Keep In Mind…
The gym space should be a place where everyone feels safe and confident to engage in whatever health and fitness pursuits the have. Whether it is taking care of their mental and physical health, improving fitness, developing athletic abilities, or aesthetic feature. Gym members should be able to pursue these things without certain annoyances.
Most importantly, with Covid-19 not going anywhere anytime soon, gym etiquette is more important that ever. It’s no longer just the employees who must look after the gym space and respect boundaries, it’s everybody. Anyone who comes in to the gym has to make sure they respect physical distancing and clean and sanitize equipment. Additionally, gyms are operating at a limited capacity, allowing a certain number of people to be in the gym at once. As such, people have to adhere more strictly to timed workouts as other people are waiting to use the facilities.
Now let’s get to these “annoyances”? They range from dirty facilities and overbearing sales tactics, to rude employees and inconsiderate members. These shouldn’t be issues that paying members, nor employees have to deal with. But things are not perfect, and I have been in this business long enough to notice certain patterns. The pandemic, and the protocols around managing it, has forced people to be more considerate, if they were not already. And gyms now have no issue asking people to leave, if and when they don’t respect safety protocols.
I have worked as a trainer in different facilities, and I have also been a member at different training facilities. As an employee I always do my best to help members and clients feel welcome, encouraged, and confident to come in and train. As a member, I always do my best to pick up after myself, and be considerate with the space and the equipment.
So I have come up with a list of important things to keep in mind both as an employee and as a member. I developed this list by talking with coworkers, members, and other people who have seen similar patterns. It’s amazing that the pandemic has forced people to take these issues more seriously, because they should have been doing so all along.
THE OFFENDERS
1)The H.A.T.E.R
This is an acronym which stands for a person who Hogs All The Equipment Relentlessly (including floor space!). At best, this person (usually male) will camp on one machine, maybe lay their towel on it, and do a set x# of reps. When done, they will just sit on that machine for the next couple of minutes texting. You may catch them staring off into nothingness as if they are contemplating the existential absurdity of life. But maybe that’s giving them too much credit.
At worst, they will take some dumbbells, a foam roller, lacross ball, lay a towel or matt on the floor, do some sort of exercise circuit with them, and then move on to also use the machines.
Don’t be that person. Be considerate and share the equipment, but please sanitize first . Your workout is not more important that anyone else paying for their membership and using the facility. Neither are your fitness or your health, everyone has deadlines and responsibilities outside of the gym. People can’t just say they’re strapped for time anymore. The time to be considerate has to be factored into your workouts!
Think about it this way, it should take the average person about 30-70 seconds to finish a good set on a particular machine. Following that, if it was a GOOD set, and unless they are doing some kind of advanced training protocol (and most of them are not) they should need about 60-90 seconds rest before they go again. So just get off the machine, take a walk, have a sip of water, breathe, let someone else have a go, you’re not going to lose your damn gains!
And I know, not everyone is like this, and many people are happy to share when someone asks. All I’m saying is have some consideration and be aware of your surroundings, your mere bulking presence on a machine might intimidate other people. I always encourage my clients who feel shy about asking to share equipment to simply go up and ask the person. I fully know that most people will share. But every now and then there is that one jerk who will snap back with “I just got two more sets” and continue being a hog.
There really is no more need for that kind of selfish behaviour now. We have to do better, if we want this to work well.
2)The Litter Bug
Closely related to the H.A.T.E.R., ugh and it’s the worst when they are the same person. The litter bug is a person who doesn’t clean up after themselves. They use the equipment, foam roller, matt, dumbells etc. And when they are all done they simply leave the gym without returning anything back to its proper place. Litter bugs are the reason that gyms have those signs “Please return your weights to their place”.
It’s part of your damn workout, put the equipment back where it belongs, and if you can’t, if it’s awkward to too heavy, then just ask for help. Or maybe don’t take it out at all! Be considerate, the gym is a shared space, and no one should feel threatened or inconvenienced by another person’s entitled and inconsiderate attitude.
3)The Predator (Like the alien from the movie)
One place I worked at had a male member who would come in and do the same workout every time. It was a combination of ballistic stretch and movements, without much purpose, and some random dumbbell exercise. It didn’t long for my coworkers and I to notice his pattern. During this 10-15 minute ordeal, he would be scoping out the gym floor for young women who seemed to be on their own. We started to pick up on it. Any women 20-25 working out, stretching or whatever, was fair game to this guy.
He would then approach them and start making small talk. This would last about 10 minutes before the young women would quickly figure out his M.O. and move away. That was the pattern. Every time.
Now I’m no expert on body language, but I could tell that the women never had any interest. They would force a smile, give short answers, try to not engage in further questions, turn their body away from him, stand far etc. Typical signs of discomfort that anyone with a little bit of emotional intelligence can pick up on (they are wearing earphones for god’s sake, that’s a huge “don’t talk to me” sign!). I never interfered, but always tried to keep a close eye just in case. oh and he was also a Litter Bug…
Honestly, I think most women are at the gym to get work done, and they are either really focused, or really self-conscious (for fear of being judged, and because of predators). So just don’t be that guy. Just train hard, stay focused, and let other people do the same.
I recall seeing a print on a t-shirt that says “More Lifting, Less Lurking” and I think more people should be wearing those! You can find them at https://decolonizingfitness.com/products/more-lifting-less-lurking-unisex-tee?variant=9828705304620. I’ve ordered from there before, they have some neat apparel. Before you ask, I’m not affiliated by them, I just want to promote businesses who do fitness right!
4) TALKY MCPHONE:
4)Talky McPhone
You know who you are. Don’t have phone conversations on the gym floor. Just don’t. No body wants to hear your conversations and they find you extremely annoying. And you’re supposed to be working out anyway!!
Look, I get it, sometimes you get an important call that you just HAVE to answer…no problem, go out in the hallway, or find an empty space. Just don’t do it while roaming around the gym floor, or using a piece of cardio equipment (especially if you’re next to someone else).
If I had a dime for every time a member complained about someone talking on their phone inside the gym, I could open up my own gym.
5) SMELLY:
Ok, this one is tricky, some people just have stronger body odor than others, even when they try to do everything to manage it. I’m not talking about those people. I’m talking to the people who will workout, sweat, put their clothes right back in the locker, and then put them on again for their next workout, and the one after that, and will repeat this cycle until Satan himself rises from the depths of hell and steals the clothes to use as a method of eternal torture.
Wash your clothes, have a spare change, a little deodorant goes a long way. I don’t care if you think you smell ok, if you’ve worked out more than once in the same set of clothes, you need a new set. I don’t understand how this is a thing! Why would you keep working out in the same clothes without washing them? Hit up value village and go nuts, spend 20-40$ and buy 5 shirts and 5 pairs of shorts and cycle them, the do laundry on the weekend. What the hell…for the love of all that is holy, stop the madness!!
6) THE GRUNTER:
It’s weird how a lot of these gym etiquette rule are specific to males only…
Anyway, you don’t need to grunt, ok? You don’t. I don’t care how heavy the weight is. I’ve competed as a powerlifter and as a weightlifter, and I’ve seen a lot of men and women lifting big big weights. And you know what? Unless it was a max effort or near max effor weight, they almost never grunted!
Grunting will usually happen when you’re trying to hold your breath in and maintain strong intra-abdominal-pressure, your teeth are clenched hard, and your lips tightly shut to keep any air from escaping. Despite all of that, if the weight is heavier and your ability to keep your mouth shut, some of it comes out and you grunt (and I can ALWAY tell when someone is faking a grunt). A true grunt literally sounds like someone is fighting for their life to keep gravity from crushing them to bits. A fake grunt just sounds wrong, like, you might as well literally stand on a chair and yell out “HEY LOOK AT ME EVERYONE!! I’M WORKING OUT!!!” A fake grunt is like a person who injects synthol into their muscles, all show and no substance. A fake grunt is like…well you get the idea.
7) THE DROPPER:
You just finished a solid set, you’re trying to set your next workout song and BOOM!! The whole floor shakes. You look over to the source of the sound, and there he is, dude who finished curling 20lbs dumbbells and just threw them on the ground. Why did you do that dude…?Are you perhaps related to the grunter? Maybe you’re a grunter yourself? Maybe also smelly? Whatever the case, it’s an inconsiderate thing to do.
Again, this isn’t directed to the lifters who are trying to hone their skills by challenging themselves, following proper training program. I’m talking to the dudes who are doing dumbbell bench press, with a weight they can barely control, and then just drop the weights on the floor without any consideration to safety, form, technique, or the other people around them. You really don’t have to drop the weight, you can control it and set it down carefully. What the droppers are saying when they just drop the weight is that “I’m not in control, and I have no idea what I’m doing”. So set your ego aside, and ask a trainer on the proper way to set the weights down, we are more than happy to help and we definitely will not think any less of you! In fact we will be so impressed and thankful for your consideration!
8) THE ONE WHO DOES NOT KNOW:
There are is an incredible number of people who just don’t know…they don’t know how to workout, they don’t know how to do exercises properly, how to structure their workouts properly, how to use the machines etc.
And yet, when I approach some of these people and offer some complimentary help/advice they refuse, and choose to remain blissfully ignorant.
So, I’ll just say this: If your workouts consist of what you see on social media, and you’ve never had a trainer, you are one who doesn’t know. Why is that a bad thing? Because you are setting yourself up for failure, doing something that could literally alter your whole life, physically, mentally, socially, emotionally. You are wasting your time. So if you can afford it, hire a good trainer for at least a few sessions, learn the basics, then go off on your own for a while. Then circle back and get a few more sessions and learn some new stuff. There’s always new stuff to learn.
9) THE KNOWITALL:
Ah yes, the polar opposite of the one who doesn’t know. The knowitall is that guy who goes around the gym offering unsolicited advice, sound bites that may seem to hold some meaning, but rest on incredibly flimsy foundations. That’s the person that comes up to you in during your workout and says things like “do this, it’s better for (insert body part)” or “you should really start taking (insert random supplement)”. Meanwhile, this person has no formal training whatsoever, and their information is made up mostly of things they’ve seen on youtube, overheard trainers say, read about on some random webpage, and have no ability to support their claim in any way.
A friend who is also a trainer, told me she was working out at a gym close to her house once, and as she was doing some bent over dumbbell rows a guy came up to her and suggest she pushes her elbow higher to the ceiling because it’s better for her back. Her being smart and knowledgeable asked him “oh? Which part of my back?” to which he answer with “well, just like your whole back”. He then proceeded to ask for her number so they can workout together sometime…just what she needed, a knowitall predator.
If it’s not your job, don’t offer unsolicited training advice. Imagine if I went up to a doctor, a therapist, a chef, a lawyer, anyone with a profession different than mine, and started to offer them advice on how to do their practice. Stay in your lane.
FINAL THOUGHTS:
And there you have it, my personal list of nine gym etiquette offenders. At the end of the day, we are all trying to do something positive for ourselves. The gym is a great space to put theory into practice, to experience your capabilities, and push yourself slightly past your comfort zone. It is really off putting and disappointing when others don’t practice the same considerations as the rest of us. And I know that it is the management’s job to enforce certain rules, but why even let it come to that?
Now is especially a time where we all need to be extra vigilant about our surroundings. Gym owners are going above and beyond to ensure that the space is safe, sanitized, and supportive. And we all have to conform to a new norm for everyone’s health and safety. Specifically, because the owners will have to deal with the fallout when patrons aren’t considerate and don’t follow protocol.
Say what you will about Virtual Personal Training, but at least you’ll never have to put up with any of these peeps!