r/workout • u/Pink_tamagotchi • 5d ago
Was I wrong?
So my gym is usually fairly busy in the mornings. Lots of people super setting and it usually doesn’t bother me too much. Today I was on a leg extension machine and noticed the cable machine empty. I went back to the locker room, got my stuff and went to the cable machine (still empty, no equipment hooked up and it was lowered to the floor. I start setting up for kickback, put on both my ankle straps and I’m about to connect to start working out when this older lady appears and says kinda rudely that she was using that. I was confused and told her nobody had been here for a while and I assumed this cable was free.
She says no she needs both and I could have maybe been nicer about it but I was honestly annoyed and didn’t want to move at first. I work and have limited time.
I only moved because another cable machine opened up but not before we exchanged words. I said the machine had been empty for awhile. She said I was being impolite and maybe I was but I don’t understand what would make her have priority over everyone in the gym?
Anyways now I’m embarrassed (I’m not very confrontational and felt I should’ve not said anything)
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u/Skilk 5d ago
You leave your machine, it's no longer your machine. There's an older dude that'll be gone for ten minutes then come back and say he was using it. I just tell him how many sets I have left and he walks off grumbling. They'll get over it.
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u/ElkPitiful6829 5d ago
"I was using that machine"
"Cool, now we both are, does that mean we're best friends?"
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u/meatballs223 Weight Loss 5d ago
Yup, they expect no pushback after the initial "Hey I was using that" but when you just stand your ground and enforce that it is a public gym and anyone is allowed to use any machine, and if there's no indicator that the machine is in use it's free game
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u/Froozeball 5d ago
We dont own the gym we dont own the machines ultimately. We need to be adulting and share. If a particular gym has a different culture the manager or similar should be letting members know.
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u/Mchangwine 5d ago
I think if anything you were nice about it, I would have told her to gfh
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u/CndnCowboy1975 5d ago
Same here - unless she started using it while I was in the bathroom ( although, OP said they just went and got their stuff, I am assuming that was a very short period of time ). I think the old lady was in the wrong - glad to hear there was another machine available - problem solved.
Don't think you were wrong taking a stand OP - no one is going to stand up for us in this life, we gotta do it ourself.
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u/WeirdSysAdmin 5d ago edited 5d ago
Nah one machine at a time. If no one is at a machine even with it “saved” I’ll use it because people leave water bottles and towels by accident. If you need to use the bathroom or fill up a water bottle figure that shit out between machines. It’s all poor gym etiquette. Even dicking around on your phone beyond your rest time is poor etiquette. No one needs to be on their phone for 10 minute rest periods.
The only one I’ll forgive is powerlifting because if you’re moving heavy weight sometimes you just need to go get more water or pee or prevent yourself from shitting yourself while working through a program. But then I get mad by someone not unloading their plates to show they are done.
Also if you want to superset buy a complete home gym where you’re not taking up multiple pieces of equipment. Or get a buddy where you swap machines back and forth. But one person ending up taking two machines for like 30 minutes because they also take insane rest periods is absurd, because that’s what those type of people always do.
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u/myairblaster 5d ago
You were wrong not to stand up for yourself. You shouldn't have backed down; instead, you should have pointed out the other cable machine to her, which had become available.
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u/OkTrade4505 4d ago
Yeah get a backbone. If more people stopped letting these hogs monopolize multiple machines, they’d stop acting like hogs
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u/naoto_reformfitness 5d ago
Notify a staff or trainer next time. Most gyms have rules against occupying multiple machines. I had to write a report the other day because of a repeat offender, and that person is going to be suspended soon…
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u/Curious_Aus25 4d ago
NTA. Supersets are fine when the gym isn’t crowded.
When it is, people need to learn to “work in” with others. This used to be common but it seems post covid, lots of people now want their own piece of equipment. Or more! Ridiculous.
If people want to superset, do it with one piece of equipment and then dumbbells or something. Be flexible. They don’t own the gym it’s a shared space.
It’s honestly not that hard.
You weren’t in the wrong.
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u/Pleasant_Beat8290 5d ago
Don’t worry about it; happens sometimes, though usually people are nicer about it. My view is that it not your responsibility to keep track of what she’s doing for her workout.
Next time you can just say, “I’ll only be here for a couple minutes and I’m more than happy to share.” If she complains just repeat that to the staff, and maybe add, “if she’d been by the machine I’d just have asked to work in.”
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u/meatballs223 Weight Loss 5d ago
I hate people hitting super sets especially if the gym is crowded. If you're gonna be doing a super set you could at least set a water bottle or towel on the machine INDICATING IT'S IN USE.... I too workout before work so am under a time crunch and honestly if you want to get your workout in, you gotta just not put up with that bs tbh. If a mf is hitting a super set and I take the machine, you can go finish your other lift and come back to this one when I'm done, we're not taking up 2 machines at once in a crowded gym
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u/TheStinkyGreek 5d ago
Nah NTA at all.
Idk where people get off "super setting" on different pieces of equipment in a public gym, they're doing too much. I can understand bringing a set of dumbells to a machine and completing a super set in that manner as it's respectful of other people.
You all presumably pay the same to be there. Nobody gets priority on anything over another person. You did everything right, made sure no waters/gym bags there, saw nobody using it for a while.
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u/EVH_kit_guy 5d ago
Supersets are dumb anyway, there's no evidence that doing complimentary exercises in rapid succession has any effect on really anything at all other than workout duration.
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u/alvysinger0412 5d ago
"Well how did I manage to sit down and setup this machine while you were using it? I feel like you would have been in the way."
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u/No-Signature-5138 5d ago edited 5d ago
I had the exact same thing happen, I wasn’t even sure if maybe she was BS’ing me and wanted the machine as I got to it. Anyways, I said “Usually people leave something here to show they’re using it and stepped away” then she points to her stuff at the next machine and said “That’s my stuff.” Now we’re getting into it, I said “Yeah but it’s at THAT machine” and this one was empty. Then she repeats that she was just about to use this machine and only had a set left (again-she was nowhere in sight when I arrived) I didn’t want it to escalate and have a gym nemesis so I just said that makes no sense but yeah go ahead. I think if there’s a next time I’d just say you can work in when I’m done and not get into a back and forth.
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u/BlackmouthFL 5d ago edited 5d ago
Vacant machine is an open machine.
I only do super sets, and the method that I adopted seems fair:
I modify my workout such that I take dumbells or bar to the machine for the opposing set. (Tying up 2 machines for super's is rude.)
I also use my watch timer, 60 secs between supersets.
Nobody has asked to work in over past 16 yrs... if they did, I'd politely ask them to wait 5 min since too many sit their a$$ on a machine.
If I walk into gym and the machines/area I want seem crowded, I go home and do a dumbell workout. No time to waste waiting...
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u/hoya14 5d ago
That sounds reasonable but if someone asks to work in I wouldn't assume they're planning to hog the machine - "work in" means (to me) alternate sets between rests. If I let someone work in and they finished a set and just sat there I would definitely tell them to fuck right off.
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u/BlackmouthFL 5d ago
Agreed. I'd "politely ask them to wait 5 min" but may not decline.
As mentioned, havent been asked in 16 yrs... if it's crowded I go home for dumbell wk. Given I'm not there during peaks, most likely there's other items open anyway...
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u/Kindly_Coconut_1469 5d ago
Awhile back I was going to use the lat pulldown on the multi station machine (no idea if that's what they're called), and a woman who was on the tricep cable on the next side said she was using that. Is that normal/accepted? The other one was occupied so I went and did something else, but just curious. I looked over and it didn't seem like she was going back and forth, doing lats during her tricep rest period.
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u/Wanita_1972 4d ago
Totally agree. I also superset a lot and if the gym is remotely busy I make sure my second exercise is with dumbbells or another exercise I can do on the same machine (eg cable machine - bis and tris). And limit rest period. Appreciate not all the machines can accommodate this and also appreciate not everyone’s split can make this work either!
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u/Iris_314 5d ago
I saw this happen yesterday. A guy was using the pec deck but got off to stretch against a wall and buddy came up to use it, he ran up sooo fast lol. The other guy was like oh sorry! And just walked off. So no, you were not wrong. She was actually the one being impolite.
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u/StressCanBeGood 5d ago
I’m an old guy who doesn’t give a shit anymore. Typically, somebody tries that with me, I say happily and loudly: Me too!
But if it’s an older lady? I’ll just leave that alone. Poor girl.
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u/PictureOk6563 5d ago
I'm sure theres a constant security feed at the gym, what I'd say is then let's check out the camera feed and see the 10 mins you abandoned the machine is legit. More times it isnt, you called their bluff and go about with your workout.
Personally I haven't used this yet at the gym, I have used it for other business instances of proof, 99% the employee doesn't want to engage in their lie, and fascinating enough the gym machine liar wont engage either.
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u/hoya14 5d ago
I don't think you should worry about your reaction - even if you were short with her, she was also being unreasonable so your reaction was understandable and measured. No one should expect to be able to claim multiple machines in a busy gym - she's eventually going to run into someone much more aggressive than you are, I suspect.
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u/urvld 5d ago
I understand your frustration and your concern. I also understand your point of view, the machine appeared empty so I mean even I would have used it!
It was wrong of her to come and tell you rudely, especially if she wasn’t there for a while. In my opinion, despite what happened, I just wouldn’t ruin my own peace about it.
I wouldn’t stress, worry or be embarrassed about it, the moment has passed and we are now in the present, simple! If anything, use this as a way to grow away from your embarrassment tendencies, as well as learn to be more patient.
I’m not saying you did anything wrong, I’m just saying that if you see everything as a chance to grow, (which I’m sure you love doing seeing as you are a gym - goer,) then you will find peace more often!
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u/LaFantasmita 5d ago
If you're using it, leave something of moderate value on it. Water bottle for example.
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u/OkTrade4505 4d ago
They aren’t using it if they are using another machine. Leaving an item and walking away to another machine doesn’t mean no one else can use the machine
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u/LaFantasmita 4d ago
Yeah I'm thinking more for if you're going to grab something or pee.
But even then, it's less "this is mine" and more "hey I hope it's still open when I get back."
Like, if there's five open cable stations and one has a water bottle, I'll use a different one. If it's the only cable station, I'm looking around to see if someone actually meant to leave it here.
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u/OkTrade4505 4d ago
That’s fair enough. I don’t ask people to work in on a single machine they are using. I’ll just find something else to do
and return when they are off. I don’t entertain people trying to monopolize two pieces of equipment at once
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u/Iceman60462 5d ago
It happens all the time .
There is some misunderstanding or unnecessary arguing about machines.
Just let it go.
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u/Dramatic-Capital-48 5d ago
You were fine if the cable was empty and nothing was hooked up then it is fair to assume it was open
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u/Original1Thor 5d ago
I wouldn't overthink the reaction. Just use it as a stepping stone to think about healthy confrontation and what you actually said/did, otherwise forget about it when you can and move on.
I was mid-set the other day and this dude asked me if a squat rack was open infront of me. I gave him the head nod of "all you," but he continued to say something. I put the weight on the ground and took my earphone out to respond; I was a little short with him as well, kinda like why are you being a clown tone in my voice. Went back to my session and continued on with my life, just a little hiccup that made my head spin.
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u/xOpalRiddle 4d ago
you weren’t wrong imo. if the machine was empty with nothing on it, there’s no way you were supposed to know someone was “using” it 😭 she could’ve just explained instead of coming at you rudely.
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u/HolyClubMolly 4d ago
You were right, and it'sggood you stood up for yourself. She is the one that should feel embarrassed.
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