The other day when I was at the bank, the nice young guy behind the desk (jeez, that line made me sound old!) suggested I write about gym etiquette.
Apparently he recently had a few experiences with gym-goers who did not respect those around them because they were oblivious to the sins they were committing.
This lack of gym etiquette could be due to one of three reasons: First, they are new to the whole gym-going experience and don’t know any better. It’s like when you were learning how to ride a bike. The pedaling part you knew about, cause you’d seen it, but the getting on the bike, staying on the bike and braking was not something you could visually teach yourself. It had to be taught to you.
Second, there’s the gym-goer who is a frequent participant of going to the gym, but is just unaware of the fact they are one sweat drop away from having a dumbbell thrown at them.
And finally, there’s the third type of gym-goer who couldn’t care less about those around them and strut around like they own the place. This article is not going to help them. A dumbbell dropped on their toe on the other hand...
Now, I don’t hang out in gyms much anymore (one of the perks of having a gym in my home), but I do remember the usual gym etiquette sins and they can be boiled down to these seven.
• Thou shall not hog the equipment. Yes we get it, you like to super set your program, however just make sure that others around you can work in on that piece of equipment as well. For new gym-goers, if you would like to use a piece of equipment that someone else is on, simply ask them and work in when their set is done.
• You shall have no cell phones on the gym floor. There is nothing worse than seeing “selfies” being taken and texts being exchanged back and forth while working out. Not only is this just ridiculous to witness, it also takes away from your own workout. Trust me, your Instagram account will survive the 45 minutes without an update.
• Remember, you are not the only one. If you like to listen to music, great, just no singing, humming, whistling or even head banging. Leave that for the drive home.
• Honour your workout partners. Don’t clang your weights, drop your weights, and grunt and groan through your set. We are struggling right beside you too, but you don’t hear us sounding like a wounded Beluga whale while doing so.
• Thou shall not smell. Working out can be stinky business and that’s why they make this amazing product called deodorant. So, please use it. With that being said, don’t swing the other end of the pendulum and douse yourself in perfume, cologne, hairspray or stinky body lotion. While you may believe you smell like a garden of roses, the rest of us are holding our breath, which is really challenging to do while working out.
• You shall remember to wipe. Sweating is messy business, so please wipe up after yourself. I suggest you bring a towel to the gym and sit on it, use it to drape over any gym equipment that you use and lay it down as a barrier between you and the mat when you lie down to stretch.
• On a completely separate note, if you are sick, please stay at home. The biggest cesspool of germs originates in two places: kids and gym equipment. Don’t add to the cesspool.
In the end, nobody is watching you. Probably one of the biggest fears a new gym-goer has is that others are watching them and judging them. With that said, you will be happy to hear that couldn’t be farther from the truth. In fact, everyone in the gym is far too concerned with what’s going on with them; you are just a blip on their radar. So fear not, go forth and be fit.
PJ Wren is a local personal trainer and writer in the Delta area who can be reached at fitnesswithpj.com or gofitgals.com.
