Cell Phones at the Gym?

[Ursula77G]

Please excuse me if this has been brought up before but this is something I must ask about because it irritates me to no end and I wanted to get others opinions.
I trully believe that when I am at the gym, that is MY time and want to keep focused on my workout. For the most part, my gym is a pretty serious gym, in that most of the people there are just like me. However there is the occiassional person that has their cell phone/blackberry with them and feels the need to have full conversations or texting sessions in between sets. I feel like why bother even being there?
The other day I was working out my lats and saw this woman who was hovering near me while she was texting, then after a few minutes she sat at one of the machines and proceeded to laugh and have an overall good time while texting so obviously this wasn't an emergency that could wait until out of the gym.
Is it me or does this sort of thing annoy other people? First, I think its rude to take up machines in this manner when someone else may wan to use it. Second, I think its just distracting to others, I mean I once had to listen to some guys conversation about how his long distance girlfriend was playing games! I mean c'mon.
Does anyone else agree or am I just over sensitive?

[LittleDonkey]

It's a public gym. Different people have different goals and different mindsets. Bring an MP3 player if it bothers you?

[PremierGirl]

at first I hated it too. talking I still do hate. But I've found myself texting in between sets,and while on the treadmill walking ..... and I realize it's up to your preferance.

Do I just walk looking at the air, or text and walk?
Do I rest walking in circles counting down my rest time, or walk in circles and text? Either way it's the same result as me, as long as I don't surpass my rest time.


I may have been unclear

[BiancaNoir]

I've seen people in my gym texting or making calls between sets. I haven't had a problem with it, but I'd probably feel differently if a cell-phone user was hogging equipment I needed to use.

I don't even bring my cell phone to the gym. I rarely have it on to begin with, but I don't want to be bothered during "me" time.

[motovilova]

I bring my cell phone to the gym, not sure for what reason, really, because I may get 1 txt from my fiance and its just chatter. I end up carrying it machine to machine and sometimes forgetting it at my last station. I should really just leave it in the locker!

It doesn't bother me if others are on their phones as long as they aren't hogging the machine I wanna use and just sitting there. I think its the same as when 2 people stand around and bull**** for 10 min in between sets. Like they come to the gym to talk and not workout. Today I told one of the guys I always say hello to, "Less talk, more work!" I rest 1 min max, so I don't txt or chat for more than 60 seconds. At the 60 second mark whoever is talking to me gets cut off and I resume!

Irene

[nunu713]

It used to bother me. Now I take the 'to each, his own' point of view. I personally don't even bring my phone in the gym - just another thing to carry and I'm not going to answer it mid-workout anyway. My husband always knows when I'm at the gym if he needs me - he's had me paged before.

Sometimes I can understand it because people have kids at home, etc, etc. I'm trying to be more tolerant of it (New Year's resolution of tolerance is still intact!) Just keep telling yourself that not everyone is at the gym for the same reasons you are.

[jp8207]

I bring my Iphone with me but I use it as my Ipod when I am working out. But I don't understand how and its mostly women can be doing cardio and holding a convo on the phone I LOL at that. When I am doing cardio, that would not work. I know a few friends that say phone should not go with you into the gym, and they do leave them in the car. But its up to each person.

[ymA]

I usually bring my phone with me & text in between some sets (not EVERY single set, of course) or on the treadmill when i've slowed down from running & i'm cooling down walking.

I don't think that's anything to be annoyed with? But i can totally understand how you feel about the people who talk loudly on their phone while doing "cardio" or taking up a machine/bench as a seat. This is one of the reason's why i switched gyms... happened so much to the point where i would leave because i was so tired of asking people "are you using that machine?" they were sitting on, when it was clear they weren't planning on using it, i just didn't want to be rude & say "excuse me but there's a couch in the lobby for your fat ass." I don't know if they do it cause they're ignorant, or because they want people to think their working out...

One time some lady was having an actual argument on the phone while walking on the treadmill. The guy next to her kept yelling "Can you please speak quieter, i can hardly hear my radio!" & she ignored him. At least it was entertaining.

[KyleAaron]

I never make calls at the gym. I think it's fair enough to take calls, but if you're going to talk for more than 60 seconds - "Yes honey I will pick up some milk on the way home, okay, ciao" - then step out of the gym.

[punxnotdead309]

I do what I do without interrupting other people's workout and other people can do what they please as long as it doesn't interfere with my workout performance.

[IowaGuy]

Bringing your cell phone to the gym is fine, but please put it on vibrate/silence and don't sit on a piece of equipment and talk on the phone or text. That is annoying as shi*t for those of us who actually want a workout.

[hsmosny]

i use my phone as my mp3 player since my ipod died on me and thats all i use it for at the gym. I couldnt have a convo when im trying to do cardio or lift. i see people at my gym using theirs... i go to the gym to workout not catch up on the latest gossip. like seriously cant the convo wait until your done like most people are only at the gym for like an hour at the most (well atleast at my gym)!!!

[ten2go]

Our gym doesn't even allow cell phones on the workout floor but I still see people with them occasionally. There are nice little signs posted.

[fitnbeachy21]

haha I always leave mine in the car!! i like to focus on what im trying to achieve rather than looking / talking on my phone every 5min lol

[ftnsslvr]

Today at the gym, while I was running I saw a girl climb on the elliptical machine with her cell phone and a bag of potato chips. I know it doesn't affect my workout but I literally almost fell off the treadmill. Why even bother????

For some reason, I'd rather someone be on a cell phone then on the machine in front of me crunching on Doritos.

[jp8207]

OMG, thats way to much, a bag of chips, whats the point in that LOL, I sometimes will have a protine bar. I think the the worst thing I've seen come into the cardio area is iced coffee.

[mmurphy72]

DRIVE ME NUTZ.
my gym has "cell free zones" but i dont see that they enforce it.

i dont understand WHY you need to text/chat as you are working out. thats my hour to myself to clear my mind and focus on me. at first i thought maybe there was a work out/rep app that people were using....

but then again, i'm the fool who had the mega hot pink headset on because the ear buds didnt give me enough bass!!!! I just crank my tunes up and zone out.

[eawowale]

Originally Posted by ftnsslvr

Today at the gym, while I was running I saw a girl climb on the elliptical machine with her cell phone and a bag of potato chips. I know it doesn't affect my workout but I literally almost fell off the treadmill. Why even bother????

For some reason, I'd rather someone be on a cell phone then on the machine in front of me crunching on Doritos.

Lol, on the elliptical! I would dial 911.

[sandy131]

I would agree with those who say the gym is a time to focus on working out!! My phone etc I put away in the locker and it slightly annoys me when others use their phone in the gym!!

[egoatdoor]

Both of the gyms I go to have posted rules against cell phones on the gym floor and in the locker rooms.

They are not strongly enforced , but if anyone was hogging equipment like you experienced, I would either remind them they are breaking the rules and ask them to get off the machine or else get a trainer or manager to deliver the message.

[skinnyfatlean]

If I'm oncall at work I sometimes have to take it in or am not able to go. However I always make my way out of the gym if it rings.

[Exdee]

I take my iphone for the music, if someone rings while im at the gym, providing I'm not mid-set I;ll answer it

[Livingitup44]

Most of the time I have music blaring in my ears and am focused on my workout enough that I don't notice much.....but on my way to the locker room I have to pass through the whole gym and holy crap! Everyone is on their cell phone texting! lol i saw a girl doing sit ups on an incline while texting the other day lol lmfao...she probably wasn't even counting, but hey everyone has different goals. I think it is fine to keep your cell on you because emergencies happen or maybe they need u at work or something, but really people...u go to the gym to workout...I see people on the phone doing elliptical all the time....why workout at all if u aren't even going to work up a sweat....

[katedawg]

I personally don't bring my cell phone in the gym with me i leave it in the car. I dont go to the gym to be there all day I go in and work out hard for an hour or two then im gone. That is one place that Im focused and i dont get bored so I dont want my phone with me, its enough carrying around my ipod i dont want to carry my phone with me because if someone called i wouldnt answer anyways, but some people dont have the same goals and people just plain dont always think the same, im not bothered by other people on cell phones i think to myself that its a little silly to stand in the middle of the gym carrying on a phone conversation but i could care less about it, as others have said it is a public gym so you have to allow that there might be some silly and weird people in there.

[jbrennan1991]

cell phones aren't allowed in my gym, but I still see a few people doing the occasional texting and calling.

[TeresaMalia]

I use gymtechnik on my berry to keep track of my workout so people might assume I'm texting. If I'm in the mood to listen to my own music I also use my berry. I find if I'm getting annoyed with things other people do at the gym, I'm really just not paying enough attention to what I came there to do.

Plus sometimes I am on call for work but that is RARE.

[Danceruk]

I take mine up for music and pop it into flight mode so it dosent make any noise!

Would never ever txt or take a call....madness!! .. if you can chat..you aint workin hard enough!!

[Sthomper]

I actually use my phone for my workouts it may look like im texting but im writing down my weights and reps. or how much i biked and so forth. I do sometimes google on my phone when im biking and bored but I cannot stand talking in the gym unless its a quick call. and seriously when someones in blue jeans on the sitting bike gabbing on the phone its like why bother you hardly peddling anyway your just taking space someone could be using!

[FitBunny7]

I take my iphone for an ipod also but only during cardio, i have the option of the music at the gym or the tvs and lets face it for some reason the tvs are always turned to food network or something of that nature that makes me feel BLAH when i workout...hehe.. usually i use my IHeartRadio app to find something if I need a change up but I hate earbuds when I am lifting so put the phone up when I move to the weight floor.... also I do a lot of reading online if I ride the bike or something but like I said that is still in cardio land, most of the people at our gym don't do the cell phone texting in between sets but IMO as long as it doesn't result in someone bogarting a machine forever let them text, it is their workout they are intruding on...hehe.. when they aren't seeing the results it is their own fault