Introduction:

When I used to train at the gym, there were a number of things that really irked me. I’m supportive of other people trying to achieve their goals, and try to give encouragement and praise where I can. Unfortunately there are a lot of people who don’t share this frame of mind, and most of them seemed to be members at my gym!

Below is a list, in no particular order, of the 7 types of people that I hate encountering whilst training at the gym:

The Posers / Attention Seekers

People who spend longer taking selfies or flexing in front of the gym mirror. A lot of the time these people won’t break a sweat. There used to be a woman who attended my local gym who would rock up with a face full of make-up and hair done nicely. I thought this was strange, until I realized that she wasn’t actually there to work-out or get sweaty, and then it all made sense.

There were also a lot of attention seekers at my local gym. Mainly men who would lift a one rep maximum whilst topless and grunting whenever a female walked by. I was always more interested in my workout rather than trying to attract the attention of others!

The Phone Users

This is similar to the poser category. People who sit on machines on their phones rather than working out. Or, better yet, people who talk really loudly on the phone whilst working out. There were many times when I’d be running on the treadmill next to a woman who was walking on the treadmill next to me and talking loudly on her phone. She would walk at a pace that was not beneficial at all, whilst having her phone on loudspeaker. She ended up repeating herself more often than not as the person on the other end of the line couldn’t hear her properly over the treadmill noise.

The Machine Hoggers

There’s not many things more infuriating at the gym than someone sitting on a piece of equipment that you are waiting for, but not actually working out. Usually they’ll be on their phone or talking to someone else in the gym. When I used to go to the gym it was a case of go in, get done what I needed to get done, and leave… no time wasting required!

The worst case I had was when I was waiting for a treadmill. A man got off the treadmill but left his drink and towel on the machine. Without realizing he had left his things there, I went to get on the treadmill. He quickly stepped in and said that he was going to the toilet. Fair enough, I stepped back and waited for someone else to finish with a treadmill. I then heard the same man chatting away near the lockers. He was off the treadmill for 25 minutes, with his items still on the treadmill!

The Heavy Sweaters

Don’t get me wrong, I love it when people work up a sweat and put effort into their work-outs. What I can’t stand is when people sweat heavily and fail to wear any deodorant. You can afford a gym membership, so you can afford a cheap can of deodorant.

Another annoying part of this is when they don’t carry a towel or use the tissue provided to wipe up equipment after them. There isn’t much worse than having to wipe someone else’s sweat off of a machine before you can use it!

The Talkers

The people who constantly try to engage in a conversation with you when all you want to do is work-out and leave. When I’m going all out on the treadmill, red-faced and sweaty, I really don’t want to make mundane small talk, sorry!

Gym and running time is “me” time unless I choose to train or run with a friend.

The Loud Music Listeners

I really don’t need to hear your music whilst I’m training. Not using headphones, or having the volume so loud that people can hear your music through your headphones, is just rude. And please, don’t sing along out loud!

People Who Don’t Re-Rack Weights

Like, come on… it’s not hard. If you are able to lift the weight then you should be big enough to put the plates back. It’s just inconsiderate, especially for others who may not be able to lift that weight to put it back.

Conclusion:

There we have it, the seven types of people that I hate encountering at the gym. Everyone goes to the gym for their own reasons, but the moral of the story is to be considerate to other gym users. People shouldn’t have to clean up after you or ask you to step off a machine that you aren’t using.

Please feel free to share your gym pet peeves in the comments below!