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 say this as someone who does similar workouts to you.

You have no idea if those healthy looking women have a knee, hip or ankle issue.
They might have all sorts of issues that make high impact sport impossible.
YABVU
Also I don't get why you can't complete a workout. Surely you wait (for about 20 minutes) until one comes free and then do your time.

What IS annoying are the men at my gym doing hyrax workouts, using the treadmill for 1 km and then abandoning it for 20 minutes to do other stuff and expecting it to remain reserved for them. We do just chuck their stuff off and use it.

Something else like what?

I looked healthy externally but spent 6 months of my pregnancy in bed, also internally my C-section wound ruptured so I had to be very careful, apologise for not fitting your meaning of “ill and infirm”.

YABU. You have no idea about the reasons other people act as they do.

If you want your own treadmill, buy one.

I have a bunch of titanium in my ankle.
I walk on treadmills as I can use the incline.
I cannot run.

You are being short sighted and you are one of "those" gym users.

You are not better than them.

There are a million reasons for someone to walk on a treadmill. Not least it’s cold and dark and not necessarily safe for women to walk outside at the moment.

I walk on the treadmill after my lifting session to get some mild cardio in. It’s boring as fuck so I watch something on my phone and sometimes scroll. I run outside as I hate running on a treadmill. Didn’t realise I was there to be judged.

It’s quite hard for people who have had injuries.

I do walk my dog everyday, but it’s stressful. I am terrified of slipping, tripping (I’m also partially sighted so I am constantly on edge in the winter). If I injure my back again, I’m fucked. It’s not relaxing at all.

walking on a flat treadmill treadmill is. I’m not going to trip or fall.

But again, to look at me, you wouldn’t know any of that.

I love a little post workout scroll and walk on a treadmill, what I hate is when someone takes the squat rack for pull-ups 😂 but I don't own the gym so each to their own I guess 🤷

I don't understand why you can't manage your 'speedier' sessions and intervals outside. I manage. Why can't you? As you are clearly so much better than everyone else.

Lets just be honest, you are judging glam young women in gymwear, that you think are just there to take a selfie for Instragram.

I am 30. Have a sever prolapse. I wear specific leggings to hold my internal organs up while I await surgery.

You wouldn't know by looking at me.

I walk a treadmill because I do pelvic floor exercises while walking, again you obviously can't see that. But I have to go slow. I cannot imcline because the pressure on my pelvis is too much. If I go too fast, I can't walk for days again.

But please, judge me on what I'm wearing.

Do you follow them home and judge their diet too? Wind your neck in OP.

If it bothers you that much, buy a treadmill and position it infront of a full length mirror at home. That way, you only have to see perfection while you exercise. SMH!

I feel like there's some thing else going on.

Ooh. Something murky and nefarious, presumably. Go on, what's this shadowy activity that's the sole preserve of young women? I feel like we should all know. Sounds dangerous!

I don't do treadmills, never saw the point but IF I did it would be a slow non inclined walk as I have asthma which can be fatal (I have had full respiratory arrest before a several family members have died from it).

I can walk at regular pace on the flat ground ok but if my heart rate rises from cardio exersize I can literally die. There was a thread on here last year about a woman who had died while running scared and honestly given its one of the deadliest conditions in the UK killing over a thousand young often otherwise healthy people per year I'm surprised more don't talk about it.

Asthma is also heavily triggered by cold air, people are 10x more likely to have a cardo induced asthma attack during winter while outdoors.

Asthmatics still need to do exercise though. A slow walk is the only cardio I can do, I tend to just do basic core strength instead. You being privileged to be able to run does not make you more deserving of a quality of health and life or no wait times though. If anything it seems selfish to me that as someone without medical issues who has the option and could just go run outside and leave the treadmills to those who actually have reason to need them you choose not too but also then look down on others with different abilities who might not have any other choices.

ask the gym if they could revise the phone policy?
my gym has a no phones, no cameras policy.
it's great
it reduces posing and equipment hogging.

Cold dark and wet - walking is grand exercise and people should do more so let them get on

Gyms do seem to involve waiting for others.
Our little council gym is great, mostly old fogeys like me on a week day morning.
I recently joined after years of being unwell. I have a medical referral and a tailored programme. I can't walk fast or run because of my hip so I do a slow walk on maximum incline. I can't do regular squats yet but I do them holding onto a rope thing. Unfortunately I seldom get access to it because of bloke hogging the corner where they are. I also feel too embarrassed to do the 2kg dumbbell exercises I was prescribed so I do those at home.

Having said all that I do take your point. Perhaps these women are at the gym more for social reasons?

Just to emphasise again that MOST of the people using the treadmills in my gym are walking not running and (despite clearly being the worst kind of unreasonable and judgey person) that I'm not judging the people who are using the treadmills for recovery, developing fitness from a low base etc and I think broadly speaking you can tell where this is the case.

Because it's been pissing down with rain for 6 weeks.. . Maybe......

You’re being horrible and judgemental OP, shame on you.
I go to the gym and walk on the treadmill - I have invisible disabilities. Thank you for judging me 🙄

My DDs boyfriend is a very fit looking 22 year old. Who also happened to be in hospital for two months over Christmas with a previously undiagnosed heart condition.

When I run, I do it outside, along the bleak North Sea front. I find it irritating that people like you can't be arsed to do the same, and there's so much room taken up by treadmills that could have been used for much more useful machines.

Who cares OP? Their money is as good as yours.

Newsflash. Everyone is judging and getting mildly annoyed by stuff, all the time. It’s human nature. I also get mildly irritated at people who stop right in front of me without warning while walking, who don’t know the width of their own cars, people who take ages between sets on weight machines and a number of other things, and I don’t know their superhero origins story either. I don’t do or say anything, I just internally think ‘ugh’ for a second and then carry on with my day and don’t think about it again. So YANBU to be annoyed inside, OP. YABU if you acted on it in any way but some stuff just annoys us and that’s okay.

I def would recommend a home walking pad to anyone though who is taking themselves to the gym just to walk on a treadmill, unless you want the social space of the gym. They are far cheaper than a gym membership past a couple of months of use. I use mine a lot while working and they are far lower profile and storable than a treadmill (which I also have but use exclusively for running or hiking). They have a decent resale price too! Mine has been a great investment.

I wouldn't go if I couldn't listen to a podcast or music. I have noise cancelling headphones to block out the horrendous noise they play at the gym.

Also, don’t go to the pub and order a soft drink. You’re using up the bartender’s time when they could be pouring me a pint.