.gif "IP Gear")
- Joined
- Jun 12, 2002
- Messages
- 18
Gym Etiquette
by Liz Neporent, M.A.
A few weeks ago we asked you to tell us about the most annoying person at the gym. More than 40 percent of you reported that the person who steals your spot in step class and the idiot who talks at the top of his lungs on his cell phone while taking up space on a bike are the people you'd most like to banish from the gym.
This just goes to show you that even at a gym -- a place where tank tops, profuse sweating and mild grunting are perfectly acceptable -- there are still rules of etiquette. Sure, the social graces expected in a weight room are a bit different from those expected at the symphony or the
advertisement
Louvre, but manners are important just the same. If you're not well versed in the rituals and customs that are unique to gyms, don't expect your fellow gym members to talk to you, let alone offer to spot you on the bench press or share their secrets for a great leg workout. Once you learn how you're expected to act, you'll feel a lot more at home in your club.
Share and share alike
In a gym, weight equipment is considered communal property, so don't sit on a machine while you rest between sets. Stand up and let a fellow gym member work in with you -- in other words, let the member alternate sets with you. If someone else is using a machine or free weights that you have your eye on, feel free to say, "Mind if I work in with you?"
Obey time limits
Many gyms have a 30-minute time limit on aerobic machinery during prime times. Don't cover your timer with a towel and ignore it, especially if it's obvious other people are waiting for their turn. Although only 1 percent of you reported that this was an annoyance to you in our reader's poll, we've seen people come to blows over this.
Neatness counts
When you have removed a weight plate from a bar or when you are finished using a pair of dumbbells, return the weights to their designated spot on the rack. Never leave dumbbells or barbells on the floor when you're finished using them. Someone may trip on them. If you leave dumbbells on the floor between sets, criss-cross them or butt them up against the wall or the bench so they can't roll away.
Keep your DNA to yourself
Carry a towel and wipe off any bench or machine you use. Nothing is quite as icky as picking up a slippery weight or lying down in a stranger's pool of sweat. If you forget to bring a towel, use your sweatshirt or the paper towels provided by the club.
Don't do anything in the locker room you wouldn't do in your own bathroom
You don't pour a mountain of baby powder on the floor, use six towels, leave dirty tissues on the vanity or stuff clumps of hair down the drain in your bathroom at home, do you? Even if you are guilty of these things at home, don't do them at your gym!
Have some class in the classroom
Besides resisting step position kleptomania, don't barge into a class 10 minutes late and don't distract other class takers by making up your own routine rather than following the instructor's. Always show respect for other class members' personal space; don't flail your arms in someone else's face or block their view in the mirror if you can help it.
Be a rat
If you see a flagrant etiquette violation, don't be afraid to inform the club staff. Far from seeing you as a snitch, your fellow gym-goers will thank you. The rules are for everyone.
by Liz Neporent, M.A.
A few weeks ago we asked you to tell us about the most annoying person at the gym. More than 40 percent of you reported that the person who steals your spot in step class and the idiot who talks at the top of his lungs on his cell phone while taking up space on a bike are the people you'd most like to banish from the gym.
This just goes to show you that even at a gym -- a place where tank tops, profuse sweating and mild grunting are perfectly acceptable -- there are still rules of etiquette. Sure, the social graces expected in a weight room are a bit different from those expected at the symphony or the
advertisement
Louvre, but manners are important just the same. If you're not well versed in the rituals and customs that are unique to gyms, don't expect your fellow gym members to talk to you, let alone offer to spot you on the bench press or share their secrets for a great leg workout. Once you learn how you're expected to act, you'll feel a lot more at home in your club.
Share and share alike
In a gym, weight equipment is considered communal property, so don't sit on a machine while you rest between sets. Stand up and let a fellow gym member work in with you -- in other words, let the member alternate sets with you. If someone else is using a machine or free weights that you have your eye on, feel free to say, "Mind if I work in with you?"
Obey time limits
Many gyms have a 30-minute time limit on aerobic machinery during prime times. Don't cover your timer with a towel and ignore it, especially if it's obvious other people are waiting for their turn. Although only 1 percent of you reported that this was an annoyance to you in our reader's poll, we've seen people come to blows over this.
Neatness counts
When you have removed a weight plate from a bar or when you are finished using a pair of dumbbells, return the weights to their designated spot on the rack. Never leave dumbbells or barbells on the floor when you're finished using them. Someone may trip on them. If you leave dumbbells on the floor between sets, criss-cross them or butt them up against the wall or the bench so they can't roll away.
Keep your DNA to yourself
Carry a towel and wipe off any bench or machine you use. Nothing is quite as icky as picking up a slippery weight or lying down in a stranger's pool of sweat. If you forget to bring a towel, use your sweatshirt or the paper towels provided by the club.
Don't do anything in the locker room you wouldn't do in your own bathroom
You don't pour a mountain of baby powder on the floor, use six towels, leave dirty tissues on the vanity or stuff clumps of hair down the drain in your bathroom at home, do you? Even if you are guilty of these things at home, don't do them at your gym!
Have some class in the classroom
Besides resisting step position kleptomania, don't barge into a class 10 minutes late and don't distract other class takers by making up your own routine rather than following the instructor's. Always show respect for other class members' personal space; don't flail your arms in someone else's face or block their view in the mirror if you can help it.
Be a rat
If you see a flagrant etiquette violation, don't be afraid to inform the club staff. Far from seeing you as a snitch, your fellow gym-goers will thank you. The rules are for everyone.
(yuck!). what gets me is when you see someone grunting LOUDLY, and they got the weight a 2 yr old could lift 
