Be courteous, unload barbells when you finish your workout

I step into the bottom level of the RPAC, make my way toward the squat racks and stop as soon as they come into view. It seems that they are all being used. I stand there, hoping that someone will vacate a rack soon, but then, feeling rather dumb, decide to come back in five minutes. After I fill my water bottle up, though it didn’t really need to be filled, I return to the squat racks to discover that the situation hasn’t changed. All are being used. Or at least they look like they’re being used. Only two of them actually have people actively squatting. The others look occupied, but I really can’t tell. The barbell on the one closest to me is fully loaded, three 45-pound plates on each side. I look around, hoping that someone will come and claim the rack. However, after a few more wasted minutes staring at it, it seems as though no one is coming. I sigh, set my water bottle down and begin to unload the barbell, wasting even more of my limited workout time.

It irritates me greatly, finding loaded barbells just sitting on squat racks. First of all, when people do not unload the barbell, it can confuse others. I am not always sure if the squat rack is being used or not. I don’t want to take someone’s place, but I also would like to find an open squat rack as soon as possible. Secondly, I have to spend some of my own time unloading the racks and replacing the weights, which are normally much heavier than anything I would use. This can add minutes to my workouts, which are usually pressed for time as it is. If people would just take the time to unload a squat rack before leaving, it would make life just a little bit easier for others.