Gym Etiquette for Waiting for Equipment?

Hey Guys, just a quick question. How do you deal with multiple people waiting for a bench to workout. I check to see if one is open if not I do other workouts till I see one open or about to be open. This last time I approached the bench because the last person was wiping up the bench. There was no one around so as I was about to set my stuff down. a couple guys came and said we’ve been waiting. I told them i’ve been waiting too. I’ve just been managing my time with other lifts. They then said you can’t do that waiting is waiting here till its open.(I saw no one in immediate area) I’m new to the gym scene is that correct?

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Just ask to work in. Sharing still works.

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Crop dusting is the answer. Pick a potent pre-work out for added pepp

hahah. with my luck the crop dusting would become a mud falcon.

I would but they seemed to be guys that would move heavy weight and i’m just starting for these last four months with a max of 275.

You just change weights between sets. It goes by quick.

Work in with others

If there’s so many people that working in with groups of like 3-4 doesn’t get everyone through fast enough then find a new gym.

I’ll ask to work in next time. As I said I haven’t been to the gym before these four months so didn’t really think people liked others working in sets with there already established crew. appreciate the responses.

They most likely won’t like it, no, but it isn’t an unreasonable request.

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Before the person finishes using the equipment, you can ask how many sets they have left so you can get a rough estimate how long he’ll take. Be near the equipment on the last set. If you’re lucky, the person using it will cue you to use the equipment. At least you have some advantage or will know if some other people asked him before you did

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I had this a lot at one of my old gyms. I would agree with the people you experienced.

The usual thing was if someone was using something I wanted to use I’d ask how many sets they had left. If they had nearly done I’d usually just wait nearby out of the way (don’t stand staring, watching them though, that used to make me uncomfortable). If they have a lot left I’d either do something else or ask to work in with them - I did this at least a couple times a week for a year and don’t think anyone said no.

While it makes sense to do something else while you wait it’s kind of unfair to assume you can keep your position in the queue too. Think of it in a different situation: at the shops you go to the counter and there’s a queue so you go do some more shopping and then walk back straight to the front of the queue or at a bar and it’s busy so you go sit down while the person in front of you is served then walk back up and push in front of anyone else waiting.

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The only time I can think it would be unrealistic to ask to work in. Would be if someone is squatting in a rack and having to adjust heights between sets.

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I train at a commercial gym during timeslots when my powerlifting gym isn’t open.

I think people can be really defensive. I asked these dudes on the tricep pulldown to work in - same setting, same attachement, same weight even, and dude got all mad like “But I was here first so you know” and I was like “Yeah, I know. Can I just rotate in whenever you guys finish your sets?” As soon as I got my set in, he set up somewhere else.

The other alternative is waiting and not doing anything. Generally, I’ll try to work in with others even if equipment is available just because it helps me pace better.

I really don’t understand why some would act like this. Even if you use a different attachment, come on, it’s really not that hard to change. Getting pressured to have a shorter rest time? Just let the other guy do a consecutive set. What’s the big deal?

There is this one time though that I did get pissed on the squat rack. Dude asked if he could do some OHP and I was benching. I said no problem. I took off the some of the plates for him on one side and he did the other side cause he was gonna use a lighter weight. After he finished his set, the dick didn’t even bother helping put the plates back on.

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Yeah it boggled my mind. Like it’s not like these guys were doing 10 minute drop sets. Dude mean mugged me from across the room the rest of the time.

Maybe he thought I was some fruitloop coming after his teenage son.

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Sounds like you need to find another time to workout or be flexible in what you want to do that day. Sunday afternoons are the least busy and I do things like deads where I can have a little more time and space than a Monday night (the busiest of all nights IMO). I also use weekends to target some weak areas where I may want to do high volume stuff and spend more than average time.

Dumb fuck didnt seem to understand the concept of working in.

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Last week was crazy at the gym. This dude was literally YELLING at people on the squat racks to hurry up. There’s 3 squat racks and it’s 7PM probably the busiest time of the day at the gym. He didn’t even want to work in when these 2 dudes said he could.

He was also yelling at this couple doing for doing deadlifts and bb rows in the rack saying “The squat rack is meant for squatting”. Everyone was like yo calm the fuck down. He started getting racist and all of that. It was no good at all. The management team had to come in to intervene and escort him out.

Roids, one hell of a drug lol. Dude was jacked and big so I’m guessing the preworkout made him even more of an asshole than he already was. But that’s why I like going to the gym at 5/530AM. Everyone there at that time is just trying to bust ass and get out. No time for non sense.

I’ve never understood how some people are SO rigid with their workout. For me it’s very simple, if it’s squat day and all the racks are taken up and after about 15 minutes they are still taken up, I just do a deadlift day instead. It’s really not that big of a deal honestly at least to me.

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That story make me glad I dont train in commercial gyms

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I have my basic home gym, but sometimes it’s too lonely for me and I like to just see other faces at the gym. But that’s why I REALLY minimize the times I go late. It’s probably 2x a month I’ll go in the evening. But I had never seen nothing like that until then. The only crazy things I’ve ever seen is dudes getting upset because other dudes are checking out their girls and things escalating from there. The “ownership” of workout equipment is just funny to me. I don’t usually work in with people because I don’t want to keep unloading the bar from 300-500lbs down to 135-225 lol. The only time people really work in with me is when I overhead press. That’s usually because they can get their squat workout in while I put heavy things overhead haha!

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