Gym Guy Turns The Only Bicep Curl Machine Into A 20-Minute Phone Chair While Everyone Else Waits For Him To Remember He Came To Lift

What is the deal with people sitting on exercise machines and texting or whatever with their phone? It was a regular Tuesday afternoon at Planet Fitness when this whole ordeal unfolded, and it was nothing short of bizarre. The gym was bustling; people were getting in their workouts, but one particular guy turned the only bicep curl machine into his personal hangout spot. It was a classic case of “Welcome to the Gym, but I’m Here for My Phone.”

Picture this: the gym is filled with the sounds of weights clanking, music pumping through the speakers, and the occasional grunts as people push themselves. Everyone’s there to, you know, actually lift weights. But there was this one guy—let’s call him Jake—who claimed the bicep curl machine right in the middle of the gym floor. Initially, everyone just assumed he was doing his thing, but as the minutes ticked by, it became clear that wasn’t the case.

Jake had parked himself on the machine, unbothered by the increasing number of people eyeing him. He was wearing a tank top that fit just right, showing off a decently toned physique—so it’s not like he didn’t look the part. But instead of curling weights, he was gliding his fingers across his phone screen like he was at home scrolling through TikTok. The machine wasn’t just a workout tool for him; it had turned into his personal throne, where he seemingly ruled over the waiting gym-goers with indifference.

What was he even doing? It was hard to say. Maybe he was checking social media, responding to a text, or perhaps he was deep into a game of Candy Crush. Whatever it was, it was definitely not lifting weights. From the corner of the gym, you could overhear whispers. “Is he gonna actually use that?” “How long can he sit there?” It was a mix of disbelief and annoyance. A couple of guys flexing their own biceps nearby exchanged glances that said everything: “We’ve all been there, but this is just ridiculous.”

As the minutes dragged on, a couple of hopeful gym-goers approached the machine. “Excuse me, are you using that?” one guy asked, trying to keep it polite while clearly trying to mask his irritation. Jake looked up from his phone, blinked a few times, and responded, “Oh yeah, I’m just about to get to it.” With a vague gesture towards the weights, he went back to scrolling, completely oblivious to the fact that he was holding up the line. The guy who had asked just sighed heavily and walked away, shaking his head in disbelief.

Meanwhile, other gym members began to form an unofficial waiting line. People hovered around, eyeing the machine as if it were the last piece of equipment in a post-apocalyptic world. A few even started stretching nearby, pretending to keep warm and engaged while secretly keeping a close watch on Jake, waiting for him to finally get up. But with each passing minute, their patience wore thinner than the fabric of Jake’s tank top.

After what felt like an eternity—twenty minutes to be exact—Jake finally began to raise his arms and place them on the bar. The waiting gym-goers perked up with hope. “Finally!” someone whispered, but the guy’s arms didn’t go into a full curl. Instead, he decided to take a sip of water…from his special water bottle, of course, that matched his outfit perfectly. The machine sat idle once more as Jake scrolled through another batch of notifications on his phone, treating the bicep curl like his personal throne of procrastination.

Eventually, he did perform a couple of half-hearted curls, but it was evident that he wasn’t really into it. The neighbors could see him half-heartedly pumping a couple of reps but with the same distracted demeanor as someone still more invested in their phone than the workout itself. This went on for another five minutes before Jake, satisfied with his effort, finally stood up, stretched, and casually strolled away, leaving behind a gathering of frustrated would-be weightlifters.

It was a classic case of a gym etiquette blunder. Maybe Jake was just oblivious or perhaps he felt entitled to camp out on the machine like it was a chair in his living room. The gym-goers who had waited were left rolling their eyes, sharing their disbelief. For them, it was just another day in the gym, but it was certainly one that would stick in their minds for a while. The bicep curl machine, once a symbol of lifting gains, had been repurposed into a mobile phone chair, and sadly, it wasn’t the first time they had witnessed such behavior—which made them wonder if it had become the new norm.