The infamous "Reserved by Towel"

[SoreArms]

I'm sure this is universal. You walk up to a bench or machine that seems unoccupied, you see that somebody has placed their towel on it and even though you might not see anyone around, you respecfully walk to the next empty bench. It's cool, I do it too. I find an empty bench, I place my towel on it and I might walk away to get some weights, drink some water or take a piss, but I always return in less than 2 minutes.

Today, I walked toward the squat racks, my gym has 3. One was blocked off by 4 of those "caution, wet floor" things that janitors use when they mop, I guess something happened to it , another one was being occupied by a gym trainer and his student and the third, although it looked available from a few steps away, had a towel hanging over it. "Some one must be using it" I thought and patiently stood on the side waiting for the guy to show and maybe I could work in with him, or for the trainer and his student to finish. Two minutes pass by and no one has showed up to the "reserved" squat rack. I ask the trainer on the other rack if he had seen any one using it, he said "there was some guy on it a few minutes ago, but I don't see him now". Ok, i thought, I'll just sit back another couple of minutes and wait. 5 minutes pass, and still no show. By this time, 3 other guys had formed a line behind me waiting for an available squat rack, but we all "respect" the towel and stand around quietly. Now 10 minutes go by and still no one has showed up, by this time I'm pissed and say fuck it, I tear the guys weights down, set his towel aside and start doing my sets, the other guys didn't care to work in with me, as if I had broken a moral code. Well, halfway through my second set, the mysterious "reservee" shows up, he looks at me and throws his arms half way up as if to say "hey, my towel was there". I looked at him with a dismissive grin and kept doing my sets. The guy walks away and starts using a fly machine close to the squat racks. Each time I finished a set, he would walk by and stand in front of me, as if to say "I'm next", but the guy never opened his mouth so I just looked at him, then went right back to do another set. Again, he went and sat at the fly machine. Finally when I finshed my last set, he walked up and asked if he could work in, "I'm done" I said, and walked away. The guy got pissed and threw the weights on the floor as he tore down the rack, as if it was going to hurt me. What a chump.


I guess the only moral (or point ) this long rant is
Don't abuse the towel courtesy!

 

[super_rice]

i've used it once, the one time i've been in a big, kinda commercial gym for a one week trial. i put the towel down, ran to the fountain and ran back within 10 seconds. good replacement for a track though, i got my sprint work haha

so many rules and courtesy stuff, i prefer my tiny back alley quality gym. you can scream and smash shit and swear and sweat and play whatever the hell type of music you want... and no one cares because there's only another one or two guys there doing exactly the same thing.

on topic, i also had an experience like that. two squat racks at this gym, and there was a guy sitting on the side resting on one, and another dude's towel on the other. (not to mention the speediness of those who like to curl in squat racks)

edit: good post though.

 

[Atomic Punk]

I knew exactly the outcome of that story after about three sentences brother! This kind of shit happens all the time. Some people have no idea about the etiquete(sp?) of the gym, ya know? For example, when I see someone doing a set on say a utility bench(maybe seated militaries), I will always walk in back of them if I have to pass them by. Some assholes though, will walk right in front of that person and not think anything of it. Hell, some might even stand there in front of the mirror, completely indifferent to the dude trying to concentrate on his form. I've had people cop attitude with me for asking them to get off machines, where they were just sitting there resting their tired from doing nothing asses. Not even in the middle of sets or anything--just resting. Funny thing is, is that it is usually the people who are serious about lifting--the guys who look like they would be assholes because they are big, cut, or both--who have the most manners when it comes to stuff like that. The people who come to the gym 3 times per month, are the ones who will pull the shit you just said. Sometimes it is reversed, but not normally.

Funny Thread. Karma

 

[b fold the truth]

Always let them work in...

Always yell really LOUDLY across the gym..."Hey...ANYONE using this rack???"

Don't let the towel hold the rack for you. When you are done...take ALL of your weights off the bar so that there is NO issue if you are done with it or not. Weights on the bar means someone is using it. Empty bar means that it is free to be used by the next person.

B True

 

[BigBadBootyDaddy29]

I hate commercial gyms, but for now I am stuck at one, the equipment is good, great power racks, so I make the best of it. They have 3 power racks, and since I am one of maybe 2 or 3 guys who squat, clean, and deadlift they are always available, unless, of course, some dipshit is taking one up to do some pussy exercise like arm curls or kickbacks (YES!, I really saw someone doing kickbacks in a power rack) that can easily be done anyplace else in the gym. But they are usually finished in about 45 seconds anyway because they are douche bags.

The etiquette of the average member is enough to make your blood boil.....Whenever I have ever seen someone in front of a mirror during my entire 11 years of training, whether they are deadlifting 675 or curling pink dumbells, I ALWAYS walk behind them and show them respect, and nobody seems to grasp this, or they try to strike up a conversation or ask to work in with you, in the middle of your fucking set......

But overall the commercial gym I train at can cater to someone who trains hardcore because most of the members use strictly machines and cardio equipment and the members who "think" they are hardcore are only interested in maxing on the bench press (usually the magical 315 with their spotter doing an upright row week in and week out like they will somehow be able to get it this time), and then doing every conceivable type of curl and flye one can think of and discussing all of the gear they take 9like it is actually helping them), so they really don't take up power racks.

As far as music, it is another story, they play a radio station with a lot of popular music, some can be okay, but you get a lot of Britney Spears and Whitney Houston too, if you ask to have the channel changed or offer a CD, the management smiles and suggests you bring headphones, I want to say 'Try doing heavy full snatches with headphones on, I ain't lifting pink dumbells back here fuckface' but I don't want to get banned just yet before i find someplace better.

Anyway, great post, and a great opportunity to vent.

 

[Dial_tone]

The towel reservation only lasts 5 minutes if I'm one the guy waitin on it. Definitely belongs in the post Hall of Fame.

 

[Sebass67]

If someone is doing barbell rows in the rack and there is no available rack i have asked people to move for me...in one case the guys moved to another squat rack for me and they were doing squats...i tried to explain to them that this is my favorite rack....

 

[forty-six & 2]

excellent post, another serious problem i've encountered lately, especially being that it's still new year's resolution time, is these tools that think it's alright to leave their plates on the bar or the machines and then just walk away like the plate fairy is going to come by and put them away. unbelievable. some even have the nerve to just leave their dbs lying around. thank god it'll only last another week or two (only to start again just before summer of course) someone needs to be made an example of. it just really irks me.

stay hungry

 

[Atomic Punk]

If someone is doing barbell rows in the rack and there is no available rack i have asked people to move for me...in one case the guys moved to another squat rack for me and they were doing squats...i tried to explain to them that this is my favorite rack....

Barbell rows?? Man, I'd have told you to fuck off. There is nothing wrong with doing barbell rows in the rack, if you ask me. We aren't talking about barbell curls afterall. You post that like someone was being rude to you brother....lmao!

 

[Becoming]

This stuff happens so many times that it is not even worth waiting..... Like the guys who sit for 10 minutes on a bench between sets.... Generally I ask the closest person, wait about 60 seconds and then take the rack. I think if you can't see the rack, and someone taking the weights off- it is no longer yours.... Just my opinion....

Besides- you shouldn't take more than 2-3 minutes between sets anyways

 

[Sebass67]

Barbell rows?? Man, I'd have told you to fuck off. There is nothing wrong with doing barbell rows in the rack, if you ask me. We aren't talking about barbell curls afterall. You post that like someone was being rude to you brother....lmao!

Wait i think i meant curls...
But yeah...even if i did mean rows like come on...how hard is it to pick up the damn weight man!! unless your doing like 275+ i don;t think it has to be done in a rack...

 

[WalkingBeast]

excellent post, another serious problem i've encountered lately, especially being that it's still new year's resolution time, is these tools that think it's alright to leave their plates on the bar or the machines and then just walk away like the plate fairy is going to come by and put them away. unbelievable. some even have the nerve to just leave their dbs lying around. thank god it'll only last another week or two (only to start again just before summer of course) someone needs to be made an example of. it just really irks me.

stay hungry

Yea that pisses me off too. I got to rerack peoples fuckin weights to get a set in. When I always put my shit away, even after Im about to collapse from deadlifts and I got to unload 14 plates. And these motherfuckers cant clean thier shit up? Definately gets to me.

 

[collegiateLifter]

with a lot of these marathon lifters, who seem to do infinite sets and rests at given spots, I'll ask them how many more sets they think they have. Most of the time they answer that they are done, or 1 more left!

 

[young guns]

Barbell rows?? Man, I'd have told you to fuck off. There is nothing wrong with doing barbell rows in the rack, if you ask me. We aren't talking about barbell curls afterall. You post that like someone was being rude to you brother....lmao!

i'd have to disagree with you on this. if someone can row the weight with good form, then there is no reason they can't lift it from the floor.

in some cases, you have to do them in the rack. at my gym, the cheapasses only put rubber mats in certain places, so you can't just pull up a piece of floor and sit the weights down on the carpet or you get bitched at. in that case i understand, although i can't lie, it still irritates me to have to wait to do squats while someone is doing rows. though it's not near as bad as when people use the rack for fucking curls.

 

[big4life]

The people who get to me are the ones who use a bench or seat to hold their towel, phone, or whatever else they brought into the gym. They will be working out on one bench and use the one beside it to hold their stuff.

I can deal with most everyone else.

 

[theoak01]

Whenever I have ever seen someone in front of a mirror during my entire 11 years of training, whether they are deadlifting 675 or curling pink dumbells, I ALWAYS walk behind them and show them respect, and nobody seems to grasp this,

I agree here man,the rack at my gym is about 15ft from the mirror and I use it to watch form on deads and sure as shit some idiot gets infront of me when the other 3/4's of the mirror is free and curls for a half hour or so

 

[chewyxrage]

someone needs to put together an ettiquite guide so we can all print copies off and hand them out in our gyms.

i think the dumbest thing anyone ever asked me was if they could work in on the leg press. I'm all for letting people work in, the only thing was, this guy wanted to remove the 100 lb plates(to remove these would have also meant removing every other plate on it, because they were on the inside) so he could get in one set when I had only a couple sets left....tough luck for that guy.

 

[faller]

>Always yell really LOUDLY across the gym..."Hey...ANYONE using this rack???"

I think I'm going to steal this and use it as a pick-up line! It's almost as good as grabbing someone in the butt and saying "excuse me, is this seat taken?"

 

[anthrax]

What about when you're doing some heavy squat and, while you're hardly trying to push the barbell up, some guy just ask you if you still have lots of sets !

 

[Atomic Punk]

What about when you're doing some heavy squat and, while you're hardly trying to push the barbell up, some guy just ask you if you still have lots of sets !

I just say "I just started. I'm going to be awhile".

 

[anthrax]

I just say "I just started. I'm going to be awhile".

When I am doing heavy squat I can hardly speak and anyway I don't want to be bothered