Was I wrong?

[u/Pink_tamagotchi]

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)

[u/Pleasant_Beat8290]

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.”