This morning I was repping out with Leg Presses when one of the personal trainers came over with a client and asked me if I was using the hack squat machine which was positioned right next to where I was doing leg presses. I kept repping out and he asked me again,"are you using this?", I kept repping out and he asked me again for the third time, "are you using this?"

I racked the weight, went up to him in front of his client and asked him if he was certified. I then read him a partial riot act and almost committed manslaughter, but since I'm a nice guy I apologized and walked away. He's a new kid and on his desk he keeps a trophy and some pics from a bodybuilding show he did. He doesn't know who I am since I keep to myself and train in baggy, long sleeve T-shirts.

Lesson to be learned here, is that he could've caused serious injury if I indeed had shifted my attention and actually answered him while I was in the middle of my set. Please don't speak to anyone while they are in the middle of their exercise, no matter how heavy or light you think they are training. Not only is it improper gym etiqutte, but can be extremely dangerous. :nod:

But But But......I see people working out while using their cell phones all the time. Maybe you are just one of those people not talented enough to be able to walk and chew gum at the same time.:lol:

If it had been anyone except a trainer, I would have just shook my head. Being a trainer, I would have told him to STFU! They should know better than to interupt someone during a set. I am glad that you did it in front of their client.

But But But......I see people working out while using their cell phones all the time. Maybe you are just one of those people not talented enough to be able to walk and chew gum at the same time.:lol:


Good point! I should've realized this! :doh:
I guess I'm not good at multi-tasking.
Next time I should be more considerate toward my fellow gym numbskull, even if they do happen to carry the exaulted title of "certified personal trainer". :rolleyes:

:)

It doesn't surprise me at all that that happened to you. Some people are just so clueless. I think it was GTX who posted that something similar happened to him once with an employee of the gym.

a similar thing happened to me while i was doing back squats in the cage. it was a tough set, and i am in the hole when a friend walks by really next to me and starts asking babbling about how i am planning to be big. i muttered a reply asking him to stop. however, he continues, and ultimately i had to use some abuses before he left. luckily, nothing went wrong and i came out uninjured.

This morning I was repping out with Leg Presses when one of the personal trainers came over with a client and asked me if I was using the hack squat machine which was positioned right next to where I was doing leg presses. I kept repping out and he asked me again,"are you using this?", I kept repping out and he asked me again for the third time, "are you using this?"

I racked the weight, went up to him in front of his client and asked him if he was certified. I then read him a partial riot act and almost committed manslaughter, but since I'm a nice guy I apologized and walked away. He's a new kid and on his desk he keeps a trophy and some pics from a bodybuilding show he did. He doesn't know who I am since I keep to myself and train in baggy, long sleeve T-shirts.

Lesson to be learned here, is that he could've caused serious injury if I indeed had shifted my attention and actually answered him while I was in the middle of my set. Please don't speak to anyone while they are in the middle of their exercise, no matter how heavy or light you think they are training. Not only is it improper gym etiqutte, but can be extremely dangerous. :nod:

But But But......I see people working out while using their cell phones all the time.

Really? I never even heard of that until I saw a comedy video of that yesterday.

This morning I was repping out with Leg Presses when one of the personal trainers came over with a client and asked me if I was using the hack squat machine which was positioned right next to where I was doing leg presses. I kept repping out and he asked me again,"are you using this?", I kept repping out and he asked me again for the third time, "are you using this?"

I racked the weight, went up to him in front of his client and asked him if he was certified. I then read him a partial riot act and almost committed manslaughter, but since I'm a nice guy I apologized and walked away. He's a new kid and on his desk he keeps a trophy and some pics from a bodybuilding show he did. He doesn't know who I am since I keep to myself and train in baggy, long sleeve T-shirts.

Lesson to be learned here, is that he could've caused serious injury if I indeed had shifted my attention and actually answered him while I was in the middle of my set. Please don't speak to anyone while they are in the middle of their exercise, no matter how heavy or light you think they are training. Not only is it improper gym etiqutte, but can be extremely dangerous. :nod:

Trainers....

Really? I never even heard of that until I saw a comedy video of that yesterday.


Yeah, I saw that too. I have never seen anyone actually do a set while talking on a phone. I see them between sets or doing cardio (heart rate = 70...really pushing it there).

That video was Internet Gold!

I seen a guy once using the shoulder press machine, one hand repping and the other hand on the phone! Needless to say when he ended the call he started using two hands...

I cant work these people out?

Good shout though mastover, theres plenty of distractions in a gym, but people hassling you while working out is just disrespectful..

OMG, I was doing heavy deads this morning and I kept hearing a freaking tap tap tap at the window near where I was working. It's 5:15 am and I'm basically alone. I finish my set and rack the weights. The morning trainer forgot her keys and I had to break between sets to let her in.

Stupid fool could of gone around to the front of the building to come in. Instead she comes in at the rear fire exit with her no keys excuse. I muttered something like "you should have gone around to the front" Next time I'm wearing my ipod:mad:

I have the same problems at home.. especially my mom or older brother.. jesus #&$&#$, I'm pushing the weights as hard as possible and my mom walks in "It's hot in here, you want a fan?" and repeatedly annoys me while I'm turning red trying to get that last rep "Do you??"

Then my older brother walks in "How much are you lifting?" (I should've said more than you'll ever :mad:) in the same situation.. I feel like throwing the weight at them.. and on occasion I actually thought about it. When I lift, do not bother me, I'm in my own little world and aggressive.

While I would agree with your statement 99% of the time, and certainly the situation you described was within that 99%, one of my responsibilities as a trainer when I am "working the floor" and not with a client is to observe ALL activity in the gym and insure that the members are working in a safe manner.

We have a few members who have HORRIBLE form, and there have been times when I have stopped them, mid-set, to ask them to either lower the weight they are trying to lift or to allow me to demonstrate the correct (and safe) was to do the exercise.

I'd rather stop someone before they injure themselves than wait until the "finish their set" and have to call for medical assistance.

It doesn't surprise me at all that that happened to you. Some people are just so clueless. I think it was GTX who posted that something similar happened to him once with an employee of the gym.
Yeah, many times.

That doesn't happen at the gym I go to now, because the employees there are not clueless. But I've been a member of several gyms in my day, and been in several situations similar to this.

Example 1:
"Running the rack" on the cable pushdown many years ago (I must have been about 18 or 19), we were going 12-10-8-6-2-6-8-10-12, pyramiding up/down in weight. I'm about half way through when a trainer comes over, and MID-REP she taps me on the elbow to tell me not to slam the weight (and I WAS NOT slamming the weight; I am always trying to be respectful of the equipment - unless I physically cannot set it down easily in which case I'd rather drop it instead of injure myself). Totally breaks my concentration, and the bar flys up and smacks me in the forehead, and blood starts pouring down my face. I just looked at her like "what the....!!?"

Example 2:
I never claimed to be the strongest squatter in the gym, but it was heavy weight for me and I was mid-way through pushing up one of my last reps. The squat rack at this gym had the poles on the side that can be used to hold the weight when nobody's using them. Now there are several weight trees scattered throughout the gym, and more than one squat rack with other 45 pound plates available. But instead, someone comes over and grabs a plate off the rack that I'm inside to go put on another bar he's using. It doesn't sound like a big deal, but when you're mid rep and going to failure on squats, and the cage starts moving even slightly, it is a little annoying.

Example 3:
Machine military press. Doesn't sound like a dangerous exercise, but with several plates on each side and training to failure it's not easy either, well not easy for a wimpy guy like me anyway. I'm about half way through my 1st set, when a guy comes over and says "hey are you almost done?" I ignore him, and after my set is over I say "I have two more sets to go, give me a few minutes and I'll let you know." I said that last part hoping he'd go get a drink of water or take a pee, but instead he just sat down on an empty bench right in front of me and stared at me while I did my next two sets. :eek:

Example 4:
I'm out at lunch with some friends when I see a guy I know from the gym. I say "hey bud!" and he says "hey, I thought you were mad at me?" "Mad? Not at all, why? What's up?" "Well, I tried to talk to you while you were doing deadlifts the other day but you didn't say anything..." :bang: So I try to reply nicely, "darn, I honestly don't even remember that; I'm kind of in a zone in the gym and don't really pay attention to anyone else. Sorry." :rolleyes:

I'm glad to say a couple of useless people have gotten too close to me when I'm jumping rope and they got whacked. That speed rope STINGS when you get hit by it, too. Unfortunatly there is one trainer that always gets close enough to disrupt my concentration, but I haven't gotten to whack him yet.(I refuse to try and whack him...for now)

Edit: 1 of the people that got hit was on a cell phone

While I would agree with your statement 99% of the time, and certainly the situation you described was within that 99%, one of my responsibilities as a trainer when I am "working the floor" and not with a client is to observe ALL activity in the gym and insure that the members are working in a safe manner.

We have a few members who have HORRIBLE form, and there have been times when I have stopped them, mid-set, to ask them to either lower the weight they are trying to lift or to allow me to demonstrate the correct (and safe) was to do the exercise.

I'd rather stop someone before they injure themselves than wait until the "finish their set" and have to call for medical assistance.

Philly,

I would wait until they finished their set. To intervene mid-flight would double the injury potential by disrupting their focus. Additionally, you've got to use some discretion...if someone is doing squats with 315 lbs and you believe his form is bad, I would never interfere while he is doing the exercise, however if you see someone sitting on a bench doing dumbell curls with the pink weights with what you perceive to be poor form, then maybe you can interrupt these people.

But to come up to someone while he is repping out with a heavy weight with pain etched on their face, and ask them a question, is grounds for a whupping :evil: :mad:

Yeah, in my book, it doesn't matter HOW dangerous the form, or HOW important you think your information is.

Wait for them to finish the set. It's an extremely egotistical douchenozzle move to try to be a gym hero.

But to come up to someone while he is repping out with a heavy weight with pain etched on their face, and ask them a question, is grounds for a whupping :evil: :mad:

One of the advantages of doing really strange looking exercises is that people usually wait to see if you can finish the set before they ask you "why do you do that?"

But sometimes it's people that are just not aware that are the problem. I was doing something bilateral with a barbell on an inverted bosu - might have been overhead squats or cleans - I forget exactly but I mentioned it in a thread here when it happened. Someone walked very close without looking where they were going and actually bumped the barbell while I was lifting it. It wasn't super heavy, but it was heavy enough. My trainer was on the other side of me but was pretty peeved when he got around to the guy. I figure if the guy really wants to get the barbell dropped on him go ahead and do stuff like that.

It's an extremely egotistical douchenozzle move to try to be a gym hero.

Philly actually works at the gym, and they might have liability policies which require him to stop people from doing certain things.

So if a guy drops a heavy bar on his neck while bench pressing, I don't think you need to wait until he finishes the set or ask if he would like a spot.

I think there are two types of people that go to the gym.

One group goes to workout as a social activity.
Another group goes to work out and literally it is like a JOB (only one that you enjoy).

The first group doesn't understand why the second group is so mean and serious all the time. They think weightlifters and bodybuilders are unapproachable. (Which is incorrect most of the time)

The second group can't understand why people are so inconsiderate and would endanger someone by interupting while lifting heavy weight. (Which they aren't trying to do, purposefully)

It's two completely different points of view. Until both sides can see each others viewpoint, there'll always be animosity.

(But in my opinion, would you tap a surgeon on the shoulder during surgery and ask him if he was done using that scalpel?)

What gets me is...he could obviously see that you weren't using the other machine, so why ask repeatedly if you are using it??

What gets me is...he could obviously see that you weren't using the other machine, so why ask repeatedly if you are using it??

Two full days have almost expired since this incident and I am still in a state of mystery and befuddlement. :confused:

Maybe he felt he was being polite and considerate just to make sure no one was using it. It's quite possible he learned this proper ettiquette from his 2-day certification seminar. :rolleyes: