The Breather

[MamaMootz]

In my current apartment complex, there is a gym that is open to all residents. It's a very nice gym, has treadmills, stairmasters, free weights, universals, the whole shebang.

I love going there to work out in the morning, but my focus is shattered daily by The Breather. He is an older man and he gets onto the treadmills and runs, and lifts weights. He BREATHES the entire time.  And not just a regular type of breathing. This guy sounds like Darth Vader working out when he's on the treadmill, and he breathes even harder with the weights and adds loud moans and groans.

I don't have my headphones with me as we are in temporary living. I also don't have the controls to the TV's in the gym as they are centrally monitored by the complex and preset.

Would it be rude of me to address this with him? What should I say? Is it rude for him to breathe like this in a public space?

It wouldn't bother me and I could tune him out if he was quieter but he's really extremely loud. Maybe I should just buy some cheap headphones so that I can drown him out.

[Judah]

Buy some headphones. Even if you could come up with the words to say something politely, I doubt the man could do anything to change the way he breathes.

[Shoo]

Headphones are less than $10.  There's no way you can ask someone to not breathe.

[Yvaine]

There's almost certainly some physiological reason he breathes like that, and it's not rude. Grunting heavily while lifting weights can be kind of rude, I think, and some guys do it to show off how heavy the weight is--but darned if I know anything about how to stop it.

[Moray]

Buy some cheap headphones, or some earplugs.

[Roe]

Another one here for cheap headphones. 

[JenJay]

I doubt he's breathing loudly to intentionally annoy you, he probably can't help it. It'll be a lot easier for you to grab a cheap set of headphones than for him to change the way he breathes, so I'd go that route.

[onyonryngs]

Cheap headphones.

[CaptainObvious]

What could you possibly say? How exactly can he quiet his breathing? And no, loud breathing in public isn't rude.

[Perfect Circle]

There is no polite way to ask someone not to breathe.

I vote for headphones too.

[ilrag]

I can't imagine getting a good cardio work out with out breathing pretty hard. He might have a health condition that makes his breathing louder. Don't say anything, get some headphones.

[Cat-Fu]

There is no polite way to ask someone not to breathe.

I vote for headphones too.

I agree completely.

I think this is one of those things where it makes sense to ask in your head, but when it leaves your mouth it becomes really obvious that it wasn't a good idea. (Like many of my jokes.)

[Dalek]

Personally, I would not ask him to stop making noises. IMO he's not being rude.

[IDriveADodgeStratus]

I agree, get some headphones. Maybe he has a medical condition.

[NutMeg]

You cannot ask someone to not breathe heavily while working out. That is a little ridiculous. You are going to have to find a way to deal with it, because this is one situation where the old adage "It never hurts to ask" is patently false.