I'm feeling a bit disgruntled.

Dear readers, I have a bone to pick. Not with you, of course, but with a certain compilation of individuals I will commonly refer to as one Grunty McGruntsalot. Does he frequent your gym, too? You'll recognize him by the loud, gutturo-centric response he gives to whatever weight he is currently lifting. Such proclamations include, but are not limited to the following:

"Oooooooooooooooooooh. Ow."
"Uuuggghhh. Uuuggghhh. Uuuggghhh."
"Yeaaaaaaaaaaaah. That hurts."
"Ooooomph. Ooooomph. Oooooyeah."

After which, weights are dropped and muscles are rubbed. Now, don't get me wrong, I appreciate the fact that Grunty can lift heavy weights. Kudos to him (honestly) for such impressive strength, however let's be frank about something—is the grunting really necessary? What's your opinion? I imagine that some of you will say that yes, it is necessary. And I'll admit to grunting when a particular move gets exceptionally tough to perform. But the difference lies within the fact that Grunty is loud. Uproariously loud. Must a grunt really be heard from one side of the gym to another, over an iPod and the treadmill? And must that grunt really include words like "ow" and "yeah"? It's just not necessary, and sometimes I wonder if those grunts are fabricated for my benefit. Like it's The Grunty McGruntsalot Show, if you will.

Mr. McGruntsalot, the louder you grunt, the more I think you just want my attention. And I'm giving it to you, but not for the reason you're hoping for. Quite frankly, you sound like an ape which is incredibly distracting. Won't you keep it down?! Work hard, really get into whatever you're doing. As a personal trainer, I know how important it is to push yourself in the gym. But I'd really, truly appreciate it if you did your best to keep the grunting at a normal, mostly inaudible level like the rest of us. It's about etiquette, and also about respecting the space you share with the rest of us fit freaks.