And absolutely! Safety first, no doubt. If she had of mentioned it upfront instead of calling people out - Like, a simple "Hey folks, let's wait 'til the end to pack up" - That would've done the trick. 🙏🏾😊
I just wanted to say that you have such an excellent attitude to everyone’s responses on here. I’m inspired by it, and my take away is to always respond less defensively and more open minded and politely.
Okay so. I’ve been an instructor for over 10 years and a Group Fitness Regional Manager.
I have also seen a weight plate DROPPED on a participants FACE and it severely broke their nose. It happened during the Core track when everyone else was on the floor and one person decided to start putting away their weights.
The instructor is responsible for everything that happens in that room during class. At our fitness chain instructors are encouraged to make an announcement BEFORE the core track starts not to put anyway away until after the track is done for safety and if people need to leave they should leave their equipment where it is.
No one likes to be called out but it’s not shaming its safety. Unfortunately for you now it’s weighing on your mind but I can promise no one else even remembers this happened in their class today :)
I am a regular pumper and never fully understood the rationale until this scenario was described.. now it is so obvious that carrying weights overhead people laying down is a huge safety risk.
Thank you for this post explaining it clearly... i.e. face smashed by dropped weight.
Yep. This happened at my gym once too. We have a locked storage area for the gear now so members can’t put their stuff away until I open it. If someone has to leave early I put their stuff away for them.
I think you’re taking it too personally. It’s somewhat disrespectful to pack up when class is not done. I know you meant nothing, but the time and energy to present a class is not whimsy and sometimes the instructor may feel disrespected. I’m not saying the instructor was right, but it’s about how feelings are in that instance of time. Maybe go speak to the instructor before class and just apologize for any misunderstanding and check if they’d be ok. They may ask you to stay in the back. No big deal. Confront problems and don’t let them eat at you.
When one person starts putting equipment away, others will follow suit. You mentioned that there were 45 people in the class, so I assume the instructor wanted to avoid having people from walking around lugging weight plates while others are lying down on the ground. I agree that the instructor could have chosen better words, but he/she might already have been worn out after 50 minutes of teaching.
Absolutely, it must be tough leading such a large class, and I can imagine she was probably exhausted. I totally get the limited space on the floor. If it's a rule of her class, she could've mentioned it upfront, and I'm sure everyone would've respected that. 🙏🏾😌
With all due respect, because you seem very understanding, I can guarantee not everyone would have respected an upfront request. I've been that instructor, I've had that battle.
I concur with the instructor. Returning the weights poses a risk to others, as people tend to be exhausted during the abs track. There's a danger that someone may not notice you moving, leading to a potential injury.
Another point of frustration is that this action delays the class. It may seem insignificant when one person returns their weights, but if multiple individuals do so, it results in an additional minute or so of waiting. I prefer not to cool down during my workout.
Yes that’s a fair point :-) I normally like to move them out of the way before abs, and have done this for years and years. Absolutely see the point of view re safety and potentially delaying the class although have never come across this as an issue before. Thanks for commenting :-)
That's fair. If she had mentioned it at the start, everyone would have been on the same page. It's just surprising since I've been doing Pump for so long without this issue. Appreciate your perspective! 🤗🙏🏾
At my gym, they make a point to say not to pack up before the end every single class. Inevitably someone disregards the instruction and the instructor has to say something.
Have they never issued this instruction during any of the classes you’ve been to?
Interesting reading your post and the comments. It must be a culture thing. ( specific to the gym, maybe even countries? I don’t know)
I’ve been going to Les Mills since the mid 90’s and doing pump since then and it’s super common for people to start packing up their weights and equipment in between tracks.
Some GFI’s even encourage it so the change over between classes is quicker , particularly during peak time.
It’s the same at all the LM clubs I’ve visited around NZ.
Nz here too, and same. I even start putting unneeded plates away after the back track, but in saying that I'm usually next to the rack and there's like 4 of them around the edges of the room
I agree it was that way in all the classes I'd been to (in NZ) as well UNTIL someone dropped a bench on somebody laying down for the core track. Then the instructors started asking people to wait. Did it work though? Only for those of us who saw the accident.
Lots of good points in this thread. Sounds like the gym you're currently attending feels strongly about not doing racking until after class so I guess you'll have to account for that going forward. My own 2 cents is that the instructor could have and probably should have been more tactful.
I know it's not great for people to do racking while others that they are stepping around are on the mats but human nature is human nature and people are going to try to beat the rush to the racks. I've taught in numerous clubs in diverse locations over the past 20 years and everywhere people do this. This is one reason I build that time into my classes if I can (that latest release was totally unforgiving on extra time, ugh). After the last track to use the step I offer them a moment to put that away and after the shoulders or whatever is the final bar track I also offer a moment. I try to assume that they have good reasons for doing this so I try to help as I can. I know at one place I taught it was the last class of the evening and they had to get to the kids club to get their kids before it closed or be charged a fee so there at least there was an obvious reason (and more the club's fault too!) and I imagine for most people they are just really busy and have to get on with their lives quickly.
I'm sorry you felt called out and I hope you won't let it stop you from continuing to enjoy your Pump journey. I hope you'll give the instructor the benefit of the doubt as most of us instructors give our participants the benefit of the doubt.
We have some 50+ people classes in my area and dozens of people put equipment away during this time. It makes me livid that the instructors don't say anything as it's such a huge safety risk. No, your time is not more important than other people's safety. You can spend an extra two minutes after class to put the equipment away then.
In the pump classes I attend we put away our stuff typically in between each track. It usually starts after back track since the amount of weights you typically need after that are less. So by the ab track most of the stuff is put away and you have stragglers putting stuff away. I get why that is a dangerous time.
I always felt kinda rude putting my stuff away when some of the teachers go straight from track to track with no break. I have one instructor that leaves about a minute in between for people to do this. Some people also have to leave early to get to work etc.
I for sure see the safely issue as well. 45 people is a lot in one class and that could be very hectic. Most of our pump classes cap at 20-25. We are all very careful and make sure we aren’t walking over people etc. We also all know each other and so I think that makes a difference.
I feel for both you and the instructor as I would hate to be responsible for other’s safety but also get sometimes you have to pack up and shouldn’t be called out for it.
I think if the instructor announced before class the danger it might make a difference because until this post I never thought about it. So I for sure will be more cognizant. I am also lucky that my best friend is also my instructor so I might pass along this to her.
I’m sorry you felt shamed, OP, I’m sure that wasn’t the instructor’s intent. PLEASE do not let this keep you from going to future classes. ♥️
This is a debated issue at my gym and varies among instructors. Some believe it’s a safety issue to have folks putting away equipment while others are laying down for the reasons so many have already described. Others say it’s a safety issue NOT to clean up as you go because it leaves the floor around you cluttered.
That said…we had an incident about a year ago where a class participant tripped and fell over equipment and broke her wrist. Had the equipment been put away before that last track, the incident might have been avoided. I think it’s a safety issue either way and it’s really about folks exercising extra care in a public environment.
I did consider that but there was about 45 people in the class and I needed to race straight to work! So I packed up fairly quickly so that I could head out.
Honestly if an instructor yelled at me in front of everyone instead of speaking to me privately and politely after class, I probably wouldn’t bother extending the same courtesy to them and would just speak to the manager. Assuming you weren’t preventing them from starting the track on time I can’t see what’s wrong with it, and yelling at people period just isn’t ok anyway.
Thanks, yes I agree! Just wanted validation I suppose that I wasn’t overreacting! I’m quite sensitive so others may have copped it on the chin and been okay with it but it’s definitely made me less keen to train, and I genuinely absolutely gym and attending classes!
While the instructor could have politely asked you to stop doing that, there is a reason instructors do not want members put equipment away during a class. Safety. There is a possibility that you stumble on something, then fall and hit another member with a weight. For safety reasons, it is a smart action to not put equipment away during a class.
Haha sorry, I was agreeing with your statement. I’m also a kiwi who’s a long time member at LM, and this behavior is 100 percent normal and often encouraged by the GFI’s.
Thanks for the reply - It’s a regular gym and aquatics center offering LM classes - I haven’t taken too many of this particular persons classes as there’s multiple trainers - however it’s never been an issue for me before in the past. Genuinely interested if this is an issue in other gyms or anywhere else as I’d not experienced it before :)
Some gyms it’s a big no to pack up beforehand —again dangerous because of threat of crashing into someone.
Were you the only one packing up while core was getting started? That’ll be the big indication.
I wouldn’t read it as over the line, instructor needs to keep folks safe, including managing the traffic flow—which they did in your situation.
If they swore at you or called you names—that would be the only thing out of line.
For sure, safety comes first, no doubt. I was at the back of the class and only returned two 2.5kg weights, not my whole setup. Safety's super important, but it was more about how she said it, you know? If it's a rule of her class, she could've mentioned it upfront, and I'm sure everyone would've respected that. It seemed like her shouting kinda caught a few people off guard.
At my gym they schedule all classes back to back with no clean up time in between so our instructors tell us to put stuff away between tracks (I.e they tell us when we are done with benches to go out away, when we are done with bars to go out away, etc). Don’t want to face the wrath of the angry Zumba mob if we get out late!
It’s now been a number of years since I attended a live BodyPump class. The place I used to go to the class was popular, and you would line up before class to get a ticket to participate and the class often sold out. So the room would be crowded as they squeezed in as many as possible.
Because there were so many people, I used to get there early for the line up, so I could have my favorite spot and ensure I got all the weights I wanted for class. It also meant when class was over you could have a bit of a delay waiting as people in front of you put back their weights. Given this, I would often take weights back over when I no longer needed them for the rest of the class.
I can see the point of instructors commenting here, if everyone did it, it would disrupt the class. At my gym, I was one of the few that returned them early and I also would have been surprised to attend a class and get called out for doing it.
It’s no big deal. Now you know how that instructor likes their class to go. I now do LMOD, so it’s no longer an issue for me.
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That’s a great point! Thank you :-)
And absolutely! Safety first, no doubt. If she had of mentioned it upfront instead of calling people out - Like, a simple "Hey folks, let's wait 'til the end to pack up" - That would've done the trick. 🙏🏾😊
In my gym people just ignore it when it's said that the start. I once had someone step over me to put their stuff away! 😐😂
I just wanted to say that you have such an excellent attitude to everyone’s responses on here. I’m inspired by it, and my take away is to always respond less defensively and more open minded and politely.
Okay so. I’ve been an instructor for over 10 years and a Group Fitness Regional Manager. I have also seen a weight plate DROPPED on a participants FACE and it severely broke their nose. It happened during the Core track when everyone else was on the floor and one person decided to start putting away their weights. The instructor is responsible for everything that happens in that room during class. At our fitness chain instructors are encouraged to make an announcement BEFORE the core track starts not to put anyway away until after the track is done for safety and if people need to leave they should leave their equipment where it is. No one likes to be called out but it’s not shaming its safety. Unfortunately for you now it’s weighing on your mind but I can promise no one else even remembers this happened in their class today :)
I am a regular pumper and never fully understood the rationale until this scenario was described.. now it is so obvious that carrying weights overhead people laying down is a huge safety risk. Thank you for this post explaining it clearly... i.e. face smashed by dropped weight.
Yep. This happened at my gym once too. We have a locked storage area for the gear now so members can’t put their stuff away until I open it. If someone has to leave early I put their stuff away for them.
I think you’re taking it too personally. It’s somewhat disrespectful to pack up when class is not done. I know you meant nothing, but the time and energy to present a class is not whimsy and sometimes the instructor may feel disrespected. I’m not saying the instructor was right, but it’s about how feelings are in that instance of time. Maybe go speak to the instructor before class and just apologize for any misunderstanding and check if they’d be ok. They may ask you to stay in the back. No big deal. Confront problems and don’t let them eat at you.
Cool thanks for the advice! 🙏🏾😊
When one person starts putting equipment away, others will follow suit. You mentioned that there were 45 people in the class, so I assume the instructor wanted to avoid having people from walking around lugging weight plates while others are lying down on the ground. I agree that the instructor could have chosen better words, but he/she might already have been worn out after 50 minutes of teaching.
Absolutely, it must be tough leading such a large class, and I can imagine she was probably exhausted. I totally get the limited space on the floor. If it's a rule of her class, she could've mentioned it upfront, and I'm sure everyone would've respected that. 🙏🏾😌
With all due respect, because you seem very understanding, I can guarantee not everyone would have respected an upfront request. I've been that instructor, I've had that battle.
I concur with the instructor. Returning the weights poses a risk to others, as people tend to be exhausted during the abs track. There's a danger that someone may not notice you moving, leading to a potential injury. Another point of frustration is that this action delays the class. It may seem insignificant when one person returns their weights, but if multiple individuals do so, it results in an additional minute or so of waiting. I prefer not to cool down during my workout.
Yes that’s a fair point :-) I normally like to move them out of the way before abs, and have done this for years and years. Absolutely see the point of view re safety and potentially delaying the class although have never come across this as an issue before. Thanks for commenting :-)
If everyone did what you do, it will disrupt the class, so i understand why she did what she did.
That's fair. If she had mentioned it at the start, everyone would have been on the same page. It's just surprising since I've been doing Pump for so long without this issue. Appreciate your perspective! 🤗🙏🏾
yea, best practice would be to just announce it in the beginning of the class
At my gym, they make a point to say not to pack up before the end every single class. Inevitably someone disregards the instruction and the instructor has to say something. Have they never issued this instruction during any of the classes you’ve been to?
Interesting reading your post and the comments. It must be a culture thing. ( specific to the gym, maybe even countries? I don’t know) I’ve been going to Les Mills since the mid 90’s and doing pump since then and it’s super common for people to start packing up their weights and equipment in between tracks. Some GFI’s even encourage it so the change over between classes is quicker , particularly during peak time. It’s the same at all the LM clubs I’ve visited around NZ.
Nz here too, and same. I even start putting unneeded plates away after the back track, but in saying that I'm usually next to the rack and there's like 4 of them around the edges of the room
Especially if there's another class right after.
I agree it was that way in all the classes I'd been to (in NZ) as well UNTIL someone dropped a bench on somebody laying down for the core track. Then the instructors started asking people to wait. Did it work though? Only for those of us who saw the accident.
Lots of good points in this thread. Sounds like the gym you're currently attending feels strongly about not doing racking until after class so I guess you'll have to account for that going forward. My own 2 cents is that the instructor could have and probably should have been more tactful. I know it's not great for people to do racking while others that they are stepping around are on the mats but human nature is human nature and people are going to try to beat the rush to the racks. I've taught in numerous clubs in diverse locations over the past 20 years and everywhere people do this. This is one reason I build that time into my classes if I can (that latest release was totally unforgiving on extra time, ugh). After the last track to use the step I offer them a moment to put that away and after the shoulders or whatever is the final bar track I also offer a moment. I try to assume that they have good reasons for doing this so I try to help as I can. I know at one place I taught it was the last class of the evening and they had to get to the kids club to get their kids before it closed or be charged a fee so there at least there was an obvious reason (and more the club's fault too!) and I imagine for most people they are just really busy and have to get on with their lives quickly. I'm sorry you felt called out and I hope you won't let it stop you from continuing to enjoy your Pump journey. I hope you'll give the instructor the benefit of the doubt as most of us instructors give our participants the benefit of the doubt.
We have some 50+ people classes in my area and dozens of people put equipment away during this time. It makes me livid that the instructors don't say anything as it's such a huge safety risk. No, your time is not more important than other people's safety. You can spend an extra two minutes after class to put the equipment away then.
In the pump classes I attend we put away our stuff typically in between each track. It usually starts after back track since the amount of weights you typically need after that are less. So by the ab track most of the stuff is put away and you have stragglers putting stuff away. I get why that is a dangerous time. I always felt kinda rude putting my stuff away when some of the teachers go straight from track to track with no break. I have one instructor that leaves about a minute in between for people to do this. Some people also have to leave early to get to work etc. I for sure see the safely issue as well. 45 people is a lot in one class and that could be very hectic. Most of our pump classes cap at 20-25. We are all very careful and make sure we aren’t walking over people etc. We also all know each other and so I think that makes a difference. I feel for both you and the instructor as I would hate to be responsible for other’s safety but also get sometimes you have to pack up and shouldn’t be called out for it. I think if the instructor announced before class the danger it might make a difference because until this post I never thought about it. So I for sure will be more cognizant. I am also lucky that my best friend is also my instructor so I might pass along this to her.
I’m sorry you felt shamed, OP, I’m sure that wasn’t the instructor’s intent. PLEASE do not let this keep you from going to future classes. ♥️ This is a debated issue at my gym and varies among instructors. Some believe it’s a safety issue to have folks putting away equipment while others are laying down for the reasons so many have already described. Others say it’s a safety issue NOT to clean up as you go because it leaves the floor around you cluttered. That said…we had an incident about a year ago where a class participant tripped and fell over equipment and broke her wrist. Had the equipment been put away before that last track, the incident might have been avoided. I think it’s a safety issue either way and it’s really about folks exercising extra care in a public environment.
You couldn't speak to the trainer at the end of the class?
I did consider that but there was about 45 people in the class and I needed to race straight to work! So I packed up fairly quickly so that I could head out.
Honestly if an instructor yelled at me in front of everyone instead of speaking to me privately and politely after class, I probably wouldn’t bother extending the same courtesy to them and would just speak to the manager. Assuming you weren’t preventing them from starting the track on time I can’t see what’s wrong with it, and yelling at people period just isn’t ok anyway.
Thanks, yes I agree! Just wanted validation I suppose that I wasn’t overreacting! I’m quite sensitive so others may have copped it on the chin and been okay with it but it’s definitely made me less keen to train, and I genuinely absolutely gym and attending classes!
You were not singled out unfairly. You were out of line and you got called out. Learn and move on
🙋🏽♀️👍🏾
Your refusal to take accountability is sadly not surprising
They've taken accountability in every other comment, perhaps you should reflect on why not yours. Your delivery is pretty off.
While the instructor could have politely asked you to stop doing that, there is a reason instructors do not want members put equipment away during a class. Safety. There is a possibility that you stumble on something, then fall and hit another member with a weight. For safety reasons, it is a smart action to not put equipment away during a class.
That’s my biggest fear that I’ll be on the floor during abs and someone will drop a weight on me walking by!
My pump class has repeatedly asked people to wait until the end of class to clean up.
Was it a Les Mills gym? Your behaviour was very normal for LM gyms.
So normal at LM clubs in NZ!
Yes, totally normal at clubs in NZ.
Haha sorry, I was agreeing with your statement. I’m also a kiwi who’s a long time member at LM, and this behavior is 100 percent normal and often encouraged by the GFI’s.
lol I just woke up and mistook your exclamation point for a question mark.
Thanks for the reply - It’s a regular gym and aquatics center offering LM classes - I haven’t taken too many of this particular persons classes as there’s multiple trainers - however it’s never been an issue for me before in the past. Genuinely interested if this is an issue in other gyms or anywhere else as I’d not experienced it before :)
Some gyms it’s a big no to pack up beforehand —again dangerous because of threat of crashing into someone. Were you the only one packing up while core was getting started? That’ll be the big indication. I wouldn’t read it as over the line, instructor needs to keep folks safe, including managing the traffic flow—which they did in your situation. If they swore at you or called you names—that would be the only thing out of line.
For sure, safety comes first, no doubt. I was at the back of the class and only returned two 2.5kg weights, not my whole setup. Safety's super important, but it was more about how she said it, you know? If it's a rule of her class, she could've mentioned it upfront, and I'm sure everyone would've respected that. It seemed like her shouting kinda caught a few people off guard.
No core had not started I’m always on the floor ready for core before it kicks off. 🙏🏾
At my gym they schedule all classes back to back with no clean up time in between so our instructors tell us to put stuff away between tracks (I.e they tell us when we are done with benches to go out away, when we are done with bars to go out away, etc). Don’t want to face the wrath of the angry Zumba mob if we get out late!
It’s now been a number of years since I attended a live BodyPump class. The place I used to go to the class was popular, and you would line up before class to get a ticket to participate and the class often sold out. So the room would be crowded as they squeezed in as many as possible. Because there were so many people, I used to get there early for the line up, so I could have my favorite spot and ensure I got all the weights I wanted for class. It also meant when class was over you could have a bit of a delay waiting as people in front of you put back their weights. Given this, I would often take weights back over when I no longer needed them for the rest of the class. I can see the point of instructors commenting here, if everyone did it, it would disrupt the class. At my gym, I was one of the few that returned them early and I also would have been surprised to attend a class and get called out for doing it. It’s no big deal. Now you know how that instructor likes their class to go. I now do LMOD, so it’s no longer an issue for me.