I don’t know about other gyms but YMCA has weird gym etiquette…
Other day I was working out in YMCA gym…I used to go there all the time, but switched to Pure Fitness cuz its 24/7, better equipment, less crowdy and more “hardcore” than Y.
I duno why, but this time I was doing arms in YMCA! It wasn’t too bad, so I enjoyed my workout!
When I got to cable triceps pushdowns, I was already spent but tris were responding great, I was in the zone and I just kept going thinking how great that day was and how nothing can ruin my mood! After 3rd set, I went to water fountain to fill up my bottle! Took me literally 10sec… As every good and seasoned gymgoer would do, I left my towel over equipment, my belt and straps right in front of it just in case someone had bright idea of taking it while I’m gone!
Sure enough, when I came back machine was taken… And by no one else but gym worker and some 12y/o kid she was showing exercise to. My stuff was moved out of the way and they were reping out a set!
Ok, I think to myself… There’s identical machine opposite to that one (God knows why they couldn’t take that one instead) so I’m just going to do my last set on that one… Then I thought abt it again and decided it was extremely rude on her side (especially since she works there) and I wasn’t going to go down without a fight! Working there or not, I am paying customer after all and deserve explanation!
“Excuse me, I have one more set on this machine, I don’t know if you noticed, but that stuff you moved so neatly was there for a reason, so If you don’t mind I would like to go about my thing and finish my last set!”(I don’t know if you can sense sarcasm here but it was definitely in my voice!!LOL)
She FLIPPED on me…Started yelling and everything…”If you using machine you gotta stay with it, you moved so you lost it, you should know gym etiquette better!!!!!” on and on she went as I was looking in disbelief!!!
“Listen, if anyone in this gym knows GYM ETIQUETTE than it’s me, ok?? I’ve been working out before you were potty trained in different gyms all over the place!! I’m the only one here who brings my own towel so I don’t sweat on the equipment, I put weights back every time and God knows how many times I moved for ppl or let them work their set in with me while on the machine or bench! How dare you yell at me like that! You are rude and out of line and I demand to talk to the manager because I feel anything you got to say won’t make this situation any better!!!”
She went downstairs crying and 15mins latter came back and told me I can go downstairs and talk to the manager if I wanted to…I said that I’m not going nowhere(I was sooo irritated by now!!) but will wait right here till manager comes to talk to me about this.
She did come and we talked in very peaceful manner, choosing words. I said I’m just upset about worker bursting in to yelling right away, that I didn’t even care abt machine or anything just think I didn’t deserve to get such a treatment. At the end, grumpy one apologized to me, I apologized if I said anything that might hurt her feelings and that was it. We even shook hands!
Only, two days latter as I was on cardio machine general manager comes up to me (this is second time my workout got interrupted over this) and he was telling me how girl feels intimidated by me, how I called her names (****, bitch, etc) and she is not comfortable working the floor alone while I’m in the gym…ARE YOU SERIOUS??
So I finally lost it, gave him piece of my mind, called her a liar and ask him to bring her to me and make her say that in front of me…Needless to say she wouldn’t do it and I had few ppl stand up for me for they were there that day and saw what happened!
I also told him that once they fix all the equipment that needs fixing, clean it all nice(so I don’t get grease on my hands every time I use machine), do something abt loud and stupid ppl in the gym, get rid of 12yo working free weights, get rid of 55yo black dude who tries to pick up every single girl that comes to the gym and is 12-77 years of age(including my wife who almost punched him out cold when he asked her if she was a stripper…Thank God I wasn’t there that day!) and deal with all the other issues gym has MAYBE then they can come up to me again and try to talk abt this again…
I’m soo pissed and I hate that gym now!!
Maybe I’m wrong, but I feel I’m one of few ppl that actually care abt others and do things right there!!
Just needed to wind out!
Shoot if you got an opinion, I’ll listen to anything! Good or bad!
Cheers!!!
July 8, 2008 at 1:40 pm
I agree with you wholeheartedly!! Not much "C" happenin there in the YMCA…I was working out at one, out of town visiting friends. Doing abs, had a half shirt on so I could see what I was working (everything important covered) and I had some worker come tell me I had to put a different shirt on, that I was being indecent, disruptive and rude. Hmmm I wonder if they make everyone there feel like crap. I sure hope your wife punched out the dude that asked if she was a stripper…unreal!!!
July 8, 2008 at 1:52 pm
That is off the hook! lol I had a similar experience but it was a fat nutritionist that worked there and she was trying to tell me i was lifting wrong, that she had been watching me and all my lifts were not done right at all. So, i told her " when you look like you lift and eat right, then and only then, you can tell me what i am doing wrong. YMCA sucks azz bad.
July 8, 2008 at 1:52 pm
Sorry you had to suffer that childishness but it seems to be par for the course you might be interested in my gym experiance I wrote about it here
http://blog.bodybuilding.com/TheBodyguard/2008/04/05/rule-no-7/
July 8, 2008 at 2:03 pm
ha ha this is a funny story, 80-90% of so called trainers in these y’s and fitness centers are a ****ing joke! they think b/c. they got some online degree or went to college for a couple of years it certifies them to show someone how to eat and lift properly, the problem being they hane no ****ing clue what they are talking about! ha ha sorry u had to go through all of that especially when u only had 1 set left!
July 8, 2008 at 2:05 pm
I mean really, the towel said it all. This machine is taken.
July 8, 2008 at 2:28 pm
I don’t know how you kept from killing someone. That level of stupidity is not limited to Y’s though it is present in lots of commercial gyms. I workout at a y fitness center and have never had a problem.