Is 2-3 minutes between sets too long? I keep getting rude looks from guys at the gym..

[ronnieg]

@1stbrownhorse Nahh it’s just what some silly guys (there are some great ones) do, you aren’t doing anything wrong. Some guys will kind of just make you feel intimidated/ uncomfortable bc they feel like it’s easier to intimidate a woman or make her uncomfortable so they can get their session in, rather than another guy.

If you can, get someone to go with you but don’t be afraid to stand your ground! You’re doing great

 

[sandyone]

@1stbrownhorse As rest periods get longer, it can give the impression that you are hogging the equipment. Using your phone in the gym for more than a few seconds can be considered bad gym etiquette in some gyms.

I guarantee you that the rude looks are not reserved for you, anyone using their phone whilst occupying equipment will be on the recieving end of these looks.

Longer rest periods can be good for seriously heavy lifting where you may only be performing 1-5 reps per set. If you are looking to build maximum strength, keep at it. If you are aiming for overall conditioning however, shorter rest periods can be superior.

Often, I will superset my heavier/more taxing lifts with easier exercises and rotate in an A/B fashion. So for instance, overhead presses (more difficult) with bodyweight calf raises or something easier.

This does 3 things:

Gives the appearance that I am not simply "sitting around" between sets.

Packs more exercises in, making my session more efficient.

Keeps my CV system working, while the target muscles clear lactic acid ready for my next "main" exercise.

Win-win-win

 

[pompster2]

@sandyone Yeah, I do stretching and balance between sets. I always stretch the opposite body part (hip flexor between bench sets, calf between overhead press etc etc). It gives a better impression but I also like the feeling of not sitting around.

 

[sunnytait]

@1stbrownhorse You are not in the way.

You are using the space for your own purposes. If they desperately needed it they should put on their adult pants and communicate properly.

 

[robertmichel73]

@sunnytait It's amazing how many cannot communicate properly.

 

[sunnytait]

@robertmichel73 I’m always impressed by the ability to talk to another person respectfully. Because it seems we’re forgetting with the ongoing rise in ‘social’ media

 

[whereami]

@1stbrownhorse Completely normal rest times and you're being very good by using a timer which is more than a lot of other people do.

Yes it's annoying for someone else if they have to wait for equipment but that's just part of going to the gym. All they have to do is ask and you can tell them exactly how long you have left, if they're not doing that then that's their problem not yours.

 

[ashastrio]

@1stbrownhorse If they’re not asking how long you’ve got/how many sets or asking to work in, then they can sit and wait like normal human beings. Pop in some headphones and ignore those rude dudes. If they get aggro, get the staff involved. If having all equipment available when they want it is so important to them, they can get their money up and get a home gym.

 

[power2theweak]

@ashastrio I think it can help to “read the gym” too. Like, my small local gym is for casual bodybuilding and keeping fit. It’s not a powerlifting or “academic strength training” gym. No one’s resting for longer than 90 seconds at my gym. But we occasionally get guys who do the “block the squat rack for 90 mins to do 7 screamer sets” workouts and… well, it gets awkward when everyone in the gym doesn’t understand why the powerlifter is hogging the rack and the powerlifter doesn’t understand why everyone isn’t taking his epic workout so seriously. In this case, it might be best if the powerlifter goes the big gym across town that has real equipment for real powerlifters. That way, the people who are trying to get a solid 45-min hypertrophic workout in after work can keep the flow and get on with their evening.

 

[tryingtolead]

@ashastrio This! Back pre-Covid I was doing strong lifts 5x5 which required rest and it was usually old men who would mutter under their breath about how I shouldn’t be on my phone while working out and aggressively pace near me.

I’m literally using the app to track my workout! Fuck you!

Sorry, reading this brought back my anger. I’m so slow to respond during workouts because muscle fatigue short circuits my brain and I never get to respond appropriately.

 

[kallis000]

@ashastrio Absolutely, you have every bit of right to be there as they do. 2 minutes between sets in not unreasonable.

It's like when you leave your shoes in the living room 2x and your SO gets all butt hurt about things being left, yet their shoes remain there every night. We have a bit of blindness to us doing same as others

 

[gary687]

@ashastrio I've had good luck offering to let these douches work in. They usually say no.

 

[wolfe17]

@gary687 This absolutely. 2 to 3 minutes seems like a decent amount of time for somebody else to work in with you.

 

[contrecoup]

@gary687 Ya, I concur. Sandbagging - dealing with a problem up front in a nice, but effective way, usually works wonders.

OP could say nothing, or tell them what's what with a, "hiya. I'm working 3 sets with 2 mins rest between. Hope that's cool with you" (or whatever) ... Which doesn't really invite them to work in, it's just assertive information.

 

[fridil]

@gary687 Second this. Offering to let them work in is the easiest way to get them to go away or do their lifts and go away. Usually they want the machine/space to themselves. Put your headphones/AirPod back in immediately after so they don’t assume you want to chat.

 

[superpanas]

@1stbrownhorse I have mixed feelings, not on you specifically but about this topic in general. Hopefully I can give some perspective.

I take 1-2 minutes between each set for most things, I'm rehabbing a shoulder and a knee so I don't lift very heavy. I generally do 3 sets of 10 so I'm not around long.

I 100% understand some people do things differently but I've also been the girl who has not gotten to finish my workout because some people take so fricken long. Frequently actually, like 6 times in the last 30 days. I waited 40 minutes the other day (while doing other parts of my workout) just to bench. This was after my stretching and cardio. I left without finishing. He was taking up the bench with his buddy for over an hour.. I only have so much time for the gym when I'm on my work week, which is about an hour and a half so that I can still get 6 hours of sleep before getting up for work. It BLOWS not to get to finish because I don't have hours to spend at the gym.

I'm not meaning to use your post to vent. I think you just need to be aware some people are gonna be frustrated when you're on things for a while, and some people are gonna be frustrated just because they can be. That being said you pay just as much to be there as everyone else and as others have said, you deserve to take up space. As long as you aren't being an asshole, like that dude and his buddy were the other night to me, then you're fine.

Just some perspective from the other side. Unfortunately the only real solutions are larger gyms and more equipment. I would kill for 2 of the commonly used things, but we don't have the space.

 

[andy90210]

@superpanas I'm with you on this. The impetus is often on women, especially young women, to be "out of the way" and not take up space, even if they have just as much a right to be there as anyone else.

Personally, though, I find diminishing returns for rest periods longer than 2 minutes, even for relatively high weight sets, and I'll only take 3 minutes if I'm preparing for my top set and feel like I still need it. For reference, my top sets on squat and deadlift are currently over 2x bodyweight and in the 5-8 rep range, after working up to it with sets of 3-5.

So, for my personal experience, I tend to get a bit salty when I see someone using the only power rack or platform for low weights and taking more than 4 minutes between sets.

Even more so when they refuse to let me work in on the rack when they're only using the platform. This happened just this past weekend, and it sucked supremely to have to wait 40 minutes for the only rack to open up when it wasn't even being used. I got through the entirety of my 5 accessory program and was on a treadmill for 10 minutes before I could even start my main lift.

All that to say, everyone is entitled to take up space at the gym, but it is absolutely appropriate and important to be mindful of how long your rest times are (and whether you actually benefit from a >2.5 min rest) and be considerate of others, especially when equipment youre using is limited.

 

[forprayer]

@andy90210 I find the same as you. 3 minutes when im at max effort is usually right. If I fail a set though I go to 5 for one rest period and thats been extremely helpful for hitting my reps after a failure.

That said, I think the important bit is just being considerate. If you need a 5 minute rest, you need a 5 minute rest. As long as you arent needlessly inhibiting orhers, its your space to occupy.

Platform Bro sounds like a jerk.

 

[andy90210]

@forprayer Platform bro was actually a platform chick, and what made it worse was (1) we've worked in together more than once before where one of us used the platform and the other used the rack, so not sure why this time it was a problem, and (2) she said she only had 2 sets left but then proceeded to use it for 30 minutes after her "only two more sets" were done for trap bar rack pulls (???).

 

[forprayer]

@andy90210 I had a feeling platform bro was female but felt that women can also embody the "bro" spirit. Hopefully she was just in a mood that day!