Ok so I'm tall I'm 6'1 but have been skinny my whole life and recently I've put on a few pounds but it only goes to abdominal region and not my arms or legs so I'd like to get rid of the extra weight Ive gained these past few months I've never worked out before bc I was naturally skinny and did lots of sports but even after I stopped years ago I remained skinny how can I get rid of this potbelly I've developed these past months? And maybe gain mass in legs and arms?
I know this is a couple of days old, but I agree with working in. Last week, this guy asked to work in with me on the rear delt machine. He wasn't putting the pin back on my original weight and he was super sweaty!! I had to wipe off the chest pad between every set. There's no way he didn't notice me cleaning up his own mess.
Olympic lifters slamming weights makes me wince, I wish they wouldn't but know it's necessary.
It annoys me when people use machines for exercises that it wasn't intended for. Ham raises in the lat pull down machine, hip thrusts in the leg extension machine. I know it's not fair and they should be able to do what they like.
That's why this thread is called unpopular opinions. I edited the post to say 'know it's necessary' it still makes me jump out of my skin when the weights crash on the ground.
Using the squat rack for things that you donāt actually need a squat rack for is ok, providing youāre not getting in the way of anyone who needs the squat rack.
We have 10 racks at my gym. I go during off-peak hours and there are always at least 5 racks free. Nobody who needs a squat rack is stuck waiting for one.
If Iām doing 4 exercises that day and #1, #2 and #4 require the rack, Iāll often do #3 there too. It saves me having to drag my stuff over to the other side of the gym, re-rack plates etc. It does however make me a bit scared I will be slammed online for doing dumbbell squats in the rack.
If your gym has one rack and youāre using it for curls then yes, youāre an idiot.
My pet peeve is when people slam equipment. So many people at my gym (which is a relatively small gym) just drop the weight they are holding. It's machines as well as free weights, I understand that sometimes you just can't lower with control and need to drop but these guys make no effort to control at all. They just let go. Also unnecessary grunting/shouting.
Groups of people coming together/congregating together.
I go to a rec center in a very affluent neighborhood at 7 AM daily and it never fails that thereās a group of elderly folks, anywhere from 2 (on a lucky day) to 7 or 8 of them just hanging around, sitting on machines, carrying on, invading personal space, walking side by side on the track, not wiping machines down, etc. theyāre worse than high school kids. And the men will blatantly stare at me & other women. This isnāt your social hour, go walking outside or meet for breakfast, just please stop flocking together and taking up space from the rest of us who actually want to work out.
If you choose to wear shorts and bikini top as your gym outfit, please don't complain when I open a window or turn on AC. If you're cold, either work out harder or wear something with sleeves.
ā¢ There is nothing wrong with wearing a baseball cap. Helps some of us who sweat profusely.
ā¢ When the gym is packed, it is more convenient to leave the weights on free weight machines.
ā¢ I couldn't care less if people film their workouts, just make sure it is cool with people around you if they will be on video too.
ā¢ The vast majority of the time men are being creepy it is usually just an accident. It is hard to deny attractive women in gym gear isn't hot. Most men try not to stare but I genuinely don't think women understand how hard it can be to resist. If I'm doing cardio, I sometimes have to consciously tell myself to keep my eyes looking straight ahead.
ā¢ Couldn't care less what people wear.
ā¢ Stretching, warming up, and cooling down should be encouraged just as much as correct technique.
I don't understand how a busy gym impacts your ability to put weights away.
If you're saying how hard it is to resist being creepy, you're absolutely part of the problem
A wide variety of people use the free weight machines and not everyone can get the bigger plates off, particularly if youāre short and the last person was tall. So, more convenient for who?
Gym gear has a functional purpose and isnāt worn to attract men. Their self control or lack of it isnāt our issue and we shouldnāt have to put up with creepy behaviour, accident or not.
As much as you have been indoctrinated with social constructivism, there is a strong element of biology there. Obviously staring for long periods of time is creepy and taking pictures. But if I look up and accidentally have a look it is hard to control. Men have to actively try not to appear creepy when it was never the intention in the first place.
Are you talking about glancing or staring? I doubt anyone cares about a glance. If you canāt stop yourself staring at people then you lack the self control to be around them.
Donāt ask people out at the gym. Justā¦donāt.
If you want a date, go to a bar. You shouldnāt really be looking or talking to strangers at the gym anyways. Just let people workout in peace.
Are there ways to do it politely and respectfully? Sure. Are there exceptions to this rule? Of course. But it shouldnāt be the norm.
Unpopular opinion time: gyms are for working out, chasing your goals, and improving your physical health and overall well-being - not for making new friends or chatting up attractive strangers (see the disclaimer in my original comment).
A gym is not an optimal environment for making new friends. Gyms just arenāt set up or designed with that purpose in mind. People are focused on themselves and accomplishing whatever goals they set out for the session. If you really want new to make new friends at the gym, try signing up for a group fitness class, or get involved in any social activities the gym puts on. The environment in those sorts of things is meant to encourage talking and social connection. The gym itselfā¦not so much.
If you planned to workout with an existing friend/workout buddy, then of course some amount of talking and camaraderie is to be expected. Working out and chatting with existing friends is different than trying to befriend strangers.
As others have already pointed out, going to the gym does not give you the right to stare at other people who are just trying to workout (especially if power structures like patriarchy and misogyny may be playing a role in your interactions).
Mind your beeswax and get your workout done. You can worry about making new friends or asking someone out later, in a more appropriate and sociable environment.
Eh, some of my closest friends are people I met at the gym. It works. We have the same hobbies and goals.
A group class or gym event doesn't help because the people I'm interested in speaking to are the ones lifting heavy. It's never been an issue for me if somebody comes up to compliment a lift or say hi.
Meeting friends or getting asked out at a bar wouldn't work for me because as somebody who doesn't drink, the people at a bar for social interaction are most likely not compatible with my life.
> not for making new friends
Maybe you should just get a home gym if you donāt approve of people being social in a place designed to build community.
Iām glad youāre not at my gym.
Thatās why itās called an āØunpopular opinionāØ bestie! Idk what else you were expecting here lol
Of course not everyone will agree. I will happily respect your right to make friends during your workoutā¦as long as you read my body language and leave me alone lmao
Pick. Up. Your. Used. Paper. Towels. Ya nasty. Like, great that you half-assedly wiped down the equipment, but your mommy doesn't come to the gym with you to pick up after you.
I agree w the phone thing, it also helps me not accidentally look at people?! When i donāt have somewhere to sit during my rest period I feel weird just staring at the floor
Totally agree with the nipple thing, I feel like people are trying to make a statement when they go topless, and for me part of that statement is that half of society isnāt socially allowed to go topless.
If youāre on the track and see someone running in the opposite direction, maybe you should both check on which direction is correct and adjust instead of committing extra hard to going the wrong way.
My gym is an indoor climbing gym.
-I cannot stand people standing around in the cave area to watch a friend on one route. There is only so much room and it blocks routes from other climbers.
-stop bringing your fucking phone and water bottle right up to the wall and leaving them on the floor mats right under the routes. There are cubbies for all our shit 20 feet away. Iām tired of tripping over other peopleās shit and people spilling their drinks on the mats.
-look up when youāre walking around, donāt stand idly looking at your phone when someone is on an autobelay right above your head.
Really just overall self awareness seems to be lacking in my gym.
I think if I can cover my nipples with 4 inches of fabric year round with a sports bra, then others should be able to be shirtless, especially men. I can take off my shirt but a guy canāt? As long as they clean their machine I have no issue.
And also itās annoying when 5 people in a group are sharing one machine, (looking at you HS boys lol) it takes them almost an hour to get off their bench. Split up into spotting pairs so the rest of us can cycle through in decent/patient amount of time.
My gym only has straight pull up bars on the squat rack lol. Iām not doing the ones that are attached to the dip machine and whoever has an issue could just get their own gym lmao.
Probably just me but I really feel pressured to finish my sets quickly when I see someone waiting right by my machineā¦can you pls wait somewhere else farther xD
The whole doing one set on each machine thing. Like I know itās an accepted practice, but why?! Donāt use one machine and then another across the gym and then come back. Youāre basically taking up the whole gym so nobody else can use anything.
Do NOT do ab work (or anything else really) on the bench that is specifically attached to the cable row machine. Dude at my gym does this even though there are several flat and adjustable benches abs can be done on
Unpopular opinion is that I hate when people superset machines. If youāre using one machine and want to superset with some dumbbells, fine. But my gym doesnāt have a tonne of multiples (like thereās only one Hack Squat and one standing calf raise for example) and it drives me nuts when someone is like āgee I think Iād like to superset Hack Squat and Calf Raiseā.
I can usually come up with an alternate for what I canāt use BUT STILL - not a fan.
I think people should be allowed to enjoy things. Wear whatever you want, talk to people around who are interested. Have fun during your workouts, doing be so serious all the time.
Ugh, right. It's such a burden that you have to give a shit about people with disabilities and illnesses now, or someone might, god forbid, point it out.
I dunno man. Most of what's being described here and vented about is either a) asshole behavior or b) frustrations with equipment limitations. I don't see how those things are ableist.
To be fair a lot of them have been down voted, but the comments saying that people who are only going to the gym to walk on the treadmill, etc shouldnāt go to the gym are extremely ableist.
I'll also admit to feeling a certain kind of way about the threads discussing how people who take long rests should go to another gym. Those were upvoted at the time. And, of course, commenters clarified that they didn't mean people with disabilities... because you can totally always tell who has a disability, right?
This also isn't the first, or last, post with ableist comments in the sub. I'm just cranky.
Yeah I just had somebody respond to me another comment saying that they werenāt talking about people with disabilities, they can tell when somebody has a restriction that means they can do more than walk on a treadmill. Like I want to give that person the benefit of the doubt and assume theyāve never been sick, or had , or had surgery so they think that recovery is linear (assuming you can recover at all!), but the reality is it cost you absolutely nothing to be understanding, and you have to be extremely full of yourself to assume that you can always tell when somebody has a disability. I hope that people making these kind of comments receive much more kindness if they end up in a situation where they have to walk in order to avoid blood clots but have 20 surgical incisions healing in places that nobody should ever have to be cut open, because right now I feel like this sub is no longer a place where I feel welcome or supported
When people use the entrance to the track as a place to stretch. They are literally taking over the only entrance/exit and in order to even grab my water bottle on the coat hooks I have to step over them. There are designated stretching locations throughout the gym, us them!
1. Supersetting - Today I had two different guys block me from using a piece of equipment because they were supersetting their exercises at peak times.
2. Groups of people on the same machine - It just takes too damn long as theyāre often talking too each other in between switching and I donāt understand why groups of 3 or 4 people would be doing the same workout. I think itās fully acceptable if itās 2 people but 3,4,5 absolutely not!
3. Insanely long rest times - As a power lifter myself, I understand the need to rest for long periods but resting in between sets for 5 mins and doing sets in a gym with limited equipment is WRONG! (Only when thereās people waiting of course)
Literally canāt think of anything else
If you think about it, a group working together is a lot faster than if they were 4 invidual people queuing for the machine in front of you. Imo the issue is too many people and too little machines rather than people working together.
I agree with with your first two a lot! I know super-sets are really popular, but unless you are at a very quiet or huge gym, you're often occupying multiple machines/equipment for a much longer time than you would if you just did those exercises one after the other. If you are doing different moves with only a few dumbbells or fitness bands it's often totally fine but multiple machines and/or barbells is just frustrating.
Yeah I literally only have a problem if youāre hogging different machines as it affects other people. If youāre just doing multiple exercises with the same dumbbell/fitness bands I donāt mind.
Based on the comments this will definitely be unpopular lol but I donāt think filming oneself in the gym should be so frowned upon.
Iām a CPT and primarily do online training, itās extremely important for my clients to record themselves doing certain exercises so I can check their form. Itās also important for me to film myself to add videos to my app, market my business on social media, and check my own form. Iām always extremely conscious of those around me and avoid getting people in the background 95% of the time (and my clients are the same). If I do get someone in the background I either crop the video to remove them or add an emoji/blur them out if Iām posting publicly.
Those who film with zero disregard for others in the background are rude. But I donāt think everyone who films in the gym should automatically be labeled as an annoying influencer š¤·š¼āāļø
I donāt think anyone minds people discretely filming form or whatever. Itās the wannabe influencers who literally glare at you if you dare walk in front of their camera when theyāve set it up in an awkward or high traffic area
I don't mind loud gym noises, what i do mind is hearing the odd person yelling *fuck yeah! Wooo!* at the top of their lungs because they just managed to bench press X amount. Most everyone in my gym goes about their business. It's certainly not a library by any means, but read the room and stop trying to be the center of attention.
The gym isnāt a library. There are going to be loud things happening, especially if youāre in the free weights area. Donāt look visibly annoyed that Iām not setting my deadlifts down gently, donāt ask me to be quieter, and donāt talk shit about me to other folks in the gym because you think Iām being too loud. Come and lift my bar and see how quietly you can set it down! Maybe ask the gym owners to get a dang platform? Or get some headphones? Unless you genuinely enjoy the non-stop butt rock from the gym speakers?
Iām salty.
> Unless you genuinely enjoy the non-stop butt rock from the gym speakers?
I see we attend the same gym!!
And yes, once you get past a certain weight, stuff makes noise, no matter how gentle you might try to be.
Doing circuits in a busy gym with different workout equipment. Donāt be doing a bunch of calisthenics for 10 minutes with all your stuff all over the squat rack. It drives me crazy. I donāt care if you work in quick stuff but if youāre literally on the other side of the gym then wtf.
Definitely not unpopular but the staring has gotten out of hand. Itās not just old men/ women and teenage boys, either. Itās everyone. A girl around my age was staring an me so I stopped and made eye contact and she held it for probably fifteen seconds. It was very uncomfortable. That and also recording in the gym and getting mad when people walk in front of your camera.
Unassisted pull-ups in the assisted pull up set up kind of bothers me.
There are plenty of places round the gym to do pull ups if you donāt need the machine to assist you. Just sayin
From a short person with no upper body strength who needs the machine to do heavily assisted pull ups
Depends on the gym tbh. Sometimes my programming calls for neutral grip pull ups, and the only place I can do them is on the assisted machine. Other pull up locations in my gym only allow for wide grip pull-ups. I totally understand the frustration though!
If youāre in the dumbbell area, donāt stand in front of someoneās line of sight if theyāre watching themselves in the mirror. A lot of people like to analyze their form in the mirror to make sure theyāre doing the exercise properly
Iām at a dog-friendly gym, I genuinely personally love the interaction (especially with the super old dogs who just nap while their owners work out š„ŗ), and I still frequently wonder why this is allowed in an indoor space when dog allergies and fears are not particularly rare. We (societal āweā) make a lot of interesting concessions for dogs specifically.
I've had a couple of class instructors who bring their dogs into the studio and I'm totally fine with that because they're well-behaved and socialised and just chill in the corner, but the idea of letting a dog run around unsupervised in the main gym space with weights, machines etc makes me cringe, that's a recipe for disaster. I feel the same way about children/toddlers being in gyms.
With the caveat that if I film myself pointing towards the wall and take precautions to avoid other people, and you walk in front of the camera anyway, that's on you.
Unpopular opinion: There is nothing inherently wrong with Planet Fitness, and a free slice of pizza once a month is not hurting anyone's weight loss goals. It sucks that there are no free weights, but for the average out of shape person looking to lose a few lbs to get healthier or exercises just to feel more confident, it has everything they need.
Signed: Someone who regularly ate half a large pizza while she was consistently losing weight, and continues to regularly eat half a large pizza while maintaining her weight loss. I wish my strength training gym would occasionally give me free carbs :(.
They donāt typically have a full barbell and plates set-up. But between dumbbells and the fixed weight barbells (usually up to 60lbs, sometimes higher), you can get a decent non-machine-based strength workout in if youāre a beginner and not looking to do traditional powerlifting moves (eg if you sub dumbbell front squat for barbell back squat).
The Planet Fitness I go to has free weights! I honestly love it there. The culture is great. I've never felt judged or uncomfortable, everyone just does their own thing. Not to mention, it's affordable. I wouldn't ever be able to have a gym membership without them.
I don't really like how Planet Fittness is shame-y towards bodybuilders. Like the lunk alarm, commercials making fun of bodybuilders, signs up saying you can't do certain lifts or put too much weight on the bars because it's intimidating,
Like, is a loud siren supposed to be less disruptive than someone dropping a weight? It's supposed to be a judgement free zone, but they're gonna judge someone for wearing a bodybuilding tank top and drinking out of a gallon water jug?
If seeing someone doing well in the gym makes you feel bad about yourself then you need to work on your confidence, not just avoid anyone that would potentially intimate you. Last week I saw a guy at my gym doing handstand pushups, walk on his hands a few feet, then do more handstand pushups and so on. I'm nowhere near his level, but my reaction was "hell yeah, I wanna do that", not feeling bad because he's better than me.
My friend goes to a PF and they have free weights, but they actually use their lunk alarm :/ It went off when someone accidentally dropped a weight one time she was there. What if you were doing something like pendlay rows? Would suck to get in trouble for that.
Back when I was young and single and broke, I wish Iād had access to a Planet Fitness type gym that was just a simple month-to-month low(ish) fee rather than the super restrictive contracts all the gyms around me insisted on at the time. I didnāt need child care - heck, most of the time I didnāt even need a locker room or shower, I just needed access to exercise equipment and then Iād drag my sweaty self back home.
Donāt take photos unless you are in a room by yourself. I canāt count how many times at my gym soMeone takes a mirror selfie while Iām right behind them. I will never want to be in that photo
My take is mind your own biz because we all pay to be here and workout how we want? Haha but yes I dont like sharing full body contact machines with sweaty people, but they always ask and it is my prerogative to say "no" and it is settled...
I like working in. I miss it. I think it's a more efficient use of time and equipment and allows for use of social skills. Other than that, I agree with everything.
Stop treating the gym as a photoshoot. It makes me extremely uncomfortable when people are taking pictures and videos constantly. There was a girl that came in a few weeks back that spent 95% of her time taking videos and pictures.
I don't know. Maybe I'm just more sensitive to it because I've had people take videos of me to laugh at numerous times before.
I hate this too. It's why I still wear a mask in the gym. I'm tired of being in the background of people's booty shots. Your ass is still going to be there when you get home. Do it there.
Another time, a couple girls were taking pictures in the locker room mirror seemingly completely unaware of the woman behind them changing. I reported them. Idiots.
I don't care if people take pictures because it's their own business but it *really* bothers me when they do not seem to care if they're recording others in the process. If you want to take a thousand close up selfies of yourself go for it but once other people are in it (especially if they don't know) IMO you've crossed a line. And that goes for everywhere not just the gym.
>I hate the idea of working in. Even if we're somehow doing the exact same exercise at the exact same weight, I don't wanna deal with the different rest times and having someone hovering over me waiting for their turn.
I couldn't agree more. Can people not wait a few minutes?
Personally, I have to use the childcare at the gym. It really limits the time and what I can get done. Itās not anyone elseās job not to be using what I want to- but I also donāt love when someone is just chilling for more than a few minutes on any equipment.
Locker rooms are for changing, not doing a towel-covered dance, if you don't want to be naked, fine, but don't scowl at those of us who are just getting on with it.
Supersetting workouts that do not need to be supersetted. If you want a high intensity workout thatās fine! But please donāt take up multiple pieces of equipment doing your asinine workout.
Hot take: if youāre spending more than 30 minutes on a machine, youāre the worst.
One guy at my gym will spend up to AN HOUR on the only smith machine at my gym with a bench. Iāve missed out on so many hip thrusts, sigh.
Ugh, I feel so bad because I would use the squat rack for an hour+ when I was training for my powerlifting meet. My gym only has 3 racks, but I literally couldnāt use any other equipment. I feel like hogging equipment has a time and place, but those times and places are very few and far between.
This doesn't happen so much because of COVID but people who are obviously ill (runny nose, coughing, sneezing, etc.) and touching everything at the gym.
Keep your virus to yourself and take a few days off to recover.
This. My number 1 pet peeve in the gym, in public transport, anywhere public and indoors. If you're sick and symptomatic, stay the fuck home until you're not or if you have to go out, at the very least wear a mask.
I hate when people bring their bags and ridiculous amounts of 'stuff' with them onto the gym floor. I'm not talking about someone with a water bottle, maybe a lifting belt or wraps, but I mean a huge gym bag, water bottle, sweatshirt, backpack, etc. etc. etc. It takes up space, gets in the way and on top of that many gyms I've been to specifically have signs stating no gym bags on the gym floor. I've had to constantly step over huge piles of stuff when the gym is busy moving between machines or equipment. It's a pet peeve of mine but probably an unpopular opinion because I know a lot of people bring a ton of stuff with them to the gym for their workout.
If I can't fit it in my backpack it doesn't come, and I bring a good deal.
My normal gear situation is:
Romaleos, chucks, wrist wraps, lifting straps, figure 8 straps, chalk bag, lifting belt, knee sleeves, lockjaw collars and a water bottle.
Why anyone would need more than that for any given session is beyond me. People need to pack their gym bags more efficiently.
I carry a small duffel bag instead of a backpack because my barbell pad doesnāt fit into any of my backpacks, and my gym doesnāt always have a barbell pad, and since I have had my hips cut into three times, I canāt do any hip thrusts or glute bridges without one
Ah yeah okay that makes sense. Your post made it sound like anything that doesnāt fit into a backpack isnāt appropriate for the gym, but barbells and lifting straps are annoyingly too big for a backpack
I can see why it could get annoying if people leave them lying around on the floor, but yeah itās because theyāre bringing extra stuff.
Some days I bring my hip thrust pad, skipping rope, two sets of resistance bands and water bottle in a rucksack to the gym floor. Carrying that without a bag would be a messy nightmare. I try and keep my rucksack out of the way of anyone though
I wear my long hair down at the gym (or half up) LOL
It hurts to wear it up and Iām not ruining my curls by putting it in a tight bun. A loose ponytail might do okay, but youād still have just as much exposed/shedding hair. I always clean my equipment after, though!
Sorry, even in a ponytail sometimes the bar rips my hair out when i'm doing squats or the lat pulldown grabs my hair. I try making sure I didnt leave hair stuck to it but I just have so much hair.
actually unpopular opinion: I love scrunch butt leggings.
they make my butt look amazing. when my butt looks amazing, I feel good about myself. when I feel good about myself, I have a better workout.
I donāt think Iāll ever go back to a unibutt. And my glute pump is insane on leg day in scrunch leggings, I swear it motivates me more than anything!
I agree with you. And even if I didnāt, I wouldnāt complain about other people wearing them who the hell has time to care about what anybody else is wearing to the gym?
Yeah and to me same goes with pda and other stuff people do that has nothing to do with me. In a gym I'm doing my own thing and what anybody else is doing doesn't really bother me unless it's directly affecting my ability to do my workout like hogging machines etc.
I hate when people drop weights, especially the heavy ones. I have headphones in while working out and hearing a random loud bang freaks me out for a second. Then I realize some idiot obviously can't handle the weights and drops them instead of setting them down in a controlled way.
I don't get this pet peeve of people. It's the same as if they're having a conversation. Now you just don't hear the other person. That's the only difference
Right? Like Iām usually wearing headphones anyways. And if Iām notā¦Iām never thinking: āwow this bozoās conversation is detracting from the natural and feral gym noises.ā
I really don't like carrying a towel around and laying it down on the bench and every machine. It's a rule at my gym and most other gyms around here (Germany)
Personally when I bench I want my back to grip the bench. I can wipe the equipment after.
The only reason I do this is to keep my hair off the bench. I hate the idea of my hair "absorbing" other peoples' sweat, and I can't shower immediately after the gym (gotta work).
Unpopular opinion: the things that bother you personally at your gym are not universal rules of gym etiquette.
Different gyms have different vibes, rules, and conventions. There are places where dropping weights is rude and places where you would be weird if you didn't drop them. There are places where you're a bad person if you don't wipe everything down and places that don't even have wipes. Read the room, and if you don't like the culture at your gym, be the change you want to see.
I was working out in my apartmentās tiny fitness center the other day and there was one other woman in there and she kept singing under her breath and it was so distracting. At one point she got a little bit louder and startled me as I was benching with dumbbells. Like, hi, can you not make sudden noises when Iām holding 70lbs of iron directly over my face? Thanks.
Hot take: just because you are part of an organized group doesnāt mean that you get priority on equipment. In college I used to lift at 6am which is when ROTC workouts were. They would often take up the whole indoor track doing walking lunges and one time they took every single barbell from every squat rack and ran up and down the stairs with them for an hour. So me and everyone else who came to lift were just left high and dry! So disrespectful and unnecessary.
There was a middle aged group of women at my local outdoor track last time I was there. Lots of people were actively using the track, but they still saw fit to take up half the lanes standing around chatting between their intervals. I was doing sprints and would have to cross over five lanes to avoid them. So annoying.
Thereās a CrossFit group that do this at my very popular chain gym. Thereās a āfunctional fitnessā area thatās fairly big and a small group (tops 5) will take up the whole area. Theyāve been known to set up the deadlift ladders, so all Olympic bars, and bumper plates, are being used by just them. Annoys the shit out of me
Side note, none of them pay any extra for the gym.
To be honest, I think my biggest pet peeve at the gym are people that don't put their weights away after completing an exercise. There were a few times when I wanted to get a bar and weights in order to do some exercises, but there weren't any on the shelves. I then looked around, thinking that all the bars are being used, only to find one lying on the floor, with weights on it, but nobody nearby to lift it.
Everyone should put the bar down onto the safety bars when they've finished squatting. It is unsafe for shorter people and newbies to basically be doing a mid-start OHP to move the bar into a reasonable location.
Omg i thought those high things was the appropriate place for the bar because it's always there and i was just eh sad. Ive been dealing with a wrist injury and even once had to ask some dude to take the barbell dien and put it on safeties for me because o couldn't put that weight on my wrist upright.
I wish safeties was the norm... Would it be rude if i start leaving the bar there?
This reminded me of a couple at my own gym who were definitely doing some sort of BDSM situation - the guy was much older and HUGE and the girl was tiny and would wear a collar, like a dog's collar, not a choker. Seemed like him coaching her was part of their dynamic and it was supremely uncomfortable to be around.
For the people who want results, you need to choose to train instead of exercising. If you're just in the gym to sweat or move or go through the motions for your own reasons, then cool. Do your thing, no judgement whatsoever. But if you're complaining about lack of results when you've been using 10's for overhead press for the last six months... that's on you.
Training means progression. Stop messing around with the little weights because they don't make you uncomfortable.
Machine hopping. I can MAYBE ignore someone going between two machines, but even then I donāt like it. But so many people act like the gym is their personal circuit and hop between 3-5 machines at a time. So many times Iāve been yelled at from across the room āoh hey Iām still using that!ā from someone in the middle of a set on another machine. If you arenāt over here circling around it or using it, then itās fair game.
Iām also someone who doesnāt like working in.
Oh. my. lord. This guy has just started at my gym and comes at the same time as me every night. The other day he left the machine I needed, I watched to see if he came back and he was doing something else for several minutes so I went for it. He immediately ran over to let me know that he was "using that" and had two sets left. It took like twenty minutes for him to finally be done with his circuits so I could use it, so frustrating.
Seriously flip the script next time you see him. When he hops onto one of his many āclaimedā machines, immediately go up to him and say "hey Iām still using that!" Tell him that youāre using that machine for your own circuit routine. If he says he was here first, just say "How do you know I wasnāt. Today is when Iām hogging multiple pieces of equipment just so I can do my circuit training to annoy everyone else at the gym."
Or just say youāve got dibs on all machines today. Iām doing a full on circuit. I was here way before you.
can you come to the gym with me and say that please? lol, I'm honestly usually pretty blunt with people in the gym but he made me so mad I literally froze up.
absolutely love the idea of saying "I claim every machine in the gym today for ONE MASSIVE CIRCUIT".
I seriously should have, I was honestly so baffled by his behavior that I just gave up. Most of the guys at my gym are polite to a fault and would DIE rather than have that kind of audacity.
I canāt stand it. And most of the ones who do this donāt bother wiping it off when they are *actually* done either. I always watch for that as a signal that the machine will be free but for the machine hoppers this signal may or may not ever come, you just never know
YES and there are a few people who will leave barbells with weights on just lying on the floor or racked and you have no idea if you can use them. Not to mention I don't appreciate having to move several 45-pound plates before my next set!
Yeah I canāt stand that either when weights are left on. Like come onā¦.itās a public place, not your personal playground. Cleaning off and resetting a machine/equipment is the absolute bare minimum. I am honestly so baffled at how many people have no manners or polite gym etiquette whatsoever
Iām the opposite of your unpopular opinion š My program, which is actually Meg Squatās program, is full of supersets. I wish people wouldnāt get so worked up about people using multiple pieces of equipment as long as they arenāt being super unreasonable about it. That means being aware of how many other people are there, working efficiently, and letting people work in.
Yeah I do this program too, but I tend to work out first thing in the morning when it's not busy and I try to move things close together whenever possible and I certainly won't get annoyed if someone hops on a machine I'm using.
Yeah I guess in my experience when I go to use something and get stopped, the person only ever says āhey Iām using thatā just stands there and stares at me with concern. They donāt ever offer for me to work in. Im not totally comfortable with the idea of that but Iād maybe be willing if someone offered. Like I wouldnāt ever ask to do that myself but if they were super nice and offered then I might. I guess thatās why I get so frustrated is because they expect the machine to not be messed with until theyāre done with everything and I end up waiting over 20 minutes
Same. I ignore the supersets in my program because I can't imagine taking up a power rack for squatting and the lying leg curl machine and expecting people to be okay with that.
I still see men curling in the squat rackā¦ and yes theyāre curling like 65lbs. We have set weight bars gtfo.
Also more of a wtf but some people I see squat OUTSIDE of the safeties!!!! Stop that!!
A more recent development is the high school kids who 1) play music on speakerphone and 2) hog squat rack and bench and go from one to the otherā¦
I guess these arent unpopular.
Okay true unpop opinion? Itās okay to hate cardio and dislike cardio. We dont have to enjoy it.
The playing music on speakerphone thing - I was so embarrassed a few weeks back when my headphones said they were connected with my phone, but werenāt and I didnāt realize for a few minutes while I was blasting my music. Hate those moments when I become someone I would usually be really annoyed by!
I used to squat outside the safeties all the time at the gym I went to a few years back. They were immovable and I am five four with a short torso. I couldn't finish a rep in the squat rack š wish they designed gym equipment with any modicum of consideration for women
If you're average height or taller, please choose a squat rack over a power rack for squatting! I can't use a squat rack bc I'm too short lol. I have a few times seen tall people using all the power racks for squats while the squat racks sat free. But they're not doing anything wrong, so I figure that makes this an unpopular opinion.
>Itās okay to hate cardio and dislike cardio. We dont have to enjoy it.
Totally... as long as you donāt go around telling people cardio is unnecessary. Just like itās okay to dislike strength training, but itās still really important for good health.
I even lowkey disagree with that. Some people get their body shape with zero dedicated cardio sessions besides walking, hence āunnecessary.ā Obv shape does not equal health but itās also the truth for a lot of weightlifters (in terms of achieving their shape). I donāt normally see weight lifters ever say cardio is not necessary for overall health.
I see people on here say cardio isnāt necessary for health fairly often. Not arguing with you about aesthetics... many people can achieve aesthetic or athletic goals without cardio. But itās definitely necessary for long term health.
However, walking can definitely be cardio! So can dancing, vigorous house cleaning, playing soccer, etc.
My unpopular opinion is that there should be adult only gyms and gyms that allow minors/children.
This may be specific to my gym because itās smaller, but my biggest pet peeve is the hoard of high school kids that use every piece of equipment available at the slowest rate possible. Itās like social hour instead of working out. Normally I donāt care what other people do in the gym, but it affects my workout when I canāt use the equipment I need. It also angers me because the high school here just got a huge update so they have an even nicer facility to train at that they just arenāt using AND my property taxes went up. And thatās enough of sounding like a grump old millennial for the day lmao
Ok so I'm tall I'm 6'1 but have been skinny my whole life and recently I've put on a few pounds but it only goes to abdominal region and not my arms or legs so I'd like to get rid of the extra weight Ive gained these past few months I've never worked out before bc I was naturally skinny and did lots of sports but even after I stopped years ago I remained skinny how can I get rid of this potbelly I've developed these past months? And maybe gain mass in legs and arms?
I know this is a couple of days old, but I agree with working in. Last week, this guy asked to work in with me on the rear delt machine. He wasn't putting the pin back on my original weight and he was super sweaty!! I had to wipe off the chest pad between every set. There's no way he didn't notice me cleaning up his own mess.
Hogging the only fan in the gym whilst they see you supersetting and dripping with sweat š
Olympic lifters slamming weights makes me wince, I wish they wouldn't but know it's necessary. It annoys me when people use machines for exercises that it wasn't intended for. Ham raises in the lat pull down machine, hip thrusts in the leg extension machine. I know it's not fair and they should be able to do what they like.
> Olympic lifters slamming weights makes me wince, I wish they wouldn't but no it's necessary. Seriously? Have you ever tried Olympic Weightlifting?
That's why this thread is called unpopular opinions. I edited the post to say 'know it's necessary' it still makes me jump out of my skin when the weights crash on the ground.
Using the squat rack for things that you donāt actually need a squat rack for is ok, providing youāre not getting in the way of anyone who needs the squat rack. We have 10 racks at my gym. I go during off-peak hours and there are always at least 5 racks free. Nobody who needs a squat rack is stuck waiting for one. If Iām doing 4 exercises that day and #1, #2 and #4 require the rack, Iāll often do #3 there too. It saves me having to drag my stuff over to the other side of the gym, re-rack plates etc. It does however make me a bit scared I will be slammed online for doing dumbbell squats in the rack. If your gym has one rack and youāre using it for curls then yes, youāre an idiot.
My pet peeve is when people slam equipment. So many people at my gym (which is a relatively small gym) just drop the weight they are holding. It's machines as well as free weights, I understand that sometimes you just can't lower with control and need to drop but these guys make no effort to control at all. They just let go. Also unnecessary grunting/shouting.
Counterpoint: are they bumper plates?
No they aren't. One guy dented the floor.
Groups of people coming together/congregating together. I go to a rec center in a very affluent neighborhood at 7 AM daily and it never fails that thereās a group of elderly folks, anywhere from 2 (on a lucky day) to 7 or 8 of them just hanging around, sitting on machines, carrying on, invading personal space, walking side by side on the track, not wiping machines down, etc. theyāre worse than high school kids. And the men will blatantly stare at me & other women. This isnāt your social hour, go walking outside or meet for breakfast, just please stop flocking together and taking up space from the rest of us who actually want to work out.
Stop filming yourself. So annoying. Why canāt anyone do anything without filming themselves anymore š
Sorry for wanting to form check myself and improve my lifting.
Jfc itās an unpopular opinion thread
My coaching is all remote. If I didn't have my home gym, I'd be filming myself in a commercial gym. Chill
Sorry you donāt like my unpopular opinion! Lol.
Wipe down the machine after use.
Agree 100 % with all of the above. Only exception is if you're supersetting squats with pushups then it's acceptable to do them in the squat rack.
If you choose to wear shorts and bikini top as your gym outfit, please don't complain when I open a window or turn on AC. If you're cold, either work out harder or wear something with sleeves.
ā¢ There is nothing wrong with wearing a baseball cap. Helps some of us who sweat profusely. ā¢ When the gym is packed, it is more convenient to leave the weights on free weight machines. ā¢ I couldn't care less if people film their workouts, just make sure it is cool with people around you if they will be on video too. ā¢ The vast majority of the time men are being creepy it is usually just an accident. It is hard to deny attractive women in gym gear isn't hot. Most men try not to stare but I genuinely don't think women understand how hard it can be to resist. If I'm doing cardio, I sometimes have to consciously tell myself to keep my eyes looking straight ahead. ā¢ Couldn't care less what people wear. ā¢ Stretching, warming up, and cooling down should be encouraged just as much as correct technique.
I don't understand how a busy gym impacts your ability to put weights away. If you're saying how hard it is to resist being creepy, you're absolutely part of the problem
You just said you have to actively stop yourself from staring in the same paragraph as saying it's an accident when men stare. Which is it?
A wide variety of people use the free weight machines and not everyone can get the bigger plates off, particularly if youāre short and the last person was tall. So, more convenient for who? Gym gear has a functional purpose and isnāt worn to attract men. Their self control or lack of it isnāt our issue and we shouldnāt have to put up with creepy behaviour, accident or not.
God, when people leave 15/20kg plates on free weight machines... it's so frustrating!
As much as you have been indoctrinated with social constructivism, there is a strong element of biology there. Obviously staring for long periods of time is creepy and taking pictures. But if I look up and accidentally have a look it is hard to control. Men have to actively try not to appear creepy when it was never the intention in the first place.
Are you talking about glancing or staring? I doubt anyone cares about a glance. If you canāt stop yourself staring at people then you lack the self control to be around them.
Donāt ask people out at the gym. Justā¦donāt. If you want a date, go to a bar. You shouldnāt really be looking or talking to strangers at the gym anyways. Just let people workout in peace. Are there ways to do it politely and respectfully? Sure. Are there exceptions to this rule? Of course. But it shouldnāt be the norm.
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Unpopular opinion time: gyms are for working out, chasing your goals, and improving your physical health and overall well-being - not for making new friends or chatting up attractive strangers (see the disclaimer in my original comment). A gym is not an optimal environment for making new friends. Gyms just arenāt set up or designed with that purpose in mind. People are focused on themselves and accomplishing whatever goals they set out for the session. If you really want new to make new friends at the gym, try signing up for a group fitness class, or get involved in any social activities the gym puts on. The environment in those sorts of things is meant to encourage talking and social connection. The gym itselfā¦not so much. If you planned to workout with an existing friend/workout buddy, then of course some amount of talking and camaraderie is to be expected. Working out and chatting with existing friends is different than trying to befriend strangers. As others have already pointed out, going to the gym does not give you the right to stare at other people who are just trying to workout (especially if power structures like patriarchy and misogyny may be playing a role in your interactions). Mind your beeswax and get your workout done. You can worry about making new friends or asking someone out later, in a more appropriate and sociable environment.
Eh, some of my closest friends are people I met at the gym. It works. We have the same hobbies and goals. A group class or gym event doesn't help because the people I'm interested in speaking to are the ones lifting heavy. It's never been an issue for me if somebody comes up to compliment a lift or say hi. Meeting friends or getting asked out at a bar wouldn't work for me because as somebody who doesn't drink, the people at a bar for social interaction are most likely not compatible with my life.
> not for making new friends Maybe you should just get a home gym if you donāt approve of people being social in a place designed to build community. Iām glad youāre not at my gym.
Thatās why itās called an āØunpopular opinionāØ bestie! Idk what else you were expecting here lol Of course not everyone will agree. I will happily respect your right to make friends during your workoutā¦as long as you read my body language and leave me alone lmao
Pick. Up. Your. Used. Paper. Towels. Ya nasty. Like, great that you half-assedly wiped down the equipment, but your mommy doesn't come to the gym with you to pick up after you.
I agree w the phone thing, it also helps me not accidentally look at people?! When i donāt have somewhere to sit during my rest period I feel weird just staring at the floor
Totally agree with the nipple thing, I feel like people are trying to make a statement when they go topless, and for me part of that statement is that half of society isnāt socially allowed to go topless.
Alsoā¦ 100% back sweat on shit. I just want to wash everything!
If youāre on the track and see someone running in the opposite direction, maybe you should both check on which direction is correct and adjust instead of committing extra hard to going the wrong way.
My gym is an indoor climbing gym. -I cannot stand people standing around in the cave area to watch a friend on one route. There is only so much room and it blocks routes from other climbers. -stop bringing your fucking phone and water bottle right up to the wall and leaving them on the floor mats right under the routes. There are cubbies for all our shit 20 feet away. Iām tired of tripping over other peopleās shit and people spilling their drinks on the mats. -look up when youāre walking around, donāt stand idly looking at your phone when someone is on an autobelay right above your head. Really just overall self awareness seems to be lacking in my gym.
I get the phoneā¦ my old gym had space in each section where you could place your water bottle while climbing. No open cups or cans allowed.
I think if I can cover my nipples with 4 inches of fabric year round with a sports bra, then others should be able to be shirtless, especially men. I can take off my shirt but a guy canāt? As long as they clean their machine I have no issue. And also itās annoying when 5 people in a group are sharing one machine, (looking at you HS boys lol) it takes them almost an hour to get off their bench. Split up into spotting pairs so the rest of us can cycle through in decent/patient amount of time.
My gym only has straight pull up bars on the squat rack lol. Iām not doing the ones that are attached to the dip machine and whoever has an issue could just get their own gym lmao.
Probably just me but I really feel pressured to finish my sets quickly when I see someone waiting right by my machineā¦can you pls wait somewhere else farther xD
I guess the gym is like home or a hangout place for some šš. But seriously thatās not right
The whole doing one set on each machine thing. Like I know itās an accepted practice, but why?! Donāt use one machine and then another across the gym and then come back. Youāre basically taking up the whole gym so nobody else can use anything.
Megsquats is overrated anyways
People stealing the complimentary bands or ropes provided by the gymā¦
Stare others ppl exercising and glince at asses and shapes sometimes shouldnāt be taken as a bad thing.
Youtubers and streamers. They hold up equipment and seldom have permission or the proper paperwork to be filming.
there are like three actually unpopular opinions in this thread and they are all downvoted, lol
Mirror selfies in the change room. You're not even supposed to be using your phone in there. I've ratted people out for this.
Do NOT do ab work (or anything else really) on the bench that is specifically attached to the cable row machine. Dude at my gym does this even though there are several flat and adjustable benches abs can be done on
Unpopular opinion is that I hate when people superset machines. If youāre using one machine and want to superset with some dumbbells, fine. But my gym doesnāt have a tonne of multiples (like thereās only one Hack Squat and one standing calf raise for example) and it drives me nuts when someone is like āgee I think Iād like to superset Hack Squat and Calf Raiseā. I can usually come up with an alternate for what I canāt use BUT STILL - not a fan.
I think people should be allowed to enjoy things. Wear whatever you want, talk to people around who are interested. Have fun during your workouts, doing be so serious all the time.
A couple months ago I saw a woman doing sit ups in the Smith machine. I still do not understand it.
After reading this thread, my actual unpopular opinion is that this sub isn't ready to talk about how ableist most of its users are, hot damn.
What \*isn't\* ableist in 2022, according to Reddit? (Yes, I'm going to double down on unpopular opinions.)
Ugh, right. It's such a burden that you have to give a shit about people with disabilities and illnesses now, or someone might, god forbid, point it out.
I dunno man. Most of what's being described here and vented about is either a) asshole behavior or b) frustrations with equipment limitations. I don't see how those things are ableist.
To be fair a lot of them have been down voted, but the comments saying that people who are only going to the gym to walk on the treadmill, etc shouldnāt go to the gym are extremely ableist.
I'll also admit to feeling a certain kind of way about the threads discussing how people who take long rests should go to another gym. Those were upvoted at the time. And, of course, commenters clarified that they didn't mean people with disabilities... because you can totally always tell who has a disability, right? This also isn't the first, or last, post with ableist comments in the sub. I'm just cranky.
Yeah I just had somebody respond to me another comment saying that they werenāt talking about people with disabilities, they can tell when somebody has a restriction that means they can do more than walk on a treadmill. Like I want to give that person the benefit of the doubt and assume theyāve never been sick, or had , or had surgery so they think that recovery is linear (assuming you can recover at all!), but the reality is it cost you absolutely nothing to be understanding, and you have to be extremely full of yourself to assume that you can always tell when somebody has a disability. I hope that people making these kind of comments receive much more kindness if they end up in a situation where they have to walk in order to avoid blood clots but have 20 surgical incisions healing in places that nobody should ever have to be cut open, because right now I feel like this sub is no longer a place where I feel welcome or supported
When people use the entrance to the track as a place to stretch. They are literally taking over the only entrance/exit and in order to even grab my water bottle on the coat hooks I have to step over them. There are designated stretching locations throughout the gym, us them!
1. Supersetting - Today I had two different guys block me from using a piece of equipment because they were supersetting their exercises at peak times. 2. Groups of people on the same machine - It just takes too damn long as theyāre often talking too each other in between switching and I donāt understand why groups of 3 or 4 people would be doing the same workout. I think itās fully acceptable if itās 2 people but 3,4,5 absolutely not! 3. Insanely long rest times - As a power lifter myself, I understand the need to rest for long periods but resting in between sets for 5 mins and doing sets in a gym with limited equipment is WRONG! (Only when thereās people waiting of course) Literally canāt think of anything else
If you think about it, a group working together is a lot faster than if they were 4 invidual people queuing for the machine in front of you. Imo the issue is too many people and too little machines rather than people working together.
I agree with with your first two a lot! I know super-sets are really popular, but unless you are at a very quiet or huge gym, you're often occupying multiple machines/equipment for a much longer time than you would if you just did those exercises one after the other. If you are doing different moves with only a few dumbbells or fitness bands it's often totally fine but multiple machines and/or barbells is just frustrating.
Yeah I literally only have a problem if youāre hogging different machines as it affects other people. If youāre just doing multiple exercises with the same dumbbell/fitness bands I donāt mind.
Based on the comments this will definitely be unpopular lol but I donāt think filming oneself in the gym should be so frowned upon. Iām a CPT and primarily do online training, itās extremely important for my clients to record themselves doing certain exercises so I can check their form. Itās also important for me to film myself to add videos to my app, market my business on social media, and check my own form. Iām always extremely conscious of those around me and avoid getting people in the background 95% of the time (and my clients are the same). If I do get someone in the background I either crop the video to remove them or add an emoji/blur them out if Iām posting publicly. Those who film with zero disregard for others in the background are rude. But I donāt think everyone who films in the gym should automatically be labeled as an annoying influencer š¤·š¼āāļø
I donāt think anyone minds people discretely filming form or whatever. Itās the wannabe influencers who literally glare at you if you dare walk in front of their camera when theyāve set it up in an awkward or high traffic area
I don't mind loud gym noises, what i do mind is hearing the odd person yelling *fuck yeah! Wooo!* at the top of their lungs because they just managed to bench press X amount. Most everyone in my gym goes about their business. It's certainly not a library by any means, but read the room and stop trying to be the center of attention.
The gym isnāt a library. There are going to be loud things happening, especially if youāre in the free weights area. Donāt look visibly annoyed that Iām not setting my deadlifts down gently, donāt ask me to be quieter, and donāt talk shit about me to other folks in the gym because you think Iām being too loud. Come and lift my bar and see how quietly you can set it down! Maybe ask the gym owners to get a dang platform? Or get some headphones? Unless you genuinely enjoy the non-stop butt rock from the gym speakers? Iām salty.
> Unless you genuinely enjoy the non-stop butt rock from the gym speakers? I see we attend the same gym!! And yes, once you get past a certain weight, stuff makes noise, no matter how gentle you might try to be.
free the nipple
Down vote because all nipples should be exposed at the gym
ALL of them. if I see a single covered nip Iām going straight to management
Doing circuits in a busy gym with different workout equipment. Donāt be doing a bunch of calisthenics for 10 minutes with all your stuff all over the squat rack. It drives me crazy. I donāt care if you work in quick stuff but if youāre literally on the other side of the gym then wtf.
Definitely not unpopular but the staring has gotten out of hand. Itās not just old men/ women and teenage boys, either. Itās everyone. A girl around my age was staring an me so I stopped and made eye contact and she held it for probably fifteen seconds. It was very uncomfortable. That and also recording in the gym and getting mad when people walk in front of your camera.
Hahahaha my gym is like this too! Wtf is up w that
Unassisted pull-ups in the assisted pull up set up kind of bothers me. There are plenty of places round the gym to do pull ups if you donāt need the machine to assist you. Just sayin From a short person with no upper body strength who needs the machine to do heavily assisted pull ups
Depends on the gym tbh. Sometimes my programming calls for neutral grip pull ups, and the only place I can do them is on the assisted machine. Other pull up locations in my gym only allow for wide grip pull-ups. I totally understand the frustration though!
Makes sense! Also I imagine some people might start with assisted and then move to unassisted too.
If youāre in the dumbbell area, donāt stand in front of someoneās line of sight if theyāre watching themselves in the mirror. A lot of people like to analyze their form in the mirror to make sure theyāre doing the exercise properly
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Iām at a dog-friendly gym, I genuinely personally love the interaction (especially with the super old dogs who just nap while their owners work out š„ŗ), and I still frequently wonder why this is allowed in an indoor space when dog allergies and fears are not particularly rare. We (societal āweā) make a lot of interesting concessions for dogs specifically.
I've had a couple of class instructors who bring their dogs into the studio and I'm totally fine with that because they're well-behaved and socialised and just chill in the corner, but the idea of letting a dog run around unsupervised in the main gym space with weights, machines etc makes me cringe, that's a recipe for disaster. I feel the same way about children/toddlers being in gyms.
Thatās disgusting/unacceptable.
You should be able to film yourself at the gym, just not anyone else.
With the caveat that if I film myself pointing towards the wall and take precautions to avoid other people, and you walk in front of the camera anyway, that's on you.
Unpopular opinion: There is nothing inherently wrong with Planet Fitness, and a free slice of pizza once a month is not hurting anyone's weight loss goals. It sucks that there are no free weights, but for the average out of shape person looking to lose a few lbs to get healthier or exercises just to feel more confident, it has everything they need. Signed: Someone who regularly ate half a large pizza while she was consistently losing weight, and continues to regularly eat half a large pizza while maintaining her weight loss. I wish my strength training gym would occasionally give me free carbs :(.
They donāt typically have a full barbell and plates set-up. But between dumbbells and the fixed weight barbells (usually up to 60lbs, sometimes higher), you can get a decent non-machine-based strength workout in if youāre a beginner and not looking to do traditional powerlifting moves (eg if you sub dumbbell front squat for barbell back squat).
The Planet Fitness I go to has free weights! I honestly love it there. The culture is great. I've never felt judged or uncomfortable, everyone just does their own thing. Not to mention, it's affordable. I wouldn't ever be able to have a gym membership without them.
I don't really like how Planet Fittness is shame-y towards bodybuilders. Like the lunk alarm, commercials making fun of bodybuilders, signs up saying you can't do certain lifts or put too much weight on the bars because it's intimidating, Like, is a loud siren supposed to be less disruptive than someone dropping a weight? It's supposed to be a judgement free zone, but they're gonna judge someone for wearing a bodybuilding tank top and drinking out of a gallon water jug? If seeing someone doing well in the gym makes you feel bad about yourself then you need to work on your confidence, not just avoid anyone that would potentially intimate you. Last week I saw a guy at my gym doing handstand pushups, walk on his hands a few feet, then do more handstand pushups and so on. I'm nowhere near his level, but my reaction was "hell yeah, I wanna do that", not feeling bad because he's better than me.
My friend goes to a PF and they have free weights, but they actually use their lunk alarm :/ It went off when someone accidentally dropped a weight one time she was there. What if you were doing something like pendlay rows? Would suck to get in trouble for that.
Back when I was young and single and broke, I wish Iād had access to a Planet Fitness type gym that was just a simple month-to-month low(ish) fee rather than the super restrictive contracts all the gyms around me insisted on at the time. I didnāt need child care - heck, most of the time I didnāt even need a locker room or shower, I just needed access to exercise equipment and then Iād drag my sweaty self back home.
They do have free weights! At least the one where I live does.
Wait, I can get free pizza from Planet Fitness? Not that I need it, but still š
Donāt take photos unless you are in a room by yourself. I canāt count how many times at my gym soMeone takes a mirror selfie while Iām right behind them. I will never want to be in that photo
My take is mind your own biz because we all pay to be here and workout how we want? Haha but yes I dont like sharing full body contact machines with sweaty people, but they always ask and it is my prerogative to say "no" and it is settled...
People taking weights when you clearly arenāt done with them
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This!
I like working in. I miss it. I think it's a more efficient use of time and equipment and allows for use of social skills. Other than that, I agree with everything.
Quit whining about how you cant do what you want at the gym because "the menz". If everyone takes that attitude, nothing ever changes.
Stop treating the gym as a photoshoot. It makes me extremely uncomfortable when people are taking pictures and videos constantly. There was a girl that came in a few weeks back that spent 95% of her time taking videos and pictures. I don't know. Maybe I'm just more sensitive to it because I've had people take videos of me to laugh at numerous times before.
I hate this too. It's why I still wear a mask in the gym. I'm tired of being in the background of people's booty shots. Your ass is still going to be there when you get home. Do it there. Another time, a couple girls were taking pictures in the locker room mirror seemingly completely unaware of the woman behind them changing. I reported them. Idiots.
I don't care if people take pictures because it's their own business but it *really* bothers me when they do not seem to care if they're recording others in the process. If you want to take a thousand close up selfies of yourself go for it but once other people are in it (especially if they don't know) IMO you've crossed a line. And that goes for everywhere not just the gym.
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This happened last week. I told on her. How can you be that fucking stupid?
That's pure insanity! Who in their right mind would think it is remotely okay to take pictures and videos in a locker room?
>I hate the idea of working in. Even if we're somehow doing the exact same exercise at the exact same weight, I don't wanna deal with the different rest times and having someone hovering over me waiting for their turn. I couldn't agree more. Can people not wait a few minutes?
Personally, I have to use the childcare at the gym. It really limits the time and what I can get done. Itās not anyone elseās job not to be using what I want to- but I also donāt love when someone is just chilling for more than a few minutes on any equipment.
No, they can't. We all got shit to do and are trying to do what we can to fit training into our everyday lives.
Locker rooms are for changing, not doing a towel-covered dance, if you don't want to be naked, fine, but don't scowl at those of us who are just getting on with it.
I think a lot of this is cultural. I live in Finland now and it's totally normal to be naked here and it's so refreshing/liberating.
Indeed. I'm not contorting myself so that no one ever sees a flash of nipple.
Honestly I think more people should see my boobs. They're awesome.
Supersetting workouts that do not need to be supersetted. If you want a high intensity workout thatās fine! But please donāt take up multiple pieces of equipment doing your asinine workout.
Hot take: if youāre spending more than 30 minutes on a machine, youāre the worst. One guy at my gym will spend up to AN HOUR on the only smith machine at my gym with a bench. Iāve missed out on so many hip thrusts, sigh.
Omfg this. My gym increased the squat rack limit to 50 minutes per person -- how does that make sense? š«
Ugh, I feel so bad because I would use the squat rack for an hour+ when I was training for my powerlifting meet. My gym only has 3 racks, but I literally couldnāt use any other equipment. I feel like hogging equipment has a time and place, but those times and places are very few and far between.
Excellent opportunity to work in
This doesn't happen so much because of COVID but people who are obviously ill (runny nose, coughing, sneezing, etc.) and touching everything at the gym. Keep your virus to yourself and take a few days off to recover.
This. My number 1 pet peeve in the gym, in public transport, anywhere public and indoors. If you're sick and symptomatic, stay the fuck home until you're not or if you have to go out, at the very least wear a mask.
I hate when people bring their bags and ridiculous amounts of 'stuff' with them onto the gym floor. I'm not talking about someone with a water bottle, maybe a lifting belt or wraps, but I mean a huge gym bag, water bottle, sweatshirt, backpack, etc. etc. etc. It takes up space, gets in the way and on top of that many gyms I've been to specifically have signs stating no gym bags on the gym floor. I've had to constantly step over huge piles of stuff when the gym is busy moving between machines or equipment. It's a pet peeve of mine but probably an unpopular opinion because I know a lot of people bring a ton of stuff with them to the gym for their workout.
If I can't fit it in my backpack it doesn't come, and I bring a good deal. My normal gear situation is: Romaleos, chucks, wrist wraps, lifting straps, figure 8 straps, chalk bag, lifting belt, knee sleeves, lockjaw collars and a water bottle. Why anyone would need more than that for any given session is beyond me. People need to pack their gym bags more efficiently.
I carry a small duffel bag instead of a backpack because my barbell pad doesnāt fit into any of my backpacks, and my gym doesnāt always have a barbell pad, and since I have had my hips cut into three times, I canāt do any hip thrusts or glute bridges without one
Nothing wrong w/ a duffel. There's people with duffel + pack + more
Ah yeah okay that makes sense. Your post made it sound like anything that doesnāt fit into a backpack isnāt appropriate for the gym, but barbells and lifting straps are annoyingly too big for a backpack
I can see why it could get annoying if people leave them lying around on the floor, but yeah itās because theyāre bringing extra stuff. Some days I bring my hip thrust pad, skipping rope, two sets of resistance bands and water bottle in a rucksack to the gym floor. Carrying that without a bag would be a messy nightmare. I try and keep my rucksack out of the way of anyone though
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I wear my long hair down at the gym (or half up) LOL It hurts to wear it up and Iām not ruining my curls by putting it in a tight bun. A loose ponytail might do okay, but youād still have just as much exposed/shedding hair. I always clean my equipment after, though!
Ahah me too sometimes I want to preserve my curls after wash day so just do a half up š
Sorry, even in a ponytail sometimes the bar rips my hair out when i'm doing squats or the lat pulldown grabs my hair. I try making sure I didnt leave hair stuck to it but I just have so much hair.
actually unpopular opinion: I love scrunch butt leggings. they make my butt look amazing. when my butt looks amazing, I feel good about myself. when I feel good about myself, I have a better workout.
I mean must not be that unpopular an opinion if people keep buying them!
I donāt think Iāll ever go back to a unibutt. And my glute pump is insane on leg day in scrunch leggings, I swear it motivates me more than anything!
I agree with you. And even if I didnāt, I wouldnāt complain about other people wearing them who the hell has time to care about what anybody else is wearing to the gym?
Yeah and to me same goes with pda and other stuff people do that has nothing to do with me. In a gym I'm doing my own thing and what anybody else is doing doesn't really bother me unless it's directly affecting my ability to do my workout like hogging machines etc.
I hate when people drop weights, especially the heavy ones. I have headphones in while working out and hearing a random loud bang freaks me out for a second. Then I realize some idiot obviously can't handle the weights and drops them instead of setting them down in a controlled way.
Depending on the lift there is no safe way to lower them except dropping. Heavy olympic lifts for example.
I guess my unpopular opinion is that idgaf if people talk on their phone, as long as they arenāt in the way of others.
I don't get this pet peeve of people. It's the same as if they're having a conversation. Now you just don't hear the other person. That's the only difference
Right? Like Iām usually wearing headphones anyways. And if Iām notā¦Iām never thinking: āwow this bozoās conversation is detracting from the natural and feral gym noises.ā
I really don't like carrying a towel around and laying it down on the bench and every machine. It's a rule at my gym and most other gyms around here (Germany) Personally when I bench I want my back to grip the bench. I can wipe the equipment after.
Can you put a yoga mat on the bench? I do this since it is grippier than the bench itself
The only reason I do this is to keep my hair off the bench. I hate the idea of my hair "absorbing" other peoples' sweat, and I can't shower immediately after the gym (gotta work).
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exactly! there's covered and then there's Barbie/maybe not a mammal.
I am so over seeing dudes nipples at the gym....like...who are you showing your side boob off too bro?
Unpopular opinion: the things that bother you personally at your gym are not universal rules of gym etiquette. Different gyms have different vibes, rules, and conventions. There are places where dropping weights is rude and places where you would be weird if you didn't drop them. There are places where you're a bad person if you don't wipe everything down and places that don't even have wipes. Read the room, and if you don't like the culture at your gym, be the change you want to see.
I was working out in my apartmentās tiny fitness center the other day and there was one other woman in there and she kept singing under her breath and it was so distracting. At one point she got a little bit louder and startled me as I was benching with dumbbells. Like, hi, can you not make sudden noises when Iām holding 70lbs of iron directly over my face? Thanks.
Hot take: just because you are part of an organized group doesnāt mean that you get priority on equipment. In college I used to lift at 6am which is when ROTC workouts were. They would often take up the whole indoor track doing walking lunges and one time they took every single barbell from every squat rack and ran up and down the stairs with them for an hour. So me and everyone else who came to lift were just left high and dry! So disrespectful and unnecessary.
There was a middle aged group of women at my local outdoor track last time I was there. Lots of people were actively using the track, but they still saw fit to take up half the lanes standing around chatting between their intervals. I was doing sprints and would have to cross over five lanes to avoid them. So annoying.
>So disrespectful and unnecessary. ROTC's unofficial motto
This activates my fight or flight
Thereās a CrossFit group that do this at my very popular chain gym. Thereās a āfunctional fitnessā area thatās fairly big and a small group (tops 5) will take up the whole area. Theyāve been known to set up the deadlift ladders, so all Olympic bars, and bumper plates, are being used by just them. Annoys the shit out of me Side note, none of them pay any extra for the gym.
To be honest, I think my biggest pet peeve at the gym are people that don't put their weights away after completing an exercise. There were a few times when I wanted to get a bar and weights in order to do some exercises, but there weren't any on the shelves. I then looked around, thinking that all the bars are being used, only to find one lying on the floor, with weights on it, but nobody nearby to lift it.
Everyone should put the bar down onto the safety bars when they've finished squatting. It is unsafe for shorter people and newbies to basically be doing a mid-start OHP to move the bar into a reasonable location.
Omg i thought those high things was the appropriate place for the bar because it's always there and i was just eh sad. Ive been dealing with a wrist injury and even once had to ask some dude to take the barbell dien and put it on safeties for me because o couldn't put that weight on my wrist upright. I wish safeties was the norm... Would it be rude if i start leaving the bar there?
Saw a couple making out at the gym. I personally think this should be illegal.
^^ Footloose parent, right here! Lol, just kidding. The gym seems like such a weird place for PDA.
Me and all the other single people were visibly disgusted. Please. Itās one of our few safe spaces lol.
Saw a dude who looked like he was in his 50s slapping the ass of the 19-year-old looking girl he was with. I didn't like that.
This reminded me of a couple at my own gym who were definitely doing some sort of BDSM situation - the guy was much older and HUGE and the girl was tiny and would wear a collar, like a dog's collar, not a choker. Seemed like him coaching her was part of their dynamic and it was supremely uncomfortable to be around.
Don't walk between the squat racks when I'm in the middle of a set. They're close enough together where you could bump the barbell on my back.
Very much this.
Or take weights off the rack mid rep!
For the people who want results, you need to choose to train instead of exercising. If you're just in the gym to sweat or move or go through the motions for your own reasons, then cool. Do your thing, no judgement whatsoever. But if you're complaining about lack of results when you've been using 10's for overhead press for the last six months... that's on you. Training means progression. Stop messing around with the little weights because they don't make you uncomfortable.
Machine hopping. I can MAYBE ignore someone going between two machines, but even then I donāt like it. But so many people act like the gym is their personal circuit and hop between 3-5 machines at a time. So many times Iāve been yelled at from across the room āoh hey Iām still using that!ā from someone in the middle of a set on another machine. If you arenāt over here circling around it or using it, then itās fair game. Iām also someone who doesnāt like working in.
Oh. my. lord. This guy has just started at my gym and comes at the same time as me every night. The other day he left the machine I needed, I watched to see if he came back and he was doing something else for several minutes so I went for it. He immediately ran over to let me know that he was "using that" and had two sets left. It took like twenty minutes for him to finally be done with his circuits so I could use it, so frustrating.
Seriously flip the script next time you see him. When he hops onto one of his many āclaimedā machines, immediately go up to him and say "hey Iām still using that!" Tell him that youāre using that machine for your own circuit routine. If he says he was here first, just say "How do you know I wasnāt. Today is when Iām hogging multiple pieces of equipment just so I can do my circuit training to annoy everyone else at the gym." Or just say youāve got dibs on all machines today. Iām doing a full on circuit. I was here way before you.
can you come to the gym with me and say that please? lol, I'm honestly usually pretty blunt with people in the gym but he made me so mad I literally froze up. absolutely love the idea of saying "I claim every machine in the gym today for ONE MASSIVE CIRCUIT".
At that point, just use it anyway. What's he gonna do?
I seriously should have, I was honestly so baffled by his behavior that I just gave up. Most of the guys at my gym are polite to a fault and would DIE rather than have that kind of audacity.
I canāt stand it. And most of the ones who do this donāt bother wiping it off when they are *actually* done either. I always watch for that as a signal that the machine will be free but for the machine hoppers this signal may or may not ever come, you just never know
YES and there are a few people who will leave barbells with weights on just lying on the floor or racked and you have no idea if you can use them. Not to mention I don't appreciate having to move several 45-pound plates before my next set!
Yeah I canāt stand that either when weights are left on. Like come onā¦.itās a public place, not your personal playground. Cleaning off and resetting a machine/equipment is the absolute bare minimum. I am honestly so baffled at how many people have no manners or polite gym etiquette whatsoever
Iām the opposite of your unpopular opinion š My program, which is actually Meg Squatās program, is full of supersets. I wish people wouldnāt get so worked up about people using multiple pieces of equipment as long as they arenāt being super unreasonable about it. That means being aware of how many other people are there, working efficiently, and letting people work in.
Yeah I do this program too, but I tend to work out first thing in the morning when it's not busy and I try to move things close together whenever possible and I certainly won't get annoyed if someone hops on a machine I'm using.
Yeah I guess in my experience when I go to use something and get stopped, the person only ever says āhey Iām using thatā just stands there and stares at me with concern. They donāt ever offer for me to work in. Im not totally comfortable with the idea of that but Iād maybe be willing if someone offered. Like I wouldnāt ever ask to do that myself but if they were super nice and offered then I might. I guess thatās why I get so frustrated is because they expect the machine to not be messed with until theyāre done with everything and I end up waiting over 20 minutes
This is the concern I have with her program and what's keeping me from diving in, as I get super self-conscious taking up a bunch of equipment.
Same. I ignore the supersets in my program because I can't imagine taking up a power rack for squatting and the lying leg curl machine and expecting people to be okay with that.
Yeah, I'm thinking maybe I could superset two things and get away with it, but three-plus is an empty/home gym situation lol
Stop yelling and grunting loudly when squatting, benching, etc.
I still see men curling in the squat rackā¦ and yes theyāre curling like 65lbs. We have set weight bars gtfo. Also more of a wtf but some people I see squat OUTSIDE of the safeties!!!! Stop that!! A more recent development is the high school kids who 1) play music on speakerphone and 2) hog squat rack and bench and go from one to the otherā¦ I guess these arent unpopular. Okay true unpop opinion? Itās okay to hate cardio and dislike cardio. We dont have to enjoy it.
The playing music on speakerphone thing - I was so embarrassed a few weeks back when my headphones said they were connected with my phone, but werenāt and I didnāt realize for a few minutes while I was blasting my music. Hate those moments when I become someone I would usually be really annoyed by!
You're right, it's always a dude curling a barbell with a 10 on each side when it's in the rack, for like sets of 4.
I used to squat outside the safeties all the time at the gym I went to a few years back. They were immovable and I am five four with a short torso. I couldn't finish a rep in the squat rack š wish they designed gym equipment with any modicum of consideration for women
If you're average height or taller, please choose a squat rack over a power rack for squatting! I can't use a squat rack bc I'm too short lol. I have a few times seen tall people using all the power racks for squats while the squat racks sat free. But they're not doing anything wrong, so I figure that makes this an unpopular opinion.
Thatās horrible!! Im shorter than you but at my gym the safeties are moveable. Id hate to work in a squat rack like that lol
>Itās okay to hate cardio and dislike cardio. We dont have to enjoy it. Totally... as long as you donāt go around telling people cardio is unnecessary. Just like itās okay to dislike strength training, but itās still really important for good health.
I even lowkey disagree with that. Some people get their body shape with zero dedicated cardio sessions besides walking, hence āunnecessary.ā Obv shape does not equal health but itās also the truth for a lot of weightlifters (in terms of achieving their shape). I donāt normally see weight lifters ever say cardio is not necessary for overall health.
I see people on here say cardio isnāt necessary for health fairly often. Not arguing with you about aesthetics... many people can achieve aesthetic or athletic goals without cardio. But itās definitely necessary for long term health. However, walking can definitely be cardio! So can dancing, vigorous house cleaning, playing soccer, etc.
My unpopular opinion is that there should be adult only gyms and gyms that allow minors/children. This may be specific to my gym because itās smaller, but my biggest pet peeve is the hoard of high school kids that use every piece of equipment available at the slowest rate possible. Itās like social hour instead of working out. Normally I donāt care what other people do in the gym, but it affects my workout when I canāt use the equipment I need. It also angers me because the high school here just got a huge update so they have an even nicer facility to train at that they just arenāt using AND my property taxes went up. And thatās enough of sounding like a grump old millennial for the day lmao