Recently I headed off to the gym for my workout. When I arrived and headed to the treadmills I was greeted with the sight of a gentleman who was walking so close to the back of the treadmill I thought  he was about to fall off!! To add to that he was bent over the machine with terrible posture.

Now as a fitness professional this is not the first time, nor I am sure, the last time I will see something that concerns me. But the question remains how many times have you been at the gym and seen a similar situation? What have you done? Have you offered help?

I didn’t help that man in the gym and kicked myself for the rest of the day.

Is it crossing the boundary to help someone clearly in need, when there are paid staff who should be doing this anyway?…..It was a quiet afternoon, so no real reason that this man shouldn’t have been given some advice. It wouldn’t have taken much to help and give him some tips on how to walk on a treadmill safely.

During that same workout I was sharing the squat rack with a man (who I did not know). I was on my last set and as he went to walk away he nicely and politely said to me that my foot was slightly turned out. I thanked him, corrected my technique and we carried on our separate ways.

Now I was grateful for this mans advice but I am aware that not everyone will appreciate some stranger offering them advice when they don’t even work there….

This is a topic I have debated with friends in the fitness industry and I have had mixed answers.

So my question to all you fitness professionals out there is: what would you do, or what have you done?

To help or not to help…?