Gym Etiquette Do’s & Dont’s
First off, I want people who read this to understand that besides just having good gym etiquette, you also need to have the right mentality when exercising in the gym. What I mean by that is, everybody in the gym is on the same page and we are all here for pretty much the same underlying reason, and that is to get healthy and fit. With that said, give support to one another and no single person is any better than the rest. I don’t care if your competing for a physique show or you’re the fittest guy or girl in the gym, you don’t have any more priority over certain machines, space in the gym and you shouldn’t be more annoying and bothersome than you already are. Although gym etiquette is very simple and basic, it is also very important to know, because it can set the tone and energy for the entire gym.

When I see certain people in the gym such as an obese female struggling to lift weights or a frail senior trying to figure out how to use a piece of equipment or even a first timer to the gym starting with the 5-lb. dumbbell. I say to myself “thas wassup”, at least they are in here and not sitting on their ass like most of the United States eating pop-tarts. I understand they must be feeling slightly uncomfortable in the gym and it’s our duties as people who live the “Fitness Lifestyle” to root on and encourage one another, because 90% of success is showing up and walking through the gym doors.

Here are a few of the gym etiquette guidelines I recommend you follow to live “fitness lifestyle”.

• DO wear some deodorant and wash your workout clothes. Nobody wants to smell your b.o. when we are gasping for air during a strenuous workout.
• DO re-rack your damn weights. It doesn’t have to be perfect, you can pretty much rack them anywhere, but don’t be lazy and walk away. Lazy and gym don’t go together, so take your laziness somewhere else.
• DON’T claim 4 pieces of equipment all at once, just don’t. I don’t care how slow the gym might be at the moment, but there is no need for someone to have their towel, water bottle, bag and phone holding 4 different areas.
• DON’T interrupt someone in the middle of their exercise or set. Not only is it very dangerous, but it gets someone out of their zone. Plus, I don’t want to take off my headphones so I can hear you say, “what’s up?” or “are you using this?”.
• DO wipe the equipment down after you use it. Don’t wait until your done with your 5th set, wipe your sweat off after every set and if you get very sweaty, wipe the floor and handles too. It’s cool you’re getting after it, but it’s just plain nasty when you grab a wet handle from some old guys sweat, ruins the mood.
• DO glance around really quick before changing the handles on a cable machine. Its just a gesture to make sure whoever was using it last is done. Plus, someone might have had one more set to do and you just came up and messed up their flow.
• DON’T be a jerk or a bitch.
• DON’T put your towel on the only squat rack or only bench press and walk away to do a superset on another piece of equipment. If the gym is slow, then it’s ok, but during peak hours everyone is trying to get in a sufficient workout, not your towel.
• DON’T talk on your cell phone in the middle of the gym, walk away from the gym floor and talk.
• DO wipe your own sweat before attempting to spot someone else. You don’t want to drip sweat in their eye.
• DON’T be a creep.
• DO live the “Fitness Lifestyle”, act as a personal trainer yourself and give props to someone who you’ve seen make progress over the last few months or years, maybe give some legit advice or tips you’ve recently learned and most importantly put off good energy and do work!