Hello and Happy Monday!
My workweek kicked off with an early morning workout at the hotel gym.
Ryan and I began our workouts with 20 minutes of cardio on the elliptical before hopping off to use the hotel’s free weights. Ryan did a chest workout while I did a shorter total-body strength workout that looked like this:
- Superset 1: Deadlifts, Tricep extensions
- 3 min. Bicep curls
- Superset 2: Bridges, Reverse crunches
- 3 min. Shoulder exercises (front and side raises, overhead press)
- Superset 3: Lunges, Crunches on exercise ball
The three minutes I spent doing bicep curls and shoulder exercises reminded me of a BodyPump-style workout and made me miss the class so much. I love BodyPump!
Remember how I said working out at the hotel gym is kind of nice because it’s always deserted? Well, that just wasn’t the case this morning.
The little gym was quite crowded and the small space made today’s workout a frustrating experience at times. I seriously wanted to scream “Do something!” at a guy that was just standing around in everyone’s way watching the television. Maybe he didn’t know that the TVs in his room work?
Plus, he was a trifecta of annoying:
- Always in the way
- Grunter
- Starer (not in an “oooh baby” way, but in an spacy way, thus contributing to the “always in the way” issue)
After the gym, Ryan and I took our sweaty selves to the breakfast buffet for some food and my mood changed from annoyed to happy.
Food seems to have that affect on me. 
Breakfast
My meal included a jelly and cheese breakfast quesadilla that I made using a whole wheat tortilla I brought from our room.
Blueberry yogurt and an apple (which I ended up saving for later) plus a small side of corned beef hash and a weird flattened tater tot thing rounded out my meal.
I also snapped a picture of the egg patty stack Ryan made so you guys could see what exactly these egg patties I’ve been talking about look like!
Ryan was awfully proud of his stacking skills. I’m glad someone likes the egg patties, I guess.
Today
Today’s plans are taking me back to Orlando. I have a lunch date with my friend Laurel and an evening meeting about a conference coming to Orlando in December. I’m looking forward to being back in the old stomping grounds!
Question of the Morning
- What gym behaviors are at the top of your “most annoying” list?
My number one pet peeve at the gym is guys that cannot stop checking themselves out in the mirror. Obnoxious.
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Ok those egg patties do look weird! I understand why you have been avoiding them! I hate it when guys and girls look at the gym strictly as a place to find a date… you know the ones that troll around in front of the opposite sex and use the machines as a pick up line? Yuck!!
I definitely agree with your pet peeve! Guys like that are so ridiculous! There’s one guy like that at my gym who uses the elliptical so hard, I think it’s going to break one of these times!
Oh geez, where to start? People on the stair machines practically lying their upper body on the screen/handle bars (you’re doing it wrong!), girls walking on treadmills at 1.0mph talking either with the girl next to them or on a cell phone loudly, people who don’t wipe down machines. The weights are on the second floor and I do my cardio on the first floor and there are guys that will scream out while dropping weights and I can hear it clearly. They think they’re badass, but all my mind thinks is ‘jackass.”
My gym has the most annoying workers ever. They are constantly trying to sell you stuff and get you to sign up for personal training. Leave me alone, I just want to workout in peace.
I get pretty annoyed when people hog the treadmills while walking at a snail’s pace.
However, my all time worst experience was when I was on the elliptical downwind of a perpetual farter running on a treadmill. It was terrible. I understand that sometimes you just gotta go, but really?!
Oh the annoying gym things…I actually wrote a post on this when I first started blogging a couple months ago! One of my pet peeves is when people sweat all over their machine and then they don’t wipe it down when they leave- totally gross!
I dont mind the guys who sweat a ton…it happens and I dont get that grossed out if people dont wipe down a machine if its not dripping sweat. I figure I can do it if it grosses me out (I ALWAYS wipe after myself though). Dont mind the grunters because they make me laugh. My biggest pet peeve is the people that get on the machines next to you and bathed in their cologne. I would rather smell your stank than not be able to breathe.
Is it gross that I want to try one of those egg patties?
Haha, sometimes you can be really annoyed by other people in public places!
The worst are the guys who slam or drop their weights. If you can’t set it down nicely then you probably shouldn’t be picking it up. Though there was a day last year a guy hopped onto the treadmill next to me and reeked so bad of bologna I almost threw up on him. Who eats bologna before working out?!?? GaROSS!
One of the joys of being a grad student at a fairly big school is the gym. The thing that annoys me the most is when the itty bitty skinny girls are walking around the gym with a full face of make up on with the “look at me!” attitudes, while there’s me a sweaty stinky mess wondering “do I smell THAT bad?!” haha!
I don’t like it when people save machines. They put their bottle of water or towel on one machine while they use another. If you move the object they get mad. Sometimes you have to share!
Ok I have one that I dealt with yesterday at the gym – there was a guy next to me doing the nasty snort/swallow noise (you know what I mean?) I’m not sure if it was a nervous habit or he was sick, but it totally grossed me out. Along those lines, I hate when people go to the gym sick and just sniffle the whole time!
I agree with everything posted so far … here are a few more …
People who don’t respect personal space drive me up a wall. There’s always someone who comes to class late, and stands WAY too close to me. Show up on time, claim some space, don’t crowd out others.
Have you ever seen people EAT in the gym? There’s a woman at our gym who will sometimes step off the stairmaster, rummage around in her bag, pull out a hard-boiled egg, and eat it. Really? Think anyone else might want to use that machine while you’re snacking?
And, how much do locks cost? There’s a fair number of women at my gym who don’t use the lockers and instead leave their ginormous bags scattered around the floor of the gym. Buy a lock. Use it.
When people walk to the drinking fountain seemingly every 2 minutes tops my list of most annoying gym behaviors. Don’t get me wrong, hydration is fine and needed at times, but when it doesn’t appear like someone is actually doing anything, the excessive, leisurely walks to the drinking fountain become annoying. Bring a water bottle at least!
Not really annoying per se, but it always makes me laugh.. I love when I’m running on a treadmill at a nice easy pace and a guy gets on the treadmill next to me, blatantly looks at the speed / incline I’m at, sets his treadmill just slightly harder, and then 10 minutes later is gasping for air. Sorry dude, but I run 30+ miles a week. I may be a petite female, but it isn’t as easy as it looks to keep up with me.
My biggest gym pet peeve, is people who lean up and around all over the place to check out and compare the stats on your machine. SO annoyying!
BO is definitely my biggest pet peeve. I have a very sensitive sense of smell. There have been a few times where I had to switch machines because I was nauseous from the smell of others. I always feel so rude but I go to the gym for a workout not to throw up! 🙂
I would have to agree with others and also say those that take up the weight bench while chatting on the phone (no, this isn’t social hour), and those that clank their weights (ANNOYING). My personal favorite, however, are the people that wear the most inappropriate gym clothes on earth. There is a guy at my gym that wears BIRKENSTOCKS with tube socks and cargo shorts. How can you possibly get down to business on a treadmill in sandals? So weird.
It’s pretty ridiculous how many people are annoyed by other people who they think aren’t putting in enough effort (walking at a slow pace, holding onto the rails, etc.). Why does it bother you that someone else isn’t putting in as much effort as you are or as much effort as you think they should?
Normally I would agree and say “grunters” are the worst, but recently I hopped on an elliptical next to a guy who thought he was Ric Flair. Seriously, he was going “WHOOOOO!” for at least 20 minutes!
Guys that stand around, stare at themselves, and then do one set grunting the entire time! I hate those guys…. ewwwww.
Ooooh I just had something annoying happen at my gym last week at Body Pump (love it too!). There were 2 high school girls )…they started putting up their stuff 10 mins. before class finished. They put everything up-step, mats, bar- but left their weights and dirty towels in the middle of the floor. It’s not like they forgot either…they made a pile and everything! We had to push it aside to finish our workout since class wasn’t over. *sigh* where are the gym police when you need them!
Those egg patties are…interesting. Let’s go with that. Wouldn’t want to hurt Ryan’s feeling now would I? 😉
Most annoying gym behaviour? Definitely feel you on the guys checking themselves out. Those mirrors are for form, not to check out your biceps. And I hate it when people sit on the machines, not doing anything, just chatting. Either workout or get off and let me use them!
I had to post this: Awhile back, my client emailed me from his vacation inquiring about the “egg patties” on his cruise ship. I have egg patties in my client recipe books that I make and give them, and make them frequently as a quick “grab and go” protein packed snacked (sometimes whip in cottage cheese, herbs, spices etc). It obviously depends on the brand– I’ve seen some ingredient lists that were DISASTROUS and egg “solid product” was the closest thing on there to an actual egg. However, after researching a ton,O found that commercial ones aren’t actually that insidious. Most have something like 60c and less than 4g of fat per patty (less than an egg), and around 4g or protein– and pretty good ingredients (depending on the brand, again). When you and Ryan get to your own home finally, try googling recipes! There are fantastic ones with goat cheese etc! Easy to make healthy, amp up the protein (skim milk), and tasty! Recipes.com has hundreds! Barbara
Please don’t place any more close-ups of the egg patties on the blog, it freaks me out. Its just not right to eat eggs in that shape. Not to mention, I’m not a fan of the word patty. Ugh…get out of that hotel!
My cousin and I call this guy at our gym Creepy McWhistles because he’s creepy, and he whistles.
The most annoying thing to me is when guys leave their stuff by a machine or bench and walk away for while. It is always the one I would like to use, and I never know if someone just accidentally left it there or if someone is really using it.
Also- guys shaving their legs now?? I was gym people watching this past weekend and noticed 90% of the guys at the gym had shaven their legs!
The grunters are the WORST! the only thing worse than a grunter is a grunter who throws the weights onto the floor/mats/whatever is there with gusto after his final lift so that EVERYONE in the gym is startled into looking over at said grunter…and noticing him. Uggghhhh!!! Although now that you mention it, the guy that keeps all of his things on no less than three machines so that he can superset in everyones way is ALSO horrible! Man, I didn’t even know I needed to vent about that!
The worst for me is when people don’t wipe down their machines. I hate it when you go to get on a machine, and there are all these watermarks from the last persons sweat – ewww. The guys in my gym aren’t that bad actually. And yeah also the girls who are on the phone whilst on the treadmill, or they take a book or something with them to their machine, I find that a bit weird.
I had no peeves from my gym I used to go to (I work out from home now and your treadmill interval workouts are fantastic) anyway the reason I had no peeves is because I went to an all women’s gym.
There was a lounge area with couches and a bookshelf full of books and magazines. The “dining” area with free tea, coffee, milo, fruit, yoghurt, toast – breakfast was supplied if you were there before 8 am. There were oil burners, wet face towels were available from the fridge so they were nice and cold. When you were working out a team member would bring the tray of cold face washers around to you. You could dim the lights in the cool down / stretching room so you weren’t looking up into bright lights – I loved my gym. Working out from home is much more convenient for me, but there are times I do miss the gym 🙁
Not a man in sight checking himself out anywhere :0