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Dealing with jerks at your gym
Caslon6000 Posts: 6602	Jul 12, 2008 4:02 AM GMT Quote Story Highlights Complaints about misbehavior at gyms are common Spat can be sparked by sweaty equipment, personal space, loud grunting Oppressive body odor, excessive locker-room nudity can be offensive If situation could turn ugly, try to get gym manager to handle it http://www.cnn.com/2008/LIVING/personal/07/11/lw.gym.jerks/index.html

muscletroy Posts: 140	Jul 12, 2008 4:53 AM GMT Quote Dealing with jerks in the gym..hmmmm... there are many ways. The most effective, completely ignore them. Yes that's right pretend they do not exist. Being a jerk is the guy equivalent of a girl acting stupid to get attention. If you do not give them what they crave, they hate that.
muchmorethanm... Posts: 1747	Jul 12, 2008 5:15 AM GMT Quote Sometimes ignoring them is not the best option. Once a personal trainer bumped into me really hard as I was walking by. We were passing each other and I made it a point to move over and he still bumped me hard. I know he did it on purpose. I'm afraid if he does it again I'll go ballistic on his ass. Another time one of the maintenance guys was dusting the duct work near the ceiling. It hadn't been done in years and all these chunks of dust came flying down all over the place. I was concerned about breathing in this toxic crap. Granted, my gym is open 24 hours a day so they have to find some time to do it. I think it was 11pm. But they could have used a vacuum device instead of simply using a towel and swatting it at the dirty ductwork. It was so ghetto. I got huffy with him and told him he had to stop. We're in a gym to be in shape and healthy. Not to saturate our airways with irreversible damage.
redheadguy Posts: 1888	Jul 12, 2008 7:24 AM GMT Quote I think muscletroy is right, the best way to deal with these people is to ignore them and just get on with your own thing. Sometimes it difficult though. At the moment my pet peeve is being in the swimming pool with guys wearing long board shorts (which they've been using in the gym!) and which are designed for posing on the beach not serious swimming. What have they got in their pockets? That is so rank and unhygenic. You don't see women swimming swimming in their gym gear why is it alright for men to swim in this get-up? Bleurgh!
Triggerman Posts: 228	Jul 12, 2008 7:48 AM GMT Quote Such is life in a gym. I just try to be polite with everyone. My pet peeve is guys using three pieces of equipment at once. Circuit training. Whatever....do it when the gym is empty. Don't tie up the leg press, squat rack, and leg extension machine when the gym is full. It is almost always the wannabees. Go on with your bad chicken-legged self.
LittleDudeWit... Posts: 526	Jul 12, 2008 12:27 PM GMT Quote About the only problem I have is when guys drop a machine weight when on their last rep. . . and the resulting crash reverberates through the entire gym. Sometimes, it's incredibly loud, and it sounds like a bomb going off. I'm also beginning to wonder if there are ANY gay people within a 30-mile radius of me. Sure doesn't seem to be any at my gym.
HndsmKansan Posts: 2446	Jul 12, 2008 12:40 PM GMT Quote Really at the YMCA's in Wichita, there really isn't much of a problem. I think the only real issue I ever had since I've been there (which is 7.5 years) was a redneck dude about 2 years ago. He wasn't using a piece of equipment, he was gabbing and I needed to use that equipment. I suggested he use the equipment or gab. I got some nasty looks.. then and an attitude from him occasionally after. He was a classic redneck and isn't even there now.
hotversguynnj Posts: 57	Jul 12, 2008 12:40 PM GMT Quote Lets not forget the Locker room ediquette. I seens guys shaving their private parts, Blow drying their balls..ect...ect...right in the middle of everyone. GROSS!!!. I wanna call the owner....LOL......
Buckwheet Posts: 870	Jul 12, 2008 2:47 PM GMT Quote HndsmKansan said He was a classic redneck ... Stereotype much? hotversguynnj said Blow drying their balls..ect... LMAO
zeebyaboi Posts: 165	Jul 12, 2008 5:44 PM GMT Quote I don't understand why some of the above posters seem so prudish about nudity in the gym or locker room. We should be able to feel free to be nude at some point, and in many other countries beyond America, nudity is the norm, and nobody gets bent out of shape about it. I personally LIKE seeing man walk around naked in the gym, doesn't bother me a bit. If you're gonna be naked, that's the proper place for it. The place where you are toning your body. What DOES bother me is something that happens at my gym/bath house, is when some of these really arragant Middle Eastern guys (no offense to my brothers from the Middle East, but here in the L.A. area, so many guys from Iran, Iraq, Lebanon, Saudi Arabia, and those areas are INCREDIBLY pushy and arrogant) and occasional Caucasian bear-types, go into the steamroom and lather themselves up and start SHAVING, right there in the room. THAT'S disgusting, not to mention terribly rude and unhygenic. But, when you say something to them, or the management says something, they act like it's their RIGHT to endanger everyone else's health without a care in the world. The second-worst behavior in the steamroom are these trollish fat guys who come in there wearing street clothes, like T-shirts or tanktops and board shorts, and even tennis shoes! Again, the steamroom is meant to be used NAKED, with AT most a towel or a jockstrap, or MAYBE a thong or Speedo. But these fat guys are too embarrassed to strip because, well, they're out of shape to the point of being corpulent, and it's offensive. The only reason they go to the gym/bath is to ogle other guys without mercy, and even try to make passes at the rest of us without us ever giving any indication that we're interested. Trolls. Sorry for the rant. And, no offense to my Middle Eastern and White brothers.
hotversguynnj Posts: 57	Jul 12, 2008 5:46 PM GMT Quote Buckwheet said HndsmKansan said He was a classic redneck ... Stereotype much? hotversguynnj said Blow drying their balls..ect... LMAO Trust me!...Its nuhtin to Laugh at...Its always the Heasvest, grossest & out of shape guys that do it!...
a1972guy Posts: 1557	Jul 12, 2008 5:58 PM GMT Quote hotversguynnj saidLets not forget Blow drying their balls..ect...ect...right in the middle of everyone. GROSS!!! Yeah it's either the "not so pretty guys" or the old Asian guys at my gym doing that crap!" YACK!!!
redheadguy Posts: 1888	Jul 12, 2008 6:42 PM GMT Quote Shaving in the sauna. WTF is that all about?
zeebyaboi Posts: 165	Jul 12, 2008 6:49 PM GMT Quote redheadguy saidShaving in the sauna. WTF is that all about? That's for sure. And street clothes, too. Don't forget the street clothes! Some people just don't give a crap that they're in a place that others also have to use.
Luckydog76 Posts: 761	Jul 12, 2008 6:52 PM GMT Quote redheadguy saidShaving in the sauna. WTF is that all about? Steam and heat. But I would never do that. Guess they can't afford shaving cream.
Timberoo Posts: 2275	Jul 13, 2008 12:18 AM GMT Quote Triggerman saidSuch is life in a gym. I just try to be polite with everyone. My pet peeve is guys using three pieces of equipment at once. Circuit training. Whatever....do it when the gym is empty. Don't tie up the leg press, squat rack, and leg extension machine when the gym is full. It is almost always the wannabees. Go on with your bad chicken-legged self. When people do that with selectorized equipment, I just say "I'll reset it for you."
getfitrick Posts: 86	Jul 13, 2008 12:44 AM GMT Quote I haven't delt with a gym douche in a while except when I first started out I was like 140 bigger dudes made me feel like my workouts where not as important as there workouts and sometimes coerced me off the machines. Now I just keep working out and ignore them.
4outof6 Posts: 133	Jul 13, 2008 2:10 PM GMT Quote I chose the most lovely gym in Montréal right in the Gay Village. Needless to say, I find myself amongst kinsmen. Last night I was waiting to be served at the counter, and there was an extremely camp and more-or-less unattractive guy talking in an animated fashion to the the girl and the rather sexy guy serving the customers. The Queen was complaining about inappropriate sexual activities in the locker room (which I always understood was a don't-ask-don't-tell subject and in all my years have never seen anything unprovoked). As the story went on, it became increasingly obvious the whole account was imaginary and just an excuse to talk sex with the hot guy (who had meanwhile extricated himself from the discussion to serve me). The girl was patently disinterested but did say "Oui, c'est vrai que tout le monde n'a pas envie de voir ça, mais si tu veux que je fasse quelquechose il faut que tu l'identifies" (Yes it's true that not everyone wants to see that (LOL!), but if you want me to do something you'll have to identify him). Then the queen puts on a falsetto and stares at the sexy guy with a grin "Ben je saurais pas le décrire, mais il avait des yeux bleues et environ neuf pouces" (Well, I couldn't describe him but he had blue eyes and around nine inches). At which point, I loudly interject "Bien évidemment, tu n'étais pas aussi gêné que ça alors" (Well you obviously weren't that upset then). Ah, I think I won some browny points there with the staff! And anyway, what kind of pick-up routine involves complaining about sex?
RBY71 Posts: 1872	Jul 13, 2008 2:13 PM GMT Quote When all else fails, crop dust them as you walk by as a silent display of contempt. It might not change their behavior, but it will sure make you feel a whole lot better.
SevenDaysOneW... Posts: 4	Jul 13, 2008 2:35 PM GMT Quote Last night at the gym, a lady on the elliptical was yappin on her cell the WHOLE time. After I finished, took a shower, and was on my way out, she was sitting at a machine STILL on her cell. People should NOT be on their cell when at the gym. It just isn't proper, plus there are signs that politely say "No cellphones in the fitness room please." I see it almost every time I workout: at least 2 people, sometimes more, standing at the bench, a machine, or something else chattin away like it's some social. I often needed the bench where they just sit around and talk. For going to a gym where the members are most educated, distinguished, and considered high class, these people are surely one of the most uncouth I've ever seen.
TurkishDeligh... Posts: 829	Jul 13, 2008 2:55 PM GMT Quote I Don't go to a gym as they are full of nasty diseases and stinky people! I have kind of outside gym here with some machines and a football/volleyball court which I fast walk and run around in the morning's.
fastprof Posts: 1251	Jul 13, 2008 3:01 PM GMT Quote I agree the best way is to ignore gym jerks, or to report them to the staff. Here are some others not reported above: ...stretching in the free weight area. (The spaces between equipment stations are meant for people to move through, not to lay in). ...lunge walking in the aisles in the free weight area. (Same parenthetical as above...these people are hazards, and risk injury to themselves and others when someone is properly trying to move a free weight back to it's perch). ...personal trainers with clients doing supersets. (This is really annoying, and self absorbed. This ties up many free weights or stations for a long period of time. I don't mind if the sets are quick, but personal trainers are apt to be yacking with their clients at the same time). ...trolls. (This is really independent of age. But these are guys who are clearly not there to workout, but move around the gym ogling. We all ogle to some extent, but this is ridiculous. There's one guy at Golds Gym Oakland CA who moves from station to station, doing nothing, but sitting at the station and gawks at the eye candy. What's so ludicrous is that when he moves to the next station he pants and sighs as if he just completed a set of something. Geez.)
Southillsmusc... Posts: 3	Jul 13, 2008 3:48 PM GMT Quote What is the most disgusting thing I have seen at a gym? I wen to shower at a Bally's - stepped into the shower and almost stepped into a pile of human feces. Can you believe it? DISGUSTING I think we all have experienced the guys sweating up machines and not wiping them down (I wipe the equip before and after. I caught MRSA on my right forearm from a pec dec - not from the poo gym btw!!) Attitudes are best ignored. Trolls - I am always friendly unless they get pushy and then I politely say no. The guys who shave, sit on a bare surface, lay and roll on the steamroom bench - are they just that ignorant? The nudity is acceptable - but I agree - seeing a guy with a PA the size that you can tow a barge boat with blow prying his balls and "teasing" his pubes with a roller brush is one of lifes greatest mysteries. (disclaimer: I live in Ft. Lauderdale - so you get locals and tourists with the attitude that "why not, these people will never see me again". Finally - my most bizarre situation was at a gym in Amsterdam during Pride. I showered off and went to the steamroom. The guys next to me - without notice ir acknowledgement buried is head in my groin. Two seconds later a naked lady walks in (I did not know it was coed - very European). I tried to pry his head off. I said "There's a woman!"... his response "She a regular member - she's used too it". Only in Amsterdam kids!
Caslon6000 Posts: 6602	Jul 13, 2008 4:13 PM GMT Quote I have not really seen the problems most have expressed at my gym. None of the sex or oogling or cell phones, etc. The only incident I ever had was being chatted up by a fellow who wouldnt stop. I always wondered why people werent more friendly at the gym. Now I know. You encounter one of these chatty-cathies and your whole workout is blown. "Dude, an exchange of plesantries is fine, but I am not interested in your life's story!!!"
GymMate Posts: 1	Jul 13, 2008 4:21 PM GMT Quote Wow...Deja vu...Been there did that...Every story that I have read I have seen or witnessed...Sad but true and I still go to the gym...I suppose even if I could change any of it I would but I know whatever gym or wherever I go it will still be the same...When you wear a MP3 player to keep out the noise and the volume is not high enough you know there is a problem...I have been to every gym in this city and they are all the same...So, guys I guess if we want to work out we have to get use to all the things that bug and annoy us....@ 50 I am still learning...If I did not enjoy fitness as much as I do I think the gym would be the last place I would go...Now I understand why females hate all the macho type men in the gym and unless the are female bodybuilder without any tits they usually stay away from the weights and just do cardio...And understand why guys who want to start sometimes are intimidated...Anyway, I can relate to all the stories and I am sure it will continue long after I am gone...Ciao bello...
YngHungSFSD Posts: 311	Jul 13, 2008 4:32 PM GMT Quote hotversguynnj saidLets not forget the Locker room ediquette. I seens guys shaving their private parts, Blow drying their balls..ect...ect...right in the middle of everyone. GROSS!!!. I wanna call the owner....LOL...... Yes and this is one of the great mysteries of the earth, why is it always the 450 lb guy standing in front of the mirror blow drying his balls and all the hot guys are wrapped up under seven damn towels? Why god why?
Caslon6000 Posts: 6602	Jul 13, 2008 4:38 PM GMT Quote GymMate saidWow...Deja vu...Been there did that...Every story that I have read I have seen or witnessed...Sad but true and I still go to the gym...I suppose even if I could change any of it I would but I know whatever gym or wherever I go it will still be the same...When you wear a MP3 player to keep out the noise and the volume is not high enough you know there is a problem...I have been to every gym in this city and they are all the same...So, guys I guess if we want to work out we have to get use to all the things that bug and annoy us....@ 50 I am still learning...If I did not enjoy fitness as much as I do I think the gym would be the last place I would go...Now I understand why females hate all the macho type men in the gym and unless the are female bodybuilder without any tits they usually stay away from the weights and just do cardio...And understand why guys who want to start sometimes are intimidated...Anyway, I can relate to all the stories and I am sure it will continue long after I am gone...Ciao bello... Are the gyms in Dog River like that? Have you tried them? Do they have a gym in Dog River? I know the Pilates class failed cuz they already had a matt class. Sounds more like Wollerton to me. ptui!
YngHungSFSD Posts: 311	Jul 13, 2008 4:46 PM GMT Quote Incidentally, I should mention that a good gym management staff will keep most of this to a minimum. My gym is incredibly clean for a gym, of course its a hospital associated gym so they pretty much have to be. The gym staff will come and take a phone from anyone caught using one, with the whole camera phone this is a big deal and anyone too stupid or selfish to realize this deserves to lose their damn phone. The one thing that drives me absolutely insane and that management cannot do a damn thing about is these old nasty guys that will come up and rip the shower curtain open on you. You know the water is running, the curtain is closed, what more does it take to know the shower's in use, and then they play that ridiculous "oh I'm sorry I didn't realize anyone was in there". Yeah right dickhead, are you blind, deaf and dumb? What gives with these guys? I might occassionally glance at some eye candy if it's right in front of me, but come on can you imagine the nerve to just go up and pull someones shower curtain open. It's about the rudest, tackiest thing I can think of.
ActiveAndFit Posts: 1878	Jul 13, 2008 4:56 PM GMT Quote YngHungSFSD saidYes and this is one of the great mysteries of the earth, why is it always the 450 lb guy standing in front of the mirror blow drying his balls and all the hot guys are wrapped up under seven damn towels? Why god why? Maybe it was the closest thing to a blow job the guy would ever get poor drier
KentuckyTuss Posts: 121	Jul 13, 2008 5:04 PM GMT Quote There are really only two things that bother me, at my gym. One: .. the guys who use talcum powder in the locker rooms. Not because they use it.. but because they fucking crop dust half the locker room in talcum! I've never seen such horrible aim my entire life! And of course... the guys who scream throughout their workout. Like.. Dude? If it's SO heavy that you are FORCED to scream your ass off as you set it down. It's -probably- too much weight. Neither of these things is the end of the world. Just.. kind of annoying.
jweber Posts: 2	Jul 13, 2008 5:21 PM GMT Quote I don't know if this makes me less hard core, but I go to this little community gym that my city has. It's pretty cool because the fees are subsidized by taxes, and because most of the macho jerks stay away because they think it's not hard core enough for them. It's not like there's limited equipment either. I figure it has roughly the same stuff as the community college gym. All of this crap that I hear about I haven't even heard of happening at my gym. The worse that happens is when the gym gets kinda crowded, people get kinda ornery when you're using a machine for too long. Anyway the people are pretty awesome because it'll be like ladies in their 70s trying to keep their health and mothers working off the baby weight. In fact the first time I ever went to the gym, there was this guy that could tell I was new and asked if I needed any pointers. I definitely did, but I was too shy to say so. But anyway that guy was what got me so addicted to working out. Plus there's a high school like a block away, and all the football and swimmer jocks work out there with their coaches and they're drop dead sexy . (I'm in high school so it's not creepy lol)
metta8 Posts: 140	Jul 13, 2008 5:34 PM GMT Quote I don't really feel like i have to deal with 'jerks'. The only thing that annoys me a little is when someone asks to work in with me. I really don't like to do that unless they are a friend. In regards to the article. If that happened to me in a step class, I would have asked her to move the board becuase it was dangerous to put it that close. If she did not move. I would just tell her that she needs to move because I have a really bad case of gas right now....lol.
Nybadboi Posts: 6	Jul 13, 2008 5:59 PM GMT Quote If the guy is hot and annoying I may just strike up a conversation and make him not annoying ... But if he's really being a jerk and un-attractive. I totally ignore him with my Ipod blasting and/or institute the "Angry Black Man" rule. It usually works ... lol
4outof6 Posts: 133	Jul 13, 2008 6:15 PM GMT Quote The one thing that I notice as a common theme to all the other responses to this topic - and I don't mean to blow my own trumpet here - is no-one has actually suggested a pro-active personal response to dealing with jerks? I've openly confronted trolls with absolutely fantastic success.
Buckwheet Posts: 870	Jul 13, 2008 6:35 PM GMT Quote 4outof6 saidThe one thing that I notice as a common theme to all the other responses to this topic - and I don't mean to blow my own trumpet here - is no-one has actually suggested a pro-active personal response to dealing with jerks? I've openly confronted trolls with absolutely fantastic success. Nice usage of double dash aside. But since the content of the aside it self was an allusion to modesty, might I suggest a parenthetical aside in stead (like this) which is smoother than one performed with double dashes and lends itself less turbulence. Turbulence isn't spelled with an A; how perverse. Well, 4 out of 6: maybe the other two had PhDs. That or your drugged them. PCP, angel dust, smack, crack, crank, pop, roofies, Sinclare, tweeds? Whatcha slip 'em? You can tell me. I'm on your side. You can trust me. Doughtnut? Pro-active: kick 'em in the balls. If you ain't gonna fight to win, you don't deserve to win.
Big_K Posts: 7	Jul 13, 2008 6:58 PM GMT Quote Interesting article. I can foresee some o' those qualities getting annoying. However, as a person who puts in their ALL, I CAN be a heavy sweater in the gym. I mean...its the F**king gym!!!! hehehe Is there usually issues if someone has their MP3 player on full volume --- even if there is music playin' on the speakers within the gym??
Diablo1814 Posts: 1	Jul 13, 2008 7:05 PM GMT Quote I hate when you work your ass off, get some results, and the same guys who assumed that you'd fail, now decide they don't like you because you never gave up and stayed focused, and they hate you for it now just becuase you've eclipsed them and now they wonder how did ne do it?
maxxtowt Posts: 106	Jul 13, 2008 7:10 PM GMT Quote Sitting in the corner of the sauna that faces everyone else, laying on the lower bench and resting one leg on the upper bench then proceeding to massage your exposed balls for an obscene amount of time. I've had to leave several times just out of mortification.
Big_K Posts: 7	Jul 13, 2008 7:18 PM GMT Quote One more thing to add - though already probally been added - people who talk your EFFING ear OFF in the gym! I mean, some small small talk or knowledge gain between a set is A ok with me .. but If I am OBVIOUSLY IN middle of a set, with headphones in & music on ---------- why would someone have the sense to approach & begin YAPPING??? I mean c'mon!
HotBrutha Posts: 8	Jul 13, 2008 8:20 PM GMT Quote Working out at the Bally's in Hollywood. There is this big jerk who is always yelling out, "Bush!" and/or "George W. Bush!", for no apparent reason...besides being annoying. WTF? Management has come over and told him to chill, but he would be at it again sooner or later. Fortunately, I train at Gold's more often now. The gym is cleaner, the equipment is nicer...and yeah, the guys are hotter! I don't have a problem with guys walking around naked; I just wish more of the hot guys would do it, instead of the pot bellies. But hey, everybody's freeeeeee to feel good! LOL
Nybadboi Posts: 6	Jul 13, 2008 8:35 PM GMT Quote maxxtowt saidSitting in the corner of the sauna that faces everyone else, laying on the lower bench and resting one leg on the upper bench then proceeding to massage your exposed balls for an obscene amount of time. I've had to leave several times just out of mortification. I co-sign that. Shit is too much at times.
HotBrutha Posts: 8	Jul 13, 2008 8:36 PM GMT Quote Oh! I forgot about the body odor! At the aforementioned Bally's, there would be some guys, who would be SOOO foul smelling, I would cough if I was unfortunate enough to inhale as I walked past them. I mean, DAMN! Yes, I get that we all get a little funky, if you're working out hard enough; but this was like, "i-haven't-showered-or-changed-these-gym-clothes-in-a-week" funk! Ahh yes, the gym trolls! They're everywhere! I was in the steam room at Gold's a couple of weeks ago, and this older, out of shape white guy, comes in. I was the only one in the room, but he HAS to sit close to me, and starts playing with his dick. He wasn't getting my polite disinterest, so I got up and left. He's done similar things to other guys, next time I'm verbalizing my objection. PS, I know some folks are overly sensitive, so to clarify, the "older" and "white" adjectives were not what bothered me about this guy.
GuiltyGear Posts: 2052	Jul 13, 2008 9:47 PM GMT Quote To me this thread is about more than "Jerks at the Gym." It is a social commentary. All of these so called complaints are things that are not new. They happen everday to each and every one of us. Everyday on the bus, there is someone that smells bad, everyday someone in the grocery store is talking too loud on their cellphone, everyday someone in the Men's Room stands eerily close to you even if all the rest of the urinals are empty, everyday some rap star hopeful starts auditioning in the middle of the sidewalk, and everyday someone is before us and we have to wait our turn. But, we deal with it, don't we, because most of us are rational people and understand we cannot control every little thing that happens in PUBLIC life. However, when some of us get to the gym, we think we are magically endowed with the ability to control everything anyone will do? What is wrong with this group of self appointed demi-gods? Are they crazy or just jerks? Because at the gym, the line can blur very quickly between who the jerks are. If someone is grunting a little, so what? Why should this be bothersome or even if someone is singing? It's their right and IT DOESN'T HURT ANYONE. Don't like it, turn up your I-Pod , don't have one, buy one. I remember when I was working up toward my persoanl max of 400 on bench. I wasn't just gradually increasing my bench every workout from 150, but I was adding weight throughout all of my routine. I know sometimes when I was doing heavy squats or especially heavy tri-cep raises (those always make me squeal), I tried to control myself, but if I did let out a yelp it was totally warranted. I only ever had ONE person approach me and tell me he thought I was working TOO HARD and making too much noise. The weights and machines are on the second floor, he's lucky I didn't heave him overboard. I can't remember a time to date that I wanted to hurt someone more. It made me realize that inspite of the fact that life rages on outside and people do as they please, some people wait until they get into a confined locality where extremely fit persons are juiced up with testosterone, estrogen, spit, fire, and whatever else they might happen to be on to try and tell them what to do???? These control freaks are not just jerks, ladies and gentlemen, they are just damned stupid.
MarathonMania... Posts: 18	Jul 13, 2008 9:48 PM GMT Quote Somebody way back mentioned "excessive nudity." Isn't that similar to be a little pregnant or almost a virgin?
Freemantom Posts: 2	Jul 13, 2008 10:17 PM GMT Quote I go to a gym in Melbourne (Australia) which has a great reputation and mostly great members. One thing that drives me nuts when I get the opportuntity to go during the day is the gaggle of snobby women decked out in the best jewelry, hair done, stylish outfits, etc. arriving en masse and proceeding to have a really loud conversation around you. Honestly I love doing some cardio and "switching off" while I do it. This just destroys the mood. They have no idea that other people are in the room. Oh and I agree with the comments about guys who are "a little more worthy" monopolising three things at once. They should go during less crowded times.
dippinboi Posts: 1	Jul 13, 2008 10:28 PM GMT Quote I personally like to one-up some arrogant guys. It's always the weak ones who want attention, and clearly need to be shown their a** on a plate. If a guy's huffin around on free weights, simply pick up heavier ones, do his exercise quietly in front of him, then go about your business again. A "thats right" stare always works too. Monopolizing machines(big pet peeve here) simply increase the weight, do your set, then watch as he pusses down the weight again. Guaranteed to work on mr. I want attention, cause then he realizes everyone sees him being a weak jerk. Also tends to show that guys aren't serious when they go around doin that crap. If you know you're going to drop the weight, maybe you can't handle it! Whoa, you did 1 set then dropped it, you're SWEET! NOT! Anyone else get pissed off when guys carry their life around with them working out? Not just a cell phone or a tracker, but their entire gym bag, water jug (of course an old gallon one), towel, extra shoes etc and feel the need to spread it out wherever they go? Why do you think they made locker rooms? If you can't find that, there are usually 4 things called walls, why not try putting your shit by one of them instead of crowding up the floor?
Freemantom Posts: 2	Jul 13, 2008 10:33 PM GMT Quote Yes I forgot all about the cell phones. Screaming into them "I'm at the gym!". We know!!
HighVoltageGu... Posts: 732	Jul 13, 2008 11:05 PM GMT Quote I've seen those who blow dry their balls with the hairdryer, but shaving in the sauna is a new one to me! WOW!
Icarian Posts: 1	Jul 13, 2008 11:53 PM GMT Quote getfitrick saidI haven't delt with a gym douche in a while except when I first started out I was like 140 bigger dudes made me feel like my workouts where not as important as there workouts and sometimes coerced me off the machines. Now I just keep working out and ignore them. You have just described what I have to endure from this guy at the gym. Just because he judges bodybuilding contests and he USED to be a big muscle guy doesn't give him the right to force me off the equipment especially the leg press. This guy acted as if I wasn't even on it. He feels that my workout at the gym is of less importance. I think it's because he is JEALOUS that I have size, mass and definition and he lost his. To bring this to a conclusion, I STAY AWAY FROM HIM and work out a different body part when I know he is doing his leg routine on a Saturday evening at 5pm.
chango Posts: 2	Jul 14, 2008 12:42 AM GMT Quote Among the things that gets my jock twisted up my butt at the gym are men who don't dry themselves in the shower but proceed to walk soaking wet to their locker and dry off there. WTF?! Dry off in the shower and keep the locker room floor dry.
GuiltyGear Posts: 2052	Jul 14, 2008 12:55 AM GMT Quote If you can't cruise at the gym, where? Lol, it's sorta like the old saying "Why do people rob banks? Because that's where the money is!" Hehe, gyms are the greenhouses of the gay world. And, I'm into botany, besides, if it were a one way street I wouldn't stare, but, if you're hot too, it isn't. Lol, excessive nudity at the gym? Is this in reference to the old men who wait till they are completely nude to engage me in conversation? Too bad I'm not completely head over heels into older men.
rongon87 Posts: 1	Jul 14, 2008 1:29 AM GMT Quote muscletroy saidDealing with jerks in the gym..hmmmm... there are many ways. The most effective, completely ignore them. Yes that's right pretend they do not exist. Being a jerk is the guy equivalent of a girl acting stupid to get attention. If you do not give them what they crave, they hate that. Yep, simply the best way to handle gym asshats is just to ignore them. Some muscle heads, (not to offend anyone) are just there for the attention.
MacGuyCraig Posts: 1	Jul 14, 2008 2:28 AM GMT Quote How about the morons who take up as much space as possible on the locker room benches???!!! Then there those who resist using a towel during workouts on the gym floor as if THEY don't sweat??? Come on....
Hidden/Deleted Member	Jul 14, 2008 2:39 AM GMT Quote I had two incidents this week - the first was a guy who TOTALLY hogged the ab machine. He sat on that thing for at least 40 minutes - he must have done 250 reps! I felt like telling him that if he could do that many for that long, he was not using nearly enough weight. Then today, which is Sunday, it is usually pretty dead in my gym. There was this one guy that I had never seen in there before, but he knew a lot of the guys in the gym today and he went from one loud conversation to another for over an hour. Not a low voice, but like, across the freaking weight room. It was getting on my nerves so bad that I went to the treadmills in another room and not five minutes later he waltzed in there and started in on yet another loud conversation. He was obnoxious! I cut my workout short and figured I would try tomorrow in the hopes that today was a fluke.
GuiltyGear Posts: 2052	Jul 14, 2008 2:45 AM GMT Quote 250 reps, mmmm, he's gonna get some yummy abs before too long.
Balljunkie Posts: 45	Jul 14, 2008 3:39 AM GMT Quote If there are 25 treadmills in a row, all but the one that I am using are empty, why do you have to come and use the one RIGHT beside me?
muscletroy Posts: 140	Jul 14, 2008 3:39 AM GMT Quote muchmorethanmuscle saidSometimes ignoring them is not the best option. Once a personal trainer bumped into me really hard as I was walking by. We were passing each other and I made it a point to move over and he still bumped me hard. I know he did it on purpose. I'm afraid if he does it again I'll go ballistic on his ass. . My recommendation works until the point he bumps into you. By the time he bumps into you he has measured you up and decided that he can take you and made a jest of offensive move. So all bets are off at that point. You're going to have to revise your body language. Also. NEVER move out of the way. Let them run into you. It will happen once and that will be that. Moving out of the way will not prevent a collision it will warrant one because you're acting submissive. NEVER I mean never show fear. It's just like dogs. This does not mean be a steamroller asshole. My rule of thumb is, be a gentlemen to gentlemen and a bully to anyone that even tries to be a bully to me. It strangely works very well. It is all a mind game. REmember you're in a gym and not in a bar. Guys will not engage physically in a gym, so there's no fight you're avoiding by being the doormat. When you're in the bar, the rules are once again different. Stay the fuck away from them and yes let them walk by because they will pick a fight and they will cause some unnecessary scene with ANYONE and EVERYONE that gets in their way. And you can drive home with a smirk on your face knowing that you at least have a few more evolved genes over the next guy who is still fresh out of the cave. :-)
Caslon6000 Posts: 6602	Jul 14, 2008 3:44 AM GMT Quote Balljunkie saidIf there are 25 treadmills in a row, all but the one that I am using are empty, why do you have to come and use the one RIGHT beside me? Ummmmm....because you are a stud magnet??? ...
asixpactogo Posts: 5	Jul 14, 2008 4:30 AM GMT Quote chango saidAmong the things that gets my jock twisted up my butt at the gym are men who don't dry themselves in the shower but proceed to walk soaking wet to their locker and dry off there. WTF?! Dry off in the shower and keep the locker room floor dry. This is one of my biggest complaints and they always do it right infront of my locker. I always look for a locker that has few other locks around it but somehow they find me. The cell phone is another pain. Can't you just turn it off and have an hour just to yourself! I leave mine in the car the gym is my time.
zaid Posts: 6	Jul 14, 2008 4:36 AM GMT Quote YngHungSFSD said hotversguynnj saidLets not forget the Locker room ediquette. I seens guys shaving their private parts, Blow drying their balls..ect...ect...right in the middle of everyone. GROSS!!!. I wanna call the owner....LOL...... Why god why? yeahn lets ask god shall we haha lmao
jerryfvt Posts: 1	Jul 14, 2008 6:55 AM GMT Quote It's creepy when people come in the gym and sit on equipment and stare at you. They are usually nasty and out of shape too, and typically out of your age range... it's quite disturbing - especially when they find you online and send you messages. yuck! I think they don't realize what a gym is for.
dmkfun Posts: 2	Jul 14, 2008 8:11 AM GMT Quote "The one thing that drives me absolutely insane and that management cannot do a damn thing about is these old nasty guys that will come up and rip the shower curtain open on you. You know the water is running, the curtain is closed, what more does it take to know the shower's in use, and then they play that ridiculous "oh I'm sorry I didn't realize anyone was in there". Yeah right dickhead, are you blind, deaf and dumb? What gives with these guys? I might occassionally glance at some eye candy if it's right in front of me, but come on can you imagine the nerve to just go up and pull someones shower curtain open. It's about the rudest, tackiest thing I can think of." My gym has separate stalls but no curtains, so you're in plain sight to all lookie loos. Many years ago I was taking a shower when this 70'ish man literally steped into my stall and began complimenting me on my tanline. I thanked him, said I was in a hurry so he would leave. later he was chatting with my friend and ask him why I never talked to him anymore. DUH!!!
dmkfun Posts: 2	Jul 14, 2008 8:14 AM GMT Quote YngHungSFSD said"The one thing that drives me absolutely insane and that management cannot do a damn thing about is these old nasty guys that will come up and rip the shower curtain open on you. You know the water is running, the curtain is closed, what more does it take to know the shower's in use, and then they play that ridiculous "oh I'm sorry I didn't realize anyone was in there". Yeah right dickhead, are you blind, deaf and dumb? What gives with these guys? I might occassionally glance at some eye candy if it's right in front of me, but come on can you imagine the nerve to just go up and pull someones shower curtain open. It's about the rudest, tackiest thing I can think of." My gym has separate stalls but no curtains, so you're in plain sight to all lookie loos. Many years ago I was taking a shower when this 70'ish man literally steped into my stall and began complimenting me on my tanline. I thanked him, said I was in a hurry so he would leave. later he was chatting with my friend and ask him why I never talked to him anymore. DUH!!!
fitman34 Posts: 10	Jul 15, 2008 1:58 AM GMT Quote I have to agree with Triggerman and a few other people. I mostly ignore the guys that GRUNT the entire time they lift and slam weights to the floor after they have done a set or two, but the guys who claim like 3-4 pieces of equipment during peak hours of the gym pisses me off. I am far from the biggest guy at the gym, and I have respect for everyone there big or small like me, but if you are going to stand there and talk about the latest issue of MuscleMag , Powerlifter, or what your intentions are with your girlfriend later that night plus have your gear scattered on equipment around you, I WILL set your items on the floor next to the machine and do what I need to do. And please do shoot me a look if I do it too.... it will go to show you that you need to respect other peoples time at the gym as well. And lastly, the guys who tend to oggle you from the dry sauna, steamroom , or bench in front of the shower stalls. I came to work out, take a shower, get dressed again and leave. Please take your hands away from your cocks and place them on your awaiting wives at home. Maybe they can tickle that nub you call a penis. I am not bitter, but I am not a little pole dancer at the local Go-Go Boy Bar either......LOL. Cheers - ERIK
Triggerman Posts: 228	Jul 15, 2008 5:03 AM GMT Quote Hey Buckwheet- Do you just come on here to critize some people's spelling or grammar or syntax? Or would you actually like to add something to the conversation? You have one pic in your profile, maybe stolen maybe not, but it really is annoying. Do you have a need to show people that you are smarter than they are? Are you an English professor or linguist? I think we are all smart enough to figure out what a poster is trying to say, grammar aside. I rarely call out lurkers, but you are pushing it. Put up or shut up. Steal a few more pics and then pop off. Go ahead and grade my response like a third grade English teacher and prove my point. Then get a life... Trigger
socrguy2007 Posts: 1	Jul 15, 2008 6:13 AM GMT Quote RBY71 saidWhen all else fails, crop dust them as you walk by as a silent display of contempt. It might not change their behavior, but it will sure make you feel a whole lot better. Probably the best I've ever heard..i'm glad someone else does..
cdnclub Posts: 70	Jul 15, 2008 4:06 PM GMT Quote I have one I don't think I have seen on here yet. I think it's really annoying when someone counts out their reps out loud. I do the counting in my head and the verbal counters always throw me off my count.
Brinker Posts: 12	Jul 15, 2008 6:14 PM GMT Quote Please, NO aerosol deodorant or foot spray in the locker room! Keep that shit at home. Use a stick or roll-on in public. Nobody wants to smell your Right Guard. It can be absolutely gagging.
Jackal69 Posts: 539	Jul 15, 2008 6:44 PM GMT Quote Maybe it makes me a Madonna but I actually need the mirror in front of me to make sure I'm using proper form. I hate it when some meathead (who more often than not has a paunch) gets right in front of me and does all of his 5 reps. Ugh. Also, the types who'll come right next to your bench or equipment, even though there's tons of empty ones around (I don't have that hang up with "personal space" but damn, give a guy some room to work). Also, chatterboxes (the type whose workouts consist of running their damned mouths) and readers (those who get on a piece of equipment to read their novels or periodicals) annony the hell out of me. If you've got the energy to be able to workout and read, perhaps you should work harder. "The Group," a.k.a., that group of (straight?) guys who pseudo-workout together, talking way too loud, using way too much room, and not doing shit really. Ugh.
jockoman Posts: 12	Jul 16, 2008 12:32 AM GMT Quote Brinker saidPlease, NO aerosol deodorant or foot spray in the locker room! Keep that shit at home. Use a stick or roll-on in public. Nobody wants to smell your Right Guard. It can be absolutely gagging. Oh my God! Do I ever have to agree with this one and add to it ANY colognes in general. Right Guard, foofy fragrances, and foot spray all belong in the same category: AWAY FROM OTHER PEOPLE IN CLOSE PROXIMITY AND CONFINED SPACES. Please spray your Drakkar Noir, Hugo, Calvin Klein Obsession, CK, Givenchy, Old Spice, and Brut at home or outside where only small animals can take a whiff and die from it.
jockoman Posts: 12	Jul 16, 2008 2:18 AM GMT Quote cdnclub saidI have one I don't think I have seen on here yet. I think it's really annoying when someone counts out their reps out loud. I do the counting in my head and the verbal counters always throw me off my count. Come on! Are you serious? Then count in French or some other language! Geez!
RBY71 Posts: 1872	Jul 16, 2008 2:28 AM GMT Quote socrguy2007 said RBY71 saidWhen all else fails, crop dust them as you walk by as a silent display of contempt. It might not change their behavior, but it will sure make you feel a whole lot better. Probably the best I've ever heard..i'm glad someone else does.. It makes me feel even better if I've had eggs for breakfast that day.
cdnclub Posts: 70	Jul 16, 2008 2:00 PM GMT Quote "cdnclub said I have one I don't think I have seen on here yet. I think it's really annoying when someone counts out their reps out loud. I do the counting in my head and the verbal counters always throw me off my count." "jockoman said Come on! Are you serious? Then count in French or some other language! Geez!" Yes I am serious. It's somthing that irritates me jockoman, not you. (hmmm..haven't made any comments in any thread in a long while, now I remember why.)
Jockbod48 Posts: 1110	Jul 16, 2008 2:19 PM GMT Quote Muscletroy posted the great advice below and I think it bears repeating. This advice is right on the money - I learned years ago to use this method - and believe me, if you try it you will see that it works. Never back down from a bully or in this case - a rude bastard in a gym - hoping against hope to avoid a confrontation - you sometimes have to deal with these guys to make their bullshit shop! Thanks again, Muscletroy for sharing this - and helping a lot of guys out! My recommendation works until the point he bumps into you. By the time he bumps into you he has measured you up and decided that he can take you and made a jest of offensive move. So all bets are off at that point. You're going to have to revise your body language. Also. NEVER move out of the way. Let them run into you. It will happen once and that will be that. Moving out of the way will not prevent a collision it will warrant one because you're acting submissive. NEVER I mean never show fear. It's just like dogs. This does not mean be a steamroller asshole. My rule of thumb is, be a gentlemen to gentlemen and a bully to anyone that even tries to be a bully to me. It strangely works very well. It is all a mind game. REmember you're in a gym and not in a bar. Guys will not engage physically in a gym, so there's no fight you're avoiding by being the doormat.
Sean_85 Posts: 529	Jul 16, 2008 2:34 PM GMT Quote I just ignor the jerks as best I can. There's this one guy thou who I have a huge crush on. I'm always fumbling around him and drop something.. Yesterday it was my i-pod, before that I went to take a drink from my water bottle and spilt it down the front on my shirt lol...
Buckwheet Posts: 870	Jul 16, 2008 5:55 PM GMT Quote Triggerman saidHey Buckwheet- Do you just come on here to critize some people's spelling or grammar or syntax? Or would you actually like to add something to the conversation? You have one pic in your profile, maybe stolen maybe not, but it really is annoying. Do you have a need to show people that you are smarter than they are? Are you an English professor or linguist? I think we are all smart enough to figure out what a poster is trying to say, grammar aside. I rarely call out lurkers, but you are pushing it. Put up or shut up. Steal a few more pics and then pop off. Go ahead and grade my response like a third grade English teacher and prove my point. Then get a life... Trigger Chill, sparky. Don't make me get the garden hose. 4outof6's post was exceptional, and I was highlighting that by making an issue of a nonissue: aside punctuation is subject to intent. Apparently the accusation of him slipping 2 of the 6 a mickey wasn't sufficient evidence to determine the presence of sarcasm. After you unbunch your panties, do tell of this button I'm pushing, because I do so like button pushing! Especially big reds ones, with warning signs and caution borders.
jeepdave75 Posts: 13	Jul 17, 2008 3:08 PM GMT Quote Wow. Interesting. You know, I was feeling pretty good about the gym until I read some of this stuff. I'm the new guy at the gym. I hit it 6 days a week, and I read and learn and absorb all the stuff you guys post, and I ask questions because I'm curious. Some of what I get from ya'll is GREAT. Some of what I read is just silly (and yay for silly,) but some of it just feels mean. This is what I've learned from this thread: 1) Find the nearest plastic surgeon and get lipo ASAP. The guys at the gym arent actually impressed with the fact that the out of shape guy got a gym membership and shows up to sweat 6 days a week. I'm just another fatty who's not lifting any impressive weight, and they certainly dont wanna watch me do that... or in fact see me. 2) Those really sexy guys who also happen to be lifting amazing weights, or doing impressive sets... DO NOT LOOK AT OR WATCH THEM. See lesson #1 for more information. 3) Dont dare ever attempt to do more than one exersize at a time. Sets of crunches, wether done on the bench im using or on the floor, in between sets of arms or shoulders take up too much precious room where someone else might have to walk or stand. 4) Dont ever dare make any noise at the gym. Sure, that leg machine might be kicking my ass, but internalize, internalize, internalize. 5) Stop blow drying my balls. Okay... okay. Im totally kidding about #5. (Really? This happens?) But seriously guys... the gym is for everyone. We all got pet peeves and we all got sore spots, and I realize that some of these goombas ya'll are talkin about are hardcore jerks, but for some of the rest of it, seems like there oughta be a little lattitude for what goes on in shared space. I'll go start a new thread for this.... but I'd be interested in hearing some NICE gym stories... think about it, ever see any random acts of kindness at your favorite sweat spot?
comrade Posts: 1	Jul 17, 2008 9:32 PM GMT Quote I visited Orlando in May, and there was - no joke - this old Obese Asian man BLOWDRYING his, um, "huevos." It left me speechless - to say the least.
coloboyz Posts: 9	Jul 17, 2008 9:53 PM GMT Quote 5) Stop blow drying my balls. There are several guys at the gym that do this - I go early, 5 am, and after a workout, everyone's getting ready for work. Almost every day, some guy is butt-naked, one foot up on the edge of the sink, and has the nozzle on the hand dryer turned toward his balls and they're just flapping in the breeze. The worst is when they turn around to dry the backside, too. I figure when they do that, if it ever sounds like someone blowing into the top of a jug, I'll have to find a new gym........
XRuggerATX Posts: 2240	Jul 17, 2008 10:06 PM GMT Quote coloboyz said5) Stop blow drying my balls. There are several guys at the gym that do this - I go early, 5 am, and after a workout, everyone's getting ready for work. Almost every day, some guy is butt-naked, one foot up on the edge of the sink, and has the nozzle on the hand dryer turned toward his balls and they're just flapping in the breeze. The worst is when they turn around to dry the backside, too. I figure when they do that, if it ever sounds like someone blowing into the top of a jug, I'll have to find a new gym........ OK I have to ask: What is the benefit of blow drying your balls? Doesn't a towel get it done? It does for me. Sounds like just another way for trolls to stimulate themselves in the locker room...unless I am missing something.
coloboyz Posts: 9	Jul 17, 2008 10:20 PM GMT Quote XRuggerATX said OK I have to ask: What is the benefit of blow drying your balls? Doesn't a towel get it done? It does for me. Sounds like just another way for trolls to stimulate themselves in the locker room...unless I am missing something. I honestly don't know. It could be the whole "train wreck" concept - if it's gross enough, people will look - if only out of sheer horror? Have they put hair gel in their pubes and they're just styling it? The scenarios are endless.......
Caslon6000 Posts: 6602	Jul 17, 2008 10:25 PM GMT Quote coloboyz said5) Stop blow drying my balls. I figure when they do that, if it ever sounds like someone blowing into the top of a jug, I'll have to find a new gym........ Oh this man is going to fit right in here... Which is a terrible thing to say about a person! ...
GuiltyGear Posts: 2052	Jul 17, 2008 10:30 PM GMT Quote coloboyz said5) Stop blow drying my balls. For those of you that are questioning the benefits of this...well, it is the best way to give your pubes a perm. Only reason I know is because I use a hairdryer in my own personal bathroom at home ofcourse. Why towel dry when you can get the male spa treatment?
SevenDaysOneW... Posts: 4	Jul 21, 2008 5:08 AM GMT Quote Please...NO f***in cellphones! I see arrogant, dumbasses constantly chattin away while taking up space where someone could be gettin a good workout.

jakebenson Posts: 299	Jul 31, 2008 8:11 AM GMT Quote I've had no problems I can remember at the gym except this one time: This guy came up wanting to talk and so I bullshitted trying to be nice. Eventually it suddenly turned into him talking about wanting to fuck my ass so I told him to lget the hell away from me. Later while I was taking a shower the ASS FUCK came opened the curtain and dropped his soap in my shower stall, then COMPLETELY denied it when I complained about it. Despite another person complaining about the SAME THING that he did to them, this cunt manager chick named COLE said "well I don't know what really happened because there were no cameras" and just gave the little shit a warning. I still have to send a letter to corporate LA Fitness about the incident in hopes that they are aware that they let perverts roam around the gym. FYI this is partially why I am a COMPLETE JUDGMENTAL asshole at the gym and am not nice to anyone unless they look like a judgmental asshole too.

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