Redditors recently dished on their “gym pet peeves” on the r/askgaybros subreddit, but the frustrations they described seem universal to folks of all sexualities. Here are some highlights, edited for clarity.
Loud Grunters
“When people do those uncomfortably long-winded sounding grunts while working out… when they’re doing bicep curls, though. Not something taxing like squats or DLs, just arm curls.”
Selfie Takers
“Also people who spend more time taking pics than actually working out.”
B.O. Offenders
“People that don’t use deodorant at the gym! Yes, we can ALL smell you!”
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Weight Droppers
“People who drop their weights unnecessarily, especially on the cable pull machines.”
“The dudes who showily drop the weights are the f*cking worst.”
Disinfectant Skippers
“When disinfectant spray is provided and no one can be bothered to use it.”
Non-Hand Washers
“People who use the bathroom and don’t wash their hands. I can’t count the number of times I’m washing my hands in the sink and notice a guy walk away from a urinal or, worse, out of a stall and just walk back into the gym.”
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Personal Bubble Breakers
“Taking the machine right next to me, when there’s an equally good machine that they could take further away from me. The urinal rule applies to treadmills, bike machines, and rowing machines.”
And… Flirters?
“Honestly, one of my biggest pet peeves, and I’ve said it a million times, is when a guy tries to flirt with me at the gym. I’m not sure what it is that makes it creepy, it just is. It doesn’t matter if they are an older gentleman, or someone my age or younger, it’s just all freakin’ creepy. I’m just trying to workout and GTFO as quickly as possible.”
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PeteP
People who slather themselves in perfume.
djmcgamester
Big thumbs up! I don’t want to smell you three machines over.
djmcgamester
Selfies? People are trying to show their improvement. Get over it, people. Bubble breakers? That’s like people getting offended because they see naked people in the locker room. Don’t like being near other people at the gym? Get a weights and workout equipment for your home.
I go to the gym four times a week. None of this bothers me. If you’re worried about hand-washing well, you know that disinfectant is there for you to use. Use it. Yes, I wash my hands. No, I’m not concerned with hand washing unless they were doing more than pissing.
Tombear
Hand washing after taking a dump, YES! Hand washing after taking a piss, NO, unless you pee on your hands. I bathe everyday and after sex. I think I’m pretty germ free in that area.
Brian
How cute that you think people are taking pics to show their progress. They’re not.
Vince
I don’t do the bathroom patrol so could care less if they wash their hands. Flirting is nice if done respectfully. Yes. Breathing is part of working out and if their a little loud I don’t take much notice. Jesus. What a bunch of negative bitches. Just go buy a gym machine and stay home.
GymMan456
Yes! People who complain about flirting should never ever flirt.
Rocinante
Agree that these things can be bothersome. One that I refuse to do is wipe down the machine I just used. O often I wipe it down and the germaphobe who cares about this, wipes it down again due to their phobia. So, if it’s that important and to those it is, wipe the machine down before you use it since you will anyway, regardless if someone did 5 minutes before. By doing it that way, you know it’s clean and the same thing wasn’t done twice.
Also, headphones work wonderful at blocking out ambient noise.
iamru2
When people use a piece of equipment just to set all their stuff on , phone, towel, water bottle! When 3 guys workout on one machine! People with ear buds who sing along out loud! When someone puts a towel or back pack on a piece then goes to the other side of the gym to use something else or worse to the locker room to change or piss! If you say nothing bothers you at the gym you are either lying or you don’t go to the gym and if you do it’s not to get a good workout!!! If you say it bothers you to be flirted with your probably the type that thinks if someone asks you how many sets you have that they are flirting with you!
ray444
Agree, agree, agree–especially with that first one. The machines are for humans to work out on, not personal luggage racks. Urrrghhhh!
Metro135
Maybe this is just a NY thing, but it drives me crazy. In NYC gyms there are guys that spend as much time staring at their phones as they do actually lifting weights. They get set up on a bench or machine, whip out the phone, and sit there and stare at it for 10 – not exaggerating – 10 minutes. Then they do a set. Then the phone comes out again and 5-10 more minutes go by.
Hello! You’re not the only one here! Did it ever occur to you that someone else might want to use that bench? If you want to stare at your f _____g phone get up and go stand against a wall somewhere. Or better yet, leave.
MANSUMM
This is my #1 pet peeve. It is not just NY. Happens in LA all the time. Or have an animated phone call for 15 minutes that everyone can hear. I wish phones could be banned. If you can’t leave your phone alone long enough to work out, maybe you shouldn’t be at the gym!
iamru2
Add San Francisco to the list! I once saw a guy on his phone sitting on a machine so I used another piece of equipment next to him, I did 4 sets and the whole time he didn’t do one set, when I was done I asked him how many sets he had left and he said oh I’m done and got up! Arghhh!
ray444
Let me reassure you it’s most definitely NOT just a New York thing. People do this in Atlanta and Columbus, Ohio, both. I’ve even seen people gabbing on or staring into their #(@&^@ phones while they’re doing biceps curls or some such with the other hand. Nobody would dream of dragging an actual TV set with them into the gym and hogging a machine while they catch up on reality shows or whatever, but really how is hogging equipment while you stuff your face in a phone any different?
iamru2
@ray444 LOL!
gecko44
People who load up the machine with plate weights, do their sets, then get up and walk away without taking off the weights. Just a little consideration for others goes a long way.
LostMyClothesAgain
I generally am not bothered by guys stroking or having oral sex in the showers/steam/sauna, but I have zero tolerance for those who leave slippery puddles or are engaged in intercourse.
Ronbo
Where is this gym? Pornhub?
STAMBOUL
@Ronbo LOL!
Aires the Ram
In the gym I go to, I’ve had to confront a few people for these types of behaviors listed above, I’ve gone to the staff and complained so they confronted offenders, and I’ve confronted them myself. When choosing to use a public facility, you always run into these types of things. If you confront it directly or through the gyms staff, you’ve actually DONE SOMETHING about it, instead of running home and posting your complaints on various and sundry websites. Try it, it works. If you don’t want to confront anyone, or turn anyone into gym staff, you have two options: 1. Put up with it and shut up 2. Get your own gym equipment and work out at home. As the old saying goes, “There’s more than one way to skin a cat.”
winemaker
Wow, so many gym ‘no no’s’. I live in San Francisco and go to a predominantly gay gym. that has some of the rudest and most entitled guys around., nothing surprising here, Really.to me the most egregious thing among others: sitting on a machine while texting or yakking on the damned phone, despite an obvious line of others wanting to use the machine. i’ve had this done to me many times, i stand there obvious to the ‘offender’ and despite my obviousness, the cretin ignores me completely. After a few minutes of this, I ask politely ” are you going to be long or “how many more sets or reps” do you have? I’ve gotten’ the following: a few more, do you have any other mahiihines to work out on, then i say, no ‘this is my last exercise’, I’ll be done ‘soon’ and they return to texting or farting around. I usually say ‘you’re not the only member here, the machines are for everyone to use’, if you’re not using the machine, please let others work in with you. Newsflash: the world ‘doesn’t revolve around you’. I’ve even asked the management to place signs around the place saying something like the following: ‘Please refrain from using your cell phone when others are waiting for machines – equipment’. Another pet peeve if you will, the attitude of some of the so called ‘entitled’ men that use my gym. who think the world revolves around them and their asses and shit don’t stink and are rude, disrespectful and make the gym time, that’s supposed to be pleasant and a positive use of your time, unpleasant with all their ‘drama’.
PLAYS WELL WITH OTHERS
Those who don’t re-rack the weights are the most obnoxious. Especially those who place like 4 sets of increment weights, do 5 reps with each and then leave them all over floor.
Our gym has a sign:
“If you are unable to re-rack the weights, please go to the front desk and ask one of the women for assistance”
And then of course the grunters who need to make as much noise possible after every rep, then slam the weights back on the rack. Sweetest act of Karma ever. The worst offender in our gym EVER. After slamming weights on to rack, he began screaming. Walking over to see, looked down on the floor. Laying there was one of his fingers!!
RIGay
People who need to scream and shout during a workout. Our gym has a High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) class that goes on in the middle of the workout floor three mornings a week. Granted it’s high energy, but do you have to scream and whoop so loud that my ear buds can’t drown you out? Turn it down a notch, dude!
TinoTurner
Anyone ever notice the “wardrobe changers”? I’ve seen it with heteros where they come in wearing a long sleeve T-shirt, stretch a little, maybe do a set or two and then make a “Hey! Look at me!” move where they unveil their tank top wearing torso to everyone. It’s so obvious and desperate.
GymMan456
The most annoying thing is girls. If there was a gym for men only, id be there right away. But these pony tail beings who keep machines occupied forever by their compulsive obsessive texting should have own staff to whip them over to the next. And then there are those who should have been beauty queens, but realized they only could be booty queens. There are a few of these that are so hellbent on getting attention that they somehow manage to radiate noise, or i even seen some who resorted to blinking lights on their headset, just to be sure they are seen.
I can be without them yes.