For a few months last year, I was signed up for a local gym. We have big box gym across town but it's always crowded and it's not a 24 hour one like I'd prefer. Instead of YMCA's, we have our own recreation department, and they have about 5 centers around town. The one by me is barely a mile away and pretty small. There's a cardio room with about 8 treadmills, 4 ellipticals, a stair climber, two rowers and stationary bikes, a room with lockers and bathroom, and the weight room. Plus the gymnasium doubles as a group exercise room where they do BodyPump, Body Combat, Yoga, and a few other things.
I have some equipment at home. An old bench and barbell, adjustable up to 20 pounds dumbbells, dumbbells in #5, and #10, an exercise ball and now non-adjustable elliptical machine. I just wanted out of the house and wanted to use the squat rack, lat pull-down machine, and leg press. I love those areas and it's hard to do at home!
Here come my horror stories. There is only one squat rack and at least 6 benches, plus the Smith Machine. This guy had apparently started a circuit and was CURLING IN THE SQUAT RACK. Huge gym pet peeve. I didn't know he was using the squat rack other than there was a phone sitting right outside of it. He was on the other end of the room on the free weights bench. I started pulling the weights off to add my own and once I was done, he ran over upset that I had taken his weights off after he watched me do it. Then whined, asking if he could finish what he was doing. Seriously? I was mad. There is a curling rack, plus many benches, why couldn't he use that? I don't know. I said fine and reminded him that it was in fact a squat rack, not a curl rack. He was irritated but I was mad.
Another day, a trainer told me that I had made the guys uncomfortable using the squat rack. Why?? Because it was the only way they could use the mirror for their curls. None of them used it for squats. !@#$ This is the same trainer who dresses in 80's clothes, acid washed jeans and crap to work out.
There was one nice guy, an older gentleman, who warned me about some of the guys. He told me to make no apologies, act like I owned the place, and to never leave my water bottle alone. Apparently one of the other guys tried to mess with it and he got on to him. The guy in question was one I had seen staring at me and made me uncomfortable.
This is how that guy seemed to me. He just stared at me and always did his workouts around me.
Sorry for the swear word, but accurate to the look I gave these guys:
These men didn't dissuade me, just reminded how much more careful women have to be. I will be returning to either this gym, or a new gym, depending on if I move or not.
