About The Not-so-obvious Gym Manners And Gym Etiquette
Do You Worry About The Gym Etiquette ?
If you’ve never been to a gym before, regardless of the level of your fitness (you ultramarathon runner, you…) you worry about gym etiquette. Of course you should know the rules of your gym (ideally before you sign up), and on your first session you should check out the posted equipment instructions and warnings. But what about the not-so-obvious gym manners? Here’s a crash course on how to follow proper gym etiquette.
Sharing Equipment
Proper gym etiquette (and common sense) dictates, as the scholars say: “Shaaaaring is caaaaaring!” So show a bit of love to your fellow gym-goers by sharing your equipment if someone asks to use it between your sets. If you are resting and the gym is full, or you just happen to sync with someone else who wants to use the equipment, gym etiquette says that you should allow them to use the machine between your sets.
The same goes if you want to use a machine while someone else is resting, and you just need to make sure you ask first. It’s unpleasant to you when someone jumps in without asking, so you wouldn’t want to do it to someone else now would you? Simply ask them if it’s alright to use the equipment between their sets, and if they have any basic knowledge of gym etiquette, they will say yes in 99% of the cases.
Does This Belong Here?
So now that you know sharing is caring, let’s play the gym etiquette game of “Does this belong here?”
The rules are: if you use weights, you put them back when you’re done. Easy, right? You’d be amazed at how difficult some people make it seem, as they recklessly leave their dumbbells lying around the gym like some big heavy visible Easter eggs in a garden. So whenever you finish your bench press, or barbell squat, make sure you take the discs off and put them back where they belong.
Always keep in mind that if you’re strong enough to lift that barbell, you’re strong enough to put the discs back.
Awareness Of Your Surroundings
How is this an article about gym etiquette and not traffic? Well, being aware of your surroundings makes you an excellent gym member (and of course a good driver). What this means is that if you’re in the squat rack, for instance, you should be aware of the fact that you’re in a place designed for squatting. So you can move your bicep curls in another area, because if you’re doing a particular exercise while taking up space designated for a different exercise it’s not helping anyone. Same awareness applies for mirrors: if you’re going to curl in front of a mirror, first make sure that someone else wasn’t already using that part of the mirror. It’s rude to block other people, so following gym etiquette is going to save you a lot of headaches in the long run.
These are just 3 easy tips on gym etiquette, but there are plenty of other common sense rules to follow. Do you have a particular aspect of gym etiquette that you think is worth mentioning? Share your suggestions in the comments section below.
