Building muscles has long been relevant for many people, whether for beauty or practical reasons. The modern practice of bodybuilding was developed in the late 19th century, but its origins go way back to ancient Greece.

Nowadays, most people grow their bodies in the gym, which has its own culture. But while most people are happily helping each other to save time and make things easier, as this Reddit story tells us, some not only refuse but do that in a manner that can bring the situation to the verge of physical conflict. 

More info: Reddit

While common courtesy in the gym is welcomed but not required, patronizing others is a step taken too far

Image credits: Oliver DelaCruz (not the actual photo)

A bodybuilder took it to the malicious compliance community to share how he dealt with a guy at his local gym who condescendingly refused to help

Image credits: Anete Lusina (not the actual photo)

The guy started taking off the plates he used and, to save time, asked for help from a fellow gym-goer waiting in line, who told him to clean up his own mess

Image credits: Tima Miroschnichenko (not the actual photo)

When asked to stop once the weight was to the lazy guy’s liking, the author maliciously refused and kept removing the plates, making the other guy mad and barely able to contain his rage

Image credits: u/djtmhk_93

The post author added that he would’ve had no problem complying without maliciousness if the other guy was simply more polite

Our story begins with the original poster (OP) already in the gym doing his regular workout routine. He was doing a leg press exercise when another guy approached him and asked how many sets he had left, to which the post author replied that he had just finished. 

To better understand the situation, you need to know that the OP is a buff man who was exercising with a lot of weight. Taking off 10 plates from each side takes some time, and in most gyms, it’s usually common sense to help the other person, which saves time and gives a little additional exercise. But when the OP started the process and asked for help, the other guy refused, saying it was the author’s mess, so he had to take them all off.

Wanting to clear things up, the big man asked once again, and when he got a similar reply, he simply carried on with the task alone. When it was almost done, and there were only 3 plates on each side left, the other guy, who had spent the time waiting on his phone, told him to stop, saying that this was the weight he needed.

Here is where malice came into the OP’s compliance. He replied that since he was told it was his mess and he had to deal with all of it, that was exactly what he’d do. To quote the author, “If I have to personally take off all MY weights, then you have to personally load all of YOURS.”

While the big guy finished up and walked away, the other guy was absolutely fuming but restrained himself from saying or doing anything else since, according to the OP, he probably realized that this was not someone he would want to get into a fight with.

This story got a very mixed reaction from fellow Redditors. Some agreed with the OP, saying that it’s simply common courtesy to help out when it involves both participants, while others were taking this thread more like an Am I The A-Hole (AITA) post and were calling out the author for bragging about his muscles and being rude. 

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In the later edits, the big guy elaborates on the situation, saying that it wasn’t the fact that the other guy didn’t want to help that triggered him, as much as the condescending tone in which he chose to say it. He assumes this kind of help is part of the gym culture but says that if it were a polite refusal, he would’ve had no problem doing the work himself and leaving the plates the other guy asked for. The author also admits that his talking about how much he’s lifting might’ve come off as bragging, but according to him, he only said that to illustrate the situation better.

Image credits: Andrej Podobedov (not the actual photo)

Looking for additional details to the story, Bored Panda reached out to djtmhk_93, who was glad to answer our questions and shed a little more light on the matter.

The man told us that he’s been a frequent visitor of the Malicious Compliance subreddit for a while, and while he didn’t have a story to share with the community up until now, he always enjoyed reading the stories of others. 

“I think Malicious Compliance has in some ways become a new AITA, and I figured I might get some level of feedback on whether I wound up the bigger a-hole or not, particularly also if other people agree with and follow the convention that I always had, that when a machine changes hands, it’s polite and efficient to help the guy leaving unrack weights so you can set up for yourself much quicker, though not an obligation for you to do so,” added the guy, explaining why he decided to share his story in the forum.

While he was very surprised with the popularity that his post received, he added that it wasn’t the most positive experience. “Personally, It kinda made me less likely to ever want to post again, especially the disorganized parroting YTA comments that made the misconception that I detailed above.”

The story itself didn’t have much development since it was posted. The gymgoer told us that he was only a visitor at that gym as he was staying in the city that it’s located in only for 4 weeks total, and his visitor’s period expired a couple of days after the incident.

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Summarizing his answers, the man reiterated what he already said in his post. “I primarily acted the way I did because of the condescending tone he struck when he said what he said, almost as if he were like some of the commenters on that post who assumed my request for help was an expectation and a bid entirely for me to not have to do the work,” said the guy, adding “I can say with confidence that when the roles are reversed, I immediately help the other person unrack and change weights without being prompted, so I figured that helping was a bit more of a common courtesy, but not an expectation.”

In the end, we don’t ever have to do something just because we’re told to. But it pays to be nice because these things come around. And when, in a gym, it comes to questions like whether you should help someone else unload their weights to be friendly and save time for both of you, it’s worth remembering the saying, “You get what you give.”

What did you think? Who do you think was right? Do you have any interesting gym encounters of your own? Come on and share below!

Redditors in the comment section were quite divided, with some agreeing that it is a common courtesy to help and others saying that the poster was simply rude over pettiness

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