Look at it as a challenge.
Change her mind, change the world.
4 squat racks in my gym. 3 of 4 occupied by people not actually using the racks.2 x glute thrusters. 1 doing db lunges.
What’s the ruling? Can I tell them to gtfo?
Does the ruling change if they are girls in yoga pants?
Hahaha yeah you just gotta give up. The era of male gym patrons using squat racks is now over. Gyms seriously need to get some extra bar bells so woman can do these thrust things somewhere else.
I was at a gym about 4-5 months ago when I was travelling. Lots of women doing hips thrusts. Zero using (unused) squat racks that were just 10 ft away. The had some benches up against the wall that seemed perfect for it, so there was no real need, I guess.
@Rugby – Depends on the gym. If it’s not one you know well, I think the default is that anyone is allowed to use the equipment however they please (as long as it is not for an excessive time and the gym is crowded).
Depending on how decent the people are it is reasonable to ask them if you can use the rack to do an exercise that you can only do in the rack. They might freak out, but you’re not really being unreasonable.
Note that it is not always the case that someone doing an exercise like lunges in the rack isn’t really using the rack. It’s not super easy to get a weighted barbell safely into a position on the top of your back without using a rack. I have also done things like circuits where I’ll do DB lunges then OH press then pull ups all in/on the rack.
Update. One of the glute thrusterers didnt put the weight back after she left. Ugh.
Yeah. I figured there wasnt much I could do. It doesnt happen very often, it’s just frustrating when it does because I’m always right for time.
Normally it’s pretty quick turnover at least.
My default is to ask “how many more sets do you have?”, and if it’s a high number that’s going to cause me to wait for a while, “do you mind if I work in on the rack while you do x”
Less likely to do this if the person is not a regular or doesn’t look like they know what they’re doing. Regulars get the question immediately and either ask if I want to work in (before I even get to my second question) or will make sure they don’t go too slowly now that they know someone is waiting.
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What do you do if he’s just socializing on the equipment and hasn’t lifted a weight in 15 minutes? Happened to me last week and I just did some pull ups instead of the pull downs I usually to do. “How many more sets” would work I guess but it seems passive aggressive since he very obviously isn’t fucking doing anything.
Usually “how many sets” gets the message across, but yea sometimes people are just oblivious assholes
I think I should have just said “you mind if I work in”. Probably significantly less passive aggressive than my chosen tactic of silent glaring.
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“How many sets” is a little passive aggressive but the alternative “what are you doing I need the rack” is too straight aggressive and likely to provoke a needless confrontation. It sucks but the resources of the gym are in fact shared resources so we’re talking about etiquette here. Unless the gym manager enforces some kind of equipment usage rules, its not good behavior either to berate someone for using the equipment the way they want to use or even if its wrong.
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You mind if I work in
100% success rate and 0% antagonism score
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Nobody ever works in at my gym. It’s weird.
There’s also easily room for two people on each deadlift station. But no one does it. I’ve tried to get it started multiple times by offering. But I don’t want to be the one to ask if they’ll scoot back and share it when no one does it.
Same at my gym, we don’t share. You just wait until the equipment is free.
Yeah no one’s ever asked me that at my gym and I’ve never seen anyone ask that, which is why I didn’t actually ask to work in. Just silently fumed, lol.
Will think about “you mind if I work in”.
Hesitations though.
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Its kinds of a weird invasion of space to a girl. Ill end up in a tiktok
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The way my gym is set up, this would involve the person actually moving
I might just have to stick with the silent fuming technique.
I think it comes down to gym culture. From what others are posting it sounds like something that was a lot more common in the past. Maybe covid scared people as well.
But he was using the equipment as a chair.
I’m one of the few who asks people to get off their phones and let me have a set at my gym (I do circuit strength training targetting a heart rate of 140 so constantly moving). And the looks I get out me on the brink of giving up. I guess I’m not into such internecine conflict.