Gymiquette

This thread is for discussion of what is the right and proper way to behave in the gym.

General good manners

• Bring a towel, and use it.
• Admire yourself in private, we don't want to see it. The mirrors are for checking form, not checking out.

People

• The gym is not a pickup joint, everyone looks but be subtle about it.
• The gym is not a high school dance, it shouldn't be boys all on one side and girls all on the other. Mix up your workout a bit.
• Everyone gets calls at inconvenient times, if you want to chat on your mobile step out of the gym.

Machines & free weights

• Don't hog a machine or bench. If your rest needs to be that long, you're using too much weight.
• If a machine is occupied and you want to use it, or if you're using it and someone is hanging around, offer to work in with them: their set becomes your rest, and vice versa.
• Except when it's bars & plates and one of you is much stronger than the other.
• Don't slam weights down or drop dumbbells from heights, respect the equipment - and the floor! - treat it as your own.
• Put the dumbbells back on the racks. If you're too tired to do that, you're using too much weight.
• Strip the bar and put the plates back on the racks, 10+kg plates on the bottom racks, less on the higher racks. If you're too tired to do that, you're using too much weight.

Spotting

• if you are between sets standing around staring into space, you are not "too busy" to spot
• "spotting" means giving a tiny touch to the bar or arms when the person has stopped dead; it does not mean heaving up the other person's bar with a grunt on every rep
• the spotted person should say how many reps they want to do before any weight is moved, and the spotter should listen, not letting them wuss out early or pushing them hard past that
• if you need a spot on your first set, you are doing too much weight. Spotting is for the last 1 or 2 reps of the last 1 or 2 work sets.

Anything else? I'll come back and edit my starting post to include the things you add in.

General good manners

• Bring a towel, and use it.
• Admire yourself in private, we don't want to see it. The mirrors are for checking form, not checking out. (don't agree, some people are inspired by great physiques)

People

• The gym is not a pickup joint, everyone looks but be subtle about it.
• The gym is not a high school dance, it shouldn't be boys all on one side and girls all on the other. Mix up your workout a bit.
• Everyone gets calls at inconvenient times, if you want to chat on your mobile step out of the gym. (don't agree, some can speak quietly and discreetly without disturbing or interupting others around them).

Machines & free weights

• Don't hog a machine or bench. If your rest needs to be that long, you're using too much weight. (don't agree, some people train with certain techniques which take longer, gym fees allow for access to equipment)
• If a machine is occupied and you want to use it, or if you're using it and someone is hanging around, offer to work in with them: their set becomes your rest, and vice versa.
• Except when it's bars & plates and one of you is much stronger than the other.
• Put the dumbbells back on the racks. If you're too tired to do that, you're using too much weight.
• Strip the bar and put the plates back on the racks, 10+kg plates on the bottom racks, less on the higher racks. (no, some put bigger plates on top so you don't have to bend down, depends on racks, situation and proximity to machines which will be loaded and their loading heights.) If you're too tired to do that, you're using too much weight.

Spotting

• if you are between sets standing around staring into space, you are not "too busy" to spot
• "spotting" means giving a tiny touch to the bar or arms when the person has stopped dead; it does not mean heaving up the other person's bar with a grunt on every rep
• the spotted person should say how many reps they want to do before any weight is moved, and the spotter should listen, not letting them wuss out early or pushing them hard past that
• if you need a spot on your first set, you are doing too much weight. Spotting is for the last 1 or 2 reps of the last 1 or 2 work sets.

I'll add my essential gym rules.

I don't go to a public gym, but this is what I'd expect others to do who use my gym:

Use a towel.
Put weights/equipment away after use.
Don't take actions which will affect other's workouts or performance unwillingly.
Don't make excessive and unnecessary noise, these are usually attention seekers even if they don't know it.
Don't slam weights down or drop dumbbells from heights, respect the equipment, treat it as your own.
Respect all others in the gym, who follow these rules.

A great physique will show itself, you don't have to stand there staring at yourself.

The chatters never stand around and chat, they always sit on equipment.

Gym fees allow everyone access to equipment, not just those with special long-rest workouts.

Heavier weights lower to the ground is what we want for safety. Any job with manual labour will have that - there's a reason when you go into shops you don't find the 30kg plasma screen tv on the top shelf, and the clock radios on the bottom shelves. "But I don't want to bend down"? Anyone doing heavy weights ought to know you don't bend down for them, you squat down and up. Most commonly, though, people in the gym just leave the weights on the bar.

"Don't drop the weights" I added to the list.

Orly, heaviest weight always at the bottom you say?
A gym is a highly functional place, not an electrical store as you describe in your example.

Chest height is the most convenient height to handle a big plate double handed, the guys using this rack are obviously inexperienced home trainees:

One that really pisses me off...

Respect peoples personal space, about every time I do DB flyes I set my bench up so that people can still get access around me and use the bench next to me without our weights clashing mid exercise... The number of times some noobcake comes and pulls his bench right next to mine (after I have specifically moved it) then huffs and puffs I am in their way... Next time... Gonna drop a 25kg DB on the c**t's foot.

Kyle Aaron said:

Anyone doing heavy weights ought to know you don't bend down for them, you squat down and up.

Click to expand...

Squatting down is inefficient compared to bending down and requires a lot more energy.

i hate the people who leave weights on the equipment. I never ever do that, why do others insist on leaving them there? I spend most of my time at the gym tidyign up after big jerk offs, lifting and putting away their weights just so i can use the equipment, and they scoff at me "Oh not using the mens weights hey?? You will one day! Ahahaha!" holding their bellies laughing. And yes I said bellies cause its only the fat guys who seem to do it, and its also the fat guys who are "power lifters" and also the fat guys who say "cardio is for women! real men lift weights!"... Yes, it certtainly shows too... If they were real power lifters they wouldnt be using the machine chest press or the machine shoulder flies now would they? hahaha.

and the other thing i really dislike is people who dont wipe equipment down after using it or not using a towel at all, sweating on everything they touch and walking away leaving it smelly and wet... makes me sick!

I thought all gyms had a 'No towel, no workout' policy... At my gym you nearly got told to leave!

Lots do have such a policy, but if they enforced it the gym would be nearly empty. And who wants to be the staff member who chucks everyone out? Mr or Ms Popularity you'd be then, eh?

At my gym, the big sweaty guys do use towels. Most people don't, but they either aren't very sweaty, or don't work hard enough to sweat, eg the girls with the 2.5kg dumbbells, or the boys lurching their body around to move a 20kg dumbbell, hurt their back and not be seen in there again

I am the sweat machine, it's getting to the point where I am going to bring 2 towels from now on, 1 for the machine and one to wipe myself down lol...

I am a of a neat freak, but is it so hard to put the plates back were you get them, so many times i find slackers put all teh weights on the wrong posts and you have to play musical plates to get what you need or there will be just one plate, WTF did the other one go, wastes time looking for it..

how many people here actually go to a gym? I use weights at home these days.