Fitness related things that I hate

Okay so before we begin, let me start by saying that if you see anything on this list that you think you do while you’re at the gym, or in general, just know that I’m not talking about you. I, of course, have nothing but unconditional love and respect for the people that take time out of their day to read my essays. That being said, maybe, you know, maybe just do that thing a little less. Whatever that thing may be. So anyway, back to the matter at hand. 

Lack of Spatial Awareness: You want to know what I hate? You want to know what really grinds my gears? People at the gym with no spatial awareness. People love to stand right in front of all the dumbbells and stare at themselves doing curls in the mirror. I get wanting to look at your form, but come on, realistically there’s no reason to be checking for your “form” so hard while doing curls. We all know you’re just doing it because of your vanity or whatever, and honestly it’s fine as long as you move out of people’s way. People also seem to like to set up their stuff in places where people need to walk past. Sidestepping around people while holding 95 pound dumbbells is such a hassle. On a related note, I also hate when people set up too close to me. Like deciding to use the rack next to me when there’s a whole row of empty racks, or taking the treadmill next to me when there’s other treadmills to use, or using the floor space right next to me. I especially hate when people absentmindedly stand really close to me while I’m trying to lift. Not only is it annoying, but it can lead to injury because it makes it harder to concentrate. 

Throwing weights any and everywhere: Another thing I hate is when people disregard the proper organization of the equipment. Yes I know that sounds super pretentious but hear me out. Imagine you’re walking in the grocery store and all of the stuff is misplaced, not where it’s supposed to be. I’m sure you’d be pretty pissed, it’d probably take you a lot longer to do your grocery shopping under those conditions. Now imagine those misplaced groceries all weigh a lot and some of them are circular shaped without a handle and are kind of awkward to carry around. Now do you see my issue? I understand having the weights strewn out everywhere when you’re in the middle of an exercise like deadlift, or power cleans, or any workout that includes switching out the weights a lot, but when you’re done you need to make sure all the weights are put back properly. Also going along with that, I hate when people don’t properly load the bar. People will have three 25 pound plates on each side of the bar, and it pisses me off. The gym only has so many weights so when you use too many 10’s or 25’s, that means someone else has to forage and hunt for the weight they need because you’re using theirs. It’s annoying. It’s disrespectful and an inconvenience to the other lifters and the employees at the gym that have to clean up after you. The gym is a sacred place, it should be clean and organized. 

Slamming Weights: You just got a PR on deadlift. Adrenaline and maybe a little pre-workout is flowing through your veins. You’re feeling good. In the heat of your excitement, you spike the barbell down as hard as you can like a tight end after a touchdown. The reverberations of which can be felt throughout the gym. Everyone is aware of your tremendous might and are in awe….unless you’re someone like me. I hate sudden loud noises with the fire of a thousand suns, especially at the gym. I go to the gym with my noise canceling headphones on the highest possible volume, if you slam the weights hard enough that I can hear it then that’s a problem. You may be thinking right now “but the weight is so heavy I have no choice but to let it plummet to the ground like a meteor crashing into the Earth’s surface.” To that I would say that if you were really as strong as you think you would be able to lower the bar in a controlled fashion like a civilized human being. 

The Tik Tok-ification of the gym: You probably think I’m gonna talk about people filming themselves in the gym and I am…kind of. I’m actually not fully against fitness influencers. There are a lot of really knowledgeable people out there that contribute positively to the fitness community as a whole. I just think it’s so oversaturated at this point, everyone seems to want to become a fitness influencer. Taking pictures of yourself at the gym because you look good, recording yourself on very technical lifts like deadlifts or squats to check your form or on PR’s, these are perfectly fine and acceptable things in my opinion. They can help hold you more accountable and help you feel better about yourself. But I think people have gotten a bit carried away. Going to the gym has become a performance for a lot of people. You have people that go to the gym for a week and all of a sudden become motivational speakers, posting themselves at the gym with a quote related to “the grindset” or “hustling.” You have people who have undergone cosmetic surgeries posting as if they earned their body in the gym. A lot of them say they’re doing it to help others with their fitness journey, to motivate them. Really though, they are just doing it as a way of projecting a certain image, to make money, or they’re using it as another way to flaunt their bodies. They glamorize fitness in a way that regular people want to emulate. It gets them in the gym, for a while at least, and you may think that’s a good thing, but is it? 

Following the misguided path of disingenuous influencers and comparing yourself to them can make people susceptible to all kinds of self esteem issues. Fitness influencers are like podcasters, there are a lot of good ones out there, but there are a lot that are spewing bullshit and just like the sound of their own voice. Which is why to be a fitness influencer, or an aspiring fitness influencer, I think they should have to reach certain criteria. Like with podcasting, one of the major issues with fitness influencers or aspiring fitness influencers, is that the bar for entry is too low. Right now anyone with a phone can be a fitness influencer. In my opinion, they should either be certified, an experienced lifter (someone with years of experience), a competitive lifter/bodybuilder of some kind, or they should have a specific niche form of fitness that they’re emphasizing. Like if you’re really into running, yoga, pilates, boxing, or something like that, and you’re highlighting that in your videos. For example, I know calisthenic training is becoming more popular and I think it’s cool for people to make videos about that because there’s not that much stuff out there about it, at least not as much as regular lifting. I guess what I’m trying to say is that sometimes a certain level of gatekeeping is a good thing. 

I think that the struggle that comes with exercising is almost spiritual to be honest. The breathing, the mindfulness it requires, the feeling of calm when it’s over, it’s basically like meditation. It’s an activity that’s meant to be pure, something done for the love of the game. It’s okay to work hard and do good things for yourself without advertising it to other people. Imagine people becoming like church influencers or something, recording themselves going to church and stuff (they might already do that and I’m just not tapped in, but whatever). Sure, maybe more people would go to church, but that’s kind of defeating the point is it not?  Not everything needs to be monetized, or used to enhance your image. I don’t know, I just feel like some people get into fitness literally just so they can try to become influencers and I don’t appreciate that. Ultimately I think my issue is people being disingenuous. If you want to post yourself because you think you look good, then be my guest, but don’t try to pass it off as you trying to help others when it’s really just about how you look.  

There are other things I dislike about the gym, and fitness culture overall, but I wanted to keep this relatively concise. Maybe I’ll drop a part two at some point, we’ll see. Also, please keep in mind that I am just some guy on the internet with an opinion. Don’t let this essay dissuade you from fitness. If you’re someone that works out a lot, keep doing your thing. If you’re someone that’s new to the gym or considering starting your journey, then go for it. Just…please don’t slam the weights.