Gym Etiquette: Sharing

Tom tackles a touchy subject in this short episode of Fitness Disrupted that involves around a common behavior observed at the gym.

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Welcome to Fitness Disrupted, a production of I Heart Radio.
I am Tom Holland, and this is Fitness Disrupted. So
I'm at the gym this morning, as I've done thousands
and thousands of times before, getting a workout in. And

(00:23):
there's not a lot of people because A this is
a cavernous gym. B because they're limiting the number of
people due to COVID. And see people aren't coming because
of COVID, So there's not that many people in the
gym as there would normally be at this hour. And
I'm getting my workout it and I go to use

(00:44):
one piece of equipment and I see that there's a
towel on it, and I go look around. There's no
one around it, and so I go and use something else,
and I keep my eye on it, and you know,
one minute, two minutes, three minut's, four minutes, five minutes,
and then the person comes and uses that machine and

(01:06):
then leaves and leaves the towel on it. And that
is the topic of today's quick show. And many of
you know exactly what I'm talking about. Some of you,
maybe many of you, are guilty of doing this, and
I'm here to tell you once and for all. It's
not okay. It's not okay saving a piece of equipment. Now,

(01:29):
I am fifty one, I've been going to the gym
since I was fourteen, working in the gym since I
was eighteen. I owned a gym for a short amount
of time, taught group fitness, was a personal trainer decades.
I've seen it. It's nothing new, and it's over no more.
It's not okay for any reason. So what am I

(01:52):
talking about? Some of you mayking, I don't even know
what you're talking about. Tom. So what people do at
the gym as they save equipment, You're doing multiple exercises
and you are going from one to the other, and
you don't want anyone to be using that you're saving it.
Um No, I am paying as a member to use
the equipment. You cannot save a piece of equipment. And

(02:17):
that also goes by the way, And I wrote about
this in my book Beat the Gym. When I go
to use them, so maybe there isn't even a towel
and I go to do a tricept pressed down and
someone walks up to me really quickly and goes, I
was using that. And my reply now is yes, you
were and now I am. Now there are times when

(02:37):
you might step away for one second and get a drinkle.
What it really truly doesn't matter. We all have to share.
And that is the topic or the takeaway of today's show. People.
It's about sharing, and it's about what you learned in kindergarten. Okay.
It's the equivalent of you're in kindergarten and and a

(03:00):
kid comes and says, or no, let let me go
the other way. You go to use a toy and
kid runs up and says, sorry, I was using that,
and you go, no, but you're using the the truck.
He goes, yeah, I'm using the truck too, but I'm
also using the sandbox. I was just I'm coming back
to that. And by the way, I'm also using the blocks.

(03:21):
I'm saying, I'm saving that. No, no, no, people use
one thing at a time. It's about sharing. And I know, listen,
I know I've done this a really long time. And
well I'm super setting. I'm doing my triceps and I'm
doing my biceps. I don't care. I'm there for a
limited time. I got up early. I want to use equipment.
If I don't see you there in the amount of
time it takes you to finish what you are doing.

(03:43):
I will be done too. See you're not there, you're
doing something else. There is no quote unquote saving of equipment.
And if you think there's a situation where I'm wrong,
mean Tom h Fit Twitter, Tom h Fit Instagram, go

(04:04):
to fitness disrupted dot com. Let me know where I'm wrong,
because I can think of right now, nothing nothing unless
there is a physiological reason, you have some kind of issue.
I can't even as I say that out loud, I
don't know. I can't think of one. So let me know.

(04:26):
But there's no saving equipment. There's no It is so
selfish and this is tough love for those of you
who do it. They don't care. I am paying, I
am going there, I am taking the time. And if
you're not using it, someone else should be. And if
you have to wait ten seconds, it's very simple math.

(04:47):
People for the most part, fifteen repetitions done with a
four second count, which is long for most people. They
go too quick to begin with. But four seconds team
rep that's one minute, one minute. So even if you
are standing there, which you're not because you're doing something else,
you have to wait less than a minute and guess

(05:08):
what you're gonna have to because there's no saving equipment.
And when I see the person saving three to four pieces,
that sounds crazy, but it's not uncommon, and it's quite
often done at peak times when there's so many people
in the gym. We're all paying to use the same equipment,
use something and then move on and then come back.

(05:32):
I run around from It is rare that I do
two sets in a row, but even when I do,
I pick up my tael every time I walk away
every single time. It's sharing. Okay, and there you have it,
no more saving your equipment again. If you have a

(05:54):
problem with that. Tom h Fit is my Twitter, tom
h Fit is Instagram, Fitness disrupted dot com. Read you
out to me there, Come on, people, be nice, we're
all paying, we're all sharing. That's what it's about. Please
rate the show, subscribe, and I hope you enjoy these
occasional rants. But there for a reason. Okay, it's common sense.

(06:20):
It's about being friendly, sharing and just doing the right thing. Okay,
thank you so much for listening. I am Tom Holland
this is Fitness Disrupted. Believe in yourself. Fitness Disrupted is

(06:43):
a production of I heart Radio. For more podcasts from
my heart Radio, visit the i heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts,
or wherever you listen to your favorite shows.