People Share Their Weirdest Experiences While Working Out At The Gym
No one likes the weird person at the gym. Go on. Think about them. You go to your local gym and there's the one individual who's just a little off, who might be screaming at themselves in the bathroom mirror to psych themselves up, or perhaps posing for selfies a little too long in the bathroom.
Like, the entire time you're working out, there they are. Posing.
Of course, the rule goes if you can't think of the weird guy at the gym then odds are it's you. Don't be that person. Don't be these people.
Reddit user, u/ICY031, wanted to know:
What is your weirdest experience while going to the gym?
No Lost Loves At The Gym
A guy at a very nice luxury gym was not just dropping his squats, he was actively throwing them up and letting them drop 4 plus feet to the safety rack causing a ridiculously loud sound and a crash.
When I asked him to stop he was extremely aggressive and rude and said he had been a member for 10 years. Management ended up kicking him out about 10 minutes later
Let's Just All Agree To Never Use The Hand Dryers Again
Old dude drying his balls in the hand dryer. A Dyson airblade. So... Straddling it right up against the wall, dipping his junk in it repeatedly. I turned around and left. And no longer use the hand dryers.
Now We All Want To Know
Was at Planet Fitness changing when an employee came in saying "woman coming to locker room, hurry up and chsnge". Well I did and as I was leaving, a female police officer with two male officers were walking in the locker room. If anyone who goes to the Watertown, MA PF and knows what happened, it be great to know. Just a weird moment.
Calories Are Calories?
Saw a girl dramatically working out, all while taking swigs from her bottle of Coke. Then an hour later, saw her scoffing a Snickers bar in the changing rooms.
Don't Cheese All The Eucalyptus Oil, Bro!
I went into the steam room and there's a guy on his phone inside there (breaking a rule and why you would do that, I don't know). I grab the eucalyptus oil and he grunts at me, as if wondering what it is. I look away eventually and he starts mumbling while staring at his phone for a few minutes, but every time I grab the eucalyptus oil, he looks up at me.
I must have gotten in right after him since I was in there for at least ten minutes until he got out. I enjoyed what was not even a minute of peace without some guy who could have been plotting to kill me for all I know when I see him go to the sauna. Yes, after the steam room, this guy goes into the other hot area in the locker room. He left a minute later and I wondered how he was able to sneak his phone in that area and what the hell he was saying into his phone.
Trying To Mix It Up
A guy was on an elliptical machine in sunglasses (it was dark) and doing what looked to me like a combination of parade choreography and possibly voguing. Also he would sometime use the machine backwards while doing this which was probably dangerous but definitely impressive
But, Why Was He Naked?
One day i was walking into the gym and then some guy butt cheek naked with a pistol asked the cashier for all of the planet fitness massage chair coins. I just stood their in shock and then he saw me and ran out the door and it turns out it was just a toy gun spray painted black. By the way the police got him 10 minuets later and it turns out he was on drugs. The world can be a weird place. ):
Getting Started On That Influencer Life Early
Not sure if this counts, but I'll share it anyway.
Every so often, I use the weight room in my high school.
One day when I step in, I notice that there's a group of sophomore boys in there. It took me a moment to realize they were walking around, dressed in full sweatpants and hoodies with the hoods up and snapback hats on underneath, posing on all of the equipment, and taking photos of themselves and each other.
I just stood there watching them make their way through each machine. It was weird. Like, organized. Like they were rotating through stations.
Then they just left, never once saying a word or looking at me. This happened every so often. They never used the equipment.
Gave me something to puzzle over while I did my workout.
Way Too Obsessed With Themselves
One time I saw a fit man with impeccable, flowing locks stare himself down in the mirror. He just kept saying "yes!" And growling a bunch. Then he went over to the stretching area and did what could only be described as jazzercise while listening to aggressive hip hop on his headphones so loud I could hear it from the squat rack. Periodically, he'd holler out grunts and hype sounds and curse words with the music. I'm pretty sure he was a lynx in a human body.
One time I'm on the bench and I hear two dudes: "you look f***ing amazing bro, you're the best looking dude in this gym." "Nah, you are bro." I turn around after a set, and they're identical twins.
There's this old guy who wears a toupee to the gym. It's hideous, like he decided when he bought his wig "I'll be ginger now!" but he's like a swarthy Mediterranean white dude. When he works out, the toupee wax that affixes it to his bald skull melts and runs down the sides of his head. He never seems to mind.
Needs To Know He Looks Good In Any Circumstance
saw a guy on a stair climber wearing sunglasses and a leather jacket
I accidentally put my number code into another lock that was beside mine, botched the last number and the lock actually opened.
Ugh...Influencers...
The woman who was hanging out in the locker room in her underwear. She was there when I came in, and still there an hour later.
Someone told me she was probably an IG "model" doing a selfie photoshoot.
"The Weight Witch." I'd Read That Book.
The weight witch.
Lady walks in on a Saturday morning. I've never seen here there before. She was significantly overweight but had on gloves and knee braces, so I figure she's a powerlifter on a bulk. I'm warming up doing some cable internal rotations and have my headphones on, so I don't see that she sets up at the cable machine behind me. I finish my set and turn around, and I see her getting ready.
She's got a straight bar attached to the cable machine with the arm down near the ground and the bar on the floor. She half crouched/squatted in front of this thing and I'm thinking she's about to do some kind of squat, when she starts waving her hands. As in, the kind of hand waving a wizard does when he's imitating someone imitating Bob Fosse-esque jazz hands. I couldn't stop watching. She did this for at least 30 seconds before she grabs the bar to start her exercise
And when I say grab the bar, I mean pick it up with both hands, extend it until it gets resistance from the weight, and then start standing up and half squatting/crouching. She wasn't engaging any weight, she was just using the bar as something to hold in her hands as she stood up and crouched down slightly.
She did this for three "sets" and then moved to some cardio machines.
I saw her a few times after that, each time doing something equally nonsensical, and always, ALWAYS with the incantation hand motions.
I miss her and hope she found a nice coven.
Accidentally Pushing You To Do More
I was running on the treadmill and there was this scruffy guy all hunched down like 3 treadmills away and he kept loudly muttering to himself "you can do it, you got this" and making weird noises. He kept doing it for like 20 mins. At first I was like annoyed cause he was rather loud and it was weird but after about 10 minutes I distractedly started thinking to myself "I CAN do this!! I GOT this".
He was unintentionally inspiring to me.
Remember, Don't Be The Weird One
Realizing that I was stoned while attempting to run on the treadmill. Husband brought home some rice from his 'elevated' catering and I didn't see the pen-written "420" on the container. Phone call went, "We need to go... I think I'm stoned?"
See? Don't Be The Weird One.
I once went to use a leg extension machine, and smelled something nasty. Ugh, someone farted, I thought. Then went to a leg curl machine, came back, and it still stank. Then realized the smell was following me. Then, and I don't know why I did this, touched the back of my shorts and realized someone shat themselves on the machine before me, and I sat in it, then sat on another machine, then sat in poop again.
I considered telling someone on staff, but knew they'd never believe I wasn't the sh-tter, so I quickly wiped down both machines and left, trying to look as calm, normal, and innocent as possible.
Knowing Your Role In The World
Back in the early 1980s and late 1970s, I used to work out a Gold's Gym in a western Canadian city. The gym was also the favourite workout spot for professional wrestlers when they were doing a gig in town. The weirdest thing was seeing how dramatically different some of these guys were in real life compared to their wrestling personas.
One guy whose persona was of a British dock worker type would show up at the gym in a three piece suit (edit, no he didn't work out in a suit) and speaking the poshest of British accents, and was constantly giving other wrestlers investment and tax advice -- apparently he was an accountant as well.
What was surprising was that some of them weren't faking it but in real life they were as rude, selfish and ignorant as their characters. I also remember how sad was seeing how some of the older wrestlers were really suffering from dementia (probably cumulative effects of concussions) and were literally guided through everything by other wrestlers, even simple things like getting dressed. I was impressed by the care some these guys gave to their older colleagues who needed constant attention.
However, the most interesting experience was Jesse Ventura. Of course when the wrestlers showed up, they were generally followed around by a hoard of fans, usually teenage boys. Some were hostile to their fans, telling them to f*ck off, others gave a quick acknowledgment and then moved on.
However, Jesse would spend an incredible amount of time with his fans, especially the younger ones, listening and talking to all of them with total attention. I remember seeing him trying to do leg presses while taking questions from a crowd of boys about what it means to be a man.
Even back then, when he was just the heel "Jesse the Body", out of the ring he showed that he understood the impact that he could have as a role model to young men and took it seriously. When he became governor of Minnesota, I was definitely not surprised.
People Explain Which Activities They Did Wrong For Years Until Someone Showed Them What To Do
As humans, it's impossible for us to know everything, including the most efficient ways to do things.
But while we may know that, it's still frustrating when we discover there may have been an easier way to do something all along.
Even on TikTok, one of the top trends features users who discover a simpler, more efficient way to do something in their thirties or forties, before they robustly claim that they "learn more on TikTok than they ever did in school."
Fortunately for those who may not use the app, Redditors were ready to share their favorite finds in the thread.
Eager to learn more, Redditor slart_n asked:
"What everyday activity did you do wrong for years, before someone finally showed you an important trick?"
Restock Issues
"Not every day for everyone, but it WAS every cashier at my job... we had cigarette cases at the self-checkout that we could unlock and get packs out of for customers, so we didn't have to walk all the way to the big register to get them every time."
"Restocking them was a pain in the *ss, one pack at a time, pushing the little spring loader thing back with each one, squeezing them in next to each other..."
"We did it this way for years. It was how I had been shown how to restock them. YEARS. At least seven!! SEVEN. YEARS."
"And then one day I was pulling the price tags off to change them out, and one was a little stubborn. I gave it a little yank upwards and suddenly THE ENTIRE SHELF SLID RIGHT OUT ON ROLLERS."
"The way my jaw dropped. I think I actually swore out loud. It was SO MUCH EASIER to restock them. I ended up showing every single one of the other self-checkout cashiers, and every single one was blown away. Even the ones who had been there way longer than me."
"None of us knew the shelves pulled out. Not even the manager! She actually said, 'Are you f**king kidding me?!' when I showed her."
"I can't believe we all went that freaking long without knowing the shelves pulled out. Years of stocking those things one pack at a time. Then again, if we had known and been using it, they probably would have been broken like everything else in that place."
- TinyCatCrafts
Physical Gains
"I never thought I needed a workout routine as long as I worked different parts of my body on days until I watched an Arnold Schwarzenegger video on how he makes sure every single muscle gets hit in a three-day period. Since then I noticed more gains than I had made all year."
- NeverMindWait
Chopsticks and Pens
"Someone told me I used chopsticks wrong. I put the second one on the side of my ring finger, with my index and middle fingers on top of it. The person told me to just hold it like I would hold a pen, and I was like, what the f**k, this is how I hold a pen."
"Then I realized I hold a pen differently from most people."
"I've since retrained myself to hold chopsticks correctly, but I'm not even going to try to change how I write because it's just ingrained so deeply (and also, it doesn't really matter anyway)."
- Wegzuwerfendes_Konto
Remaking Beds
"Put on pillow covers. I used to shove the pillow in there and struggle with it until my wife showed me how to flip the pillowcase inside out and cover the pillow while flipping right side out."
- Immediate_Papayas
Hanging a Picture the First Time
"If you’re mounting something to the wall that has pre-designed holes on the back, rather than measure between the holes and try to space the nails/screws accordingly, stretch a single piece of painter's tape (blue tape) across the back of the piece from just before the beginning of the first hole to just after the last one."
"Mark each hole with a pencil/pen on the painter's tape, then place the tape on the wall and voila, you have a perfect mounting template. I suggest you do a quick check with a laser level on the wall just to make sure your marks are level before drilling."
"I work as a freelance handyman, and when my Dad showed me this trick it blew my mind. Seriously, ask a usually quiet and reserved Dad if he has any DIY hot tips and you’re bound to get some solid gold advice.
- darthva
How Was That, Now?
"Opening a beverage can."
"I keep my fingernails very short and sometimes it would be a bit finicky to open the tab on a can."
"I was d**n near 40 years old when my buddy showed me you’re supposed to push down on the hinge portion of the tab (the little dot toward the middle) with your thumb to raise the other edge of the tab so you can get your finger under it. I felt like an id**t."
- funklab
Text Editing Made Easy
"When texting, sliding your thumb on the spacebar of your phone will move the cursor."
- UnfairMicrowave
Goth Life
"Boots first, then corset."
- Ellesworth
Tomato Paste Push-Pops
"Those tiny, obnoxious cans of tomato paste. You can take both ends off with the can opener, and use a wooden spoon to push on the top. It comes out clean like a push-pop!"
- knittybitty123
Gift Card Identity
"Whenever a 'free' service asks for a credit card, I input the information from the back of a gift card. Trust no one on the internet."
- II_Confused
The Last of the Soap
"When the soap bar gets to the last sliver, you can just stick it onto the new bar to use it up completely."
- finlyboo
New Deoderant
"Taking the safety cap off of deodorant."
"I used to try to get my fingernails under it and pop it off. They were quite a pain in the a** to get off."
"In my late 20s, my roommate was talking to me while unpacking her groceries and she opened her deodorant and just twisted up the stick so that the cap came off. I was shocked."
- dinosarahsaurus
In-Kitchen Gardens
"Leek will continue to grow when put in water. When you have used all the green parts, and only the boring white stuff is left, put its roots in water for a few days and the green parts will grow back."
- scutterpikk
Wasted Produce
"Not an everyday activity, but someone showed me I'd been wasting celery for years. When it goes limp and loses its crunch, you can just soak it in water overnight, and it makes it crisp again."
"When celery goes limp, it's only because the water content has been reduced over time. Same with some other crunchy vegetables. I use the same trick with daikon radishes to make them fresh again."
- joec_95123
Dishwashing Efficiency
"You can take the silverware basket out of the dishwasher when unloading it."
"You can also set it on the counter next to the sink when you’re loading to keep from having to bend over to put things in the basket over and over."
- 877-Cash-Meow
While all of these lessons are pretty simple in and of themselves, they could make a big difference in someone's life if they've been taking a much more complicated route all this time, especially if they're in their thirties or later.
Every country has its stereotypes, but probably one of the most heavily stereotyped and satirically mocked has to be the United States of America.
Funnily enough, there are behaviors and activities a person from America might perform without thinking twice about it, only to totally reveal to someone from another country where they are from.
Redditor DadIsMadAtMe asked:
"What's the most American thing a person can do?"
The Bigger, the Better
"Drive a monster truck."
- vv_bkn
Travel Prepared
"Demand everybody speak English in non-English speaking countries."
- Midnite_St0rm
The Super-Fans of Politics
"To simp for politicians that are actively exploiting them."
- rookie-number
Medical Debt
"Go into medical bankruptcy because they couldn't afford to get their bullet wounds fixed up."
- Aurelion_Sol_Badguy
Worry More about the Cost than the Care
"It's so frustrating, I woke up in the hospital from a skiing accident, and the first thing that came to my mind was, 'S**t, how much is this gonna cost my parents?' It was the first thing I asked my doctor about, too."
- Vellarev
Unique Measurements
"Describe size by the number of football fields."
"And distance is expressed in driving time."
- vaildin
Sports, Guns, and Beer
"I think if a person would get drunk, target practice with their AR-15 on 2-liter bottles of Diet Coke, while wearing their 2017 State Football champions t-shirt and listening to Hank Williams Jr., that's pretty American. It's 100% Missourian, at least."
- Adept_Ad_4369
Move to Florida
"Become Florida Man."
- Lonebadguy
The End of Every Good Recipe?
"Top it with shredded cheese."
- WorldlyPhilosopher
Self-Worth Based on Work
"I’ve been really sick this week. I’ve also felt crushing guilt for not working while out sick. That feels pretty American."
- BrideOfFirkenstein
Stranger Than Fiction
"There was an incredibly popular television series about a government employee who had to become a meth dealer to pay for his medical bills after being diagnosed with cancer… so, I’m gonna go with that." - El_mochilero
Recite Your Family Tree
"Saying 'I’m 2% [insert nationality] because my great-great-great-great-great grandpa was [nationality].'"
- Icy_Veterinarian67
For the Love of Fireworks
"Have an endless supply of fireworks to shoot off for the fourth of July, any sports event, or just at random, but only fire them after finishing half a case of ice-cold beer."
- Kirmickw
Super Bowl Celebrations
"Have a bunch of people over for the Super Bowl, drink beer, and eat Brats and burgers with chips."
"For extra American-ness, make sure you're drinking out of red plastic cups and saying, 'Wooo!' a lot."
- ixamnis
Flags Like Decorations
"As a Canadian, this is one of the things that weirds me out about the US: American flags absolutely EVERYWHERE."
"Especially in small towns, the streets oftentimes look like the backdrop of some kind of military parade on a random Tuesday."
"Yeah, some people up here have the Canadian flag flying in their yard too, and you see them at government buildings and stuff, but it’s nowhere near as prevalent as the Stars and Stripes are in the States."
- SirTophamFat
While some other countries may do some of these things in a more mild way, and while not every American does these things, these stereotypes are undoubtedly American for those who perform them.
Men Confess Whether They'd Date Someone Who Wanted To Wait Until Marriage To Have Sex
Anyone who is single has preferences when seeking a romantic partner, and they are entitled to them.
While some of the qualities they look for can be specific, it isn't too much to ask for these individuals to find someone with whom they can share passions both in and out of the bedroom.
But there are also hard limits, specifically for heterosexual men, when it comes to finding their happily ever after.
Curious to hear from anonymous bachelors online, Redditor Ghostgirl334 asked:
"Men of reddit, would you date a woman who refuses to have sex until marriage, why or why not?"
It turns out everyone has a strong need for release regardless of gender.
The Girl Who Couldn't Wait
"I did that once. She ended up having sex with some other dude lol."
– De4thMonkey
The Convert
"My soon-to-be-ex-wife was initially a 'wait until marriage' woman. I supported that. Until a length of time and she revealed how sexually frustrated she was because I wouldn’t make any moves on her. So once I discovered that, we had a talk and she told me how she didn’t want that anymore. So we started boning semi-regularly and didn’t wait until marriage."
– MatthewM69420
Growing Curiosity
"My now wife was a wait until marriage person. She would sleep in my apartment in college sometimes, I would sleep on the couch. Then she asked if I could sleep in the bed and snuggle. A few nights of that, and she asked if she could see my penis. Then there was touching, then... we were off to the races."
– uncultured_swine2099
Guys talked about women's subconscious prioritizing of sex before marriage.
A Cultural Thing
"Lol similarly I dated a woman who said that she wanted to wait for 'at least a year' to have sex. She then got upset that I wasn't pressuring her into sex. According to her, there was an understanding in her culture that girls will say they don't want sex but the guy should push for it anyway. But as a 19-year old American college student I wasn't about to take any chances with that..."
– PlacatedPlatypus
It's About Fast-Tracking Marriage
"I dated someone that was waiting until marriage, but wasn't against other forms, so it wasn't really that big of an issue. We broke up for other reasons than that, and she got engaged and married about 6 months after to the next guy she dated. If anything, I have found it makes people push marriage faster that are saving themselves for marriage."
– SometimesITalk16
Bad Reasoning
"I know very little about marriage, but I suspect 'let's get married so I can finally experience sex' is a bad reason to get married."
– JADW27
What about religion's role in all of this?
What BYU Students Did
"My brother went to BYU (Brigham Young University), and he had several friends that would drive to Vegas, get married, spend all weekend sex, and then immediately file for an annulment. What some people do to go around some rules for sex in the name of religion, man."
– mothershipq
The One Exception Against Forgiveness
"To rationalize that god is almighty and all knowing also all forgiving but not of sex out of wedlock, but he can be stumped by a 5$ Elvis impersonator and a rickety annulment. It’s preposterous."
– Ikonixed
A Former Mormon Confesses
"Coming from a mormon state, I saw SO much of this. Some seem to be just making the best of their situation, others are doing great, but a very large chunk of them are on the <5 year timeclock towards divorce. It's such a shame that they suggest having kids to revive that passion in the marriage when it fades."
– PromiscuousSalad
What Baptist School Has Taught Me
"Yup I went to a southern baptist school briefly and every single person I met there got married almost immediately after high school, or definitely before they finished college. Saw lots of people pump out 3+ kids and then get a divorce long before they even hit 30. And of course these experiences just reinforced the toxic gender-based ideology they already believed."
– anotsobrightbulb
Observing The Data
"It 100% makes people push marriage faster. I went to a Christian high school. The first like 20-25 people married? All known for being hardcore Christians in school. It’s not even remotely subtle."
– Riperonis
Based on many of the comments, many Redditors agreed that pushing marriage in order to prevent a divine violation demonstrates the system is flawed–especially after many of these precious unions dissolve after having kids.
And conservative Christians argue LGBTQ+ people legally tying the knot is a desecration to preserving the so-called "sanctity of marriage."
Hmm, fine examples these adherents are setting.
If you were a middle schooler in the late 90s or early 2000s, it was hard to walk down a hall without hearing "Oh my God, they killed Kenny!" at least once a day.
When South Park premiered on Comedy Central in the summer of 1997, it not only put the then fledgling cable network on the map, but soon became a phenomenon for it's crude humor, and biting satire.
Be it Tom Cruise and the church of Scientology, Barbra Streisand, or then entire country of Canada, no one was safe from creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone's ridicule.
And every time viewer's thought "Oh, they won't possibly go there", you can be sure they did.
Leaving viewers shocked, amazed, and falling off their chairs laughing.
"What is the best South Park episode?"
...And Yet They Made It Funny...
"'Child Abduction Is not Funny' is my favorite episode."- redbush4real
A Show Set In Colorado Was Bound To Have A Skiing Episode
"I don’t know if it’s the best, but the one we quote the most often is The 80’s skiing movie/timeshare one."
'"STANNNNN DARSH'"
'"dude, he’s got Heather!'"
'"You need a montageeeee."- Bewildered_Wildcat
Lived Up To Its Title...
"'Awesome-o' is definitely my favorite."- Dr-Phil420
eric cartman robot GIF by South Park GiphyThe Only Good Time Anyone Should Have With Weapons
"'Good Times with Weapons', The ninja episode!"- liamsnorthstar
And It Didn't Stand For Marlon Brando Lookalikes...
"Cartman joins NAMBLA."- ycultak
Oh, the Shake Weight...
"Not the * very best* episode of all time, but I'm personally partial to Creme Fraiche."- Colour_me_in_
exercise sharon marsh GIF by South Park GiphyAnd Now They Own It...
"Casa Bonita."- Electrical-Lead5993
The Only Nanny Who Could handle Cartman!
"How has no one mentioned the 'Dog Whisperer' episode?"
"That one was hilarious and probably one of my favorite episodes."- RJValdez216
Butters Better Than Anyone, You Don't Mess With Cartman!
"Anything with Butters."
"His innocence and naivety always leads to hilarity."
"Butters Own Episode is one of my all-time faves."
"Outside of Butters episodes, 'Scott Tenorman Must Die' was fantastic."- tuanies
scared butters stotch GIF by South Park GiphyWhat HASN'T Cartman Gotten Up To?
"'Fatbeard'."
"The way Cartman glorifies living as a Somalian pirate as a fun life of adventure and then actually trying to do it, along with the song, is comedic gold."- htisme91
Tom Cruise Is Still Fuming...
"'Trapped in the Closet'."
"Sure it got Isaac Hayes to quit because Matt and Trey made fun of Scientology, but in all fairness, f*ck Scientology."- No_Restaurant4688
Beware Of Wendy...
"The one where Wendy fights Cartman."- SituationAshamed707
season 20 20x1 GIF by South Park GiphyEnough Said...
"THEY TURK OUR JERBS!!!"- Dr_Hump
And Still One Of The Least Controversial Things Russell Crowe Ever Did...
"MAKIN' MOVIES MAKIN' SONGS AND FIGHTIN' ROUN THE WORLD."- Frosty_Spray_8867
That Final Image Though!
"City sushi and city wok episode made my day."- shadow7658
south park f GIFGiphyWith 321 episodes in the bag, viewers certainly had a lot to choose from.
Now that it's been renewed through 2027, there will be even more hilarious, shocking, and disgusting episodes to choose from.
Always teetering on what some might consider bad consider bad taste.