I have 2 questions for the reader. Both questions will appear at the end of this post. This matter deals with gym etiquette. For reference, here's how the dictionary defines etiquette:
a) the conduct or procedure required by good breeding or prescribed by authority to be observed in social or official life
b) conventional requirements as to social behavior; proprieties of conduct as established in any class or community or for any occasion
c) the practices and forms prescribed by social convention or by authority
This incident that took place in a local gym and was at times heated and dramatic. At first the conversation was civil and proper, and then later it devolved into a full blown confrontation. I was a witness to it. After the two parties went their seperate ways, after the incident was diffused, I questioned a gym employee at length as to the details involving the matter. This incident involved 3 people, a party of two and one isolated individual. For reference, I'll be referring to the party of two as "double-guys". I'll be referring to the single individual as "single-guy". I'll first give a general synopsis as to what took place. And then I'll give a detailed account of what I saw and heard and what a club employee, the desk attendant on duty that morning, later related to me.
Synopsis:
It's 5:30 am on a weekday morning. Both double-guys are working out on a leg press machine. There is only one leg press machine of this type in the entire gym. Single-guy walks up and politely asks if they would allow him to work in on the machine. Both double-guys tell single-guy "No", that he'll have to wait and come back later when they're finished using the leg press.
Details:
After both double-guys tell single-guy that he can't work in on the unit, double-guys add that they need to keep their heart rate up and that is why single-guy should wait until they're done. Single-guy tells them that time is crucial, he points out that it's 5:30am, and that he has to be at work soon. Double-guys instruct single-guy to go use another machine elsewhere in the gym. Double-guys tell single-guy that "we're only gonna be on this machine for just 3 minutes and only 3 minutes."
Single-guy states that he can't use any other machine for his legs. Single-guy states that "This is the only leg press in the gym, and I need to use it, too. I can't use any other machine in the gym. This is my last excercise for the day". Both double-guys are adamant, they refuse to let single-guy work in on the leg press. And then double-guy #1 points to the clock and says, "You need to get to the gym earlier. And you need to go use another machine."
Single-guy then states, "Alright, so let me get this straight, you're blocking me from using the leg-press, right?" Double-guy #1 says, "That's right, we're blocking you." Single-guy states, "Well you know that's rude." Single-guy then turns around and walks away. Minutes later, single-guy returns accompanied by the gyms early morning desk attendant. Double-guys are still at the same machine exercising their quads, the same machine single-guy has a desire to use. Single-guy asks the gym attendant if he would instruct both double-guys to share the machine with him. The gym employee proceeds to question both parties as to the circumstances of the argument.
Follow up:
Much later, when both parties had gone their seperate ways, I had a conversation with the desk attendant. Single-guy stated to the eary morning desk attendant that he was under the care of a physical therapist for a recent knee injury. He had not had surgery, but was instead addressing the injury with physical therapy. Single-guy stated that he had seen a physical therapist 3 or 4 weeks prior to this incident. At the clinic, his p.t. gave him 4 or 5 excercises to perform. The bulk of those excercises were exercises that he could perform at home, without equipment. Two of those exercises involved gym equipment.
Of those two exercises, on the morning of the confrontation, single-guy had already performed one of them before he confronted double-guys. Of those two exercises, the second exercise required the use of the machine he asked the double-guys to share with him. Single-guy stated to the desk attendant that he had observed double-guys performing mulitiple sets of 10-12 repetitions on the machine that he was attempting to use.
At no time during the actual incident did I hear single-guy tell either double-guy #1 or double-guy #2 that he was rehabilitating a knee injury. Single-guy was not in a wheelchair, nor was he seen using crutches or a cane. Single-guy was not limping nor did his gait appear to be in any way affected by anything negative or out of the ordinary.
The desk attendant instructed single-guy to file a complaint to the gym manager during regular business hours. Single-guy stated that he wasn't sure if he would follow through with a formal complaint, but if he did, single-guy stated that, if asked, he would provide proof and documentation that he was under the care of a state board certified physical therapist, that he was in the early stages of a knee rehabilitation program, and that at this point in his rehabilitation program he was instructed to use only two types of gym equipment for his leg work. Single-guy went on to say that he was debating on freezing his gym contract, which would have required him to provide the gym with documentation of an existing injury as certified by a doctor.
Single-guy told the desk attendant that if someone was blocking an upper body exercise machine, he would have used any one of the many other upper body machines in the facility, willingly and without hesitation. Single-guy stated that today was his leg day, and using an upper body machine was out of the question.
Single-guy asked the early morning desk attendant if blocking a leg machine for any reason whatsoever was tolerated, including that for the reason of keeping your heart rate up. The desk attendant informed single-guy that he wasn't sure what the gym policy was on blocking a piece of equipment and that is why he instructed single-guy to file a complaint with the gym manager when the g.m. shows up for work at 9am.
Question #1: How long have you been working out in gyms that cater to the public?
Question #2: Given the circumstances, do you think a gym should allow two (or maybe more) of their members to block another gym user who has a desire to use the same machine, in this case a leg press machine, for the sole purpose of keeping their heart rate up? Or, is blocking a machine for any reason permissable?
Queston #2 might be a tough question to answer. I'm having a tough time answering it. In arriving at an answer, I have to ask myself: is this issue primarily and solely a blocking issue? If so, then I would have to consider things like common courtesy, civility, manners and etiquette to arrive at an answer. Or is this issue more about personal goals? Specifically stated, a personal goal that involves the need for a person to keep their heart rate up during a specific exercise. If so, the aformentioned traits of common courtesy, civility and etiquette might still come into play. I'm still trying to formulate an answer to question #2. It's a tough one...
