I was at the gym today doing lat pulldowns with 172 lbs (I weigh 190). On my last rep, I dropped the weight stack faster than I should have – not intentional, just fatigued at the end of a heavy set.
Guy next to me doing leg immediately got on me about it. His approach was rude from the start – something like "hey you're about to break the machine" but in a confrontational tone, not helpful. Maybe he didn't know how to communicate his frustration better, I don't know.
I probably should've stayed calm but I responded with "how about mind your own business" and started to walk away. That's when he escalated – started raising his voice, calling me an idiot and other names. This got everyone in the gym looking at us.
I just walked away from him at that point and continued my workout on other equipment. Didn't run out of the gym, didn't engage with the name-calling, just removed myself from the situation and kept training elsewhere.
I know dropping the weight fast isn't great gym etiquette, even if unintentional. And maybe telling him to mind his business escalated things. But I feel like his reaction was way over the top for the situation.
Did I handle this right? How should I deal with similar situations? The whole incident is still bothering me and I'm trying to figure out if I could've handled it better.