I hit my local Planet Fitness 5 mornings a week and have been doing so for nearly four years. Yeah, I know what some people think of PF, but my local one is not so bad - has tons (literally) of free weights and does not enforce some of the crazy rules you read about for other PF locations.
This past week, I've seen a new guy maybe three times. I'll be honest about this, he strikes a lot of negative chords for me so perhaps I'm not being totally objective. He is short (5' 6'ish), 80 to 100 lbs overweight with one hell of a gut, has funky hair that he wears in a man bun, and - worst of all - his exposed limbs are totally covered with a mish-mash of poorly colored tattoos. He just ticks all the negative boxes for me. Oh yeah, for context, I'm guessing he is somewhere in his late thirties; maybe a bit older or younger - I'm terrible at estimating ages.
So, anyway, Friday morning I'm trying to finish up so I can hit the shower and get to work on time. I just had a few things left that I wanted to do, one of which involved the seated leg curl machine of which there are two available. One of them was in use.
As I was doing my stuff, I saw my "friend" apparently acting the role of personal trainer for a lady he was with. She was of similar age, quite overweight, and clearly seemed to be here to satisfy a New Year's resolution. I doubt that anyone would pay this guy to be a trainer since he doesn't look the role at all; my guess is that she is a friend, wife?, or maybe even a sister, as they shared certain features.
As I approached the area with the machine I wanted, she had just gotten off of it and they headed about 25 feet over to another area and other machines. I saw the opportunity to jump in and, even though I noticed some keys and other items on the floor near the machine, I jumped in anyway. I only wanted to get my 10 reps in and then move on, but quick as a wink this guy comes back to the machine and says something like, "We were using that machine; we really need it." I said don't worry, I'll be done in a moment. And I was. I made sure to give the machine a quick wipe as I exited it and then moved 10 feet away to my final machine for the day. While doing so, I said, "You know, we don't reserve machines here..."
Look, I could see if maybe he/she was a serious body builder with a specific, well-planned, routine. But that was not the case here. In fact, I strongly suspect that they will both be gone within a few weeks when her New Year's resolution plays itself out.
Was I wrong to jump into the machine when I had the chance to do so? If it happens again (trying to hold a machine in reserve), should I complain to the front desk? Frankly, I don't like confrontations and I have a feeling that would not end well.
This past week, I've seen a new guy maybe three times. I'll be honest about this, he strikes a lot of negative chords for me so perhaps I'm not being totally objective. He is short (5' 6'ish), 80 to 100 lbs overweight with one hell of a gut, has funky hair that he wears in a man bun, and - worst of all - his exposed limbs are totally covered with a mish-mash of poorly colored tattoos. He just ticks all the negative boxes for me. Oh yeah, for context, I'm guessing he is somewhere in his late thirties; maybe a bit older or younger - I'm terrible at estimating ages.
So, anyway, Friday morning I'm trying to finish up so I can hit the shower and get to work on time. I just had a few things left that I wanted to do, one of which involved the seated leg curl machine of which there are two available. One of them was in use.
As I was doing my stuff, I saw my "friend" apparently acting the role of personal trainer for a lady he was with. She was of similar age, quite overweight, and clearly seemed to be here to satisfy a New Year's resolution. I doubt that anyone would pay this guy to be a trainer since he doesn't look the role at all; my guess is that she is a friend, wife?, or maybe even a sister, as they shared certain features.
As I approached the area with the machine I wanted, she had just gotten off of it and they headed about 25 feet over to another area and other machines. I saw the opportunity to jump in and, even though I noticed some keys and other items on the floor near the machine, I jumped in anyway. I only wanted to get my 10 reps in and then move on, but quick as a wink this guy comes back to the machine and says something like, "We were using that machine; we really need it." I said don't worry, I'll be done in a moment. And I was. I made sure to give the machine a quick wipe as I exited it and then moved 10 feet away to my final machine for the day. While doing so, I said, "You know, we don't reserve machines here..."
Look, I could see if maybe he/she was a serious body builder with a specific, well-planned, routine. But that was not the case here. In fact, I strongly suspect that they will both be gone within a few weeks when her New Year's resolution plays itself out.
Was I wrong to jump into the machine when I had the chance to do so? If it happens again (trying to hold a machine in reserve), should I complain to the front desk? Frankly, I don't like confrontations and I have a feeling that would not end well.