Annoying women at the gym AIBU?

[Spookygoose]

I go to a group strength training gym, almost all the group are women. I’ve started to notice how much many of them seem to play up to the stereotype of a weak, silly, giggly woman. When the (male) instructor is explaining a weights exercise many of them will look aghast, as if they couldn’t possibly do a bicep curl with the 3kg weight he’s demonstrating. Then they’ll act all flustered around the dumbbell as if they don’t know how to pick it up, or do a dramatic scream if one of the weight plates makes a loud noise on a machine when it goes down. Some will giggle and ask for a lighter weight before they’ve even tried to lift the one they’ve been given. Others do a really dramatic performance of lifting fairly light, manageable weights as if they’re trying to lift a car above their heads. There’s a lot of childish giggling and “don’t make me do this!” And “I can’t do anymore!” (After 2 or 3 reps). It’s so annoying! These are young & middle-aged, healthy looking women, who have been going to the gym for a long time, so clearly know what they’re doing. Why are they pretending to be so weak & pathetic?!

YABU.

I do strength training twice a week, I have never seen this behaviour.

Where’s your gym? 1965?

I’ve never ever experienced women behaving like that, so I suggest this particular class must be extremely unusual so find a different class.

Blimey, never seen this behaviour, how odd.

Never seen

Sounds like you might be over egging it a bit? I’m not a natural gym-goer but force myself, and can never remember how to do something, work a machine and often find the weights too heavy. I do make noises and look aghast a lot, but at least I’m giving it a go! I’d be mortified if someone like you was judging me 😐

It’s not every woman there but out of a group of 15, say it’s about 4 or 5 of them. Point is, they are capable of doing the weights - I’ve seen them, but act like they’re not

It is odd, are they trying to be helpless women as they have a crush on the PT? Still odd, became If I was trying to impress a male PT I’d be doing the opposite and trying to prove how much I could lift. 🤷‍♀️

Yeah I’ve seen this. They’re arseholes and I bet the instructor is thinking “Oh ffs not again…”

My mum does this but with movies. She will loud scream or pretend to not understand.

Also when I worked in a nursery and we got a male member of staff. All of the ladies started wearing low cut tops. No joke. They would would also try and do things for him.

There’a nothing wrong with starting on lighter weights.

I’ve pulled muscles before so when I started strength training, I deliberately started on the lightest ones. The male instructor suggested heavier ones but he soon realised I didn’t have the strength for them yet.

You sound very judgemental.

That sounds really annoying OP, I would be just as irritated as you. It sounds like they are playing up to the PT? Is he good looking or something? Maybe a couple of eye rolls their way next time they do it? 😂

Yeah well this would pee me off too.

Don't do any weights classes, but I stopped with cardio classes when, for the first twenty minutes, the instructor (female) would be disecting last night's Strictly with the front row stalwarts - but woe betide if you wait till the music finally starts before slipping quietly into the studio😬

You must have unfortunately got a bad egg of group as in the 20 plus years of gym I've never had classmates like that! It would annoy me as well and I'd probably find something else.

Where is this?

Get yourself a good audio book for the gym. It will pass the time quicker than judging others will.

Some women act really stupid around preceived good looking men. Gets tiresome listening to grown women giggling about a workman or a waiter.
The guy is probably thinking all the more, easy shags or just bloody stupid, as I would if I was a bloke. Either way I wouldn't be interested in someone throwing themselves at me.

It’s not something I’ve ever experienced, but it sounds like a small number of the class are playing off each other a bit? It does sound annoying though.

Oh yes OP I know exactly what you mean. In fact I think its very common when there are a group of friends. I dismiss them mentally as 'silly women' and there are many of them out there. Several go to a zumba class I go to. A few months back I did a yoga class and there was one, a sole offender which is unusual, and the instructor was a woman too. Whenever she said 'now let's see if we can extend this pose' .. or anything that increased the challenge, the silly woman would start laughing loudly. Like it's hilarious for an exercise instructor at an exercise class to suggest an exercise.

Exactly my though as well!

I’ve seen this at the gym too. It’s one reason why I don’t like classes. And yes, any PT worth his or her salt will not be impressed!

That's hugely unfortunate. In my experience, women who lift are really proud of being strong and getting stronger; those who want to be all weak and delicate don't tend to lift!

Probably not much you can do except ignore it.

This thread reminds me of the character on the Fast Show. Aggressive and assertive to other women but flirty and acts stupid and helpless around men.

Furry front bottom

Likewise

Oh gosh. I'd find that type of behaviour baffling. Luckily I go to a local gym where everyone just gets on with it. We have 80plus year old lifting weights...it's fab.