As with anything in life, a few things get on my nerves while trying to workout at the gym. I go to LA Fitness near my house, and I really enjoy my time there, typically spending over two hour each day tackling various cardio and weight training routines! Since I attend a large gym like LA Fitness, I seem to come across a few more things that jump on my nerves than I might endure at a small facility.
Here are some of the pet peeves that I have endured in the past month:
Urinals not flushed – Okay, so this is a guy thing that is quite mind-boggling at times. Are we just trying to conserve some water here or what? Typically, the gym is never out of hand soap, so it is not like the guys can’t wash their hands after flushing, something that they probably should be doing anyways!
People who don’t put weights back after using benches and plate machines – This is simply a courtesy thing, and the gyms ask that you do this when you are done with the weights and prior to moving on to your next exercise or machine. As the gym teacher back in high school would say, “If you can lift the weights up to use them, you can lift them to put them back where they belong.”
Weights on wrong stack – Well, some people put the weights back, but they do not put them back where they truly belong, so I guess they get half credit, right? This is particularly true over at the dumbbell racks. Since it is sometimes easier (depending on which bench someone uses and which benches are available) to simply put the dumbbells back on the nearest racks instead of where they belong, you have to really be watchful when going to grab the dumbbells that you want for your workout. I recommend that you double check because people can make mistakes from time to time, but some actions are purely blatant. I recall one recent workout where I grabbed one 50lb dumbbell with my right hand and a 55lb dumbbell with my left hand to go use on the flat bench. Surprisingly, I did not notice the difference during the chest press routine, but I noticed it after the first set. Luckily, it did not cause me an injury or something of a similar nature. Certainly, it does not stop there either; people put the 25lb weight plates on the 45lb rack, so I find myself having to fix it – must just be my perfectionist or slight OCD self showing himself!
People who try to save and occupy two or three machines at a time – Luckily, I have not really endured this as much as I might have expected, for the great majority of the people in the gym are respectful and kind. If I see someone on the machine that I planned to use, I ask them how many more sets they have. They typically invite me to jump in the rotation with them. However, I do recall hearing stories of multiple machines being saved or occupied, causing others to wait. I guess some people feel that they own the gym, and they feel that it is okay for them to place their belongings on two or three machines during peaks gym hours while they chat it up with their buddy across the room or when they are trying to flirt with the lady on the other side of the gym. This is really unnecessary; what happened to the principle of sharing?
When fire alarm goes off at gym multiple times for no reason – So, I can adapt to anything that comes my way, but it gets frustrating when the gym has a faulty fire alarm system, causing it to go off multiple times on multiple days; of course, it seemed to know when I was coming to work out each time too. Imagine that! Luckily, however, it never caught me while I was doing some cardio; I would probably find that extremely difficult to handle.
Not having the grips for plates lined up – At my gym, the plated weights that you use for the bench press and other similar machines have a convenient spot (sort of like a handle) to grab them. This indent along two spots of the circular plate really helps me get a grip on the weight and safely move it to and from the weight rack! Now, please don’t laugh too loudly, but I find myself wanting to make sure that all of these grooves (or handles as I tend to call them) are lined up. It just feels neater, feels more organized, and feels right; plus, I tend to think that it is both easier to could the number of plates when trying to add up the weight that I am training with and easier to take the weights off at the end.
iPod battery dies – I really like having my iPod handy when running, cycling, or hitting the weights. Since I tend to work out for two or three hours each evening, I find myself having to recharge my iPod Touch more frequently, but there have been a few close calls. One Saturday afternoon, I was getting ready to go to the gym when I realized that I had not charged the iPod, and I remembered that it gave me a low battery warning the night prior. Luckily, I was able to notice it in time before I jumped in the shower, allowing me at least 30 or so minutes of charging before I headed out! While I can adapt to working out without the music, I sure do enjoy the music being there for me as it provides an added motivation and boost of energy when I seem to need it the most!
iPod goes chipmunk on me – I know this sounds weird, but my iPod Touch acts up from time to time. I am thinking that I might just need to replace my earbuds or something. Have you ever had this happen to you? Well, I have; this happens from time to time while I am lifting the weights, as if I somehow pinched the earbud cord or something. All of a sudden, the song speeds up like crazy, and it catches my attention and drains on my focus. I really wish that I could find a resolution for this problem (it happens most frequently when I use the iPod Touch armband) in the near future… grrr!
When the song that I am listening to on the iPod ends right in the middle of the set – I tend to go over and beyond to ensure that the song that I am listening to is not about to end prior to starting the next set of the weight lifting exercise that I am scheduled to do next. I use the music to get into my groove, and I find it helpful, so I do not want to cause a break in the flow of everything, especially when I am lifting heavy.
Similarly, when I am running or cycling and the song on the iPod ends only to find the next song on the playlist really isn’t hitting the spot, thereby ruining my groove a bit more – So, I have playlists for running and others for working out, but some of the songs get old or just do not hit the spot on a given day and for whatever reason. What can irk even more is when the song after that “bad” song (while hitting the next button) also is not one that I really want. I find that I feel the stress and pain of the run or biking more when I have a break in the flow of the music. I just need to create a few more playlists to resolve some of this, but it is not going to be a permanent fix, for there is a great likelihood that I will be running into another related issue again in the near future – it is just a vicious cycle yet a pet peeve nonetheless.
Okay, now that I am done whining for right now, what are some pet peeves or similar frustrations that you endure while working out? I know that some of you might get annoyed when children bother you or when guy/girls interrupt you to try and flirt, but I want to hear about yours because I know that I have forgotten a few!
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