Gyms to Reopen 2021???

billyhead

Its selfish. Sitting on a machine or at a bench or squat rack fluttering around on the phone. I don't understand how people can't go to the gym train hard and get out. I'm no more then an hour in the gym. I don't bother with any distractions. The phone stays in the locker room and I've no time for chit chat with anyone else during the session.

TheRona

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118553812#Comment_118553812

That's true, but all you have to do is ask them if you can jump in between sets. They'll soon get the hint. At the end of the day, almost every workout involves rest between sets, so it's inevitable people are going to use their phone as opposed to staring into space for 1-2 mins. The reality is that people would use their phones for music during their workout, or to track their sets, or to time rest periods. It's not practical for everyone to leave their phone in the locker.

I use my phone all the time in the gym. I use spotify all the time for tunes and and I use an app to track my progress. I do all this in between sets. Sorry if it offends you, actually no I'm not. I don't care and I'm getting on with my workout.

Cringe

Black Sheep

I also use my phone quite a bit when I'm training. Streaming music off it mainly, but yeah sometimes quickly answering a work message, or just dicking around on it if it's a long rest period.

If I didn't take my phone out then my workout won't be any quicker. I'm still resting 2-3 minutes between sets, depending on the exercise, whether I'm on my phone or standing up doing nothing at all the time remains the same.

As the lads say, if someone is using something you need to use, and is resting between sets, the standard etiquette is to simply ask them if you can work in. Whether they have their phone in their hand or not makes no difference at all.

The only real argument against phones in the gym that holds water is Dorian Yates' (and others)' view that they mean the trainee isn't staying mentally focused on doing the absolute best set they can at the end of the rest period. Yeah, that's legitimate, but 80%+ of people in the gym are there for general health and recreation reasons, so to be honest it just doesn't really matter that much, and it would only be an issue for the person themselves anyway, no one else.

I love how one person saying they would slap someone's phone extends to multiple people saying it. Boards logic.

Black Sheep

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118554742#Comment_118554742

I was still editing my post but I think you were responding to my original draft. Yes, only one person mentioned a hammer and whatnot and I put that simply down to usual boards hyperbole but in fairness, ye were having a bit of a rant and I think the central point stands that there's an irrational element to it that has more to do with you than the lads on their phones.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118554804#Comment_118554804

You haven't changed your position despite me pointing out how you were demonstrably wrong. But I'm the irrational one. Ok.

Black Sheep

Are you angry? I can't really tell over the internet.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118554860#Comment_118554860

No, I'm just saying I wish people were more considerate in the gym. You are saying something else. I'm merely pointing it out for the purpose of discussion.

Pretty simple stuff, it's all written above in chronological order.

Black Sheep

Oh good, I'm glad.

Yes, I have nothing to add to my posts either.

Mwengwe

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118554726#Comment_118554726

I often look at videos on my phone just to make sure my form is right. Even if I've done the exercise loads, it's good to keep good form on your mind and not get complacent imo.

nullzero

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118554726#Comment_118554726

I mentioned smashing phones with a hammer as a joke (I'm assuming people were able to understand that) my issue is that phones in hands for extended periods is an extension of poor etiquette in general. This also extends to carelessness and lack of understanding of how to correctly use equipment. I can blame this on the gym owners for not being more careful about instructing people on how to safely use equipment. I've seen young lads injure themselves and or damage equipment in the recent past.

I'm guessing we all play music through our phones in the gym (I have a few Playlists, I select one and it will take me through me entire gym session and I don't have to look at the phone again) that isn't the issue I'm describing.

The notion that I should look to "work in" around someone who clearly isn't focused on what they're doing isn't something I'm interested in wasting my time on.

I can take a bench and a set of dumb bells and do a number of different lifts including multiple sets in less time then it takes the people I'm talking about to do two sets with an extended phone session in between them.

If you are happy to take rests between sets that are up to twice what is considered reasonable and you do so with your phone in your hand I can understand why you feel anyone challenging that is being unreasonable.

I can use equipment in a timely efficient manner which allows others to utilize it after me. The gym is a shared space and not everyone there has unlimited time, I know I don't and I ensure that I'm not wasting other people's time by being thoughtless and selfish in how I use the equipment.

Black Sheep

If you're describing someone who is not monitoring their rest periods, but is just camped out on equipment looking at their phone for 5+ minutes between sets, absolutely agree that's inconsiderate. Maybe the phone is the cause of them hanging on to long, but I was going to say the issue is probably really still the hanging around, the phone itself I couldn't give a toss about. If it was a bloke writing in his training journal for an age it would be the same.

The answer is still to come over and "work in" though, I can't think of another way to address it, no point in fuming and not saying a word or getting to the equipment you need? I've dropped the odd heavy hint like "You're done here, are you?" if it's really going on for ages and sometimes that snaps them out of it as well. But I don't really mind talking to people, I know it can make some nervous or they just don't want to have to interact for another reason.

On phones in general, I recently did about 6 weeks where I was using the TrainHeroic platform on my phone. I don't know if anyone has used it, but there are some coaches selling weekly programming and it's delivered via the TrainHeroic app. You've got various weightlifters, and the likes of John Welbourne, Paul Carter etc. Anyway, you're more or less forced into using your phone to access the programming, log work sets, weights etc in order to get the full functionality of it, and it gives you a lot of data about training progress over time.

Some people swear by it, I absolutely hated it. Too much time on my phone in the gym, and I'm not even that much of a phone hater. But I can see how maybe younger guys would love it.

nullzero

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118557946#Comment_118557946

I don't have any issue talking to people, in fact in a couple of occasions I've politely intervened and been met with aggressive responses and then had said people be overtly aggressive towards me in the gym every time I saw them afterwards.

On one occasion there was a lad glued to his phone moving between pieces of equipment , I saw he was no longer on the one I wanted to use after having been at it looking at his phone for a good twenty minutes. I went to use it, he was on another piece of equipment and a few minutes later when he looked up from his phone he stormed over and informed he that he was super setting and that he was using five pieces of equipment and that he expected to have full use of them until he was done. I explained that I had waited patiently and that expecting to be able to have sole use of that many items in a busy gym wasn't reasonable. He told me I was a prick and stormed off. The next few times I saw the guy he was with a friend and if I was anywhere near the piece of equipment in question he'd sarcastically ask if it was OK for him to use it and if I had any problem with it as well as him and his friend acting like a couple of kids in a playground trying to square up to me on a couple of occasions.

I need that type of nonsense like I need a hole in the head. There's lads out there who feel they need to prove how tough they are and I've no interest in entertaining that type of crap, particularly from people who've likely not been in a fight since they were in school.

I agree with what you said that a polite intervention is the best solution in these situations but after the experiences I've had attempting that I've been put off bothering.

People using phones for different training purposes isn't a massive deal but it's like anything whilst training in a gym, you need to remember that other people are there to use the same equipment you are.

During the days of booking an hour of gym time there were some people who would get on cardio equipment and use it for the entire hour and stay over their time. With half the machines out of action it could mean that no one else could get their cardio done that day. I can think of a few people in my gym who were constantly doing that and it was extremely annoying, so selfish behavior in the gym isn't the sole preserve of the young lads in the weights section on their phones although it's just the bigger issue right now.

Hopefully the January rush ends now and the regular gym goers will get some sense of normality back.

Black Sheep

That does sound very stressful. I haven't had too many situations like that, thankfully, but I one or two over the years.

If there's a bad atmosphere somewhere or a few regulars who are assholes it can definitely sour a place.

Mwengwe

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118558268#Comment_118558268

See now holding space on multiple racks at once - that's definitely fucked, and I've seen it occasionally myself. The phone is kind of irrelevant to that though which backs up Black Sheep's point - it's what the person is actually doing and whether they're taking the piss.

I do wonder whether you're exaggerating what happened slightly as that kind of behaviour doesn't get tolerated in gyms. Maybe a change of gym might be a possibility?

nullzero

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118558582#Comment_118558582

No exaggeration at all, although I can understand why you might feel someone might over egg the pudding to make a point on a forum.

Haven't seen that person in a while and my own attendance times have changed since then but I wouldn't be changing gyms because of it. It's just made me think twice about approaching people.

I don't agree that the phone is irrelevant because if the phone wasn't in the guy's hand he wouldn't have taken as long to do his lifts as it did. This fella was five to ten minutes looking at his phone at one point, we'll beyond any acceptable rest period.

I've spoken to a fair few people in my gym who've said the same thing about the situation with phones. Some days it's almost impossible to use a lot of the equipment as a result of it. Phones themselves aren't the problem, it's the people using them feeling the gym is there for them only and acting like no one else is there.

Patsy167

Will Flyefit gyms ever return to a 24h model?

Not aware of any gyms that open before 07:30am on the weekends. It would be great to have them open for the summer.