I have had several conversations with different people about starting up an exercise routine. Almost always, the excuse comes down to not feeling comfortable in the gym. For many reasons, this is because when they walk in, they don't know what to do or how to act. Gym etiquette, as it is commonly known, has been openly debated in the country. What are the proper manners and conduct in the gym?
To start, be nice! Friendliness can get you everywhere; nastiness gets you nowhere. If you're nice to the exerciser next to you, you're not giving them ammunition to do something to you, like say, accidentally drop a 45 pound plate on your foot. Follow up with, "Oops, sorry."
Secondly, re-rack everything you use. If you put a plate onto a bar, take it off and put it back on the rack. Use the dumbbells, put it back on the rack. Use the fixed-weight bars, put them back where they belong. Do we see a pattern? Re-racking provides several purposes. First, it keeps the gym clean and safe. I don't know how many times I've lugged a 65 lb dumbbell across the room only to trip over another one. Second, it allows the person next in line to be able to find the dumbbell with ease. How would you like it if you tried to find that small 15 lb weight that was stashed underneath a bench in the corner of the room?
It is not uncommon to use two different pieces of equipment as part of a superset. However, if the gym is incredibly packed and equipment is at a premium, chances are people will ask if you're using the equipment and if so, ask to rotate in. This is not a problem, rather it works out pretty efficiently if done right. If you're part of a rotation, remember that your set is another person's rest time. Too much rest time is not ideal, so try to keep your set within a reasonable length of time to allow the other person to use the equipment quickly.
If you're new to the gym and you don't know what to do, don't hesitate to ask anybody. There is nothing worse than having to watch a person do something totally ineffective.
Something, though, comes pretty close to watching a person practice incredibly bad form. That something would be inappropriate dress. Use common sense when planning your gym outfit. A general rule of thumb would be to pretend you're just going for a run. Would you run in construction boots? No (not unless you have rock hard soles). Run in jeans? Not really. Dress comfortably, a pair of gym shorts, a t-shirt. Whatever you wear, make sure it allows your skin to breathe.
Of the thousands of tales I have from the weight room, a few I shall divulge. Up at the Bally's, there was this guy who came in every day, a bit pudgy. Normally that wouldn't be a problem if he dressed in common shorts and a t-shirt with sneakers. Every single day he came in, he'd be outfitted in the same tiny faded neon green tank top, faded neon pink running shorts that stopped just below the gluteus maximus and the same white Keds. I could not stand to look, nor could I say anything in fear of offending him. All I could do was simply withstand the horror.
My girlfriend recently told me of this fellow at her gym back home and I didn't truly understand it until I saw it. The man was about 6'2", a pretty tall person, but very skinny. He was also about 55 or 60 years of age and not in particularly great shape. Every time he went to the gym, he wore the same University of Kentucky jersey along with the smallest black pair of spandex. Almost always, for men, spandex is a huge no-no.
In short, be nice, be presentable and clean up. Or, in other words, do everything your mom told you to do!
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