HOGS AND SLOBS

How many times do you have to wait for equipment or a machine in a gym? Sharing a certain apparatus inside the gym setting is common after all, the only way you won’t experience that is if you have your own private gym, or if you are working alone in a personal training studio.

But almost every day you see inadequate use of equipment besides its regular functional use, such as machine handles, the whole bench and other seats, used as coat hangers, stands and holders. Usually sports training and exercise facilities offer a locker so that you can put away your belongings, so coats and towels shouldn’t be hanging off handles of machines, water bottles, cell phones or other small objects should be on the floor, in your locker or in your pocket, and bags, which could be a hazard causing someone to trip should be in lockers or in the car and not mixed with people training. Just because at that moment when you arrive to use an unoccupied space, and the next one to you is empty, does not mean that someone might not walk up and want to use it. There are people that rather stay in their own training state of mind and not bother to ask if it is being used or not and go about it by doing something else rather than ask if it is being used when it usually isn’t.

What about the training partners, or even worse the Personal Trainers, hanging off of machines, or just sitting there waiting for their turn? For the Personal Trainers, it is unprofessional for you to be sitting waiting for your client to finish the exercise, when you should be paying attention, beside engaging them in conversation, counting the repetitions completely, watching the execution to make any adjustments to correct improper posture, movement or errors when performing the exercise if needed, and most of all motivating to get their energy up. As for the partners or just waiting on a friend, get up off your behind and stand up, after all you burn more calories and use more muscles to stand up rather than sit down, that is what a gym is for.

There are also the cases, example such as an E-Z bar hanging from a cable, but the person who is using it, is a distance away talking on his phone, or talking to one of his buddies from the gym, and when you even threat to go near it, they run and say they are using it, but when you turn your back they are back to “NOT” using what others need. Everyone is complaining about how kids can’t live without their gadgets and technology, but how are adults in a gym different when they can’t turn off their cell phones for an hour a day to train, and don’t let anyone else train either? Then wonder why they can’t get results. Don’t hog equipment, because there might not be enough to go around in small gyms, and in the bigger gyms, don’t do it because there might be people who take their training seriously and want to use it. Also if you are away from a piece of equipment for too long, of course it will be taken if the gym is full, or if a certain routine includes it, don’t be rude and say you were there first and take it, if the individual has already changed the free weight amount and adjusted it to his needs. There ARE people who would probably even be finished before you get to it again.

AND if you see that there 2 or 3 pieces of equipment being used at the same time by someone who is going from one to the next without rest, let them finish their set, for it won’t take more than a few of minutes, even with rest intervals, or ask them if you can work in, but don’t ruin their routine by slowing up their pace, for there are bodybuilding athletes and non-athletes that want their results and are seriously training.  

Hogs and Slobs, get over yourself, the gym isn’t just yours, but available for your use but also the use of others.