Having been a while since anything really strange has happened to me at the gym (side note: the man who used to walk the track swinging his arms wildly as if in a cloud of gnats has seemingly disappeared. But don’t worry, the girl who lines up her stuffed animals facing her yoga mat is still with us.) so it was about time for a gym adventure. I just never thought that it would end up with an elderly man laying in my lap. But that’s the fun thing about gym adventures – you never know what’s coming next!
One fine warmish day of late, the Gym Buddies and I were sitting and stretching (read: gabbing with one leg extended in a haphazard fashion) in the stretching area when suddenly a mat was thrown down nearly on top of me. Then, just as quickly, an old man came crashing down on top of it. Or rather, on top of my leg. Contrary to what you are imagining, he did not have a stroke or trip and take a header into the floor but rather his moves were very deliberate. For some reason, despite an abundance of open space all around me, he had decided that the exact square of carpet I was inhabiting ought to be shared. With him.
Well, I’m a sharing kind of girl and also one who is easily amused and so, after a pantomimed chuckle for the Gym Buddies, I looked down and the age-spotted face that was now cheek-to-thigh with me and said, “Why hello, sir.”
Not even meeting my eyes, he harrumphed. You know, like you do when someone butts in line at the returns counter at Wal-Mart the day after Christmas and you’re not sure if they realize they’ve just done something terribly rude or if they really think the rest of you are just hanging around in the general vicinity for fun? His response made it clear to me that this was no friendly Hug-Your-Elders Day request. No, it slowly dawned on me that I had committed one of the cardinal Gym Sins. I had *gasp* taken his spot.
Unmoved – literally – by my giggles, he commenced do some ab exercises that appeared to work everything except his abdominal muscles. There was a lot of grunting, sweating, and – yes – nose hair going on. At last I said dryly, “I’ll just move out of your way, then.”
“About time,” he growled, the first and last words he condescended to speak to me.
The Gym Buddies and I all picked up and relocated about 3 feet to the north and recommenced chatting punctuated by rogue laughter, especially when Gym Buddy Krista offered to let me sit on her lap instead.
The whole experience got me thinking. I’ve run afoul of The Spot issue in the past when I accidentally stood in someone’s spot in Turbokick and paid the price – a problem I have since rememdied by standing right up front and center where not only can I watch my own sweat splatter the mirror but I also avoid most of The Spot drama. (Also, I firmly believe I get a better workout in the front – that much easier to feed off the instructor’s energy like the little leech I am.) However, I am not locked into my front-and-center position. If I get to class late and the room is crowded, I’ll just stay in the back. Or if one side is overly crowded, I’ll run over to the other side just to help maintain cosmic aerobic equilibrium. I’ve even been known to switch spots in the middle of a class, most recently when a person behind me wanted to try out the front row and I was happy to oblige.
However, humans are creatures of habit. Even with all my deliberate flexibility, all things being equal, more often than not I end up in the same general vicinity of hardwood. It doesn’t bother me to not be there and yet if nothing impedes me, I’ll often end up there. I first noticed this phenomenon when I taught college. Even though my students were long out of high school (some longer than others), they still sat in the exact same seats every class just as if I’d made a seating chart. I once made them get up and spontaneously rearrange – I was trying to wake them up and also, I admit, I wanted an excuse to call out “Grab your gal and do-si-do!” – and you would have thought I’d asked them to reenact the entirety of Waiting for Godot.
And lest you weight lifters or cardio machiners are feeling superior, the phenomenon is well documented by the “That’s my weight bench” lifter or the “But that’s my regular machine!” ellipticizer. The trick, of course, is what you do if someone takes your Spot/Bench/Machine.
So now I’m curious: Do you have A Spot? Do you get upset if someone takes your Spot? Will you lay in a stranger’s lap in an effort to get them to move out of your Spot? Would you move if someone said you were in their Spot?
I do have “a spot” that I like to use for my ab work and stretching, simply because it’s the most out of the flow of traffic and is closer to the wall … which makes me feel a little more protected and private.
I don’t get upset if someone is in my spot working out. Usually I’ll just find another spot or sometimes I’ll wait for them to finish. But I think I probably would get a little annoyed if someone were in “my spot” just chattering and gabbing with friends and not actually using it to work out. I probably wouldn’t say anything (in general life is too short for confrontation over stuff like that), but knowing myself, I suspect I’d be a little irked and think of them as inconsiderate at best.
I have about 4 spots. That way if one is taken, I really don’t care. 😉
But I remember reading in a psychology class in college that (someone, somewhere – what, it was college, I wasn’t paying THAT much attention) did a study about “spots.” The study put together a standard classroom, the students came in, sat in the same places the first week, but when they came back the second week, all the desks had been reconfigured. It took the students twice as long to find a seat. The next week the room was reconfigured again, and again the week after that. By the fourth week it was taking people 10-15 mintues to find “their” seat, and some students had started writing on their desks so they could find “their” desk again! Other students complained to the department chair that they couldn’t take class like that! It was pretty amazing.
As for the old man, maybe the next time you see him, you should tell him that you don’t let a man get QUITE so close without buying you dinner first! Then just sit there and stare, smiling nicely. Wonder how long it would take him to get freaked out? LOL! 😉
Kara – You know, I’d thought about the impropriety of taking up space to chat. The thing is that it’s the cooldown area and many people often use that area to chat. I’m very conscious not to do that on the weight floor or leaning against a machine or in an aerobic studio. But yeah, you have a point…
Marste – You have the BEST retorts! I never think of anything good to say until the situation is long over.
I am a self-professed spot-stealer. I know, I know, one shouldn't admit to crimes of the gym in public. However, first, if you have a spot, what legal or contractual right do you really have to that spot? In other words, so sue me !! Second, when someone leaves a spot, say, in a class, that spot is now up for grabs unless they come back (oops!) — but seriously, I've been an unintentional spot stealer who has reformed and is trying to go on the straight & narrow !!
You are so funny. I am always worried that I’m taking someone’s spot in any kind of aerobic class. My husband gets frustrated with me at the gym because I always tell him to hurry if I see someone waiting to use the machine he’s on. He thinks I have an inferiority complex. I do.
While I think it’s natural that we have “spots” and lay claim to certain machines as “ours” IN OUR OWN MINDS, to actually insist on this out loud to other people is the height of craziness. Most people over 3 or 4 years old have mastered the concept of “first come first serve” in shared spaces.
(Though I do totally hate it when someone is on “my” elliptical machine)
I dont.
nary a spot anywhere from gym to couch to bed.
Im flexible that way—OR I live with people who arent (hello! Toddler) and have just carried that over everywhere even when they’re not around.
wasnt one to ever have a SPOT in the classroom either.
YES, you now have me pondering….
There are some spots I prefer more than others, but I’m very adaptable; never had a conflict.
I’ve witnessed some really heated confrontations, however, where people were yelling at each other and the employees had to kick them out. Generally seems to be the over-60 crowd; they’re a bit more set in their ways, apparently.
I have a treadmill that I like the very best — out of like 12 rows of treadmills it’s in the very back, so no one is behind me watching my backside jiggle as I run. Plus, it’s got the tv with close-captioning, so I can watch tv without plugging in my headphones. I’ve gotten tangled up in the cords before and… it wasn’t pretty. Not quite as not-pretty as a sweating, nose-hair abundant older man deposited in my lap, but still not pretty.
I laughed for a good 3 minutes when I read about the girl lining up her stuffed animals facing her yoga mat. It’s probably NOT funny, but it sure did crack me up.
Like you mentioned with the classrooms, I have the spot I generally sit in during meetings and lectures. If someone takes “my spot” I definitely won’t try and sit in their lap, and it really won’t bother me. I’ve always found it interesting how we humans will fall into a pattern a simple as where to sit. I’m sure the psychologists out there know the reason for this!
the girl who lines up her stuffed animals facing her yoga mat is still with us.…seriously?
I tend to gravitate towards the same areas/machines, but I could care less if someone else is there. Share people – there’s room for all of us. 🙂
At the gym, I definitely have favorite machines, although I don’t get upset/rattled when they’re taken. They are just PREFERRED spots (for example, the exact distance away from the fan so that I am cool, but the pages of People magazine aren’t flapping wildly…).
I have a (sort-of) related comment. (Mostly I just want to vent about it!) This (very early) morning at the gym I was in the cardio area with just two other people. I was happily elliptical-ing and a nice gentleman was pedaling away on a stationary bike. The third early-riser was also on an elliptical machine…however, he had chosen the ONE machine that made an awful screeching noise. The entire rest of the cardio area was empty. There were 10 free machines of the same type he was on! I was too chicken to say anything, but I was SO annoyed. Maybe this was his spot??? Did I have a right to ask him to move to protect the peace???
(I did say something to the front desk worker on my way out to have them take a look at that machine, but other than that, I just silently fumed).
Input/suggestions welcome!
I love your blog and check it daily! Please never stop!
As to spots, I’m anti-spot. I’m the racquetball director at my local club and I’m always there to babysit my leagues. I’ve had guys literally yell at me because I’ve reserved their court at their time. Horrible manners seem to fester like bacteria at the gym!
As to my own spot habits, I’ve actually used up to four different treadmills in one night, having to get on and off again to work with the league members. As far as I’m concerned, my spot is the one I’m in at the moment you ask me.
As to spot disputes, I actively work to confront anyone who lays claim. I do it politely but firmly that they have to share. After a few examples, people have realized that if they don’t work with me, I’m really good at revenge thanks to my position.
LOL! I’ve seen this phenomena also, especially in group classes.
I have a favorite stairmaster. One time a young instructor, who I told this to said, “Aren’t they all the same?” Obviously, his dating experience was quite limited, as I pointed out:-)
I am broadening my “appreciation” of other stairmasters, by the way 🙂
I’ve never really had a “spot” at the gym. I tend to use whatever machine or space is available at the time. But I’ve seen it played out time and time again at the gym, school, and church – people tend to think that they own a certain space and can get quite mean if it is occupied by someone else. I find it quite comical.
I’ve definitely seen this in classes. In one of my step classes, one of my best friends got in a spot war with another guy in class…and lost. And he still stays in that spot to this day.
I must admit that when I was taking (rather than teaching) step classes, I’d always gravitate to the same spot, and it felt strange to be in another spot.
On the other hand, when I was going to my meditate group, I was decidedly anti-spot. I’d walk in and say “hmmm, what seat have I not already sat in (on previous days).” I think that if it weren’t for that, everyone else would’ve taken the same spots every time. I wonder whether the shrinks running the meditation read anything into that…
I LOVE this topic because as a Gym Rat, I am dealing with certain SPOTS all the time. I have my usual “front-row diva spot” right next to the teacher. (I know, teachers pet!) As a newbie has come in and been very close to kicking me several times, Jennie has even voiced to said offender, “Look where you are kicking. She is my friend and don’t you dare kick her!” I was even recently told I was brave for still standing in my “spot” as she has been a little careless during class.
One time some newer people were in my “spot” so I moved to the other side of the room, where it looked like there was some extra room. Once I started moving with everyone else, that spot was very tiny and I moved a usual “spot” owner against the wall. I was feeling daggers and comments about me during the whole class. I was so embarassed! I approached Jennie at the end of class and told her to send my apologies to the fan club of usual “spot” owner. I was in tears as I was so embarassed! She said no one has a “spot” and if they do, it’s just a workout and they can get over it. She was right, it’s just a piece of floor and we are all there for the same result.
If I happen to get lucky enough for a Friday off, it’s not my usual class I attend so I stand in the back. I don’t want to take anyones “spot”. 🙂
PS: I also feed off Jennie’s energy, it’s so contagious, how can you not?!?!
Um, the only reason I have a “spot” is that the stretching mats at my gym are really only big enough for 2 people.
So I generally try to stay toward the edges so no one invades my personal space.
OMG! Your gym guy and my 5 year old should get together. Every time we stop for coffee on “errand Friday” he runs for the same seat. Last week there was someone sitting in “his spot” and he walked up to her and said “No, that’s my seat”. And when I tried to explain, the lady (who must not have kids) just gave me a dirty look. Maybe that is “her spot” too?
I so don’t have a spot for anything – I use whatever machine is free, whenever. I prefer the treadmills near the fan and with closed captioning so I can follow the action on the screen, but I don’t live and die by it. Worse case scenario, I do a different workout.
It’s just a piece of floor really – if someone’s there, find another spot!
I guess the only “spot’ I have is my end of the couch.
Sad, I know. Especially since I’ve been known to dislodge my kids (and put them on my lap) so I can sit there.
As far as the gym, I don’t have a spot. I HAVE been told by others that I was in their spot, and will move if they REALLY want me to. I do notice that, in the classes I teach, most people will stick to the same area week after week. And in my Reformer class, clients definitely use the same machine every class.
Ok, I have to admit that as I’ve gone back through reading comments, I’ve had spot issues in the past. Most of mine are class-related, though. When I danced, I was in the top 5 in the class, and we all stood in the front. (My “spot” was on the left, in the front row, second from the end. Weird how specifically I remember that.) If a new person unwittingly took my space, I just dropped back a row (I was never a jerk who insisted they move), but it always felt weird.
In that class it was more about status, but I could see where in a workout class there would be some use to having spots. I prefer when the folks who know what they’re doing are in the front, because that way if I can’t see the teacher, I can follow someone else. The less you know, the farther back you move, because that way when you really screw up, you won’t take TOO many people out with you, LOL.
Huh. I never knew I had such stong opinions about spots!
I’ll use whichever treadmill is open. But I like my space and loathe when people choose the treadmill right next to mine while there are other open machines that would still respect the “1-empty-machine-buffer-rule”. It’s usually old people and they want to walk right in front of the TV they’re watching. *sigh*
But I once saw this old duffer at the YMCA who laid claim to “his” treadmill. He would speed it up to a 5-minute-mile pace and then leave to go jog around the track or stretch or lift a quick weight. Once he even went to the bathroom. I guess he figured people wouldn’t touch a running treadmill thinking it was in use; and nobody did.
I guess have a spot when it comes to cardio equipment-there is a particular Gauntlet stepmill that I always get on. Third from the right, facing away from the mirrors. If someone is already on it, I get very testy.
This made me laugh out loud! This is so me, I hate to say although I DO NOT do what that guy did to you.
I live where there are 24 hour gyms so I work out when VERY FEW people are around. I am so regular & never miss so I do get irritated when the "once in blue moon person" shows up & gets in one of my many spots.. HA! Remember, I can have many since not too many people there! I even get to watch the TV channels I want while I do cardio even though I listen to music but watch the pictures!
BUT, if there is a person in "one of my spots", I try to be good… but sometimes I do become like Cranky Fitness. Can I blame it on my hormones.. I guess not this time!
Thx for the big ole smile & laugh!
Charlotte,
I’m a nomad when it comes to spots in a gym, auditorium, or even on Southwest Airlines (where there’s no seat assignment). I don’t think I want the aggravation and maybe even remember the old Bible study as a kid when you sit at the least area and get invited to the head of the table.
The only time I throw down the gauntlet is a certain recliner that I compete with the family dog for. He’s winning much more than I currently as his age makes him get up slow and down even slower. My wife does the “awe, how could you do that to the poor dog?” So I now get a look of “just try and throw me off” from the boxer.
Wow – how timely. I was just beefing to my husband this morning about the inconsiderateness of some people in class. I arrived for Pump before it started but when most people had claimed spots. I do have a general area that I like (out of the way but with a side mirror to check my form) but will take any place just to get into a class. I grabbed an available spot and set up all my gear and then 2 even later arrivals came and got so close to me that I had to shift around not to hit them with my bar. I noticed that the others around them did not shift to give them room, only me. I ended up wedged between a pole and the instructor and let me just say that dynamic lunges with a pole behind you are not fun. As the youngest of 7 I was brought up making room for others and I guess that will always stick with me. Maybe I was surrounded by only children?
Yep, I’m with the majority in that I have “spots” (I usually park in the same couple spots at work, I tend to like certain treadmills, I usually sit in a certain chair in the meeting room at work), but it doesn’t faze me in the least if someone is in my “spot”. As long as there is *A* spot, I’m happy. Now, when three guys sit there by the ONLY assisted pullup machine and yak and do reps slowly and take it up for a long time, that makes me a little angry…
The harder you work out, the more room people give you.
i have the same parking spots i tend to at work and the same general cardio i tend to gravitate to, but i don’t get overly cranky if someone’s in said spots.
the best example i’ve seen of people and their “spots” is in the spin classes. oh is it bad in there.
My fabulous friend/trainer at the Y always gives me crazy stuff to do as part of my program and there’s just no spot for it.
It’s not too bad if I’m on the ladies/stretching/ cardio/bosu/whatever side, but if I need heavier weights, I end up on the macho free weight side where many times I feel like I have to work around the muscle heads. Actually the worst guy is an older fellow, too and he really ticks me off. He’ll just walk right around me to get what he wants, nevermind that he just stepped into my obvious range of movement.
Some days it makes me feel like a door mat, others, I feel like I’m gonna throw a dumbell at him!
I used to have a spot. Then they combined another gym with ours.. the population grew crazy.. and I’m constantly adjusting to find A spot not just MY spot. (sigh)…
Very funny pics of condoms! 🙂
i usually stand up the front too to avoid being in other’s spot. I reckon some of them scent mark their spots as they get so territorial.
Oh Hilarious Charlotte- I didn't know that you had this post when I posted mine about "spots". Seems I better not read your blog b/c any of your genius ideas that i might also independently come up with I would feel like I'm stealing out-right! Gah! Call the blogger police! 🙂
I think it's great that you move around- that's the sign of a secure individual!
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I know I’m late to this discussion, but I just found your site and I followed a link from another article and why am I still talking?
And yes. This happened to me once and it was one of the last times I went to my gym. I was in a Les Mills BodyPump class and had set some equipment down and walked off to get more. Upon my return, imagine my surprise to find someone had set a step and weights on top of my mat. My stuff being clearly underneath, and therefore it was pretty obvious I had, you know, gotten there first. I look up to find two middle-aged women (not teenagers), one of whom forcefully informed me this was “Our spot. You need to move!” I don’t like altercations, but I lose my mind when strangers start random fights. Lucky for all of us, the instructor came rushing over and volunteered to “help” me find another spot. I debated the worth of standing my ground, decided against it and accidentally tripped my antagonist with my mat at the end of class (“revenge is mine, I don’t want a nap!!!” sang the gleeful 5 year old inside of me.) I’d been unhappy with my gym (a hoity toity suburban establishment) for various reasons for a while. This helped push me inexorably into the world of home exercise.
I just don’t need the aggravation doing something that us supposed to relax me, ya know? Also, rich suburban people can be some of the meanest, pettiest swine herds on earth.
I love this comment SO MUCH Vanessa!! So I’m glad you took the time to leave it. Just today I was “edged out” of a space where I’d put my weights down for a class. They didn’t put their stuff on top but just scooched mine to the side lol. Ah people. I think your response was awesome! And this: “Also, rich suburban people can be some of the meanest, pettiest swine herds on earth.” YES.