Weights in the Middle of the Gym Floor and Why I Said Something

I was on the elliptical doing my high intensity intervals when I noticed a couple set up near the treadmills. They each had two weights and placed them in the middle of the floor while they did their alternating routine, running or walking and then stepping off to lift. The weights were sitting right in the middle of a walking path where anyone could trip over them and go down hard.

I watched for a moment to see if they would notice and move them on their own. They did not. They were completely oblivious to it.

So I said something.

I could hear them speaking Spanish so I called out to get their attention and addressed them directly. I kept it polite, friendly, and clear. I told them we did not want any grandmas slipping and falling over the weights. I made it a little bit of a joke to keep the energy light. They laughed, picked up the weights, and that was that.

I want to be honest about the fact that it could have gone differently. Not everyone receives that kind of thing well regardless of how it is delivered. Their mood, their energy, who they are as people, all of that plays a role in how a moment like that lands. I knew that going in.

But I also could not just sit there and say nothing. I am a Zumba instructor at that gym. That shared space is part of my world too and I feel a responsibility toward the people in it. Someone was going to get hurt eventually and someone was going to say something eventually. I just happened to be the one there in that moment.

Thankfully it worked out. They moved the weights, we all kept it moving, and nobody’s grandma went down.