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Gym etiquette is something most people tend to pick up over spending a lot of time there. However, even seasoned gym rats have poor gym etiquette sometimes. The following paragraphs will be on proper gym etiquette (from both points of view) for those using resistance exercise equipment or spaces. I’m sure much of it will also apply to cardio equipment, but there simply isn’t a lot of unspoken rules about cardio equipment. Just don’t push anyone off the treadmill or sneak up behind them and you should be fine there.
Rule Number 1
Don’t take someone else’s equipment. Sounds pretty simple, but you wouldn’t believe how often it happens to me. This occurs on an almost daily basis. Gym rats use multiple methods of “reserving” their equipment or spots. Some common placeholders are gym towels, phones, water bottles, etc. Some people just leave weight “racked” or “loaded” on the bar and expect people to know better. Once you see more than a couple lazy people do this out of laziness and not to reserve their spot, you tend to ignore this one. If you see someone’s stuff on or right near a spot or equipment just hang out for a second and see if anyone is using it. I have had people literally throw my towel onto the ground while I was doing super-sets between two exercises. The A-hole didn’t even apologize when he realized what he had done and just kept going.
Rule Number 1.5
The other side of the coin for rule 1: Don’t take up too much space or equipment. You’re asking for the above situation if you are “that person” that has twelve sets of dumbbells at your station or are “reserving” 4 different machines at once. There is no reasonable excuse for taking up that many spots at one time. Re-rack the dumbbells after you are done with them and hope they are still available if/when you need them again in a few minutes (assuming you aren’t using the same weight every set – in this case it is OK to hold on to one set at a time). Don’t leave weight racked or loaded on something you are done with.
Rule Number 2
Ask before you jump onto or into a piece of equipment that is possibly in use. Before I jump on something I will scope it out for a second while I’m working on another exercise. If I don’t see anyone on it for a bit, I usually feel confident enough to jump on it. However, if I see someone working near it I will kindly ask them if they are using the piece of equipment I intend to use. Given the widespread use of headphones at the gym, this is usually accomplished by pointing at the piece of equipment with a questioning look on my face while making direct eye contact. If someone isn’t using it, you will get a “no” head shake or a thumbs up, giving you the go-ahead. If I see someone on something I would like to use and they have been there for a bit, I will ask them “how may sets do you have left?”. This politely gives them a little warning that someone else is looking to use that equipment. If, by chance, they just started, this gives you the notice you need to find a different piece of equipment.
Rule Number 2.5
The flip side of rule 2: don’t take up too much time on a single piece of equipment, especially a popular one. I have seen one person take up the only dip station in the gym for over an hour. They do dips, pull ups, stretch and sit on the station for seriously 60 minutes or more. That is asinine. There is no reason you NEED to utilize the dip station for all of those. Can you? Yes. Should you? Hell no! Do your stretching and other exercises away from the ONLY machine that can handle certain exercises (like the example above). This person could do pull ups at a different station when he is done with his dips, especially since there is like 90 pull up stations at this particular gym. You can stretch ANYWHERE. I feel guilty utilizing the cables for multiple exercises on chest or arms day and I try my hardest to make it fast. If your workout can be accomplished on a less busy piece of equipment, and someone is eyeing your current piece of equipment, move to the other one.
The most important side rule within this rule (we will call it rule number 2.75) is to make an effort to ASK someone if they want to “work-in” with you if you see someone hovering near or eyeing your station. This is especially true if you are doing super sets or if the gym is just very busy/crowded. The other person can easily work the opposite station that you are on if you are doing super sets. If you are doing normal sets, they can utilize your break time to cram their own set in.
Rule Number 3
Be respectful of the equipment, the staff and other gym members. This is a pretty vague rule, but encompasses a necessary aspect of gym etiquette. Things like wiping down your equipment if you are sweating like a sinner in church. Re-racking your weights WHERE THEY SHOULD GO when you are done with them. Point out to staff members when equipment is not working like it should or is broken. Be civil with one another and let people pass by you without trying to act like “the alpha”. Don’t be obnoxious and scream during every one of your reps/sets or literally throw the weight on the ground. If you’re lifting super heavy a good ole grunt is expected, but if I can hear you yelling through my headphones then you’re just looking for attention. If you see someone using the mirror while lifting, don’t stand in between them and the mirror. MOST season lifters use the mirror to check on their form (and at the same time to get some personal motivation by checking themselves out). If you are literally standing their talking with someone, try to make sure you aren’t impeding the view of someone else who is utilizing the mirror correctly (and the gym for that matter since you are just standing around yapping).
Rule Number 4
Don’t be chatty Cathy. If you and your gym partner have a gym routine down that involves talking, that’s fine. Don’t, however, expect to come up to me during my workout and expect me to have a full conversation with you. I am there to get work done and a LOT of people in the gym feel the same way. If you want to come over and say hello, I’m not going to ignore you, but keep it short and sweet. Don’t try to chat someone up while they are in the middle of a lift, it’s stupid and dangerous. Don’t goof around at the gym, especially if you are wasting time because someone is likely waiting for you to be done.
Rule Number 4.5
Put the dang electronic device down! If you are tracking your workouts, calories or whatever then that is fine. You still shouldn’t be completely glued to your device during your workout. If you are running on a treadmill or something that is a different story as well. However, I must commend you if you possess this ability because I would probably die if I didn’t watch where my feet where going while on a treadmill. Too many times I have watched someone at a piece of equipment messing around on social media or even talking on the phone while I wait patiently for you to finish your 20 minute long set that primarily only worked out your thumbs.
Rule Number 5
The student becomes the teacher. This rule is somewhat controversial and I can personally attest to that. If you are new to the gym or even doing a new exercise and a seasoned gym rat (or personal trainer) tries to politely correct your form or give you pointers, then you should sit back and listen. However, take any advice that is not from a personal trainer or physical therapist with a grain of salt because I have seen even seasoned gym rats using HORRIBLE form on some lifts. I have also watched someone continue to use horrible form and far too much weight despite multiple tries by personal trainers to educate the young man.
Once you are seasoned in the gym, give advice in a limited fashion (if at all). I have doled out advice to a few beginners before and had mixed outcomes. One girl was using horrible form on the triceps pushdown and when I politely tried to give her a pointer she almost acted like she was going to cry and left the station right after. Another younger guy was doing squats with horrible form and I gave him some pointers and he was quite grateful. The point here is your advice is not always welcomed and you should be judicious in whom you give advice to. I tend to reserve my advice for those who appear to be beginners and are doing something wrong that could potentially result in injury. Outside of that, I let the gym’s personal trainers handle the passing out of advice, it is usually received much better from them.
Rule Number 6
Spot and be spotted. If someone asks you for a spot, it is pretty rude to refuse. I have been in a hurry plenty of times (as I workout before work) and have never refused to spot someone based on time constraints. The only time I have refused to spot is when I was milking a back injury and the guy was throwing 400 pounds of weight around on the bench. It would not have been safe for either of us for me to spot in this case. Also, don’t abuse other people in the gym if you lift heavy ALL THE TIME and don’t bring your own spotter. Thankfully I don’t come by this type of behavior too often as seasoned lifters will typically only grab some help on their last few heavy sets, or they have a lifting parter.
If you have never spotted before, make sure to tell the person who is asking and they can explain what they are looking for in a spotter (or move on to someone else). Some people just want a “lift off”, meaning they need help getting the weight off the rack in the beginning. Others just want you there in case they can’t finish their last rep (last rep failure). Most lifters should be able to tell you roughly how many reps they are aiming for to make your life a little easier. DON’T jump in too quick, however, as everyone tends to reach a “sticking point” on heavy lifts that they usually just need to push through. When they hit this sticking point (usually on their last rep) get your hands on the bar/weight/dumbbell and be ready to help in case they don’t make it past this sticking point. Provide the least amount of help as possible for them to get past their sticking point and you may need to guide the weight/bar back into the rack for them as well. Don’t be afraid to verbally motivate them through their sticking point. Thinks like “push, push, push” or “you got this” or “it’s all you” tend to help (sounds like someone is giving birth in the gym?).
On the other side of this coin is asking for a spot. I you plan on pushing around heavy weight or trying for your one rep max and you don’t have a lifting partner, you better ask someone to spot. YOU don’t need to sustain a bad injury because you’ve overestimated yourself and WE don’t need our workout interrupted because the ambulance had to roll up.
Last But Not Least
There are plenty of other subtle rules that should be followed at most gyms, but most gyms will post most of these rules somewhere in their facility. Dress codes are one of the big ones. Some gyms allow members to lift shirtless (not many anymore) where others have a very strict dress code. On this note….you don’t need to look like it took you 90 minutes to get ready to go to the gym. If you are single and looking to pick someone up….I could MAYBE see this, but outside of that, you are there to get some sweat and grime on you and there is no point to having your hair perfect or makeup done before you workout. You don’t need to wear matching gym clothes. For the love of all that is holy…please don’t lift in jeans, dress shoes and a polo shirt (I just saw this yesterday…it happens more than you’d think). If you took a bath in cologne or perfume before you went to the gym, people are going to notice and not in a good way. Leave the cologne/perfume at home, deodorant should sufficiently mask your stench enough to work out. While on the topic of smells…if you have to fart, try to go to the locker room bathrooms to let one loose. It won’t even be noticed amongst the lingering smell of stale poo near the bathroom stalls. Most people at the gym are on a high protein diet and that can cause some rancid gas…try not to crop-dust me with it.
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