People doing their own thing in gym classes

[Booksandwine80]

As I get more brave I try more classes at the gym.

Some of the things I’ve seen are truly bizarre, and sometimes just downright rude towards the instructor

In spin this morning-a man, clearly doing his own workout, ignoring the instructor - ok, fine if you have your own plan - but continually sprinting when the rest of us had slowed down, and yelling out whilst doing so is just bloody off putting

I know if the instructor has an issue with this she should say something herself but I just think it’s odd

In another class, a woman is always showing off how she can do the most powerful, explosive burpees-fine, that’s amazing but not when the rest of us are supposed to be lunging. Again, shouting and clapping while you’re doing it?!

Is it just me that finds this weird?! Anyone else experience weirdness at the gym?

I would find this weird but have never seen anyone doing it - your gym seems to attract strange people!

Never seen that. In one aerobic class a clearly anorexic woman always worked out holding weights. The instructor would say at the beginning each time that she didn’t recommend weights for this class, but the woman kept using them. She followed the class though.
Not sure what the point of going to a class is if you aren’t going to follow it.

This is why I gave up classes.

Not like the people in the example but I could never work out what it was I was supposed to be going.

By the time my brain had deciphered walk forward 4 paces, everyone was on the way back so I just used to do my own thing and try and get it into the class.

Everyone used to look at me and get annoyed I was in their way.

How do you decipher what is being instructed and immediately be able to do it?

I won’t take that personally @DonttouchthatLarry

People not quite “getting it” or keeping up with steps is totally different-I’m quite often going left when I’m supposed to be going right

I’m talking about just totally free styling @Oliversmumsarmy

I sometimes do my own thing in classes, but that’s because I’m mainly a runner. I generally do classes when I’m injured (or on a rest day). I know what I need to do, and what to avoid. So when I had runners knee and went to body combat I’d do punches whilst everyone else was doing jump kicks.

Could these people simply be trying to show horn their body requirements into a gym class? Or is it really a case of look at how much better I am than the rest of you ?!?

You could be referring to me in spin. I’m fitter than the average (visible abs) abs so when a class is pitched down the middle (understandably) I need to do more than the average to get a decent workout for me - which is what I’m paying for. I’d never critique someone for doing less than the average instruction, so why would there be an issue with someone doing more.
I’d everyone could do the clap burpees, surely that’s where the class would be pitched?

Several people, including me, modify parts of a workout for various reasons, but everyone just gets on and does their thing as part of the class. Certainly no shouting or claims about it!

Your people sound weird!

I get it, I modify certain things as a couple of moves are too high impact for me. But I just get on with it. These people seem to want to draw attention to themselves.

They are not my people @BuzzShitbagBobbly

I wonder if you go to my gym? I have literally just noticed this phenomenon after taking up exercise classes again.

The worst offender was a young woman who basically did whatever she fancied alongside the class. When everyone else had little weights, she had none. When they were stretching, she was doing something else.

Everyone else ignored her but it was distracting.

That wasn't the only time I've noticed it. I went to a circuits class and a man basically followed the pace of the class but did whatever he fancied. Odd.

This exact sort of thing is why the general public wind me up no end there’s always an attention seeking nob in every situation these days

There is a woman in my yoga class who.is just quietly superior and smug, throwing in a few more advanced moves where possible.... she wears a turquoise leotard ca. 1982

I feel irrational hatred towards her

Her husband comes too, and always tries to chat women up, offering them massages, she will smile indulgently

Sometimes, when I am late, the only place available is between them, which makes me feel tense

All of this is exactly why I loathe doing any kind of exercise with other people!

My partner instructs box fit classes. Without fail a pair of men come to each class and just start hammering the punchbag for the whole session. Why not just go to the gym?

You ha.ve someone's husband in your yoga classwho offers to massage you? Wtaf??!!!

I've seen someone in a choreographed class just totally free style it out. It was pretty funny but why bother? You could just stay in your bedroom and freestyle!!

I sometimes do my own thing in circuits, but for good reason.
I've only recently returned after pregnancy so I've been laying off sit ups. I do plank or hip raises instead.
My fitness isn't where it was so I won't even attempt to jump up on the 60 boxes. I am happy to pull out a 40 or even a 20 just for me.
I am trying to lose my baby weight. Parachute runs are uncomfortable for me, as is the sled move when you have to ram your arse backwards into the treadmill! If they are part of the circuit, I'll usually just run.
I hope no one judges me for this. I am not looking for attention, I just want to do what I am able to do and get the most from the workout.

In some classes, if you haven’t been instructed to do it, then the instructor should be telling you to stop - at the end of the day it’s an insurance issue . If someone was to be doing something they were not instructed to do then...

liver in my Pilates class a lot of people do different exercises due to injured knees or dodgy hips. This is fine. I think OP means something like going to Pilates and doing a zumba routine.

Do you live in Hull Solitude? Is Brian at it again?

Off subject but I would love to see an explosive burpee

‘Explosive’ burpees made me think explosive diarrhoea. That would be attention grabbing.

Yes I’ve already said that modification is fine, I do it myself. It’s the crazy people going totally mad and off piste so to speak.

I just think it’s weird-with these particular people, almost as though the class is somehow beneath them?

@Liverbird77 I’m post baby too (she’s two but pelvic floor is still ruined so I totally get it)

You could be talking about me in my last spin class! Frankly I was pissed off that the usual fantastic SPIN instructor was off again to be replaced by the woman who treats it as dance aerobics on a bike.

I'm dyspraxic. I go to spin to power along with the best muscles in my body - I deliberately avoid dance based classes because I'm so bad. Not fart around dancing and waving my arms around (let alone having a shoulder injury).

I was just making the best of a bad job. I don't about though.