If you thought hyper-aggressive jerks grunting and hollering while they work out is bad, it’s just the tip of the iceberg, Big Apple fitness fanatics say.
This month, jurors cleared a stockbroker who admitted assaulting a hedge-fund manager whose whoops and grunts in a spin class at an Upper East Side gym had sent him into a rage.
And judging from the reaction in gyms this week, the jurors – who found victim Stuart Sugarman, 48, had exaggerated his injuries – aren’t the only ones who can’t blame Christopher Carter, 44, for hurling him and his exercise bike.
An informal poll of city gymgoers revealed that Sugarman-style grunting was just one of many types of inappropriate behavior exhibited by the workout-obsessed.
“It really pisses me off when guys look in the mirror and kiss their biceps,” said Shaun, working out at the David Barton Gym in Chelsea.
First off, many complained of aggressive nakedness in the locker room. “Some women I train say there are some women who spend a lot of time walking around and talking naked in the locker room,” said trainer Ken Szekretar, at a New York Sports Club on East 76th Street.
“One woman put her leg up putting on lotion, sort of for everyone to see. And it’s always the people who should probably put a little [clothing] on, you know?”
Then there are horndog guys prowling for dates and leering at members of both sexes.
“It bothers me when guys try to pick up chicks. It’s like going to a nightclub for some guys,” said 29-year-old bartender Devin Meece.
On the flip side, he said he was more unnerved by men who felt it OK to undress him with their eyes.
“There’s always some creepy guy in the locker room. There are times when I’m taking a shower and I feel like I’m being followed. Every time you turn around, they’re there. It’s a weird kind of stare. It gets to me, it makes me really uncomfortable,” he said.
Equipment hogging and excessive sweat splattering were mainstays of the list.
“One time in a kickboxing class, this guy kicked and sprayed sweat everywhere – it hit me in the eyeball,” said Alla Benzenko, 35, a day-care worker.
“I hate when people hoard things, like weights and machines in the gym,” said Adam Cantor, a 37-year-old photographer.
Gym officials say they train their staffs to spot problems arising among customers and to intervene before they spin out of control.
“We are proactive in speaking with members who cause problems, and if it doesn’t stop, we will end their memberships,” said Janet Woodfin, a vice president at the New York Health & Racquet Club.