Gym Etiquette
While I am on the topic of what not to do, I may as well give you a few points on gym etiquette. When you are new to a gym, an employee will generally give you the club rules that should be followed. They are usually common sense. However, there are unwritten rules that will help you blend in and become more comfortable in this unfamiliar environment.
If you walk up to a piece of equipment or bench that looks like someone might be using, ask someone close if it is being used. Things to look out for would be a log book, towel, or water bottle on the floor by the machine. It is very annoying to go for a drink of water and return to find someone sweating on the machine you were using. If you see someone standing around close to the machine, ask if they are using it. Often, people will pace between sets and it may not look like they are using it.
Speaking about sweating on a machine; you should always make sure that you wipe any bench or equipment you have been sweating on. It’s a common courtesy to others just like putting your weights back. Don’t use dumbbells
or free weights and leave them all over the place. It makes it hard for other people (especially trainers!) to find the weight they want. Someone could even trip over a weight you leave on the floor. Make sure you unload machines that you put weight on and put the weights back in their marked place.
If you are going to be using dumbbells, don’t pick them up and start your dumbbell curls six inches from the dumbbell rack. Pick up your dumbbells and walk away from the rack so others can pick up or place dumbbells back. No one likes to be carrying 100lb dumbbells back to the rack after an
exhausting set and then have to navigate around you.
Often people will watch themselves in the mirror when performing a set. They do this to check their form or, perhaps just to watch themselves. Either way, it isn’t cool to start your set by standing right in front of them and blocking their view. It may sound petty but some people are very serious about the mental kick they get watching themselves.
If you have a question for someone performing an exercise, wait until they are have completed their set. Do not try to talk to someone while they are lifting weight. It can be dangerous and it is also very annoying.
Squat racks are for squatting not for barbell curls. Many people who squat get very frustrated when someone is using the squat rack for an exercise that can be done anywhere. Keep this in mind when choosing your area to workout, especially when the gym is busy.
Cell Phones should be turned off in the gym, or at the least they should have the ringer turned off. Lately, there seems to be a constant ring in the gym. Nothing is more distracting than hearing someone’s phone ring. Even when people answer their phone, they tend to talk on it like there is a string and a Dixie cup attached to the other end. I carry my cell when I am on the gym floor but the ringer is always off. I check the display every so often and return calls away from other members who are working out.
Ok, now that we are armed with a gym membership and gym etiquette or a home gym, its time to start looking at what we want to achieve.
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