Johnny “Bananas” Devenanzio has come a long way since first shooting to fame on MTV’s “The Challenge” back in 2006. As a reoccurring contestant, he has now reigned victorious on the show a record six times, participating in challenges that have tested his physical and mental limits.
Devenanzio thinks nothing of scaling, or falling, from great heights, and as a fan of outdoor training and extreme sports, he attributes much of his success to a life of grappling with high altitude. But with COVID-19 still limiting travel, the fitness fan is excited that gyms are slowly returning to normality. Still, there are certain things about the iron paradise that Devenanzio hasn’t missed. In a chat with Muscle & Fitness, the host of the Celebrity Sleepover shares his pet hates of the gym.
How many of these can you relate to?
For more of Johnny’s Bananas takes, follow him on Instagram @realjohnnybannas and catch Celebrity Sleepover right after Saturday Night Live on NBC affiliate stations.
“I like to do HIIT workouts,” says Bananas. “At my gym, there’s an aerobic room that sits empty, but when I’m pushing a sled on the turf area, people decide that’s the best place for them to stretch out, right in front of my path! A lot of times I just put my head down and run the sled straight toward them. Wake up! [laughs]”
2 of 5
Cavan Images
Pet Hate #2 – Using the gym space as a social club
“Those guys that just stand there, occupying a piece of equipment, but doing more talking, and taking pictures of themselves, than actually working out”, says Bananas. “Hey, buddy! This isn’t social hour, I love to socialize, but when I’m at the gym, that’s my time to focus.”
3 of 5
Westend61
Pet Hate #3 – Cell Phones
“Put your phone down,” says Bananas. “Do you really need to check your Instagram in the middle of a workout! I see the gym as a way to disconnect.”
4 of 5
HD92
Pet Hate #4 – Taking up machines unnecessarily
Bananas takes exception to people that monopolize the wrong equipment. “People use machines to do workouts that the equipment wasn’t intended for,” says Bananas. “You don’t need to use the bench-pressing bench to sit and do bicep curls if there is already a designated spot for bicep curls.”
5 of 5
Jasminko Ibrakovic
Pet Hate #5 – Vain People at the Mirrors
Bananas believes that, these days, mirrors in gyms have become less about checking exercise form and more about narcissism, attracting posers who just want to check themselves out. “Buddy, get away from the mirror!” he says.
