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?

Except that having a gym buddy might motivate someone to enter the doors of a gym and work out that they wouldn't do without a buddy ..,

Well if they had just used manners and politeness when they asked, chances are you may have moved maybe.
But to say "you need to move"..er, no. No you don't.

It’s modern day entitlement really isn’t it? Excuse me, but myself and my friend have decided that we’ll use this machine now!! Nobody waits for anything anymore!!!

On this occasion there were two CT machines free, they just weren't side by side. These two women could both have done their session without waiting if they hadn't decided to behave like a pair of 12 year olds.

She then told me that her and her friend like to do it side by side... How pathetic.

so I'd need to move for them. So rude and entitled!

Op
I'm sorry you had to endure these clowns.
I'd move gym as the staff lacked social skills, otherwise they would have told the two to go to another machine or wait.

move gyms

Yes, but it's normally if no other machine is available. My gym has a 20 min rule at peak times. I never go at peak times so never thought much about it.

In the middle of your programme? I wouldn't.

You shouldn't be touching strangers anyway. I had someone tap me really hard on a bus as they wanted a seat that my disabled child was sitting in. She had no right to poke me so hard that it actually hurt. When I explained my child wears splints on his feet and can't walk very far, she said "that's no excuse, I need the seat" after that there was no way I was going to help her.

She was a dick, the world is full of them these days. I understand why people want to go to the gym with a friend (I’ve recently joined one and prefer to go on my own with a podcast but I still get it) however common sense would suggest that you won’t always be able to be side by side as its not your own private gym.

I was at my Gym the other day and the only two free machines were on either side of me. Two friends went on them and proceeded to shout a conversation over at each other so I couldn’t hear what I was listening to. If I hadn’t been nearly done I would have offered to swap just so I didn’t have to listen to it but if they had demanded I move I would have said no because as my Mum always tells me I am quite contrary.

Really interesting reading all the responses to your post OP (and for once I have actually RTWDT!). You were 100% NBU, and it’s totally out of order to interrupt someone mid-exercise in any way, let alone by bloody tapping them on the shoulder and probably startling the crap out of them.

But….for all of those talking about waiting for machines in use….at my gym, it’s considered perfectly good etiquette to ask if you can jump in between sets. Obviously, you don’t interrupt them during their set, and it might not work if the level of effort required to de-rack their weights to change over to yours takes longer than the actual set, but otherwise it’s considered a) fine to ask and b) pretty rude to say “no” unless you’re about to finish or doing supersets.

I had the opposite the other day and am still pretty irritated. Someone asked how many sets I had left, I said 4 and she turned to leave so I told her she could jump in between mine. She did, but didnt say thank you, kept changing all the settings but not changing them back (also bad etiquette if someone has offered to share) and when she finished before me just walked off, again without saying thank you. Sounds super petty when I write it out like that, but it really annoyed me at the time 😂

Interesting logic. So, where do we draw a line with that level of entitlement? “Ooh, that burger you’re eating looks great, I want it and can’t be bothered getting my own, so you need to give it to me.”

The OP should not have moved and I’m glad she didn’t. It has fuck all to do with being kind. These women were spoilt and entitled cheeky fuckers who also seem a bit pathetic if they can’t stand to be separated for an hour at the gym 🙄.

I’m just waiting for the AIBU from the cheeky fucker herself. “Rude lady at the gym wouldn’t give up her machine for me after I asked her told her to move because I wanted to work out next to my friend, AIBU?”

Honestly, this is why I hate people.

You had a lucky escape, no doubt if 2 machines had been free next to you they would have hopped on, walked very slowly and had a long loud chat.

no, it isn't. If you pay to go to the gym (especially one where the staff programmed that 40 minute work out) then doing a training session isn't excessive. You finish your programme, and they either wait or they do something else.

Honestly I'd not be happy paying as much as gym memberships cost for them to not have enough equipment and to be interrupted by another customer. You're paying for a service and not receiving it. If they have specific busy/peak times listed and everyone going at those times knows they're taking a gamble that's a bit different.

But then I only go to gyms where there's usually max 5 people 😂 And I've never paid more than £30/m, I hear the big names are busier ones.

Mine is £35 a month and has an online booking app so you can see how many people are there anyways. I always go when it's less than 50% full.

Yep. Which is what I said in my original comment and one after that. Then this went off topic when I started to respond back. I should have known better 😅 But defo. No need to move. I don't like gyms or people in general so I try to go in after 10pm when possible😄

Well done you!

You were right. I would have moved but then I am a people please-er, and I also do not go to the gym!

Buf surely these two women were just thinking of themselves?
I find it sad how so many people nowadays are entitled arseholes.

Yeah, I’ve found the behaviour is a lot better at my bodybuilder gym than when I used to go to the local leisure centre one.

They sounds like kids who want to use the swings together!

This this this. Well done OP for not backing down. We have these annoying people in the spinning classes at my gym who absolutely cannot survive without being next to each other, then literally spend the entire class talking. Couple of weeks ago the instructor asked in front of everyone if they were ever going to shut up and their faces were a picture 😂

I think I'm too much of a gym novice to go to a bb gym!

Totally pointless post then? I’ll give you a double 😀😀for that backleddling.