u/Hopeful-Principle-64

Today I arrived and one particular machine a lady had been sitting on it on my arrival 50 minutes later I was ready to finish up and wanted to use it and she was still sitting at it. 0 use of the machine just on her phone.
I politely went up and asked if I could quickly smash out my sets and she told me I was being rude and to wait my turn.
I just gave up and left.
Is this is a universal experience?

I joined a gym about 6 months ago and the culture sucked I stuck it out but essentially the judgment stopped me going.

I’ve just recently signed up to a new one. It’s been 2 weeks and I’ve only just now had my first bad experience. (I will say at this gym I know if I speak to the owner he won’t have a bar of it and that gives me comfort but I don’t want to bother him with it).

I went in to work out, it was far busier this morning than usual but that’s not the problem. I noticed 3 young, very fit humans standing around laughing together at first I didn’t think much of it then I noticed them trying to discretely point people out to each other. I wasn’t the only one that noticed an instructor doing a class noticed them and went up and said “we don’t do that here, cut it out” the class finished and the instructor left. Unfortunately for the rest of us in the gym those 3 stayed. They proceeded to each sit on a machine just enjoying? the show of others working out laughing their asses off.

I left and so did several others and I got to my car to call my partner and have a big cry.
Admittedly I’m not the skinniest healthiest person hence me joining the gym and trying to make better choices. We all have to start somewhere right?

Given this is similar to what made me feel uncomfortable and leave my previous gym I have to question is this just the norm? I don’t want to give up and I know I shouldn’t let them bother me. But my effort being someone else’s reason for entertainment and laughter feels really shitty.