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.

You should set up a 'take a duck-faced selfie whilst you stroll and scroll' gym. From the sounds of it, you'd do a roaring trade.

My first response was of course you are being unreasonable, I am disabled and no longer able to run. Using a treadmill gives me something to hold on to for stability plus it is more cushioned than the pavement.

There are also safety issues for females exercising alone after dark in parks etc and I don't like breathing in traffic fumes so even when I could run I chose to use a treadmill at the gym.

BUT when it comes to youngsters (who have almost certainly not paid the full membership) sat chatting on the recumbent bikes, which is the only type I can use, or on their phones, sometimes with the pedals not even moving, they are just using it as a fecking chair, that annoys me.

In the gym I go to there are signs up saying no more than 15 minutes on cardio equipment at busy times, and I think that's fair enough when there are people waiting.

Why cant people just walk to work or to the gym and stuff

Lots of roads to run on OP if you don’t like it.

It's well below an ordinary walking speed for a healthy young adult. Unless they have health issues or injuries I don't think it's much more than 'dicking about'.

Maybe they feel safer in the gym than on the street

How is he always there before you? Do you both always go at the same time?

Even during the day

Yes it feels like that some are just doing the bare minimum that they can get away with without getting themselves kicked off the machine.

YABU. Since I tore the meniscus in both knees I’ve found walking outside on dodgy uneven pavements to be hard. The treadmill is cushioned and more even to walk on.

People use the gym for a variety of reasons. They pay the same as you and have the right to use the gym equipment however they wish within the rules of the gym.

I'm glad you've realised by the page 24 of your thread that you don't know everyone's medical or health conditions.

You were seemingly overtaking the NHS on diagnoses at the start of this thread because you could miraculously tell by what someone was wearing at the gym what health issues they did or didn't have.

Well, let's see... My nearest gym is about 12 miles away. Could that be the reason?

There's been a shift away from cardio in the last ten years and now there's more focus on strength training for fitness and weight management, this could explain why young women don't train hard on the treadmill clutching at straws here Although the trend is to walk on a high incline at a lower speed - still requires focus though and if you're able to use your phone or chat to your mate at the same time then the exercise is not benefitting you.

Yes, you have to read the room especially at peak times. No one chooses to go to the gym at 5pm, I'd love to go mid morning when it's quiet but I have to go after work when it's busy. And wait for the treadmill princesses to fix their hair and upload the pics to Instagram 😑

Then what the gym should do is to ask members to use such in-demand equipment for something like 30-minutes maximum. Whatever people do while they're using the machine is no business of yours, or @crinklechips

But it's nice to slag off other gym users. Me, I go around mocking other gym members if they're lifting less than 50 kilos. Because why should they use a squat rack or a lifting platform that I want to use at that very momrnt?

This was the first thing that came to my mind. There is a whole range of medical reasons that would benefit from gentle exercise.

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/17152246/?utm_source=chatgpt.com

https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamanetworkopen/fullarticle/2828487

https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10643563/

https://journals.physiology.org/doi/full/10.1152/japplphysiol.00706.2001?utm_source=chatgpt.com

https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/physiology/articles/10.3389/fphys.2021.737709/full

https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC6230216/

How does it affect you? Ask yourself that because if it doesn’t…then mind your own business!

People have varying levels of fitness, ability and some maybe have health conditions that they are just wanting the steps not a medal for.

It is judgy people like you that make self conscious people not want to go to the gym!!

When I had bursitis in both my knees (it was agony so I wasn't in the gym for about 3 months) I still looked like a healthy gym goer when I went back but I just did light exercise and that meant gently walking on a treadmill and definitely not running.

I'm sure the OP would have thought i was posing and shouldn't be in a gym at all.

still requires focus though and if you're able to use your phone or chat to your mate at the same time then the exercise is not benefitting you.

Yeah… this isn’t true.

Lots of people see the importance of getting plenty steps in their day but perhaps dont want to accrue too much fatigue for other athletic stuff.
For example, I play tons of racket sports and powerlifting, which are pretty knackering on one’s system.
I also like to try to hit a decent number of steps in a day as I sit on a computer all day for work. I’m hardly going to go and sprint on a treadmill when a gentle walk does the trick.

Fatigue management is more important than impressing someone at the gym

People like you stop or are stopping me from using my local gym. I have recently joined but I stick to the classes where there is less judgement. I had my induction for the gym and then went back to use it and came away disheartened by the attitudes of people like you. Remember, everyone has to start somewhere and for some people it takes a lot of courage to even step foot in one to start off with.

Most runners will spend the bulk of their time running at a low intensity (Zone1/2) in order to build up their aerobic endurance base. Some use heart rate to determine this, but a good rule of thumb is to ask: can I breathe through my nose and can I hold a conversation/sing along to a song. They will usually do 1 speed/interval workout a week ago a higher intensity. If they worked out at a high intensity all the time they would end up overtrained, injured and miserable.

I have no issues with people walking on the treadmill, but it really annoys me when people are on their phones taking selfies etc whilst using the equipment.

Too bad OP - you sound very entitled.

You aren’t just able to borrow books at a library if they arent physics books.
You aren’t just able to go to a grocery store if you only buy 20 items.
You aren’t just able to live in a one bed flat because you aren’t just single. Etc etc etc

Your judgements on people are entitled

They pay the same amount you do and if the gun has a time limit and they stick to it it doesn’t matter if they are sprinting or gently walking.

Pp was talking about incline walkers though and said if they could chat or use their phone at the same time then the exercise wasn’t beneficial. Which is untrue.