Gym Etiquette Question!

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AuthorNinja
AuthorNinja Posts: 69 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
Hello! I went to the gym for the first time, and I found it a little intimidating because I wasn't sure what to do. I have a program that I follow that involve dumbbells. My question is this: after I grab the dumbbells from the rack, where do I go to do my sets?! :D Do I just go where there's empty space? I'll need room to do lunges and burpees. Or should I stay relatively close to the weight rack because I took the dumbbells?

Thanks for any answers! I'm just trying to be less unsure the next time around!

Replies

  • k8andchr1smom
    k8andchr1smom Posts: 72 Member
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    Usually I go where there is room. Did the gym give you a tour, a time to ask questions? They should.
    Oh and enjoy the gym!
  • AuthorNinja
    AuthorNinja Posts: 69 Member
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    Well, for my first trip, it was the gym at my college campus. But for my next trip I'm going to a 24/7 gym so I may get asked questions. Thanks for the reply!
  • MonkeyMel21
    MonkeyMel21 Posts: 2,388 Member
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    You can take them wherever you need to. I stay closeish because I use different weights and don't want to take them all with me. But DO NOT stand right in front of them to do your exercises, lol. Make sure there's enough room for anyone that needs to walk by to grab whatever.
  • AuthorNinja
    AuthorNinja Posts: 69 Member
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    MonkeyMel21 wrote: »
    You can take them wherever you need to. I stay closeish because I use different weights and don't want to take them all with me. But DO NOT stand right in front of them to do your exercises, lol. Make sure there's enough room for anyone that needs to walk by to grab whatever.

    LMAO makes sense. Thank you, hehe!
  • AuthorNinja
    AuthorNinja Posts: 69 Member
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    ccrdragon wrote: »
    The only thing that I would add to make sure you put the dumbbells back when you are finished - please don't leave them laying around when you finish!

    Oh, definitely! Thank you! At the school gym there was a guy who left his weights around the room like it was someone else's job to put them back. Sheesh.
  • pondee629
    pondee629 Posts: 2,469 Member
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    Nearby so you can easily replace them, and return them;
    not too close where you are blocking someone from getting to the set they need;
    somewhere where there is room to do your exercise without interfering with someone else doing theirs, or them interfering with you;
    somewhere where you are comfortable doing what you are doing.
  • pogiguy05
    pogiguy05 Posts: 1,583 Member
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    Well depending on the gym you can go do your routine where you feel comfortable and there is room. You can watch others to see where they do lunges which you usually need a straight long shot to do them. As others have said put the weights back. Also there are many ways people CLAIM a spot. Place their bag or some clothing on a piece of equipment. I usually just keep and eye and if it does not look like anyone is using something I go in and do my thing. Also if you can try going at different times of the day. There are times that the gym is less crowded and less intimidating.
  • AuthorNinja
    AuthorNinja Posts: 69 Member
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    canadianlbs wrote: »
    it's nice that you want to be considerate, but here's the unwritten gym rule i always go by: while those dumbbells are in your hands they are yours. you can take them anywhere that works for you, so long as you're not in somebody else's airspace. and as others have said, so long as you return them once you are done. i especially appreciate people who put plates and dumbbells back where they belong. i.e. who put the 22.5's back in the 22.5 slot and the 25 plates on the peg that is marked '25'.

    for the workout itself, i do try to be mindful when picking my space, about which one of me and any other person has the freedom to go somewhere else. so for instance, if i'm deadlifting near the cable machines and somebody wants to use it, i'll move to give them enough space even though i was "there" first. the rule i use is sort of: who's free to move and who's fixed in place by the equipment they're on.

    Ok, thank you! That is helpful! I think I felt most unsure about the spaces and where to go to do my sets, but that helps me out :)
  • questionfear
    questionfear Posts: 527 Member
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    Go where there's room. I know my gym has an open area for people who need space, where there's a bunch of kettlebells, dumbbells, a TRX, some balance balls, etc. But I've used it for deadlifts when the free weights area is crowded, and I've seen people use it all the time for lunges/deadlifts/pushups etc.

    And if there's no dedicated area, just go where there's room, as long as you aren't crowding anyone else. :)
  • lorrpb
    lorrpb Posts: 11,464 Member
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    I was told not to stand between the benches and mirror, even though there's room. I guess the people on the benches want to watch themselves in the mirror.
  • Sp1tfire
    Sp1tfire Posts: 1,120 Member
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    Out of a squat rack, not in front of benches for me. I watch myself with dumbbells because I want to make sure my form is good, so i stand off to the side so I'm not in the way of people using anything that DEFINITELY needs a mirror (lifting heavy)
  • GOT_Obsessed
    GOT_Obsessed Posts: 817 Member
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    It may not apply to your gym but at mine don't go in the "studio/class" area if a class is scheduled to start. At mine there is a huge mirror and when the room is not being used people love it there. But the poor instructors need to kick people out all the time. They try to encourage them to join in but they usually go running for the hills when "yoga" or "zumba" class is mentioned.

    Good luck on your workouts!
  • MelanieCN77
    MelanieCN77 Posts: 4,047 Member
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    Take them anywhere you like except the squat rack ;)

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