What not to do in the free weight section

cwolfman13

- You're doing a program, so you know what the lifts are going to be before you go in. Become familiar with the movements by googling them and watching some YouTube videos. This will help you know what equipment you will need to be using and how to use it.

- Don't use equipment for other than intended uses...ie, no curling in the squat rack.

- Don't monopolize equipment; do your work, take the rest that you need and finish up and move on.

- Working in is acceptable, but in my experience it is pretty rare. If you do ask to work in make sure you're of roughly the same stats and abilities; it's too inefficient otherwise. I find that I am generally better off moving to another exercise than trying to work in; it's just much harder to work in with barbells and changing plates and whatnot than it is working in with a machine or dumbbells.

- Wipe down equipment after use and rack your weights. This would seem like common sense, but sadly it is not.

dbmata

That's just me though, but I'm probably considered a terrible offender, I'll run my whole workout in the power rack except for deadlifts and pendlay rows. (Doing stronglifts)

I think the Wil Weaton approach is best. Don't be a ****, and things are good to go.

You better not be curling in there.

Dave don't curl.

Squats, OHP, Bench, cause I have no spotter, but must lift.

I guess that's not the whole workout, but I'll stay in the rack for the deadlifts and rows if no one is interested in taking the rack. Which at the Y, no one wants the rack, except that one guy that's the size of a house and wraps his elbows then uses it for these odd jerky 1/8th of a movement curls.

Lofteren

Don't make access noise in the gym if you don't have to. I've started seeing a new group of Bro's that have starting going to the gym that only do exercises in the heavy lifting area with dead lift bar set up (I think they do power clings too), but they constantly drop the weights hard, make super loud grunting sounds, then spend 10 minutes or more between sets running around the weights area being loud with their other bro buddies. The only positive thing about these guys is at least they don't hog the racks. I don't know how they get a workout doing the same thing for over an hour.

The loudest one lifts about the same amount of weight I do for dead lift but I can finish my routine in 5-10 minutes and I do it relatively quietly with maybe some noise.

Go do nothing but deadlifts and power cleans for an hour, come back and tell me you don't know how they get a good workout in.

Shawshankcan

Don't make access noise in the gym if you don't have to. I've started seeing a new group of Bro's that have starting going to the gym that only do exercises in the heavy lifting area with dead lift bar set up (I think they do power clings too), but they constantly drop the weights hard, make super loud grunting sounds, then spend 10 minutes or more between sets running around the weights area being loud with their other bro buddies. The only positive thing about these guys is at least they don't hog the racks. I don't know how they get a workout doing the same thing for over an hour.

The loudest one lifts about the same amount of weight I do for dead lift but I can finish my routine in 5-10 minutes and I do it relatively quietly with maybe some noise.

Go do nothing but deadlifts and power cleans for an hour, come back and tell me you don't know how they get a good workout in.

This. Do 8X3 deadlifts at 90% of your max, followed with SLDL and rows. You will be DONE.

ChasingMyBliss

Thanks again to everyone for the tips. I am feeling a bit more confident today. I did my first workout this morning, and as it turned out, there was hardly anyone else using the equipment I needed at 5:15 am! I had plenty of time to figure out how to adjust the settings on the squat rack, and felt really good about how it went for me.

I started light today, to just get a feel for the equipment. I will up the weights on the next workout. Having a little knowledge did help me a lot, and I appreciate all of you who took the time to respond.

MrGonzo05

Offer to train people. Then people will go out of their way to avoid eye contact with you. It's like having your own personal training Disneyland.

SkimFlatWhite68

Might just be me, but I would rarely ever work in with someone unless I went to the gym with them. I just don't like to do it.

If I were you OP, I would book in for one session with a trainer. Take your NROLFW with you, show them what you want to do and get them to show you the equipment and proper technique. Better to learn how to do it right the first time. They will also fill you in on your particular gyms etiquette practices. You may need a follow up session for Stages 2 and 3.

Enjoy!

DopeItUp

Don't make access noise in the gym if you don't have to. I've started seeing a new group of Bro's that have starting going to the gym that only do exercises in the heavy lifting area with dead lift bar set up (I think they do power clings too), but they constantly drop the weights hard, make super loud grunting sounds, then spend 10 minutes or more between sets running around the weights area being loud with their other bro buddies. The only positive thing about these guys is at least they don't hog the racks. I don't know how they get a workout doing the same thing for over an hour.

The loudest one lifts about the same amount of weight I do for dead lift but I can finish my routine in 5-10 minutes and I do it relatively quietly with maybe some noise.

I would be wary of this advice. It really depends on your gym but if you're not in a place like Planet Fitness, deadlifting for an hour+ and grunting from exertion is not exactly a problem. If anything I would encourage that kind of behavior.

Crap, my deadlift day is more than an hour of deadlifts now that I think of it. Maybe 75mins or even 90 on some days. Usually 11-12 sets (all told) with minimal accessory work. If someone had a problem with that I would laugh in their face and push them into a dumbbell rack.

DopeItUp

Offer to train people. Then people will go out of their way to avoid eye contact with you. It's like having your own personal training Disneyland.

You are smart. We should be friends.

martinel2099

Don't make access noise in the gym if you don't have to. I've started seeing a new group of Bro's that have starting going to the gym that only do exercises in the heavy lifting area with dead lift bar set up (I think they do power clings too), but they constantly drop the weights hard, make super loud grunting sounds, then spend 10 minutes or more between sets running around the weights area being loud with their other bro buddies. The only positive thing about these guys is at least they don't hog the racks. I don't know how they get a workout doing the same thing for over an hour.

The loudest one lifts about the same amount of weight I do for dead lift but I can finish my routine in 5-10 minutes and I do it relatively quietly with maybe some noise.

Go do nothing but deadlifts and power cleans for an hour, come back and tell me you don't know how they get a good workout in.

This. Do 8X3 deadlifts at 90% of your max, followed with SLDL and rows. You will be DONE.

Sorry I could have worded my post a little better. Dead lift is an amazing exercise and I do it every time I lift, love squats too. Once I started dead lifting my only regret was not doing it much sooner.

The guys I'm talking about are spending more time being noisy and loud to show off, I don't think they are there to really exercise and I doubt they are doing 90% of their max, and they were spending 10 or more minutes inbetween sets just goofing off. It's kind of sad if they are considering I lift the same amount they do in my 5x5 routine and still consider myself pretty new yet I do it with good form and relatively quietly with a little noise here and there.