If you walk away from a piece of equipment in a crowded gym and leave it unoccupied, do not be surprised when someone else jumps on it. That is not a gym rule violation. That is just how it works.
This is not a new conversation. Every gym regular has either lived this or witnessed it. You step away without leaving anything on the machine, no towel, no water bottle, no visible sign that you are coming back, and someone who had no way of knowing takes it. That is a reasonable thing to do in a shared space where people are waiting.
The solution is simple. Stay with your equipment or accept that it is available. If you need to step away, leave something to mark it. A water bottle on the seat takes two seconds and communicates everything. Without that, you have no claim.
Crowded gym etiquette is not complicated. Be present or be replaced. That is a tale as old as the gym itself.
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