A quick comment at the apartment gym turned into an awkward exit—now he wonders if he accidentally made an enemy.
The Backstory and Early Dynamics
The writer, a 33-year-old married guy, works out regularly with his wife in their apartment gym.
They usually use one side of the cable machine while leaving the other side open for anyone who wants to hop in.
One morning, a familiar regular showed up and took the opposite side. No issue there—until the workouts began.
The Moment Things Shifted
The guy had AirPods in with noise-canceling on, and after every set, he would simply let go of the cable handle, allowing the weights to crash down with a loud CLANG.
Not just once. Not twice. Over and over.
The noise echoed through the small gym, and because he was right next to them, it was impossible to ignore.
After several more sets of repeated slamming, the OP finally snapped a bit and said:
“Excuse me, can you not slam the weight?”
He meant to ask more gently, but the words came out sharper than intended.
The Final Confrontation
The weight-slammer paused, looked surprised and slightly uncomfortable, and then quietly did one more set—this time without slamming anything.
Then he packed up and left the gym without a word.
No argument. No blow-up. Just an awkward exit.
The Fallout
Now the OP feels guilty.
He wonders whether he embarrassed the guy, whether he came across as rude, and whether he may have created a long-term awkward relationship with a gym regular he’s guaranteed to see again.
He didn’t want to start drama—he just wanted the noise to stop.
But now he’s overthinking everything.
What Reddit Thinks
Most Redditors would likely vote NTA (Not the Ahole)** for one simple reason:
Slamming weights in a shared apartment gym is inconsiderate.
Sample reactions:
“NTA. Apartment gyms are small. If he’s dropping the stack, he’s the one being rude.”
“You even apologized in your head before you said anything—he’s a grown adult, he’ll survive being asked to stop.”
“If he’s so uncomfortable setting weights down gently, maybe he needs lighter weights.”
A small minority might say soft YTA for tone alone, but most would agree the request was reasonable.
A Final Thought
In shared spaces like apartment gyms, a little courtesy goes a long way.
But here’s the bigger question:
Is it rude to ask someone to be considerate—or rude that you even have to ask?