Gym etiquette for newbies

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  • erniewebbiii
    erniewebbiii Posts: 1,174 Member
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    Don't let the regulars or the ultra fit people intimidate you.

    You paid for your membership too!

    Karen

    Exactly. You have to start somewhere. I got a lot of "why are you here" looks at first. Not anymore thankfully.
  • erniewebbiii
    erniewebbiii Posts: 1,174 Member
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    Oh, one question. Who the hell works out in jeans.....with a regular belt???? Really? How

    I've seen that and lifting in work boots.

    You don't need lower body mobility if you just show up for the brocurls.

    Work boots, a work shirt and jeans, though?

    Meh, I try not to get too worked up about what other people wear as long as it's safe. Before long someone is bound to show up in this thread and start whining about chicks wearing makeup, like my not washing my face after work is really affecting them. I'm hoping the guy in the work clothes wasn't doing anything where his clothes would end up hurting him. Maybe he has steel toes on because he has a broken toe from dropping a dumbbell, and would feel silly if the outfit didn't match? lol. :laugh:

    I do kind of crack up when I see middle aged dudes attacking the ellipticals in those sweat suits- the ones wrestlers use to drop water weight?

    edit to fix quotes.

    LOL
  • erniewebbiii
    erniewebbiii Posts: 1,174 Member
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    Another one ... you don't need to smell like roses, but for god sakes, please don't smell like *kitten*. There's one guy at my gym who has that Seinfeld mutant BO thing going on. Put on deodorant, as much as it takes.
  • the_journeyman
    the_journeyman Posts: 1,877 Member
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    No crop dusting on the walking/jogging track.

    JM
  • yksdoris
    yksdoris Posts: 327 Member
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    Don't let the regulars or the ultra fit people intimidate you.

    You paid for your membership too!

    Karen

    Yes! and, it'll be super-gratifying once they start nodding "hi" at you when you walk in the door. That just means they see that you're in the gym. again. as you were the last time.
  • whiteheaddg
    whiteheaddg Posts: 325 Member
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    I don't care how folks look (I too have forgotten my sneakers and had to wear uniform boots) or what exercises they do (looking at you doing push-ups-on-sideways-dumbells-with-feet-on-weight-bench-guy), but disregard for others in the gym gets to me.

    1) Re-rack your weights CORRECTLY and don't assume everyone wants to start with 45s already in place.
    2) Please don't ask someone how many sets they have left when they are in the middle of a set (and clearly look like they are on the verge of collapse.)
    3) If you are doing a four-exercise (or pick a number) circuit, you are not the exclusive owner of all those machines for the full duration of your routine

    Also, politeness goes a long way.
  • MoreBean13
    MoreBean13 Posts: 8,701 Member
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    If you need help, ask someone. I seriously don't mind when people ask me how to use something or if they're doing something right- but I'm not going to come up to you and offer tips without you asking. I think it's insulting to assume people don't know what they're doing and butt in, so I won't do it unless I see you at the precipice of injury- but I'm glad to help if you ask. :smile:
  • MoreBean13
    MoreBean13 Posts: 8,701 Member
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    3) If you are doing a four-exercise (or pick a number) circuit, you are not the exclusive owner of all those machines for the full duration of your routine

    QFT. This drives me bananas.
  • Amazon_Who
    Amazon_Who Posts: 1,092 Member
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    Find another place to rest beside the equipment.

    Talk on you cell phone later. Emergencies are OK and should be brief. BTW telling your bff about your date last night is not an emergency.
  • KatrinaWilke
    KatrinaWilke Posts: 372 Member
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    Also, don't grunt like a damn gorilla when you're lifting. Nobody's impressed with your one rep of 300 pounds. Well, I suppose if you curled 300 maybe.
    [/quote]

    I hate that!! I understand a little grunting, but it really startles me when someone does one rep of a super heavy weight and lets out a huge cry. It sounds like they are dying!
  • KatrinaWilke
    KatrinaWilke Posts: 372 Member
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    This has been said alot......but PLEASE RE-RACK YOUR WEIGHTS!!!! Especially if you just did leg presses and have ten 45lb plates on the machine. While I enjoy the extra workout of taking your weights off for you............I don't like doing your work for you!!!!!!
  • NordicAlien
    NordicAlien Posts: 110 Member
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    Don't leave newspapers and magazines in the sauna. Seriously. There is a HUGE sign right next to the door that says so, but every day I'm having to remove them when they're turning crispy. I don't know why people take them in there in the first place. You cannot possibly be so busy that the five or ten minutes you spend in the sauna is wasted if you can't read the Wall Street Journal or Cosmo while you're in there.

    Aside from that, I got nothing. The people at my gym are great.

    All of these "clean the equipment" comments - just wiping down with a towel is okay, right? We're not expected to carry a spray bottle of disinfectant with us or something? Because I've seen a couple people carrying purse-sized Dettol and using it on a the machines, and I could never figure out if I was supposed to be doing that or if they're germophobes.
  • CassieRoark
    CassieRoark Posts: 21
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    If you have evidence of a rash, or a fungus, or a virus, please stay the **** home, thank you.

    :sick: I hope I never witness this.

    I did witness this. AWFUL!
  • MoreBean13
    MoreBean13 Posts: 8,701 Member
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    I have not figured out exactly what the issue is here yet, but last night both the barbell I used and the hand grips for chin ups were GREASY. That's all kinds of wrong- if you for some reason are lubed up from tanning or something when you lift, you need to wipe down after yourself. That ish is GROSS. (and, that is the work-friendly explanation, I don't even want to bring up the other ideas people came up with on my wall about this)
  • capnrus789
    capnrus789 Posts: 2,736 Member
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    No crop dusting on the walking/jogging track.

    JM

    Guilty.:blushing:
  • erniewebbiii
    erniewebbiii Posts: 1,174 Member
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    Also, don't grunt like a damn gorilla when you're lifting. Nobody's impressed with your one rep of 300 pounds. Well, I suppose if you curled 300 maybe.

    I hate that!! I understand a little grunting, but it really startles me when someone does one rep of a super heavy weight and lets out a huge cry. It sounds like they are dying!
    [/quote]

    I work at a university so lots of "showing off" on our campus gym. I haven't seen the guy this year, but last academic year one student grunted during every set, and loudly. In addition to being a pathetic way of drawing attention, it's disruptive (and sometimes startling if really loud) to everybody else.
  • basslinewild
    basslinewild Posts: 294 Member
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    Don't leave newspapers and magazines in the sauna. Seriously. There is a HUGE sign right next to the door that says so, but every day I'm having to remove them when they're turning crispy. I don't know why people take them in there in the first place. You cannot possibly be so busy that the five or ten minutes you spend in the sauna is wasted if you can't read the Wall Street Journal or Cosmo while you're in there.

    Aside from that, I got nothing. The people at my gym are great.

    All of these "clean the equipment" comments - just wiping down with a towel is okay, right? We're not expected to carry a spray bottle of disinfectant with us or something? Because I've seen a couple people carrying purse-sized Dettol and using it on a the machines, and I could never figure out if I was supposed to be doing that or if they're germophobes.

    My gym provides disinfectant bottles. I thought all gyms did, but maybe not.
  • HMVOL7409
    HMVOL7409 Posts: 1,588 Member
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    Don't leave newspapers and magazines in the sauna. Seriously. There is a HUGE sign right next to the door that says so, but every day I'm having to remove them when they're turning crispy. I don't know why people take them in there in the first place. You cannot possibly be so busy that the five or ten minutes you spend in the sauna is wasted if you can't read the Wall Street Journal or Cosmo while you're in there.

    Aside from that, I got nothing. The people at my gym are great.

    All of these "clean the equipment" comments - just wiping down with a towel is okay, right? We're not expected to carry a spray bottle of disinfectant with us or something? Because I've seen a couple people carrying purse-sized Dettol and using it on a the machines, and I could never figure out if I was supposed to be doing that or if they're germophobes.

    My gym provides disinfectant bottles. I thought all gyms did, but maybe not.

    Every gym I've been to has provided spray bottles. With the crap out there these days it's disgusting if one doesn't.
  • Deedsie
    Deedsie Posts: 348 Member
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    Don't leave newspapers and magazines in the sauna. Seriously. There is a HUGE sign right next to the door that says so, but every day I'm having to remove them when they're turning crispy. I don't know why people take them in there in the first place. You cannot possibly be so busy that the five or ten minutes you spend in the sauna is wasted if you can't read the Wall Street Journal or Cosmo while you're in there.

    Aside from that, I got nothing. The people at my gym are great.

    All of these "clean the equipment" comments - just wiping down with a towel is okay, right? We're not expected to carry a spray bottle of disinfectant with us or something? Because I've seen a couple people carrying purse-sized Dettol and using it on a the machines, and I could never figure out if I was supposed to be doing that or if they're germophobes.

    My gym provides disinfectant bottles. I thought all gyms did, but maybe not.

    Every gym I've been to has provided spray bottles. With the crap out there these days it's disgusting if one doesn't.

    We have disinfectant wipes at my gym. I always wipe everything down even if I don't touch it because I figure I might have coughed on it or something. The flu is bad this year and you don't know you are carrying it until after you have already had it for hours.
  • JenM76
    JenM76 Posts: 38 Member
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    Lately I've seen alot of threads about Gyms being overrun by New Years resolutionists, What do I / you hate at the gym, etc. Nothing wrong with those, but I thought we could create a thread to introduce new gym goers to some proper gym etiquette, as often people don't even know they are violating any "code of conduct" if you will. Might help everyone have a better gym experience.
    I'll start, and feel free to add.

    Wipe down all the equipment you use
    Don't curl in the squat rack.

    I don't belong to a gym anymore. I am lucky enough to have a gym I can use for free at work, so I go there on my official lunch break. It is really a place people to for personal training, so not the same clients as at a regular gym. I also force myself to use the gym at the clubhouse at my apartment.
    But, when I did belong to a gym, I hated when they didn't wipe down the equipment. The sweat on there is gross...but this time of year is flu season as well. Just saying.
    I hated going in at the end of December and having my pick of treadmill and/or weight machine (and no wait time), then coming in after the first of the year and having to wait 30 min for the treadmill and being behind the group of cackling ladies on the weight machines.

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