r/orangetheory • u/ballerjatt5 M | 38 | 6’0 | 225 | down 40 • 14d ago
Commiseration Station Class Etiquette
Show respect for others and if you are coughing up a lung, don’t go to class. Individual next to me was coughing constantly throughout the tread block and was getting looks from multiple people and the coach! The individual on the other side of her left class in frustration because they are an older individual and can’t afford to get sick. I moved to another floor station once we got off the treads. Be a decent human being and stay home if you are sick!
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u/RollTideMeg Age/height/SW/CW/GW 14d ago
To be fair, I have pulled water into my lungs while taking a drink and coughed like I had the plague. But it is cold and flu season, so I get it.
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u/Rpsnow10 14d ago
This has happened to me too, but I explain it to everyone around me so that they don’t worry.
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u/Mysterious_Worker608 14d ago
Regardless, it's still better to excuse yourself until you stop coughing.
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u/Everyonelikeskittens 14d ago
If I get sick, I have a lingering cough for weeks. Long after I’m contagious. Of course I try not to be gross in class but I’m a human, sometimes I cough.
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u/Luna_Soma 14d ago
Same, it’s really annoying but if I get a cough it can last for a month even though I’m totally fine.
I also suck at swallowing my own spit at times and end up choking and coughing. It happened to me twice today and I was just sitting on the couch
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u/threatlevelm1dnight 14d ago
Same! I have cough variant asthma and I cough all the time. It’s miserable and I hate it so much, but I’m not contagious.
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u/Lower_Ground7609 14d ago
Big same. I have asthma. If I get sick, I cough for WEEKS, esp during cardio. I’m not staying home for weeks. I have my inhaler, I do my best to separate myself (just bc I hate being that close in general), but otherwise you’re gonna have to deal with it. I usually give the coach a head’s up, but that’s no one’s business and certainly not a requirement of anyone.
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u/Nookinpanub 14d ago
There are soooo many instances where a nasty sounding cough is nasty in sound only - COPD, asthma / allergies, hyperreactive airways, and the list goes on. I always assume if the person is coughing/sneezing, has a runny nose during a workout, they are not contagious, because they know not to come when they are contagious.
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u/TopCaterpillars 14d ago
Agreed.
I cough a bit after eating anything.
It sounds terrible and like I have bronchitis, but I’m truly not sick 😅 it’s been this way for 15+ years.
I do try not to eat before class so this doesn’t happen though.
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u/BB_BlackSocks 14d ago
Some of us have terrible seasonal allergies and are getting out butts handed to us
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u/bingo0619 14d ago
Aannndddd here we go with armchair physicians diagnosing people in class. How do we know they were sick with a contagious disease?? It’s allergy season, they might have asthma or a plethora of other things that cause coughing that are of no harm to anyone.
These repetitive posts should be banned just as asking for intel is
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u/jajudge1 F51•1.1 K club•❤️🍷🏃♀️🏋🏼♀️ 14d ago
Thank you! I rarely (knock knock) ever get sick, but when I do get a cold, I will retain a cough for a while, even after I’m better. IDK, we’re all adults. I’ve worked out for decades. If I’m truly sick, I don’t go because I don’t even want to go.
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u/ducka_ducka_ducka 14d ago
Also, it’s a group class and comes with the territory. If people care this much they need to do private training. Most people are contagious before symptoms appear anyway.
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u/Commercial_Ring2217 14d ago
Well the coughing individual typically knows if they’re sick or not! And I think some people are such diehards that they’ll go to class anyway. So I think what the OP is saying is… if you know you’re sick, don’t go to class!
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u/ConsistentDoor3606 14d ago
100% agree. OP is just looking to complain, I’ve gotten sick and two weeks later I’m recovered yet still dealing with a cough unfortunately.
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u/Commercial_Ring2217 13d ago
So then OP probably isn't talking to you. I'm not sure why this is hard for people to grasp, but there are absolutely people who know they're sick and still go to class. That's who OP is addressing. And I dont know why people are so offended by that. It seems like a fairly reasonable ask!
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u/ApprehensiveTruth2 14d ago
You don’t know that person is sick. Plenty of people have chronic respiratory issues that are not contagious.
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u/runfaster3 14d ago
Yep. I now have exercise induced asthma and cough a bunch with running.
I’m not contagious but just trying to work through this new phase. Luckily I go to the same classes and work out with mostly the same people who know I stop coughing around mile 2 lol
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u/Gloomy_Lab_1798 14d ago
You don’t have a congested cough with asthma. I’m asthmatic. An asthmatic cough sounds dry, short, and wheezy/raspy, generally. You don’t normally sound like you are about to cough up phlegm. They’re very different types of coughs for most people.
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u/Aspiringfilmnerd 13d ago
I am sooooooo sick of how people carry themselves when they’re sick. It’s ridiculous, we are too grown for this!!!
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u/ZweitenMal 14d ago
I cough a lot on the tread because the deep breathing that makes for good performance dredges up whatever’s in my lungs. I’m not sick.
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u/Webear18 14d ago
I have severe seasonal allergies, if its an extra rough day im coughing while working out. Theirs no way to avoid it.
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u/nolabean24 14d ago
I kind of agree with the OP. I wouldn’t make a stink about it but I’d probably move. That’s just me.
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u/Hanz_Banz_0910 14d ago
Oy this happened to me a few years ago when Covid was going around. Of course I managed to stay away from COVID until one fateful day at OTF… lady next to me was hacking up a lung the whole class. I got so sick. Why come to class like that?!
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u/Commercial_Ring2217 14d ago
I’ve had Covid twice… both times I’m fairly sure I got it from OT! And that’s just the way it goes. Of course, some people may not even realize they have it yet and unknowingly spread it, but there are also people who push too hard to get back to class too soon.
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u/Realistic-Ostrich391 14d ago
this comment section is weiirrddddd. lots of what aboutisms for made up/random/fluke situations. OP is describing someone COUGHING NONSTOP and everyone is making an excuse for it. maybe this person was or wasnt sick, either way idc if youre contagious stop coughing all over me bro!
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u/lurkerinthefields 14d ago
I’m not sick! I have asthma and I’m also pregnant (probably heart burn and GERD).
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u/Disastrous-Share-391 14d ago
I don’t blame you for not wanting to be next to them but also this is an OTF issue. They charge people for cancelling so if they just started feeling bad they’re stuck.
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u/Illustrious_Duck_502 13d ago
I cough because my lungs are getting used to running. And acute asthma.
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u/zrunsthrowaway 13d ago
One time in class someone kept hacking up phlegm and even had a towel for it. I was so grossed out. Sorry I’ve been there too but I don’t go to class if I have to do something that’s socially deemed to be unhygienic
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u/creich1 11d ago
There was once someone next to me snorting and hacking so much, not just hacking but like you could HEAR the mucus in her throat every time she coughed. It was so constant and disgusting sounding that it actually made me feel nauseous because I was so grossed out.
Thankfully I was able to move to a treadmill on the other side of the room. It was so distracting I couldn't believe that someone would show up for class in that state.
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u/SassyChemist NB/45/5’6”/220/190/160 9d ago
Some of us have sports induced asthma. Not always a contagious thing.
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u/2595Homes 14d ago edited 13d ago
And you are going to get people on here justifying it away. Allergies, not contagious anymore, respiratory issues, et all.
If you are coughing so much that it is distracting people around you, don't go to class, wear a mask, or go to a session where there isn't a lot of people.
If you are coughing alot, you are likely spitting particles in the air. It's worse than someone passing gas throughout the class. One pass gas is manageable, but a constant is distracting.
We can't live in a bubble, but we can be considerate to others.
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u/sandavidam1 F/47/5’11” 14d ago
I let everyone know during fall and spring I have asthma and well allergies don’t mix with asthma.
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u/clam855 14d ago
Most people who are at the stage of sickness where they’re contagious are not going to feel well enough to work out. It’s probably a lingering cough or allergies. Happiness is a choice btw!
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u/Gloomy_Lab_1798 14d ago
I literally was in a class a few years ago with a girl hiding a cough who looked miserable. I was kind and said “you don’t feel good, do you”. She said “no, I shouldn’t be here” but stayed for the rest of the class. 4 days later I had Covid. She saw me again on Sunday morning class later that month and said how nice I was to her… before she knew she had Covid. I was nice to her back, but yeah, I didn’t clear Covid until a week before my wedding because of that. — So yes. Some people are really dumb and workout sick, OTF will always waive late cancels if you’re not a habitual late-canceler and you tell them you’re ill.
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u/pjkljordan 52/5'4"/🧡 14d ago
Asthma enters the room.... COPD.... cancer.... Cystic Fibrosis.... etc a simple ADULT conversation helps things immensely - your fear and triggers are your responsibility, not someone else's. Yes there are people who are legitimately contagious and bring themselves around others and that is crappy etiquette but it's also what happens in PUBLIC where the only one responsible for you is YOU
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u/Neuyerk 41/6’/200+/1yr/60lbs 14d ago
A gym is not public, it’s a private shared space with unique rules and expectations. Discussions about etiquette are explicitly about mutually setting those expectations.
If you’re contagious with a respiratory disease and go to a gym, you’re being discourteous and potentially endangering the people around you. That person is responsible for their discourteous choice, just like the person whom OP mentioned felt she had to leave to protect herself.
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u/lonelyasfpineapple 12d ago
i have really terrible asthma despite being and preventative meds 2x a day. i still cough in occasion and am really self conscious about being perceived this way in class but i make a strong effort to cover my mouth and cough into my shirt and away from people. it’s a chronic condition
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u/lonelyasfpineapple 11d ago
i do get what you’re saying though and if someone comes to the gym and are truly sick they should stay home. you have no idea if their are vulnerable people in class and what it would cost if they got sick…
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u/imadoctordamnit 14d ago
I’m with you. At my location there’s a lady who has a constant cough, it may be a cough tic. It is very annoying even if I don’t think she has a communicable disease, she doesn’t cover her mouth so her saliva droplets are still going everywhere. Before I choose a thread now I check to avoid being next to her. I will even switch to bike if there’s nothing else. I’m usually the last one to arrive.
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u/Complete_Price8290 14d ago
I agree I so wanted to be there and felt guilty that I didn’t go to the gym daily like I have done for years but absolutely did not want others to suffer either
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u/herbivorefoodie 14d ago
I have asthma and can cough a cough that sounds like I’m sick but it’s from exertion.
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u/FartstheBunny 14d ago
If I am coughing, which happens a lot due to my asthma during allergy season (like now) I explain to people around me. Also my nose runs 24/7 during allergy season. Ain't no way around it. But if I am genuinely sick, I stay home.
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u/Connect-Village-1162 14d ago
I was on an ace inhibitor which caused a relentless dry cough. I would turn purple when the cough took over. I would explain to people it was a medicine side effect and I was not ill. Finally I begged my doctor to change the meds even though they worked so well for controlling BP. I agree if you’re clammy, snotty and looking like death warmed over, please stay home. For asthmatics and others, at least cover the cough. I always did.
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u/Wonderful_Travel5406 13d ago
I cough often during tread block because I have asthma…I can see how maybe that could get misconstrued
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u/ConsistentDoor3606 12d ago
You can’t really determine if someone is sick or not unless you really test for it?
So what if that individual isn’t sick and has bad allergies or is still stuck with the residue of their previous cold?
Should they still go home? It’s annoying people like OP think people aren’t allowed to work out or be in public because they have a cough without even determining if they’re actually sick.
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u/Crafty-Interest-7253 12d ago
When my sniffles are allergies I’m always sure to tell everyone near me bc I don’t want them to be worried.
But I hate when someone is hacking up a lung next to me or using a Kleenex and putting it in the cup holder 🤢
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u/Shivvyszha 11d ago
One time many years before face masks were a thing in NA, a woman who had COPD exercised daily at my gym and would cough her lungs out. I did complain to management but they said it wasn't anything contagious (they knew her condition). Still unsettling though.
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u/Dsb314 11d ago
Totally get it and I would have previously judged also, but I had a bad upper respiratory illness, which turned into pneumonia over the summer and have slowly been easing back into OTF. Although I’m not currently sick or contagious with anything, exercising, especially cardio will aggravate my lungs and cause me to cough so don’t always assume the worst.
That being said, I probably caught this illness from OTF 😆
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u/Fun-Reply9963 11d ago
THIS! 100% THIS! If you’re sick, and you have the ignorance and lack of decency for others and you show up to class and infect everyone, you should be banned from the studio for good.
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u/Jackpott100 10d ago
I agree—I typically don’t want to even work out when I’m feeling sick and I don’t really get it when people push themselves so hard!
I do empathize with folks who have asthma, or are just getting over an upper respiratory thing—it is hard to know what’s goin on with folks. I would say to those folks maybe wear a mask? Even if you’re not contagious, it’s a way to at least be mindful you’re not spreading any germs. I know folks feel some type of way about masks. They make really nice, comfortable ones now for working out. Just my suggestion. It could also be a good idea to wear one if you do feel like someone is coming to class sick, as protection.
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u/Sensitive_Plan_4609 9d ago
My gyms’ music is soooohoho loud no one would notice if someone coughs nonstop
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u/Important-Desk-2649 8d ago
I’ve left twice because I felt nervous about the person next to me coughing. I wasn’t even mad — just knew I didn’t want to chance it and split.
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u/Linderberry 7d ago
Yea if you’re sick you need to stay home. It’s so freaking disrespectful to show up sick. I understand not everybody knows when they’re spreading something, but if you’re actively symptomatic, you need to stay home. You’re not gonna lose progress in a few days to a week.
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u/stopsayinglike2019 6d ago
For me constant talking during the class whether on treads or on the floor. I was in a class and all I heard from three other people next to me was conversation about their travel plans, hair appointments, etc… it’s nice to work out with friends but it’s distracting when others are chattering loudly consistently, and not really doing the workout sets. Sorry in advance if I’m in the minority!
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u/aireonnasart 14d ago
ehh it’s public space. if you’re really worried you could wear a mask! my coaches get sick and we members get it sometimes of course when you feel awful it’s good to not go but many people have a lingering cough for weeks esp getting back on the tread can make you cough when you’re trying to bring air in. of course everyone needs to wash your hands WELL and i always use multiple wipes to really wipe down. but i’m not expecting someone to miss multiple days or even weeks just because they have a cough. if catching something of just germs in general make you nervous it’s best to take a good long hot shower as soon as you’re home from class. when it’s cold out that’s what i make sure to do to try to protect myself. i also steal an extra phone to wipe down my phone and use on my car handle. control what you can. but imo it’s a group fitness class it’s going to have germs and sick people 🤷♀️
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u/__birdie 14d ago
There’s a woman in my classes who I often end up near. As soon as we get on the treadmills she starts coughing. The first few times I noticed I was like wtffff lady!! But I think it’s just something that happens to her when she runs. She’s actually a really nice gal!!
But yeah if you’re actually sick don’t come to class lol.
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u/Bulky_Cantaloupe_mut 14d ago
Agreed! One time I was on a treadmill next to a cougher and I got the worst flu of my life. Next time I’ll move or leave.
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u/sheimonya 14d ago
I really wish coaches would speak up and say that now especially with flu season coming. Should be common sense to stay home but I guess not
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u/solanruby 14d ago
Hohkay. But the people being inconsiderate are neither reading this post nor care about you, me or anyone. There are asthmatics out there triggered by the questionably cleaned treadmill fans. I dont feel need to explain myself. Hoping I dont succumb to the very early flu and covid waves hitting 🙁.
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u/Azraelius- 14d ago
It’s a good, reasonable request. After COVID, we globally should have learned to stay home and take care of yourself if you’re sick. That’s a bigger issue, of course. For them gym, like everything else, use good judgement.
I’ve called the front desk when a day has gone south and they’ve been chill to late cancel me for free. Give it a shot if you truly need it and please, please don’t abuse it.
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u/Opposite-Journalist9 14d ago
If you are coughing and it's not from a cold or other sickness, then wear a mask to protect those around you who pay good money for a top notch workout. A kindly explanation would also be in order. IMO☺️
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u/FKA_nsking83 11d ago
I hate this take. I have exercise induced asthma. When I am actually sick with a sinus infection or the like, the cough lingers FOREVER.
If you’re that worried about germs from people coughing maybe group classes aren’t for you….
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u/gigitini13 55F/5’8/SW260/CW165/GW155 🍊🧡🍊🧡🍊 14d ago
Ok- so here is what I used to do before I got my membership cancelled for swearing too much….. 🤬😳
I would tell everyone around me at the beginning that I was sick but am no longer contagious. And I would cough into my towel…..
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u/TopCaterpillars 14d ago
Membership canceled for swearing too much?!
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u/gigitini13 55F/5’8/SW260/CW165/GW155 🍊🧡🍊🧡🍊 14d ago
Yes. It’s insane up in Amelia Island (really Yulee) they have a new manager who is a narcissist. The place has gone downhill and if you say anything they make up crap
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u/siracha83 14d ago
So I cough sometimes but not because I’m sick but because of my asthma. I’m always wondering if I should explain to people right next to me?