Re-Rack Your Weights!

So I went to the gym this morning (4:30) for a good hypertrophy workout. I was supposed to head in yesterday morning, but couldn't sleep all night after that stupid long run. It probably wouldn't have been good anyway since it was leg day and my legs were pretty worn out. At least that's what I tell myself so I don't feel too guilty.

Anyway, after my normal fifteen minute warm-up on the bike, I headed over to the weights. The gym I have a membership to has several barbell bench press setups in the central area of the weight room and a bunch of different types of Olympic plate-loaded machines around to the side of them. I noticed as I entered the area that every one of the bench press bars had at least 45 pound plates on each side of them and that most of the machines were fully loaded as well. This struck me as a bit strange because at that point in the morning, I was the only one in the weight lifting area. Evidently some lifters had ignored the signs posted around the area and had left their weights loaded at the end of their workouts the previous night. No doubt, they thought that it would be convenient for the next person to have weights pre-loaded for them. This theory would have held up if I was the first person to use one of these stations. However, I was working legs and arms this morning and had no reason to even approach those benches or machines. About the time my workout was done (and I was tired), a friend of mine from work, a 40-something woman who probably weighs about 120 pounds came into the weight room. From across the room I could see her struggling to remove the weights and put them away so that she could actually use the machines. She had to drop the 45 pound olympic plates to the floor and roll them to the weight tree, where she could only lean them up against it. I went over and helped her clear off the rest of them so that she could work out.

I don't think I'll ever understand the people who don't realize that their lack of common courtesy seriously hampers other people's ability to work out. Just about everyone I have known that lifts weights, really enjoys it and tries to convince their friends that they need to take up this form of exercise. I certainly do. So why are there so many (I assume) men who can't figure out that having to remove other people's weights (among other reasons) ruins strength training for so many people (esp. women) to the point that several I've talked to just avoid the weight room? That's really a shame, because strength training can have benefits for everyone. Like I said, the signs are clearly posted and even threaten membership revocation if a staff member catches you ditching your weights three times. What's so hard about lifting the weights one more time to put them back where they belong? Just one of my pet peeves.