People walking on treadmills in the gym

[crinklechips]

OK to start with I know I'm being a bit U but I need to have a mini-rant.

I use currently use the gym mainly for running intervals and speedier sessions which are easier to manage indoors.

Every time I go in all the treadmills are taken, and mostly by people walking.

Now I can totally understand that people have different fitness levels, might be using the treadmill to warm up or for recovery and that's absolutely fine.

But there seems to a growing number of people (actually, exclusively younger women in my observation) just using the treadmills for a gentle stroll while messing around on their phones.

I ended up next to a young woman last night who spent the entire half hour I was on the neighbouring treadmill walking at 3kph, no incline, while scrolling instagram. I can barely call that exercise, it's below a normal walking pace. If that's how you want to kill time then I guess it's up to you but it just seems selfish when there's a queue of people waiting for a treadmill.

I do 4 kmh 30 minutes treadmill walking several times a week for hypermobility and other joint issues. I focus on slow control of my body when walking and it is more stable than walking outside. It’s massively improved my day to day function. I’m also about to do IVF and have been told no exercise but gentle walking until 8 weeks.

But I look like any other 30 year old on a treadmill and sometimes I look at Instagram. Thankfully no passive aggressive people lurking nearby judging what I’m doing or angry they have to wait to use a machine - I know what real problems are, and stressing about how other people choose to work out or having to wait to use a machine are not.

And even if these people at your gym don’t have a medical reason to “only” walk… they’re still paying members, same as you…

You may actually benefit from incorporating a slow walk here and there… to chill the eff out!

I went on the treadmill next to a lady reading a book whilst she walked! Mainly I was just amazed that she could read and walk and not fall off. Other than that I didn’t care how she was using it and I just got on with my day.

I walk 15000 steps per day, I do approximately half of this on a treadmill. I don't use an incline. But, if I walk outdoors, the slightest uneven path (generally not what someone else would consider uneven) is a real issue for me. Most paths have a slight angle to them a few degrees drop left to right or right to left, to angle water away from buildings. Even those few degrees will give my back issues.

I've also had both knees replaced, so my walking pace, at best is 3.5kph. If you look at me, I probably look pretty fit and healthy for my age. You can't see my knee scars through active wear.

Granted, most of my treadmill walking is done on the treadmill at home. If I am travelling and using a gym, I do the polite thing and limit my turn to 30 minutes. I'll only stay on after that if there's a couple of other empty treadmills.

I think if someone has paid for a gym membership, them as long as they limit themselves to 30 minutes, then it's not for anyone else to comment on their speed or incline. I was in a gym recently and there was a guy in his 60s walking backwards slowly on the treadmill. I don't know why, but as long as he didn't stay too long, then, whatever,

This right here is the exact reason people are too intimidated to go to the gym.

I need to shift a stone, possibly two to get down to my desired size 10, but it’s because of women like this watching how fast I’m walking or what weights I’m lifting that I don’t want to go.

Exactly, it’s in use whether they’re walking or running. They pay to use the equipment so how they exercise is up to them

I always tell myself no one is paying any attention to anyone else at the gym, but clearly some people are!

(And that belief was what got me started at the gym 8 years ago- wouldn’t have managed it if I’d believed there might be people judging me)

The OP is most definitely in the minority. Most people do not notice what others are doing. Certainly those people who take their training seriously do not notice at all what others are doing.

A stranger's opinion counts for nothing. Go to the gym if you want to go to the gym.

And strolling at 3kph with no incline for half an hour is not a warm up, you'd get more of a warm up walking from the car park.

How do you know @crinklechips ? Your knowledge of body work and physical activity seems a bit limited.

A warm up is anything which gets the blood moving into the major limbs and torso. A warm up might include swinging the arms, or swinging legs to loosen the hips. My warm up involves walking, leg and arm swinging, and backwards rolls to loosen off my back. I doubt my HR rises or my breathing changes - well, actually my breathing does change - it becomes intentional and I start to align it with where my effort is going.

But I'm getting the blood flowing and loosening off muscles I'm going to use in my workout - or my ballet class. I do pretty much the same initial warm up whether I'm about to deadift 100 kilos, or do some double pirouettes.

So, you know, maybe your knowledge of movement and physiology is a bit, er, limited?

My daughter and her friends go to the gym and walk on the treadmills together. I think it’s great - way better than sitting holes up in their rooms alone, they are active and doing something for themselves and building a good habit. I’d hate to think someone miserable was at the gym making them feel bad about it!

No, but some people are doing slow walking to warm up as their main focus is weights. And some people can't go very fast on the treadmill, not just due to fitness but because of balance issues. I can't go faster than 8kph. I can run at 10pkh outdoors but on a treadmill it feels faster than that and that I'm going to fly off the back.

Anyway, whatever. If they spend half an hour walking at 3kph good luck to them as it's better than half an hour on the sofa.

You make good points.

Well, except for the slow supermarket packers. 😂

You burn the same amount of calories walking a mile as running a mile. It may not be having the same impact in terms of cardio but for calorie loss it works...it just takes longer.

But I might be surprised if the demographic of people using blue badge spaces shifted significantly to people in their 20s and (in so far as I can stretch the analogy) this is this shift that's happened in the gym.

What on EARTH are you on about?! 🤣🤣🤣

I read a book when i walk on the TM. Maybe it was me!!

Machines love, not free weights. Whilst I have understood your need to belittle what I said, I know the difference between the machine use I am talking about vs someone who dead-lifts their body weight.

Come to my gym! We cheer each other on, and the big gym bros are he sweetest of all. A young lad once apologised to me for not noticing that |I'd had to bail out of a bench press lift. I hadn't asked him for a spot or anything, but he felt he should have noticed, and helped me.

That's the sort of gym you want to join @Moveoverdarlin - But I'm not at a high street chain (I suspect it's something like the "pure" place where the OP probably goes ). See if you can find a good local independent gym with members like the one at mine. I see the gym owners and manager working out there, training each other, and coaching teen and tweenagers.

We'd cheer you on!

Wow. I have asthma and for a while it was pretty serious so I'll stick with the agreed plan I made with my qualified PT I reckon, even if Mrs Judgey Pants thinks Im going too slow.

OP, you ask what people are getting out of this? Increased fitness is what I'm getting out of it and this is the phase I'm in right now.

I'm now nearly 66 and I need to shift another three stones. I'm grateful that the folk at my gym are very positive and helpful.

At lunchtimes, it's often just oldies and young lads popping from the adjacent college. A couple of times, I've had one of the latter coming over and offering to help me adjust a machine and so on.

You can't ban phones. People are allowed to use devices to make the workout time pass how they want.

I use a heart rate monitor with a phone app that shows me my heart rate and what Zone I'm in and a rower app. That's not uncommon. I also might be listening to an audiobook. That time I'm sitting there on the rower is my rest interval. And yes, I might be doing a 2 or 3 minute rest to get my heart rate to where it should be or check my recovery time.

And threads like these are why some people hate going to the gym thinking people will judge them….

How long are you running on the treadmill OP? There may be people very frustrated because all they need is a 10 minute walk to warm up, but you're hogging the treadmill 🤷

When people talking about only having a limited amount of time available to use a gym, I do wonder why they bother at all. They have to go through all the faff of getting there, clocking in, going to the changing rooms, changing and putting your stuff away, then showering and changing again after their class or workout and getting back for whatever they're supposed to be doing afterwards. That means you use at least 20 minutes of the limited time you have available on peripherals, and you are paying a lot of money for the privilege. Whereas you could have a run from your doorstep in the mornings and spend more time actually exercising, all for virtually no cost at all. Seems like a no brainer when it comes to making the choice.

If there aren't enough treadmills, suggest to your gym that

• they buy more
• some are reserved for runners only
• people can sign up for a time slot on one

I only found this out too recently, but research does show you need the longer rests between sets.

Just who died and made you Empress of the treadmills?