Asked to move at the gym

[CatamaranViper]

Firstly, the way our gym is laid out, you walk in and all the cardio equipment is either side of you, facing the walls. The equipment is all in pairs so it goes two treadmills, two rowing machines, two cross trainers, two bikes, two treadmills etc on each side.
When I came in, all CTs were free so I hopped on one. I usually do a 40 min program which is customised on my profile. All the cardio equipment has a big screen and you can watch netflix etc if you want. I usually do watch something.

So I was on the CT with my headphones in, facing the wall and about 10 mins into my workout. A lady taps me on the shoulder which made me jump and asks me to move machine. I gestured to the one next to me (I was a bit out of breath) and told her that it was free. She then told me that her and her friend like to do it side by side so I'd need to move for them. I was only 10 mins into my workout and I was quite settled where I was and she was rude. I said no, I'll be 30 mins or so, you can use it then.

One of the other pairs of CTs had a bloke on one so there weren't any two free together, but plenty other equipment was available and in pairs.

She demanded I move again and I just put my headphones back in. A few mins later a staff member comes over and asks how long I'll be. The screens shows I have about 25 mins left now, he sees this and off he goes. Next thing I hear a bang and one of the ladies has stormed out the gym. The other one is glaring at me and saying something I can't hear.

I mean, I could have moved to another CT but i always find it difficult if I stop and start again on those machines and there were other free CTs, just not two together. I don't think I did anything wrong but thought I'd ask on here. So WIBU to stay on my machine?

YADNBU - they were ridiculous

It blows my mind that they would
even ask, how ridiculous! Forget about those two nutters and enjoy your workouts.

Cheering for the OP not having moved.

YANBU how dare she??

Not this Be Kind rubbish.

The OP was mid workout, there were other free machines just not next to each other. You can bet your life they didn't approach the man on the other bank of machines. To then go running to a member of staff just shows how entitled they were.

YANBU. They are being staggeringly unreasonable. The world doesn't revolve around their desires.

@ThursdayTomorrow by that standard, why was the woman not thinking of the op and being kind to her ? 🙄

In what universe is it kind to interrupt someone else's workout twice, send a manager over, to harass and bully her into moving, just so you can cross train beside a friend? Do you really think this sort of bullying, intimidating, demanding behaviour should be indulged?

They could have rowed together or run together until OP had finished.

I think they probably lied to the staff member and accused OP of machine hogging/blocking. That’s why when he came over to chec, he backed off as he could see she was fine. Then he’s obviously told the two idiots that he can’t ask another member to shift for them. I don’t think he crappy at fault as he was just checking the situation (to probably pacify these two wallopers).

I could feeeel rage bubbling as I read your OP. I genuinely thought the staff member was going to ask you to move. The fact they didn't should be all the validation that you need.

Their request would've been okay if you hadn't started, but it's basic gym etiquette to not interrupt someone's workout. Firstly it's annoying as it disrupts your flow and could be dangerous, especially if you had been using weights or on the treadmill.

In other gyms I have known people to 'jump in' on bits of equipment in between sets, effectively sharing the equipment. This wouldn't be applicable here obviously.

They sound like entitled idiots who have obviously got away with it a few too many times. Good for you for sticking to your guns.

Tbh generally speaking, sadly a lot of people have anxiety or depression in todays society so arguably in any public place you’ll find people who match that description.

But I said this about the gym because I’ve got talking to a few regulars at the gym (in the changing rooms etc) over the years as I go alone, additionally I know irl and follow online a lot of people who post about their mental health and their struggles going to the gym despite how much it improves their mood when they’re actually there - and I see heaps of comments agreeing.

Exercise is a common thing that’s recommended for people with mental health issues so it makes sense. Obviously I can’t prove it by doing polls at randoms gyms and asking for “hands up who has mental health issues” or anything, but I don’t think it’s particularly unbelievable or surprising to think this could well be the case across many gyms.

On the flip side, people who have used a machine then just sit there on their phones for about 10 more minutes. That's really annoying and unnecessary

And to be clear by “many people” , I’m not necessarily saying most. As per my previous post, it would be hard to quantify exactly how many do or equally how many don’t.

DD goes to a gym and she gets asked how long she’s going to be quite often. I wouldn’t dream of that. Just go and do something else!

That rule only makes sense if there are no other machines not because you want to work out next to your friend.

Absolutely not, they were incredibly rude. For the person saying it would have been "kind" to move, NO. If you stop mid point on a treadmill you cannot transfer your data to the next one, you have to re-start the program all over again. It's a right pain in the arse. There is no reason why they have to run next to each other, sure they might prefer that but I would prefer the gym is empty when I work out but it never is. You cannot just demand to get what you want all the time. Rude fckers and I am glad you refused.

I wouldn’t have moved either because I work by heart rate zones and it would have been a massive pain to me to get off the machine when I was in my target zone and then restart somewhere else back in z1. I would have complained to the gym manager about it as well, they shouldn’t have asked you to move.

And for people saying it would be the ‘kind’ thing to do. The kind thing would have been for the bratty pair of women to not interrupt someone else’s workout and demand they move.

They were in the wrong. They sound like those annoying twats who chat rather than exercise properly (who can chat when doing cardio?!) then go for a massive calorie ridden coffee and claim they’ve been to the gym for a “workout”🤣

Why on earth is it pathetic?? 😄

I like to work out next to a friend sometimes but we’d always wait for machines to be free - have NEVER asked anyone to move! Crazy.

Learn to punch 😜

They can fuck off.

do you use a gym? Once you start your programme it is unreasonable for anyone to ask you to move unless there is an actual emergency.

Sure it is nice to train next to your friend, but meh. I wouldn't have moved either.

Should the man have been kind too?

Wow, they were very rude and it’s ridiculous behaviour from two adults. You were right to stand your ground, why should you move mid-workout?

Our gym has really changed over the last decade or so. It used to be full of people who were actually, ... you know ... trying to get/keep fit in at least a moderately serious way. Now 50% of members seem to be people who have no real intent to do any proper exercise at all. They stroll on the treadmill using their phones, they come to have their nails done in the salon bit and then flaff around on the machines for a while, or they come to meet their mates and do a bit of low-level moving before they head off to the gym cafe.

I guess the silly woman asking the OP to move was in that category of gym user, and simply had no understanding that if you are pushing yourself it is incredibly disruptive to be expected to stop and hop on to another piece of equipment. You were definitely NOT being unreasonable OP!!

I've been using gyms for years and it's perfectly ok to ask someone (doing sets for eg, when they're on the break bit) how much longer they need.

It isn't ok to ask anyone when similar machines are free, though.