I started working out in the gym in the same way most people start- a New Year’s Resolution and plenty of hope for getting bigger. Just like everyone else, I also went in blindly, not really knowing what exactly I was doing and what I was trying to accomplish, other than “I want to get bigger.” Three years later on my workout journey, and I have been deemed the “gym guy” by all of my friends.
Being that “gym guy” everyone talks to makes it easy to get a big head and act like a know-it-all workout expert, but like most people, I had to make mistakes and learn from people much older (and bigger) than I am. I say that to say this- I always do my best to help out people I call “gym rookies,” or, people who look like they are just trying to learn their way around the gym.
With that being said, there are frequent gym goers I see almost every day who I dread running into, not because they are bothersome or because I am unfriendly, but because they commit five common gym fallacies when I am in the gym with them.
1. Being the selfie queen/king.
It must be stressed that there is a difference between taking pictures for progress and being a gym narcissist. I often run into this person when I am trying to get on a heavy traffic machine, like a squat or bench rack. These particular people will work half of a set of squats, then commence to spend 3-4 minutes on their phones taking pictures. Not only does this make the person look completely self-absorbed, but it irritates me because it always happens on the equipment that already has a waiting line.
2. The creeping eyes.
If you ask a girl who works out frequently what their biggest gym pet peeve is, most would say it is the creepy guys in the gym. They are creepy not because they do not come to the gym to work out, but they come to the gym to watch other people work out, particularly people of the opposite sex. I always catch a guy staring at girls doing their leg workouts with yoga pants or sweats on. Granted, there are some people who wear provocative clothing in the gym to draw attention but a lot of people, namely women, do not wear their gym outfit intending to be stared at. Simply put, creeping eyes in the gym are almost never welcome.
3. Trying to be the (way too) heavy lifter.
We have all seen it: the guy who throws three plates on each side of the bar and tries to bench press it, only to drop it on his chest and look like an idiot. Videos of guys dropping weight on themselves because it is too heavy plague the gym-going community and make us all roll our eyes in disgust. People who have been in the gym for more than a year understand that having proper form is essential to making advancements in your physical fitness and avoiding injuries. Nothing is more cringe-worthy than seeing a “gym bro” trying to pick up the heaviest set of dumbbells and start slinging them around like a car dealership inflatable tube man.
4. Being the texter.
In contrast to the (way too) heavy lifter, we have the texter. This fallacy is committed when someone commences doing half of a set in the quickest amount of time possible, then text every person in their contact list, as well as send seven Snapchats. The texting fallacy is even committed in groups, where two or more people will “grab a quick set” then stand around the equipment they are using for minutes at a time and text. This fallacy is irritating not only because many people take their gym commitments seriously and feel disrespected by those who slack in their effort and text more than they work, but also because most gyms are too small for people to spend excessive amounts of time in one area using a lot of equipment. Personally, it takes everything in my power to not explode when I see people committing these fallacies.
5. Treating the gym like your mother's house.
Sadly, I see the results from this fallacy each and every day that I am in the gym. Some people will take a set of dumbbells off the rack, then leave them on the floor when they are finished rather than re-racking the dumbbells. Or, someone will put weight plates on a barbell for their working set, then immediately leave their station without putting the weights back where they retrieved them from. There are multiple reasons why this fallacy is unnerving. One, people like myself will have to break down other people's weights off of a bar just to have the weights necessary to do their own exercises; I refer to people who have to pick up after others as "gym mothers" because they are cleaning up other people's messes. Two, it is extremely rude for a man to leave 100-pound plates on a leg press machine for a woman to have taken off because she needs to do less weight.
Finally, a clean and orderly gym is an efficient gym, and personally, as much as I like the gym, I don't want to spend all day in the gym cleaning up other people's messes just so I can do some work. Hopefully, some people might be inspired to either call people out for committing gym fallacies or correct their own behaviors to prevent committing these fallacies anymore. Most of the time, people go to the gym by choice, and I believe it is important to limit discouraging such an important choice. By correcting these fallacies, my gym experience along with thousands of others will be significantly improved. That, and I don't enjoy rolling my eyes when someone walks into the gym either!
