Words of Advice to Some Gym-goers

At times, going to gyms makes me both laugh and sigh. Have you seen some of the crazy things people do or WEAR at the gym? I’m torn between wanting to laugh out loud, risk looking like a rude wack-o, and kindly off up some advice. Because I usually abstain from doing either, I do smirk sometimes, here are words of advice to some of my gym-buddies:

  • Don’t wear Converse shoes. Along the same lines, don’t try to run in jeans…I’ve seen this multiple times and I always wonder how that first shower feels, can anyone scream chaffage?!
  • Don’t put the incline of the treadmill so high that you aren’t able to barely walk faster than a crawl and have to hold on for dear life to the side-rails to keep from falling off. Yes, doing hill work and incline work is an excellent way to feel the burn, work those quads, and build strength BUT there is a way to do it. There needs to be a balance between the incline and the speed; you still want to be able to run/jog fast enough to get your heart rate up and thus constitute some cardio.
  • woman on treadmill

  • Put in the effort. If you’re pedaling at one RPM and texting, you aren’t doing yourself any favors and not getting in a workout. You should be getting your heart rate up, you should be breathing harder than normal, and you should be focused. Yes, distractions like music and TV are perfect distractions, BUT you still want to remember that your workout time should be that.
  • Have you heard of working in? If you’re sitting on a machine for your rest, the courteous thing to do would be to get up and allow another person to actually use said machine instead of making them wait for all of your reps/sets…just saying.
  • Don’t argue with your personal trainer. Ummm…to the lady complaining and trying to weasel her way out of a measly five minutes on the bike, can I just ask you, “Why are you paying this person?” If you want to reach certain goals you have to work for them. That will usually mean doing things that make you uncomfortable.
So, just a little unsolicited advice from the random girl gawking around the gym. Don’t mind me if I have a smirk on my face. 🙂
1) What are some of the funny or ridiculous things you’ve seen people do at the gym?
2) What advice would you have liked to have when you were new to working out?
I feel bad because sometimes people are just not informed and I shouldn’t be snarky. When I was first starting running I wish someone would have told me much sooner that you shouldn’t be running with your shoulders up to your ears and your arms swinging like Ali doing punches.
3) What are you doing this weekend, anyone racing? I know that NYC Marathon is a biggie here and good luck to anyone racing there or anywhere else!

Bookmark and Share

6 Replies to “Words of Advice to Some Gym-goers”

  1. Oh yes, the familiar gallery of gym sins. I love these in some sick and twisted way 🙂
    Absolutely do not complain to your trainer people! You chose to get someone to make you sweat, make you work harder!
    Also, do not, DO NOT, flirt with your trainer. He/she is probably not that into you, and if he/she is please remove thyself from the training floor/equipment and flirt somewhere else.
    The time peeker. I am working on my machine, you are working on yours. I am probably the least interesting person in the gym to watch while I am working out so please keep your eyes on your own time. This is my workout!
    Wow, I am a bit of a complainer…..

  2. I agree about running in jeans. In fact, I’ve dedicated my whole blog to it: joggingjeans.com. Next time you see someone doing some weird physical activity in jeans, get a pic for me! 🙂

Leave a Reply to Cait Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

*