Dumb things we see in the gym...

[Milhouse]

Saw a good one today. A very small Asian girl was using the leg curl machine (? not sure what to call it). After every set, she'd run over to the mirror and twist, turn, and bend to look at her butt in the mirror. Made me laugh.

 

[TwentySomthing]

Having moved to Shanghai, China recently; and having joined a gym that has mostly locals, I've witnessed some strange things. Having said that, a gym culture doesn't really exist here except for expats and a small handful of locals so I am comparing all of this activity back to US gyms.

The first oddity has to do with gym etiquette, people chatting on their mobile phones constantly, even when in process of working out with trainers. I have always been a believer in no cell phones in the gym, but in a society with the largest mobile phone users in the world, I guess it's bound to happen. Plus at this gym, nobody re-racks free weights! How I despise searching the ground for a pair of dumbbells.

One of my favorite things to see is guys who working out in the clothes that they went to the office in. Watching people bench press and attempt squats in leather oxfords, button down collared shirts, and dress slacks is very entertaining.

BY FAR the strangest behavior that I have unfortunately have the ill-pleasure of witnessing is not on the gym floor but in the locker room. Apparently it's very common for men to use the hair dryers to dry their pubic hair! Despite their even being signs discouraging the behavior. Welcome to China.

These some of the ones I see all the time. There are defiantly others that I will have to keep my eye out for.

 

[Bislane]

1) The guys who walk into the free-weights room at one end of the gym, remain there for maybe five minutes and then continue to spend the next 55 minutes of their workout walking to and from the water fountain at the other end of the gym, staring everyone down and looking hard all the while.

2) The two middle-aged guys, maybe in their late 30s, both still with the beer belly of an atypical frat d00d (and obligingly rocking matching bandannas) who begin their workout by almost maxing out the seated fly elliptical. They proceed to choke up way above the grip on the bar and stand up in a stooped, hunchback kinda pose and throw their entire bodies into moving the huge stack, grunting like crazy. Once they get the stack up maybe an inch or so they let the weight come crashing down and shoot furtive looks towards the couple of hot, college-age, chicks at the other end of the room, clearly wondering why the hell their tactics aren't working.

 

[JeffsWood]

Originally Posted by TwentySomthing

BY FAR the strangest behavior that I have unfortunately have the ill-pleasure of witnessing is not on the gym floor but in the locker room. Apparently it's very common for men to use the hair dryers to dry their pubic hair! Despite their even being signs discouraging the behavior. Welcome to China.

Sounds a bit wierd (and worth a try), but do you really need a sign? How does this bother other folks?

 

[JLibourel]

This whole damn thread makes me happy that I have both always trained alone and have the weights to get a damn good workout training alone. Of course now that I'm a decrepit old fart I don't handle the poundages I once did--at best about 70% of the poundages I handled 30 years ago in my prime when I was pretty strong--not super-strong, but pretty strong, nonetheless.

My wife's elipical machine is also proving very useful for cardio since I blew out my knee about 11 years ago and can't run anymore.

 

[beasty]

Originally Posted by TwentySomthing

Having moved to Shanghai, China recently; and having joined a gym that has mostly locals, I've witnessed some strange things. Having said that, a gym culture doesn't really exist here except for expats and a small handful of locals so I am comparing all of this activity back to US gyms.

The first oddity has to do with gym etiquette, people chatting on their mobile phones constantly, even when in process of working out with trainers. I have always been a believer in no cell phones in the gym, but in a society with the largest mobile phone users in the world, I guess it's bound to happen. Plus at this gym, nobody re-racks free weights! How I despise searching the ground for a pair of dumbbells.

One of my favorite things to see is guys who working out in the clothes that they went to the office in. Watching people bench press and attempt squats in leather oxfords, button down collared shirts, and dress slacks is very entertaining.

BY FAR the strangest behavior that I have unfortunately have the ill-pleasure of witnessing is not on the gym floor but in the locker room. Apparently it's very common for men to use the hair dryers to dry their pubic hair! Despite their even being signs discouraging the behavior. Welcome to China.

These some of the ones I see all the time. There are defiantly others that I will have to keep my eye out for.

Hey what about my all time favourite in a china gym.
The rampant spitting on the floor/carpet in an air conditioned gym.

 

[caff]

Somewhat related - I had a roommate who was here on an internship with me...

The guy hit the gym 5 days a week, consistently, for 5-6 months, but was supremely lazy when it came to eating.

His lunches would consist of chocolate bars from the office vending machines, his post workout dinner would be fake Chinese food from the place across the street. Eventually, that got to be too much and his diet consisted solely of 40-pack cookies from the local supermarket and bags of sunflower seeds.

It was really sad to watch.

 

[Davidko19]

I go to the gym often but never really see too much besides the weird guy(s) who stares at me, sweaty guys and the gym talkers (seriously 2 hours in the gym, talking for 3/4 of the time). But today takes the cake... so I was in the locker room changing when two probably 18 year old kids came in there.

These kids were very fat - like the kids who sat at home played video games and ate big macs. The whole spare tire and stretch marks, huge clothes, etc... So they are changing next to me talking about where they are going afterwards. ***** 1 convinces ***** 2 to go to old country buffet for dinner, hahaha. At least ***** 2 had some sense "I cant go there or else Ill eat everything" but clearly had no will power as he was easily talked into it "But its only $10 on sundays", lol...

 

[West24]

these two massive nerds. it was like night at the roxbury. thats the exaxt picture i get when i see them. the way they acted and held themselves. one was tall and extremely thin, the other short and pudgy. both wearing MATCHING under armour outfits. it was like a nasty joke. i couldnt believe what i was seeing. i dont know how these guys couldnt see how dumb they looked. i thought they were joking around first. but they took there work outs pretty serious. encouraging eachother n all, and matching outfits every time i saw them. it was so pathetic. i then was in my car and saw them riding there bikes on the road together. god those two will be etched in my mind forever.

 

[rjmaiorano]

^^ That is excellent. Some people are just in their own little world.

 

[TwentySomthing]

Originally Posted by JeffsWood

Sounds a bit wierd (and worth a try), but do you really need a sign? How does this bother other folks?

It's is strange, (maybe I am missing out on something), and apparently. Doesn't bother anybody except expats I think. Like I said seems fairly common and I've seen a range of ages participating the ritual. Maybe a new personal grooming new fad? Ball blow drying... you heard it here first...

Originally Posted by beasty

Hey what about my all time favourite in a china gym.
The rampant spitting on the floor/carpet in an air conditioned gym.

True! I've only heard of that one though, haven't personally witnessed it though. It seems to me the practice of spitting is more common up North than it is in Shangers.

Building on the cell phone usage, I just came back from the gym and there was a guy wearing sandals was sitting at a calf machine on his mobile from the time that I got there until after I left. There must be a better place to be heard?

 

[TwentySomthing]

How could I forget to mention the Body Builder types taking their shirts off in the middle of the gym to take pictures of each other! Classic! Not sure if all of these guys are Chinese though, some are Korean I think. Shanghai gets more entertaining everyday.

 

[thekunk07]

there was a posing room in my old gym with a purrell-like dispenser filled with posing oil. enough said.

 

[Flambeur]

Originally Posted by thekunk07

there was a posing room in my old gym with a purrell-like dispenser filled with posing oil. enough said.

that's pretty ******* awesome.

 

[Hard2Fit]

+1.