Gym Ethics: The Equipment Hugging Mangkukulam

Gym Ethics: The equipment hugging mangkukulam!

May 18, 6:00am I began my day as usual. Got up from bed, had a cup of yoghurt. Damn! Those Nestle Fruit Selection flavors really got me addicted hahaha!!! Watched a bit of news, packed my gym bag with a bottled of Fit & Right, gym gloves, a towel and dressed up in my usual tank top, presko board shorts and rubber shoes.

Learned now that those ankle socks aren't that great most especially if you take care of your skin. (Dear me, I am vain! Hahaha!) Well, I used those ankle socks for a while and realized that since they are too low, that part where the tip of the shoes rub against the skin end up really dry and hard. Yikes! Kalyo? Ewww... Therefore, I'm back to longer socks... Anyway, kumusta naman ang medyas topic di ba?

So, I opened the terrace, took my labrador Chi-Chi down to the front porch. I have to take her down every morning till around 11am coz the sun comes up facing the terrace. Wawa naman my baby...

So, Chi-Chi and I went down played with my 2 Persian and 2 Himalayan cats for a while, fed them with their usual Whiskas and Bruno for my Chi-Chi.

Off to the gym I go. Walked about 45 minutes, there's your cardio! :o) Saw some familiar faces, smiled, waved, but as usual no words since I had my earphones enjoy their love affair with my ears top the tune of Slumdog Millionare's sountrack. Latika's theme is really a beauty :o)

So, my day turns up to be great really. :o) I get to the gym, usual stretching, do my abs exercises. A 100 per set, lower abs, mid, upper and left and right obliques = (ding! ding!) 500 crunches. Ooofff.... Hey! They're not that bad. Once you get used to it and get the right posture, believe me, even a 1,000 can easily be done. It's all about the right posture.

So, me and my instructor Iking begin. We were working on my arms - so biceps and triceps were the victims. As usual, there are about 30 people in the gym so it is important to have very good gym ethics. And siyempre, matagal na rin naman ako working out so I have a pretty good idea how it works when it comes to sharing space and equipment with other gym goers. And that's then two ladies caught my attention.

While everyone would be considerate of other people they work out along with, these two seem oblivious to the world and feel they paid a portion of the gym. Hmmm...

Alam naman ninyo di ba? You will hear the usual lines in the gym:
"Pare, tapos ka na ba dito?"
"Dude, can we alternate or take turns?"
"Yo, borrow naman, 1 set lang"

O kung hindi naman, they would really move over a bit to give space to an equipment you wish to use. In case they are near it or in the way once you start pulling away.

I walk over to the dumbell rack and attempt to use a set of dumbells for my tricep exercises. And suddenly a flat not-so-friendly-nasal-palengkera tone berated my ear and very quickly said "Ginagamit ko pa yan!"......... And I have to confess, I have thing about people that don't say things properly.

I look back to see this doubled chinned, rich in handle bars, dark Estelle Getty age 45 looking character looking at me flatly as if the world will move over at her words. Completely devoid of congeniality and simply put... B.I.T.C.H.!!!

At that moment, I decided... "Papatulan ko ba 'to?" Well, as usual, the better side of me wins and wag na lang...

I didn't see how the conversation went, but at the other end, her friend seemed to be doing the same to another gym goer... Hmmm....

So, I went on to use another set na dapat sana gradually getting heavier and succession of weights, e I ended up using the heavy ones agad. And yes, hindi ko pinatulan, pero my mind was already racing with awful things to say to her... In my mind, "Isa pa, makakatikim ng barbell plate na may kalawang ito sa akin e!"

Oh, I work out in a hard core gym. Ayaw ko ng mga Fitness, Gold's or Slimmers. Mga sosyal lang dun. Pang barangay gym lang ako hahaha. But honestly, one of the benefits of working out in a hard core gym is you barely or completely do not have the "ramp models" as I refer to them. Yung mga mag gi-gym daw but come to the gym completely adorned with a complete gym outfit. Sweats, head band, wrist band, towel, matching gym bag and gloves... PERO! Malinis ang suot the whole time. Magbubuhat sandali, magpupunas ng pawis... And walk around for the next 45 minutes.... hayyyyy....

Or... (lapit ka bulong ko sa'yo...) Naku, ikot ng ikot sa restroom.... uh huh.... Ikaw na bahala sa continuation.... Hayyy....

So, hard core gyms are what I love. No sauna, no aircon, no private showers and lockers. Just a regular gym with open windows, a regular restroom with a urinal and a curtained cubicle for changing. Lockers are in the open where you simply keep you bag and that's it.

In short, the less areas for people to lounge and make kwento, the better! Lahat can concentrate on their programs and actually shape up.

Going back to Estelle Getty. I was on my way to the flat bench as I was due to do my lying tricep exercises. I place my towel on the bench and BANG! Once again, that FRIGGINLY IRRITATING nasal sounds comes and says "Excuse me! Gagamitin ko yan. Kanina ko pa nga inaabangan yan e!"

AAAAARRRRRRRRRGGHHHHHHHHHH!!!! I wanted to shout because I don't know why but for some reason she just really has a bastos manner! Absolutely no concept of alternating with someone.

I was so pissed I simply looked at her in a penetrating manner but didn't say anything. I just had to make sure she sees how pissed I am. Pero honestly, mukhang walang effect.

What was more irritating was that when I saw her using it. She simply used it as a bench for her legs. (She was doing crunches...) E GAGA pala tong matandang mangkukulam na to e! Ang pangit pangit naman, ang laki pa ng mga bilbil, tapos yun lang pala gagawin!!!

She could have simply gotten one of the two free flat benches and brought it to a place where no one will be disturbed.

In short, she wanted to use the bench with the attached rack for weights. Stayed in the area where the weights are, did her crunches lying down in the middle of the path where people pass to get the barbells for a solid 35 minutes!!! E talaga palang walang pakialam tong mangkukulam na ito e! Imagine! (parang Vilma Santos naman ako) Everyone had to wait for her to be done coz so many wanted to use the bench. Then everyone had to go around her to get the barbells. And everyone had to wait as well for the set of weights which she was using to place on her flabby stomach!

Dudes, talagang nagmumura ako nun sa isip ko at anak mg pucha! Dahil sa katarantaduhan ng isang mangkukulam, almost 12 people were affected and their routine sira!

Gym ethics should really be given to some people. I don't thank anyone has a right to behave that way no matter how much you have paid. Regardless kung monthly ka, quarterly or 1 whole year. It's a public gym! That simple.

Well, I have to go to the restroom na. Kumulo tiyan ko ata sa bwisit everytime maalala ko si Estelle Getty!

Oh, and manonood pala ako ng American Idol sa StarWorld. Painfully endure watching the loudly gay Adam Lambert for the sake of making sure I am updated with American Idol information.

Abangan ang susunod na kabanata ni Estelle Getty. Who knows, maybe one day ako mismo mag offer ng training sa kanya, para matuluyan na! Grrr....

O siya, later mga kaibigan!

Ding! Ding! :o)