What is our obsession with having specific "spots" at the gym? I am talking about the people who must have a specific piece of equipment for their workout or a specific area of the exercise studio for the class they are taking. I noticed this lately in my evening classes which have become a bit busy.

I teach a step class where the situation has turned into a problem. Certain people who frequent this specific class are exceptionally territorial and have become quite belligerent when it comes to "their spot". Now, before I continue, I must stress that I never ever nurture anyone's "claim" to a specific spot during any of my classes. As a matter of fact, I tend to ridicule people who do not have the flexibility to take class from a different part of the room.

Mind you, this does not only happen in step class. When I was an assistant manager of a health club, I got a call in my office from my front desk associate that there was a member up front who insisted on talking to a manager. As I made my way to the Front Desk, I started to think that the member was having issues about about the steam room or a faulty piece of equipment.

When I finally spoke to the member, she complained that there was a gentleman who was working out on the specific treadmill that she liked and wanted me to kick him off because he had been on there for more than 30 minutes. Since I was a manager and was supposed to uphold the rules of customer service, I went to the cardio equipment floor with her to see if I could do something. As I rounded the corner, I noticed that the aforementioned gentleman was the only person on the floor. I also noticed that the 15 other treadmills were empty and all fully functional.

I told the member that I was not going to ask the gentleman to get off the treadmill because there were others for her to choose from. She began to huff and puff about how she was used to the treadmill in the corner and that I was going to force her to miss her workout. At this point, my patience had worn out and I asked her how she would feel if she were in his position. She replied that she was not and that my point was irrelevant. She went on to say that if she could not get that specific treadmill, she would cancel her membership.

At this point, I asked her to accompany me to my office so she could sign the paperwork that would begin her membership cancellation. Let's just say that she is still a member to this day.

This evening's step class was especially "trying". As much as I would like to adjust everyone's step to accomodate every student, I feel that I do not need to. I will rearrange steps so that the most people able to fit into class can fit. What I will not do is move someone just because they are in somebody's "regular spot" AND especially when there are other places in the room to set up.

What I tend to say to the class when there is a "spot" problem is that they need to figure this out on their own. I have told the class that I will not be part of this arguement, that they ar all adults and need to learn how to compromise. I even threaten that if this kinds of issues continue, I will drop the class faster than they can say "NO!". So far, I have not been asked to deal with any of it. Sometimes, I feel like a kindergarten teacher.

Why must we have the same spot? Are we that scared of trying something different that it forces us to revert back to our childish ways? And, referring specifically to exercise, does working out in the same spot increase the benefits of our labor? Is it that familiarity is really comfortable? Or have we all become brainless creatures of habit? Later.  ¶ 11:13 PM