just experienced people not teaching the classes properly; others on this thread rate Les Mills v highly. FWIW I don't do them myself.

Ilovetolurk · 06/12/2017 13:18

KatharinaRosalie yes that’s right or miss out tracks altogether

I think I might also annoy you Nettle

I probably get sniggered out for my martial arts moves but then I have been doing combat since we had imaginary bows and arrows and swords (back when it was still fun and half the current instructors were but an egg)

Personally I think the problem is more the other way with unfit participants doing moves they are not capable of. Repeating jumping front kicks, or tuck jumps at the end of an attack cllass when tired

SeekEveryEveryKnownHidingPlace · 06/12/2017 13:20

Our BC instructor sometimes brings back the imaginary bows and arrows tracks when they're allowed to swap in old ones and get rid of all the stupid stuff that seems to appear in every new release