You might as well give me the finger!

[cripmeister]

People that wear headphones in commercial gyms get no love from me. Who's with me??

[Owehn]

Are you differentiating between earbuds and headphones proper? I can imagine looking unfavorably on a pair of full-blown headphones, same way I would for a pair of jeans or something else that isn't conducive to intense activity, but earbuds are understandable and I use them regularly. To put it bluntly, I don't go to the gym to make friends, so I don't really feel the need to listen to what's going on around me. On the other hand, if someone needs a spot or wants to work in with me, I'm more than willing to unplug my ears and help out.

[cripmeister]

Headphones, earbuds or earplugs it doesn't matter - it's anti-social and it gets on my nerves! What's wrong with talking to people, exchanging ideas and maybe making new friends, isn't that what life's about? Maybe I'm getting old...

[RexRomano]

People that wear headphones in commercial gyms get no love from me. Who's with me??

I'm with you, but mostly because it makes it more difficult to find a spotter. People with earphones are sending a message, not necessarily intentionally, that they don't want to be bothered. So I don't bother them unless there is nobody else around to bother.

It does seem a little generational. The younger people seem much more likely to lift with earphones. I'm not sure why that is. In general I tend to listen to less and less music the older I get, but I don't think I ever used headphones in the gym, even when I was younger.

[LiftingNerd]

I wear headphones because I can't stand the gym radio, espn, and fox news that they play all at the same time. I'm there to lift weights. If someone approaches me I'll talk for a minute, but I don't invite conversation.

[coreJack]

Headphones, earbuds or earplugs it doesn't matter - it's anti-social and it gets on my nerves! What's wrong with talking to people, exchanging ideas and maybe making new friends, isn't that what life's about? Maybe I'm getting old...

I agree that it's antisocial. In a few decades we'll all be spending much of our lives in virtual environments.

[atypical1]

Headphones, earbuds or earplugs it doesn't matter - it's anti-social and it gets on my nerves! What's wrong with talking to people, exchanging ideas and maybe making new friends, isn't that what life's about? Maybe I'm getting old...

I go to the gym to train and that's it. I work out on my lunch hour and I don't have time to socialize. That's not to say that I won't nod or be polite but I'm not striking up a conversation with you. During my rest periods I'm too winded to talk to anyone and I'm not really in the mood for it. I don't get the anger towards people wanting to be left alone.

Do you also drive with your windows down and your radio off so you can talk to people while you're driving?

james

[StevieB]

People that wear headphones in commercial gyms get no love from me. Who's with me??

Just leave them be.

...anyone do steady state cardio without headphones? torture

[Munnings]

@ James, totally with you there. I used to listen to music at the gym (got home gym now, no need) but if anyone needed anything, all they had to do was ask and id help, like if they wanted to use the rack or bench. But in the words of the Broski, im "In the zone" when i hit the gym. Anything outside the exercise im doing is a distraction and can impede training. Music removes all those distractions. Another thing: im tired of all this social ettiquette that 'requires' me to interact with people to not seem rude. that doesnt mean though i ignore people if they ask me something, i just dont see the point in making friends at the gym.

[hardestgainer]

When I used to be a member of a public gym, I found that if anyone had anything to say to me it was "set the weight back to its lowest setting when you're finished" and there was a trainer who use to say that to me every time any equipment wasn't like that. Or it was some arrogant douchebag saying you must do split routines and never train more than one body part at a time, or deadlifts will destroy your back, squats will destroy your knees etc. So I would rather not listen to such people.

In fact when I go somewhere where I'm likely to be surrounded by such people, I have often used ipods so I can easily ignore people and even glasses that aren't designed for me. Why, because I'd rather look at a blurred image of a douchebag than a clear one, and their attempts to stare me down are completely wasted.

[cripmeister]

Do you also drive with your windows down and your radio off so you can talk to people while you're driving?

No, I take the bus and sometimes I sit next to people I don't even know! I respect that some people choose to live in a bubble, I just think it's a little sad.

[atypical1]

No, I take the bus and sometimes I sit next to people I don't even know! I respect that some people choose to live in a bubble, I just think it's a little sad.

So, because I choose to wear headphones in my car I live in a bubble? Really? So every night I walk with my son and my 150 lb Great Dane through downtown San Diego (San Diego is a city of over a million and we get a lot of tourists and convention goers). I walk though the most heavily trafficked area in town with a real attention getter. I can get stopped every 30 feet or so in some sections of the walk and get our picture taken or asked questions. My dog even literally stops traffic and I have to answer questions about him. So I talk to strangers daily. But somehow you get from my post that because I wear headphones to the gym that I live in a bubble.

I work in a large building and always say hello to people. I make several conversations every morning on my way to my desk. But because I wear headphones I live in a bubble?

Your logic isn't working very well for me.

When you're trying to do your homework or accomplish a specific task that you need done in a short amount of time do you stop to talk to a lot of people?

james

[cripmeister]

@James: That wasn't directed at you personally. I'm thinking along the lines of what coreJack said about virtual environments which I think the earphone thing is a part of. This is just the beginning. We are becoming more and more detached from the world around us, empathy is a rare thing these days - we are becoming cold. James, imagine a young kid in your gym. He's just started lifting and has a lot of questions. Well, he's probably already intimidated by you and he's even less likely to ask you for advice since you're wearing earphones right?

[luco]

I really don't understand this.. I workout for me and noone else. If I'm wearing headphones and someone wants to ask me something in between sets, they'll approach me and I'll listen to them. If someone wants to be a smartass (like Hardestgainer described..) they won't bother cause of the extra effort or if they do bother it's easy to say 'Thanks' and plug the headphones back in, instead of having to try to argue with someone you know is wrong.

Also, I have never seen ANY new/young lifters walking up to people asking them for training advice. Usually they're just doing their own thing and before mentioned smartasses will find them anyway. If someone's seriously interested in lifting, they'll find proper info, as all of us have.

[griced]

Headphones help me have better workouts. Hard rock music & laser focus on why I'm there only helps my progress. I go the gym to get stronger and that means being 100% disciplined to my workout plan including rest times between sets. Socializing is 1 of the obstacles that can prevent that success. I don't mean a "how ya going" and quick spot help.. that's cool and it happens at our gym all the time regardless of headphones or not. But I see others spending 10-15 min's or more yapping away while I've completed my squats and moving onto the bench. Those that have the need for socializing are missing out on why you're at the gym in the 1st place & wonder why they are making less progress over time or taking forever to get even 1/2 their workout done.

Headphones keep me in that zone. Focused on why I'm there. Which reminds me, need to update my playlist!

I see your point though but I tie that more into how many are obsessed with gaming, online chat, etc for hours vs going outside or hanging out with people. I'm much like James with a big dog which we walk and I meet tons of people that way. It can take a long time to walk our neighbourhood! but it's been great to build a tight-knit local community.