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sigmundsmith
Joined: 22 Nov 2007
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 Posted: Wed Oct 22, 2008 5:18 am Post subject: Gym etiquette - your opinion please |
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I'm sure this has been discussed at length before but I want to see what others suggest.
My experiences in Korean gyms have been limited but I already realise that Koreans feel that what they use they don't have to put back. We all step over free weights lying precariously all over the gym floor. This, I believe is not a safe environment.
An incident occurred tonight that was just so dangerous. I will admit that I should have been more alert but if the ignorant twit before me had done the right thing it wouldn't have happened in the first place.
Here goes. I finished a certain exercise and started to walk to the free squat apparatus. I work out with my MP3 player plugged in so inbetween sets and moving to another exercise, I switch off in my head. So I get to the squat area, the bar is sitting 3/4 of the way up and of course the person before me has left all the weights on. There was 40kg on either side (80kg total). So as I am shaking my head at their laziness, listening to Gwen baby I start to remove the weights off one side. Please understand I am not thinking - I didn't put the weights on so am not thinking. So you know what happens now.
When I take off the last weight off that one side, the bar flips up and goes crashing to the ground. Thank god it was a quiet night because right next to the squat area is where people do situps. 40kgs of weight could have fallen ontop of someone.
Trainers come over. Ask me if I'm ok. I'm shaking my head thinking that if the weights weren't on in the first place it wouldn't have happened. Of course everyone is looking at me and continue to look while I continue my workout.
So I get the feeling that they place the full blame on me (me stupind foreigner). But like I said, as I didn't use the weights I can't really know the balance of the bar and I wasn't thinking (switched off).
So, in your Humble Opinion, am I completely to blame or should the love be shared?
I understand there is no word for safety in Korean (is that right?) If so, they clearly don't practice it in the gym. |
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ellegarden
Joined: 01 Sep 2007
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| Posted: Wed Oct 22, 2008 5:30 am Post subject: Re: Gym etiquette - your opinion please |
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| sigmundsmith wrote: |
I'm sure this has been discussed at length before but I want to see what others suggest.
My experiences in Korean gyms have been limited but I already realise that Koreans feel that what they use they don't have to put back. We all step over free weights lying precariously all over the gym floor. This, I believe is not a safe environment.
An incident occurred tonight that was just so dangerous. I will admit that I should have been more alert but if the ignorant twit before me had done the right thing it wouldn't have happened in the first place.
Here goes. I finished a certain exercise and started to walk to the free squat apparatus. I work out with my MP3 player plugged in so inbetween sets and moving to another exercise, I switch off in my head. So I get to the squat area, the bar is sitting 3/4 of the way up and of course the person before me has left all the weights on. There was 40kg on either side (80kg total). So as I am shaking my head at their laziness, listening to Gwen baby I start to remove the weights off one side. Please understand I am not thinking - I didn't put the weights on so am not thinking. So you know what happens now.
When I take off the last weight off that one side, the bar flips up and goes crashing to the ground. Thank god it was a quiet night because right next to the squat area is where people do situps. 40kgs of weight could have fallen ontop of someone.
Trainers come over. Ask me if I'm ok. I'm shaking my head thinking that if the weights weren't on in the first place it wouldn't have happened. Of course everyone is looking at me and continue to look while I continue my workout.
So I get the feeling that they place the full blame on me (me stupind foreigner). But like I said, as I didn't use the weights I can't really know the balance of the bar and I wasn't thinking (switched off).
So, in your Humble Opinion, am I completely to blame or should the love be shared?
I understand there is no word for safety in Korean (is that right?) If so, they clearly don't practice it in the gym. |
I understand putting the free weights back, such as the barbells or dumbbells, so that they aren't lying around waiting for someone to step on them. Or, at least put them to the side.
But anything that is on a bench or on the squat rack I think is okay to remain. I don't think a person should have to put away the weights that are on these bars. I leave them on but I always make sure that the squat bar is put up high, after I use it for the dead lift, so no one will bang into it with there legs. |
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jbpatlanta
Joined: 02 Jun 2007
Location: Daejeon
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| Posted: Wed Oct 22, 2008 5:33 am Post subject: |
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Yeah, the person in front of you should have unloaded the bar.
BUT you should always be careful and look out for yourself when lifting.
BTW you should know to never unload of load a bar evenly under any circumstances so....
I call it all your fault.
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shapeshifter
Joined: 29 Nov 2005
Location: Paris
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| Posted: Wed Oct 22, 2008 5:37 am Post subject: Re: Gym etiquette - your opinion please |
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| sigmundsmith wrote: |
I'm sure this has been discussed at length before but I want to see what others suggest.
My experiences in Korean gyms have been limited but I already realise that Koreans feel that what they use they don't have to put back. We all step over free weights lying precariously all over the gym floor. This, I believe is not a safe environment.
An incident occurred tonight that was just so dangerous. I will admit that I should have been more alert but if the ignorant twit before me had done the right thing it wouldn't have happened in the first place.
Here goes. I finished a certain exercise and started to walk to the free squat apparatus. I work out with my MP3 player plugged in so inbetween sets and moving to another exercise, I switch off in my head. So I get to the squat area, the bar is sitting 3/4 of the way up and of course the person before me has left all the weights on. There was 40kg on either side (80kg total). So as I am shaking my head at their laziness, listening to Gwen baby I start to remove the weights off one side. Please understand I am not thinking - I didn't put the weights on so am not thinking. So you know what happens now.
When I take off the last weight off that one side, the bar flips up and goes crashing to the ground. Thank god it was a quiet night because right next to the squat area is where people do situps. 40kgs of weight could have fallen ontop of someone.
Trainers come over. Ask me if I'm ok. I'm shaking my head thinking that if the weights weren't on in the first place it wouldn't have happened. Of course everyone is looking at me and continue to look while I continue my workout.
So I get the feeling that they place the full blame on me (me stupind foreigner). But like I said, as I didn't use the weights I can't really know the balance of the bar and I wasn't thinking (switched off).
So, in your Humble Opinion, am I completely to blame or should the love be shared?
I understand there is no word for safety in Korean (is that right?) If so, they clearly don't practice it in the gym. |
In my view, that's your fault. I don't think you can absolve yourself of responsibility simply by saying you were "switched off". I think you should have been more careful and I don't really understand why the fact that you hadn't been using the weights would prevent you from understanding that they need to be handled with care.
Just my two cents |
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okokok
Joined: 27 Aug 2006
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| Posted: Wed Oct 22, 2008 5:37 am Post subject: |
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| All weights should be put away after each use. No question about it. It is ridiculous to have to constantly step over weights lying all over the floor or to have to take off someone's 45's when maybe you can only lift 25's.. Unfortunately, Koreans lack the ability to think. So explaining this to them is fruitless. |
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shapeshifter
Joined: 29 Nov 2005
Location: Paris
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| Posted: Wed Oct 22, 2008 5:38 am Post subject: |
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| okokok wrote: |
| Unfortunately, Koreans lack the ability to think. So explaining this to them is fruitless. |
Wow... |
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okokok
Joined: 27 Aug 2006
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| Posted: Wed Oct 22, 2008 5:39 am Post subject: |
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| shapeshifter wrote: |
| okokok wrote: |
| Unfortunately, Koreans lack the ability to think. So explaining this to them is fruitless. |
Wow... |
Well, try explaining it to them and see how far you get. |
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victorology
Joined: 10 Sep 2007
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| Posted: Wed Oct 22, 2008 5:39 am Post subject: |
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| I think it's your responsibility. |
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shapeshifter
Joined: 29 Nov 2005
Location: Paris
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| Posted: Wed Oct 22, 2008 5:43 am Post subject: |
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[quote="okokok"][quote="shapeshifter"]
| okokok wrote: |
| Unfortunately, Koreans lack the ability to think. So explaining this to them is fruitless. |
Consider how the foreign community in Korea reacts when one of these obnoxious Korean "netizens" starts spouting nonsense about how "foreigners" are (insert pejorative adjective).
Does it worry you that you have become one of them for all intents and purposes? |
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okokok
Joined: 27 Aug 2006
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| Posted: Wed Oct 22, 2008 5:45 am Post subject: |
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[quote="shapeshifter"][quote="okokok"]
| shapeshifter wrote: |
| okokok wrote: |
| Unfortunately, Koreans lack the ability to think. So explaining this to them is fruitless. |
Consider how the foreign community in Korea reacts when one of these obnoxious Korean "netizens" starts spouting nonsense about how "foreigners" are (insert pejorative adjective).
Does it worry you that you have become one of them for all intents and purposes? |
Yes............... yes it does. |
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shapeshifter
Joined: 29 Nov 2005
Location: Paris
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| Posted: Wed Oct 22, 2008 5:47 am Post subject: |
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[quote="okokok"][quote="shapeshifter"]
| okokok wrote: |
| shapeshifter wrote: |
| okokok wrote: |
| Unfortunately, Koreans lack the ability to think. So explaining this to them is fruitless. |
Consider how the foreign community in Korea reacts when one of these obnoxious Korean "netizens" starts spouting nonsense about how "foreigners" are (insert pejorative adjective).
Does it worry you that you have become one of them for all intents and purposes? |
Yes............... yes it does. |
In all fairness, it really should. |
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okokok
Joined: 27 Aug 2006
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| Posted: Wed Oct 22, 2008 5:49 am Post subject: |
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[quote="shapeshifter"][quote="okokok"]
| shapeshifter wrote: |
| okokok wrote: |
| shapeshifter wrote: |
| okokok wrote: |
| Unfortunately, Koreans lack the ability to think. So explaining this to them is fruitless. |
Consider how the foreign community in Korea reacts when one of these obnoxious Korean "netizens" starts spouting nonsense about how "foreigners" are (insert pejorative adjective).
Does it worry you that you have become one of them for all intents and purposes? |
Yes............... yes it does. |
In all fairness, it really should. |
You know what? I just got over it. Hmmphf! Yay me! |
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samd
Joined: 03 Jan 2007
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| Posted: Wed Oct 22, 2008 5:52 am Post subject: |
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Op, I agree with you about Korean gyms - mine's a mess at the best of times.
However, you seem squarely at fault here. It's your responsibility to unload a bar safely. You can't really blame anyone else for what happened.
Last year I did the same thing, on a bench. There was only 20 kilos on either side, which balanced fine at my previous gym. Unfortunately even though I noticed that the rack was much narrower, I didn't realise this would result in the bar flying into the air and almost killing an ajeossi who gave me a much deserved telling-off. I was so embarrassed that I almost didn't go back to that gym, especially as the trainers and ajeossi were telling everyone who came into the gym the story for the next couple of hours. |
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shapeshifter
Joined: 29 Nov 2005
Location: Paris
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| Posted: Wed Oct 22, 2008 5:57 am Post subject: |
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[quote="okokok"][quote="shapeshifter"]
| okokok wrote: |
| shapeshifter wrote: |
| okokok wrote: |
| shapeshifter wrote: |
| okokok wrote: |
| Unfortunately, Koreans lack the ability to think. So explaining this to them is fruitless. |
Consider how the foreign community in Korea reacts when one of these obnoxious Korean "netizens" starts spouting nonsense about how "foreigners" are (insert pejorative adjective).
Does it worry you that you have become one of them for all intents and purposes? |
Yes............... yes it does. |
In all fairness, it really should. |
You know what? I just got over it. Hmmphf! Yay me! |
Delighted for you. I'm really not interested in squabbling with a stranger on the internet.
I just think it's a shame for an adult, particuarly one who was presumably raised in a multi-cultural society, to feel ok about spouting such small-minded, racist, nonsense. It's a bit like those little Korean kids who like to yell "I hate Japan people", only creepier. |
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Css
Joined: 27 Sep 2004
Location: South of the river
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| Posted: Wed Oct 22, 2008 6:01 am Post subject: |
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You are to blame..
You knew that was how the system works in korea so you should have been paying attention.
Besides, if you were so switched off, maybe you would have done the same thing when unracking your own weights at the end of your sets? |
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