gym etiquette

Gym Etiquette 101

Now that I’m releasing all these fitness and workout plans for men and women who are getting back into the gym I thought I would make this the best experience possible for everyone and run down some gym etiquette that you should all should be aware of. There’s nothing more annoying than someone who hogs more than one bench during the busiest times and keeps walking in front of you while you’re trying to concentrate on your training.

Let’s run down this list quickly and I hope that you will leave some comments at the end of this article to add any you think should have been included or just how you feel about all this.

  1. Wipe down equipment after use. It doesn’t matter whether you think you are sweaty or not, be courteous and wipe down equipment with a towel after your done with it. You wouldn’t like it if someone before you left a big sweat puddle on the bench you are just going to use.

  2. When it’s busy stop having long chats with friends. Sure you may have bumped into someone you haven’t seen at the gym in a while but when it’s busy and there isn’t enough benches or equipment free, leave your socializing till the end when you’re leaving. Once again, if the shoes were reversed you would be just as upset.

  3. Leave your cell phone in the locker. Are you here to workout or to gab on the phone? Unless you’re expecting a very important call it’s time to concentrate on your workout so you can get the best results as the mental game is a huge part of succeeding with your training. If your head is not in it then grab an energy drink (like SuperPump 250) or psyche yourself up by looking at a workout magazine to get you pumped up.

  4. Put your weights away in the right place. One of my biggest pet peeves is when people are too lazy to put away the weights they used. It is so disrespectful to the gym and to everyone else in there because they don’t know if you are done or not. Take 2 seconds and put your weights back and/or the dumbbells in the right order. This will keep everyone happy and more equipment free.

  5. Keep a time limit at one area especially if it’s busy. The other day I was in the gym and was going to train my biceps with the preacher curls bench but this guy was on it for more than half an hour. I’m sure he wouldn’t like it if someone did that to him right before so why did he think it was ok to do it himself? Be mindful of others and switch whatever equipment you are using at the minimum every 10 minutes.

  6. Try to keep your grunting to your bed! Ok everyone pants and grunts in their own certain way when doing a very intense workout, but it always seems like some guys are just being extra loud to get the attention. The only thing they are doing is annoying everyone so be conscious of your volume.

  7. Stop dropping the weights! You were strong enough to lift them in the first place right? But the thing with people who drop the weights is that they don’t realize how much tear and wear they are adding to the weights. Weights and dumbbells are very pricey and dropping them not only annoys everyone around them but also makes it so that the gym has to replace equipment more often and this is usually reflected in an increase in membership rates.

  8. Don’t walk in front of mirrors. Ok so you are in the middle of doing your set and trying to watch your form in the mirror and this guy slowly walks in front of you. Not cool. Keep this in mind when you’re in a gym.

  9. Put on some antiperspirant right before your workout. We all should know by now that we can’t smell our own body odor and nothing is worst or more embarrassing than someone who leaves a trail of pungent body odor at the gym. Personally I don’t think deodorants are strong enough they just seem to try and mask the odor but antiperspirants actually stop the odor from occurring in the first place. On the other hand perfume or cologne is not a good idea either, and some people go way over board with this. Whatever your decision just make sure you put some kind of antiperspirant or similar exercise product before your workout, you’ll save yourself a lot of embarrassment!

  10. Spot people who look like they would like it. You can build some very good friendships if you are super nice and offer to spot others. Just make sure you are strong enough to help them with the weights they are using!

  11. Watch your form. This is more for your own good but you should almost never have any kind of swinging motion with weights (there are of course exceptions for those who are quite advanced and are power-training or specifically using the cheat method since they don’t have a spotter). The best gyms have many mirrors so use them to watch the positioning of your back, arms, legs and your entire spine.

Ok that’s a pretty long list but if you follow this gym etiquette you will not only get the respect back from everyone there but you will more than likely have a gym you can call your own and are proud of. It’s a pretty different experience if you get to the gym and people are smiling and saying hi to you! This is time that you have dedicated to yourself so make the most out of it right?

Have any other gym etiquette tips you think should be added? Or have any stories to share? Please leave a comment below…