Gym Etiquete

[80watts]

What are a few unwritten rules to follow at a local gym? Most gyms might have a set of rules to follow; read them.

Here are 3 things I see all the time:
By the barbell stands, there are usually lines about 2-3 feet from the racks. This is in order for other people to use the weights. Stand behind the line when doing your exercises... I see people go up to the stands, pick up weights and start doing their exercises right there at the stands.

Dropping heavy weights.
Not only is this loud and distracting to other people in the gym, the dropping of a weight indicates to me that you are in trouble/hurt. Weightlifting is about the control of the exercise (#sets time # of reps.) and if your dropping your weights it means you have no control or your weight is too heavy. I don't believe I have read on any type of excercise where it tells you to drop your weights....

Cleaning your machine/bench.... You sweat, Its gross; clean it up. ... wipe your equipment down after each use. Most gyms provide wipes. This is for your overall health too, ie not spreading cold viruses...

Are there any other unwritten rules to follow?

 

[westcoastrider1982]

Don’t offer unsolicited advice!
The gym I go to has this guy going around giving people advice when not asked!
You don’t want to be “That guy at the gym!”

I also firmly believe women generally don’t want to be hit on at the gym.
I was only able to ask out one girl from the gym years ago. It was a girl I knew from high school who I hadn’t seen in like 6 years. Had a major crush on her, she moved away in grade 10 then moved back a year after graduating. Saw her at the gym, started talking to her only because I knew her.

Case in point I don’t really like being talked to at the gym and I’m sure women don’t want to be picked up either!

 

[Relax10]

Don’t offer unsolicited advice!
The gym I go to has this guy going around giving people advice when not asked!
You don’t want to be “That guy at the gym!”

I can't stand those know it all's. Or the ones always trying to sell you on their product/supplement/training packages/etc.

 

[Miss Hunter]

People who hog machines or benches because they’re wasting so much time checking their phone are very annoying. Especially at busy times. Just go home and sit on your couch to do that.

 

[E.H.]

This thread underscores the benefits of having my own APEX gym.
My home gym cost me $15 000 in the late 1990s',I'm sure it has saved me even more in gym fees.
More important savings include:
1)Commuting to & from the gym.
2)Compromising my agenda,by having to accommodate to others.
3)Contending with annoying people,be it whiners or busy bodies.

The difference between a public gym & home gym,can be likened to the difference between public transit & your own vehicle.
The convenience & pleasure aspects to your own home gym,makes it far more easier to fulfill your training goals.
My Shoulder Press/Bench Press Unit,makes training solo,a far safer proposition,too.

My other friends with APEX home gyms,do fine with free weights & power rack.
I indulged all the way with:
1)Sit Up Unit
2)Leg Raise/Side Raise/Dip Unit.
3)Lat Pull/Low-Row Unit,which I also use for downward arm curl,cable cross-over and Roman Chair back raise waist support platform.
4)Leg Kick/Leg Curl Unit,which I also use to anchor my feet when doing Roman Chair back raises.
5)Shoulder Press/Bench Press Unit,which I also use for shoulder shrugs and calf raises.
6)Free Weights including:Olympic Bar,Barbell plates & stand and Dumbell weights & storage rack.

Engelbert Humperdink

 

[masterblaster]

People who hog machines or benches because they’re wasting so much time checking their phone are very annoying. Especially at busy times. Just go home and sit on your couch to do that.

It annoys me to no end when someone is fucking around on their phone while using equipment that I’m waiting for. I go up to them and ask if they’re going to be done soon? That always wakes them up to the fact they need to quit fucking around and let somebody else use the equipment.

 

[Jethro Bodine]

People who want to strike up a conversation while I'm working out.
While I'm not anti-social I go to the gym to work out and don't have time to be there for any longer than I need to be.
I go in work out and leave. I'm not there to discuss the day's events or to be your friend.

That said I will break my rule if you're female and hot. Then I have all the time in the world for you.
But then again none of the hot girls at the gym want to talk to the creepy old guy.

 

[mercedeswest]

Since working out at home was touched on, any recommendations on a good spin bike?

 

[E.H.]

There are bicycle stands,which you clamp in your front forks,then let your back wheel,be supported by two small spinning wheels.
Put on a heartrate monitor,spin to your target heart rate zone,for your target period of time.
That's my recommendation,if you already have a bicycle.

Engelbert Humperdink

 

[JimDandy]

My first thought when I saw this thread was "if the pretty lady working out next to you is wearing headphones, she probably does not want you hitting on her" lol.

At least that has been my expereince after countless attempts - just kidding. I'm not a total dim wit

JD

 

[Jethro Bodine]

Guys who think nothing of either farting or burping out loud in the gym.
What it boils down to is some people are just pigs and weren't raised right.

I was even in a gym once and a guy actually shit himself. I used to work out in the gym at the Winnipeg Canoe Club. There were a group of guys who were power lifters and they would also work out there. I rarely saw them becasue I usually worked out at noon and they would be there late afternoon. Anyway one day I am there at the same time. They are doing deadlifts and this one guy actually shit himself while doing it. :doh:

Cheers
J

 

[johnnydepth]

Guys who think nothing of either farting or burping out loud in the gym.
What it boils down to is some people are just pigs and weren't raised right.

I was even in a gym once and a guy actually shit himself. I used to work out in the gym at the Winnipeg Canoe Club. There were a group of guys who were power lifters and they would also work out there. I rarely saw them becasue I usually worked out at noon and they would be there late afternoon. Anyway one day I am there at the same time. They are doing deadlifts and this one guy actually shit himself while doing it. :doh:

Cheers
J

Yep. Spend enough time in a gym and you are bound to see a guy shit himself.

 

[E.H.]

People can blow a shart(shit + fart) for several reasons,such as gastrointestinal issues or hangovers.
Women are more susceptible to peeing themselves.
One girlfriend from my past,could get so angry,that she would piss her pants.

I'm given to grunting & sweating,which my home gym eliminates self aware,concern for the opinions of others.
I'm more wary of the head rushes,that occur when lifting an Olympic Bar loaded to 125 pounds,from floor to overhead,for the purposes of squats.
With increasing age,goes mindfulness of injury potential and necessity of self preservation.
So I don't mind taking my time,working towards my past capacity,with regards to free weight squats.

I got out of work early today,so workout begins in a half hour.

Engelbert Humperdink

 

[westwoody]

Yep. Spend enough time in a gym and you are bound to see a guy shit himself.

If you work hard enough you will do it yourself, puking is common as well.

 

[masterblaster]

Yep. Spend enough time in a gym and you are bound to see a guy shit himself.

I’ve been going to the gym for the better part of 20 years on average likely 3 times a week. Never saw it happen once.

 

[licks2nite]

Hardest work I've done lately is going up the Grouse Grind and back down the old B.C. Motorcycle Club Trail. Coming down, the muscles in my legs were quitting. Some folks were looking at me strangely like they thought I wasn't going to make it. Not the least bit winded and had no choice but to keep trying to complete the 2.5 hour decent back to the bus at the north end of Nancy Green Way in North Vancouver.

 

[italian233]

At my gym the dumbbells racks are all infront of the mirrors so there is always people standing directly infront of them. Sometimes I purposely go grab the weights closets to them just to see if they care. One guy last week actually said sorry knowing he was blocking them.
Other annoying thing is when people make loud annoying grunts. I get some people do it to motivate themself but some are just so loud and unnecassary.

 

[E.H.]

Reflecting on my growly grunts;they happen on the later sets,of five sets.
My growling could be explained as a coping mechanism,when powering through a very challenging resistance,while gracefully maintaining the precision of form.
My growling is not a motivater,but rather a byproduct of carrying through on my weight/repetition,target goal.

I will also say that I audibly hyperventilate,once again,as a byproduct of carrying through on my weight/repetition target zone.
Your gym work out is a personal thing,to have it compromised by making it a public undertaking,is a counterproductive contradiction.
If you can,put together your own gym,to remove the impediment of contending with the public.
Only then,will you be most readily & efficiently disposed,to pursue your goals.

Engelbert Humperdink

 

[masterblaster]

Reflecting on my growly grunts;they happen on the later sets,of five sets.
My growling could be explained as a coping mechanism,when powering through a very challenging resistance,while gracefully maintaining the precision of form.
My growling is not a motivater,but rather a byproduct of carrying through on my weight/repetition,target goal.

I will also say that I audibly hyperventilate,once again,as a byproduct of carrying through on my weight/repetition target zone.
Your gym work out is a personal thing,to have it compromised by making it a public undertaking,is a counterproductive contradiction.
If you can,put together your own gym,to remove the impediment of contending with the public.
Only then,will you be most readily & efficiently disposed,to pursue your goals.

Engelbert Humperdink

So if Arnold Schwarzenegger worked out in his basement it would have worked out better for him than going to a gym? Don’t think so. Just because you have some pseudo fitness routine going on, doesn’t mean it’s the be all end all.

 

[Miss Hunter]

I’ve recently purchased my own free weights and will continue to buy more as my strength increases. I already get my cardio from trail running.

I’m happy to not have to go to a gym anymore.
I hate crowds, I hate waiting, and I find working out in solitude to be so much better overall, at least for me.