I belong to a local gym, and I guess I could be considered a "regular". As a result, I'm privy to all sorts of gym-related pet peeves. And they are as plentiful as spandex in an aerobics class.

Cell Phones

Cell phones are annoying in everyday life as it is, but unless you are a doctor on-call, and it is a matter of life and death, leave the cell phone at home. It does not belong at the gym, and is not only distracting to others; it makes you look like a moron. I am not kidding when I tell you that I just recently participated in a kick boxing class where a woman answered her phone in the middle of the class. If this wasn't annoying enough, she returned to her spot in the class, continuing to carry on a conversation, while kicking and punching! Believe me when I say I wish I was making this up. This woman is lucky that the class participants didn't utilize a roundhouse kick to knock the phone out of her hand mid-sentence. Perhaps everyone was too stunned to react. Aside from the annoyance factor, they take away from the reason you're at the gym in the first place to work out. If you're gossiping on the phone, how are you supposed to reach your target heart rate?

The Make-Up Diva

You've seen her. She goes to the gym at the crack of dawn with a full face of make-up and her hair washed, blow-dried and styled, only to hop on a treadmill and glisten. She doesn't ever break into a hard-core sweat, she just makes an appearance to put in her 30 minutes of cardio, and goes about her business. Now, it's a free country. But when it comes to exercise, you get out of it what you put into it. A little glistening is better than nothing, but let's face it; she probably worked up more of a sweat doing her hair and make-up than she did on that treadmill.

The Sweaty Ones

Now I realize the goal of working out is to work up a good sweat, and I'm all for that. But for crying out loud, please wipe down the equipment when you're done so that the rest of us don't slip off and pull a muscle. There is nothing worse than unwittingly getting on a piece of equipment only to find yourself with some extra moisture being absorbed by your moisture-wicking workout gear. The intent of that gear is to wick away YOUR sweat from your body, not that of your gym mates.

Breaking Wind

Now I'm not talking about running at record breaking speeds when I mention breaking wind. I'm talking about passing gas. And not just the little ones that slip out and are gone before you can say, "Did you fart?" I'm talking about the ones that seem to come from the depths, only to make an appearance in an already sweaty and stinky environment. How am I supposed to maintain proper breathing while running on the treadmill if I'm being lambasted by gas? Here's a tip. If you're feeling the urge to break wind, stop and stretch, or go get a drink of water to see if the urge passes. If nothing else, the gas will be a little more dispersed, and you might get off scot-free as the culprit. If that doesn't work, go to the bathroom and do what you need to do. Your gym mates will thank you.

We're here to pump you up!

And then there are the token guys who must strut around the weight area decked out in their weight belts and gloves, flexing their muscles, trying to position themselves as the next Mr. Universe. When they do actually lift weights, they are more concerned with whether or not others are paying attention to them than practicing good form. If no one is noticing them, they make sure to yell out or grunt loudly to garner attention. This is where the iPod comes in handy. If you turn it up loud enough you can tune these people out altogether.

Learn more about this author, Jennifer Williamson.
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