Tell me if this annoys you as much as it does me

M

Maximus

Cathlete
And let me just state in advance that I do not mean any offense to anyone who is overweight--frankly I have more admiration for overweight people w/the courage & determination to exercise than I do for the regulars at my gym.

OK, w/that out of the way........first off, did you ever notice how, when you tell people you work out or lift weights, their answer is almost invariably "oh, I used to do that too." Apparently everyone in the world "used to" work out, but hardly anyone still does.

Second, what's REALLY bugging me--I hate it when a....let's call her large.......woman tries to give me fitness advice. Or when an out of shape man--b/c he's a MAN for crying out loud so he MUST know more than I do--tries to correct my form or tells me I'm doing something wrong.

I guess maybe I'm narrow minded or something, but I can't help but think to myself "well, yours is not the look I'm going for so thanks for your advice, but no thanks." It just annoys the heck out of me. I see people at the gym doing stupid stuff all the time, but that's their business & I'm not aggressive or arrogant enough to say anything. Sometimes I'm astounded at the audacity of people. Am I bad? }(
 
No, you're not bad at all! That bothers me too. And yes, isn't it amazing how everyone "used" to work out? The woman I work with swims in the pool at her condo occasionally, and sometimes walks on the treadmill. And I truly think she believes that she and I are on the same fitness level. Sometimes I'd like to just be really rude and tell her that I don't need her advice, because I'm not going for the "big roll around the middle" look.

My ex- used to occasionally watch me work out and he was CONSTANTLY picking on my form. This from a man who couldn't for the life of him figure out how to do a triple step.

Anyway, so I feel your frustration. And I don't want to offend anyone either.

*Today's rant was brought to you by the letters P, M & S*
 
>And let me just state in advance that I do not mean any
>offense to anyone who is overweight--frankly I have more
>admiration for overweight people w/the courage & determination
>to exercise than I do for the regulars at my gym.
>
>OK, w/that out of the way........first off, did you ever
>notice how, when you tell people you work out or lift weights,
>their answer is almost invariably "oh, I used to do that too."
> Apparently everyone in the world "used to" work out, but
>hardly anyone still does.
>
>Second, what's REALLY bugging me--I hate it when a....let's
>call her large.......woman tries to give me fitness advice.
>Or when an out of shape man--b/c he's a MAN for crying out
>loud so he MUST know more than I do--tries to correct my form
>or tells me I'm doing something wrong.
>
>I guess maybe I'm narrow minded or something, but I can't help
>but think to myself "well, yours is not the look I'm going for
>so thanks for your advice, but no thanks." It just annoys the
>heck out of me. I see people at the gym doing stupid stuff
>all the time, but that's their business & I'm not aggressive
>or arrogant enough to say anything. Sometimes I'm astounded
>at the audacity of people. Am I bad? }(



If I'm spoken to in a condecending way, then yeah, it annoys me, or if someone gives me poor advice (that was not asked for)it annoys me because I don't like my workouts to be interrupted...that is my ME time; but I will correct them myself. I don't care if someone is over weight or boney as a rail (neither are 'looks' that I am interested in), it doesn't mean that they don't know what they are talking about. I've seen quite a few 'jelly belly' personal trainers in my time. Alway men too, it seems like fat women can't get jobs as personal trainers, but fat men can...oh well.

Edited to add, that when I went for my ACE Personal Trainer Exam, I was surprised to see so many not to hard bodies there. There people of all ages, shapes and sizes, and I thought it was pretty cool.:p
 
I love your "that's not the look I'm going for" comment. You should actually say that! I may use that one on those would-be exercisers in my life.


Margaret
 
I think you'd feel better if you could come up with a standard comment back that wouldn't offend but they'd get the message :)

You know this is going to turn out to be another B#T##FEST, don't ya?
x(
 
Yeah, I know exactly what you mean!!

I esp love it when someone says "Oh women with muscles is gross, I don't want that kind of look"...Whatever!!!!!!!fat rolls are so much sexier than muscle!!
Or when people talk about their workouts

"Yes, I work out all the time, I walk on my treadmil for 10-20 minutes 2-3 days per week" or
"Yes, I got my work out in already today, I used the steps to walk up here..that was at least 5 minutes of cardio" PLEASE!!!
I esp love it when these types of people try to give exercise advice to others..when they clearly don't have a clue what they are talking about.
People slay me sometimes!!

LOLOLOLOL

:) ;-) :D :p :9 :7 :+
 
That always surprises me also. There are so many flabby trainers at my gym. I don't know about everyone else, but if I'm gonna pay $60-$100 per session for a personal trainer, I want a little inspiration. :p
 
I don't know if this is along the same lines, but when I remember one time when I was at my gym, minding my own business doing my tricep pull downs on the cable machine and some guy walks up to me and says "you know you are the only person I've seen actually do that exercise correctly". First of all, I doubt that. And second, please don't come up and bother me while I'm working out. Especially when I'm concentrating on my form and kind of in my "zone". Anyway, I guess I should be grateful for the compliment (if it actually was a compliment), but instead I was just irritated.

Katie
 
I get very very very annoyed at the gym when anyone corrects my form, too (because I am so fanatic about it). We have some consultants on site right now and there is this one skinny guy who keeps using form as an excuse to touch me (until I VERY FIRMLY told him to get his paws off... in my best Exorcist voice ;-) hehe).

But I will say this is particularly annoying when it is one of the "Anchor Arms" crew... you know, the Popeye wannabes who do NOTHING but bench and biceps, and always with WAY too much weight and terrible form and they're straining and straining and straining and you're watching in horror, waiting to hear their spines crack.... hehehe.

Cheers,
Marie
 
I also hate when unfit men give me their advice, usually saying things that I already know or are outdated believes.

But what really bothers me -and I've commented on this before- is when unfit or overweight people try to convince me that I don't need exercise! "Why do you exercise?" "You don't need to lose weight!" "You are already small." Etc. etc. Hello! EVERYBODY needs exercise and a healthy lifestyle. You don't need to be overweight or have a health problem to do exercise and eat well. That is usually what I tell them, in a nice way.

I guess some of them might feel offended if I, for example, complained about having to lose weight, because they may think: "If she thinks she is fat, she must think that I am an elephant." That is why I try to avoid saying that I want to lose a few pounds, but please, don't tell me that I don't have to exercise and eat healthy, because everybody should.
 
You ladies are SO funny!

I've had people tell me I look good and I'm skinny enough (well, that was 10 lbs ago). This usually from people who are obviously overweight. My husband likes to correct my form or tell me that the workout I'm doing is doing nothing for me. Oh, this ticks me off! But, he works out and looks mighty fine, so I can't think of a good comeback. Anyone got one for me?

Shirley
 
This is a great thread, I'm enjoying everyones replies.

I HATE when a co-worker of mine is standing next to me telling me how she wants my arms while she's eating a donut!!!! HELLO!!!! Ummm, me thinks first you need to ditch the three donuts you eat every day. Then she says, "My doctor told me I really need to start working out." She's been saying this for two years now. Geez, if you want to workout, WORKOUT! I don't need to hear it, I already tried giving her my advice, she won't listen so I give up!

Thats my rant...
Debbie in OH
 
I HATE IT, HATE IT, HATE IT when someone looks at my figure and tells me I'm lucky I'm in shape. Screw that!!! I worked my butt off to get to this shape. Luck had diddly squat to do with it! And I didn't do it by lifting 3lb weights once every other week! Jiminy, that makes me mad! x(

How's that for a rant?

I love hearing what you all are saying about this! We have such a funny crowd here! :)
 
So many people have so many misconceptions about exercise:

"Lifting weights will make a woman big."
"Lift as much as is humanly possible no matter how bad your form gets and you'll get big (this is the men talking)."
"If it hurts, it's bad for you (wimpy women who cringe at the thought of DOMS)." (I actually had a silly girl once explain to me that you shouldn't feel any soreness after lifting weights, and that if you did, it meant you were hurting yourself. *rolling eyes*)

I did not study fitness & nutrition, read Muscle & Fitness-type magazines for years, train at a gym in Florida, and develop a personal fascination with all knowledge fitness-based to not learn anything about how to exercise. I know more about working out than some fitness trainers do (not all, but some). So, for someone to try to explain to me that I'm doing something wrong is utterly laughable, and I'm the kind who would come back with a comment such as, "Actually, this is the way it's supposed to be done..." and then go into all the physiological reasons why I'm right and why their way would cause injury. It would depend on my mood whether I'd be a little sarcastic or not with my answer.
 
Seems like alot of people like to be in everyone's business but their own! ANNOYING! Some on the other hand are just overly friendly folks looking for an excuse to chat...maybe they want to get to know you?? Anyhow, I don't like anyone telling me what to do unless I ask, maybe that is why I like to workout at home and not the gym...no offense to you, Maximus (JMHO). LOL.
 
Lunacat- I am right there with ya! Hear it all the time. Sickens me and all I can do is roll the eyes. Or I hear, "your too skinny". I am thinking they really want to say, "be fat like me cuz I'm jealous so I won't feel bad". LOL!

Charlotte~~
 
Just had to add another thought since we are on the line of people making thin comments. One of my co-workers just the other day told me that the snack drawer (a very evil drawer at my office filled with cookies and candy bars that you can buy for $.30) had been refilled and that there were Grandmother's Chocolate Chocolate Chip Cookies (which I LOVE). I told her that she was cruel to tell me that, and her response was "well it's payback for the fact that I just keep noticing your arms becoming more and more toned". Mind you, this is someone who never works out and never eats healthy, or even tries. Meanwhile I am working my butt off to be in shape. If she wants toned arms she just has to work her butt off too.

Katie
 
>Just had to add another thought since we are on the line of
>people making thin comments. One of my co-workers just the
>other day told me that the snack drawer (a very evil drawer at
>my office filled with cookies and candy bars that you can buy
>for $.30) had been refilled and that there were Grandmother's
>Chocolate Chocolate Chip Cookies (which I LOVE). I told her
>that she was cruel to tell me that, and her response was "well
>it's payback for the fact that I just keep noticing your arms
>becoming more and more toned". Mind you, this is someone who
>never works out and never eats healthy, or even tries.
>Meanwhile I am working my butt off to be in shape. If she
>wants toned arms she just has to work her butt off too.
>
>Katie

This may sound sort of mean but I sometimes think that people that do not make healthy choices seem to want others not to make healthy choices so they do not feel so guilty about their own choices. I work for a company that is always serving donuts and such at functions and people are always trying to make me feel guilty for passing up junk even though most people I work with know that I do not like to eat junk.
 
I think this is a good thread and you did very well with covering your @ss in the beginning.SMART MOVE!:)
I don't get alot of advice thrown at me but when I do it does bother me.
DH is capable of telling me what exercises he USE to do and that I should do.Thats fine.But the way I look at it is,everything changes.I mean, look how we work our abs now.And they aren't even called abs anymore, its your core.So don't give me advice on moves to do when they are 15 yrs old and I have 11 new Cathe workouts to workout to.
I don't get alot of it anymore.Alot of people thought I was exercising to much and not eating enough.So I always got asked questions.Instead, I have alot of people asking me what I do and where I do it to.Well, I tell them, "in my own home" They can't beleive it.
Lori:)
 
"But I will say this is particularly annoying when it is one of the "Anchor Arms" crew... you know, the Popeye wannabes who do NOTHING but bench and biceps, and always with WAY too much weight and terrible form and they're straining and straining and straining and you're watching in horror, waiting to hear their spines crack.... hehehe."

Marie,
I know exactly the type you mean. My gym is full of them too. Great description!
 
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