guilty as charged. i can't help it!

Yes - When someone run super-fast on the treadmill, I just want to see the speed that they set. Lately, I spot someone putting a 8.5 on the treadmill!

I'm always curious to see the resistance levels that other people are doing, or like lidialee mentioned, speed. Esp. those that are in great shape.

I don't think it's rude, but I don't do it.

I don't do it all the time, but I have done it out of curiosity. I think it can be a good way to challenge yourself if you're up for it- the whole "competing with a stranger" idea from last week.

Occasionally I do. Especially when I'm running next to men. I try to match their stride (using the mirror so it's not too obvious), and then if there's a chance, I'll stealthily look at their display.

I don't. It's rude and it's none of my business. I'm there to exercise, not rubberneck.

why is this a rude or shameful thing to do?

The only time I do it is if I see someone doing an interesting workout on the treadmill that I might want to try. There are so many people that do it to be competitively though and that drives me insane! I have my own fitness goals and you have yours, so why should the speed or incline on my machine matter to you?

I only worry about myself, but once I catch someone, it's fair game to blatantly look at theirs. I hate that type of competition (the constant kind), it's retarded and unhealthy. I'm a competitive athlete and if I'm forced to run in the gym then I'm probably just going to want to chill or focus on me, I don't want to have to compete with some stressed out mother of 3 or ditzy cheerleader, I compete with enough people already.
People give the constant competition a BREK! focus on yourself, you're not "beating" anyone. Competing with everyone all the time is exhausting. Chill-ax.

Yeah, I occasionally do. Once I saw a girl running at 3.5 mph on the treadmill... she looked like a gym newbie and I so badly wanted to tell her that that speed is commonly a walking speed... but of course, did not. Other times I have peaked at levels on the elliptical and some of them have really put me to shame! I know we shouldn't compare ourselves, but it's human nature!

If I can tell that somebody on a treadmill near me is trying to compete, I definitely look.

I have looked at others displays. I like to see how I match up to someone I perceive at a greater fitness level them myself. Sometimes I'm pleasantly surprised. The one time I got caught I just gave the girl a thumbs up and said "Good job!"

I take a quick glance on occasion. Yesterday though, the girl next to me was continuously staring at mine, she was trying so badly to keep up but she couldn't.

when I used to go to the gym I did... I'm a naturally competitive person and used to get myself in major trouble by trying to match or one up the person next to me. Terrible terrible.

No, I don't - I'm not there to compete or to pay attention to what other people are doing, I'm there to do my own thing. The funny thing is that I'm actually a very competitive person. But the gym is for my own personal development and while I see people whose bodies I aspire to achieve, I work at my own speed and don't give a sh*t about where the person next to me is at. And I do think it's rude when people do that.

I consider this a rude thing to do. Maybe the person beside you didn't show up to compete. Also, I think in too mnay cases, this desire to "compete" with strangers is actually a desire to show off at the gym. It's fine to use to use other people's fitness as a motivator, but you don't need to know what their display says.

No , Iam to buzy looking at mine.

I don't do this, but I've noticed people watching my display when I enter my weight! RUDE!

I watch what other people are doing. It's an incentive to get better. I want to be able to work as hard as they are as easily as they are. Make sense?

I do occasionally if I see someone who looks like they are going really hard because I am curious to see what speed they are actually going. I dont think it is rude to look though, I am flattered if I catch someone looking at mine.

And Anne M, the thumbs up when getting caught is hilarious. I am stealing that from you if I ever get busted:)

I only occasionally glance over when the person is on a machine I want to use and I'd like to figure out what kind of gym user they are. That way, I know whether I can go to another machine further away and still have a chance of using the machine after they're done. You can tell a lot of about how people exercise from the display. But that's the only reason I'd glance - and it's less invasive than interrupting their workout to ask them when they might be done.

Other than that, it's just rude. I don't get where the competition is, personally. I only pay attention to what I'm doing and my own fitness level. If there's any competition, it's with myself. I hate people invading my space, and looking at my display I think crosses that line. Keep your eyes on your OWN machines, people!

I need an option for "no, because I don't really care how others are performing." Everyone has different bodies that need different things from their workout. So the idea of competing with a stranger doesn't ever occur to me. I don't think it's rude to peek, more like pointless.

I don't think the machines in my gym are close enough together for people to be able to look, but if someone wants to look at my display, I don't really care. I don't look at other people's readouts because I'm there for myself, not to see what other people are doing.

@Lo Lo--looking at your weight when you enter it in, now THAT is rude! I would be pretty upset if someone did that to me.

i do! it's just curiosity and i promise i don't judge! if you're moving it's all good.

sometimes it can be inspiring - there is a girl at my gym who is an excellent runner and when i saw how fast she ran i thought 'i want to be able to do that'... and now i can!

Guilty. I look. I don't think of it as competeition though. I think of it as an incentive. If someone that looks healthy and fit is going at a faster pace, I try to match mine to there's and see how far I do it and gage my own health on that.

But hardly anyone peeks over at my screen. I always over it with a towel so I don't drive myself nuts with where I'm at on calorie burn or time.

I'm always paranoid that the person next to me is peeping my weight when I enter it but I feel stupid if I try to 'hide' it.

call me crazy, but I WANT other people to be able to see how long I've been there or how much resistance I'm using. This motivates me to work harder for longer if i think they will judge me if I take i too easy....ok putting that in words makes me feel like a nut....but when it comes to working out, whatever keeps me motivated is fine by me!!! Oh and I glance at others just out of curiosity of their workout- People watching at the gym is so great- later when we're at home, my husband and I will be like, oh did you see that skinny girl with curly hair talking to the tan guy with funny shorts? I totally think she's crushing on him! ......oh the gym can be so fun.....

I look, but I'm not competing. I just look out of curiosity. If someone is going really fast, I wonder just how fast that is.

I never make any kind of judgment about how fast or slow anyone is going! Probably more boredom than anything.

I always, always compliment someone who works out to me when they work out hard. I was working out next to a 50 year old yesterday who ran for an hour at 6.0 mph! I was like, "That was a really awesome run!" I feel a caumraduerie with people who really push themselves.

So, I do look - but it's part of a desire to have a communal, positive atmosphere.

: ) I often try and look but get scared i'll be caught! I guess i'm just curious about other people's fitness levels etc. Sometimes I worry i'm not working hard enough so it would be nice to compare what i do with someone else.

I look! Especially if a girl who looks about my height gets on the treadmill next to me.

i look sometimes out of curiosity or to compare. sometimes it motivates me.

when people are running like crazy , im talking about 11 ....

No, that's rude! I really wish all the competitve people would go to specific gyms, so all the normal people who are just there trying to work out for themselves would have unstressful gyms!

sometimes i'll glance at the display but i don't do it all the time. when i was in school, i had a workout buddy so i'd often look at hers to keep up. that's just because i wanted to run faster, so i followed what she did.

I never do this, probably because I truly do not care about what the person next to me is doing. I am a competitive person, but when it is necessary. I don't just go to a gym to compete with people. I am not there to show anyone up or be let down because someone did an 8 minute mile and I did a 9 minute mile.

I watch TV on the machine. I use my HRM for tracking how long I have been working out, etc.