Takeaway Points:

Your phone can actually be a useful tool when working out, whether it is playing music, recording your reps, filming your own progress, or playing quick games while you rest between sets.
People should not be using their phones in order to film OTHER people, especially if their intention is to post those videos online to shame them for whatever they’re doing.
If someone is using equipment you want to use and you feel like they are taking too long, the best thing to do is politely talk to them to see when you’ll be able to jump in.

(This is an updated version of an article originally published on 2/16/15. It has been expanded slightly to account for changes in phone usage since it was originally published, rewritten for more inclusive language, and updated for modern style standards.)

We all know the stereotype. Since the rise of smart phones, there’s been a rash of bros at the gym who spend about 25% of their time lifting and the remainder sitting on equipment and checking their phones. Phone bros have accumulated like hair in your plumbing system, clogging up the pipes and making it harder for everyone to get to the stuff that they need. They’re obnoxious, and everyone hates them.

But I’ve got a confession: I’m one of those phone bros.

I lift in a big box, mainstream gym and tend to do lots of heavy lifting. I train for strength, so I tend to have long rest times. In between sets of near maximal deadlifts, I’ve got to take some time and relax. Since I’m often listening to music or podcasts while I lift, that means that I tend to end up fiddling with my phone all the same, even though I know I’d probably get through things a little bit quicker if I didn’t. Here’s another thing: I rarely let that impact other people’s experience at the gym.

The reality is that there are plenty of people who are VERY slow in the gym in a way that has nothing to do with using or not using a smartphone. I’ve personally experienced many times where I get through multiple exercises while I wait for one slow lifter to finish up just 3 sets on the bench press, and usually I’m using my phone between sets while the other exerciser isn’t touching theirs.

A lot of griping that goes on in the fitness industry could be solved if we were better at communicating with each other, annoying and anxiety-inducing though that may be.

Curling in the squat rack? Well why don’t you walk over to the guy and explain what he’s doing? Dude’s using your machine? Well why don’t you politely ask him if you can get it next?

Rather, people seem to feel more inclined to turn around and post stuff on social media rather than confronting the actual issue at hand. A lot of gym goers, myself included, are perfectly willing to move along and make space if you simply ask. The fact that a lot of people don’t, is often the bigger issue.

This is also why a lot of people fear getting into fitness. They know the kind of the shaming that happens online and they want to avoid becoming the next person on Youtube doing something stupid (or doing something normal that the viewer just doesn’t like) and getting filmed covertly by someone’s camera phone.

Social interactions can sometimes be difficult, and we might not want to try and correct that weird guy who looks at everyone funny and tends to get a little bit too close when he starts up unwanted conversations in the locker room. However, the vast majority of people are not that: they’re just trying to get their workout on.

Besides, workouts can be boring sometimes. Lifting weights over and over again, as fun as it may be, is hardly anyone’s idea of paradise. In fact, repetitive action could probably be considered something more like someone’s idea of hell. (I’m looking at you, Sisyphus.) Whatever gets people to actually get their workout on, even if it’s something as stupid as avoiding part of the experience by escaping into our phones, should be considered a good thing!

This isn’t to mention that since the original version of this article about ten years ago, smartphones have become an even bigger and more crucial element of people’s lives - an everything-box where you get social connection, work, entertainment, and more all in one place.

For example, I use my phone for listening to music and podcasts which help make my workouts more enjoyable. I use my phone for my workout tracking app, where I enter each set and rep so that I can have a record of my workouts and accordingly progress my exercises the next time I lift. Sometimes, I use it for work, answering emails or checking work-related social media if something urgent comes up. I use language apps for practicing new languages, and yes, I have mobile games that I enjoy playing as well.

Many of these functions are things that need to happen in the gym. I just can’t workout without fiddling with my music occasionally, or recording and referencing my workout tracking app between sets. But I’m also good about not sitting around too much, putting my phone down and moving on when I need to, and using rest timers as necessary to remind me to move.

Certainly, some people may get easily distracted, or end up spending way too much time on their phone at the gym. But honestly, I’ve been going to mainstream gyms for decades at this point, and realistically I rarely find that other people on their phones is actually an issue. In fact, the one time I would say it was an issue, it wasn’t even a phone at all - it was a guy who had brought his Nintendo Switch to the gym to play video games between sets! To be fair, that guy really did slow things down quite a bit.

But despite that, for how little it actually impacts my life, everyone online talks like people on their phones are the greatest evil to ever hit the gym.

And if people being slow on the equipment is an issue, there’s a far likely and more insidious likelihood - that the main reason that you’re encountering other people slowing you down, is simply that the gym has oversold on memberships in order to keep profits up while keeping your monthly gym membership down. Functionally, dealing with congested equipment and the occasional slow lifter, is the price you have to pay for having an affordable monthly gym membership.

What are things that you can do to resolve this issue?

Let the lifter know that you’re waiting, and politely ask how many sets left, or if they can speed it up a bit
Find other exercises to do until the equipment is free
Buy your own gym equipment! It’s usually way cheaper than you think in the long run, if you have the space at home
Consider going during off hours at your gym, or look into other gyms that are less crowded
Get over it and stop shaming people online

So next time you see someone their phone, consider: are they getting in your way? Then gently let them know. And if they aren’t? Then just let him be!

We don’t need to be passive aggressive in the gym. We just need to get our workouts on.

About Adam Fisher

Adam is an experienced fitness coach and blogger who's been blogging and coaching since 2012, and lifting since 2006. He's written for numerous major health publications, including Personal Trainer Development Center, T-Nation, Bodybuilding.com, Fitocracy, and Juggernaut Training Systems.

During that time he has coached thousands of individuals of all levels of fitness, including competitive powerlifters and older exercisers regaining the strength to walk up a flight of stairs. His own training revolves around bodybuilding and powerlifting, in which he’s competed.

Adam writes about fitness, health, science, philosophy, personal finance, self-improvement, productivity, the good life, and everything else that interests him. When he's not writing or lifting, he's usually hanging out with his cats or feeding his video game addiction.

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In Defense Of Being On Your Phone At The Gym

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