Gym etiquette is something everyone should know, unless you want to end up being ‘that guy’. If you’ve been training at the same gym for a while, you may know a “that guy”. The kind of guy who doesn’t realize he isn’t the only one using the gym, and he caters his workouts around this notion. The kinds of things that “that guy” does are usually pretty inconsiderate of other lifters and those that are also using the gym. Nobody likes lifting with that guy, and more to the point, nobody likes being that guy. So to help this, we have put together a couple of gym etiquette guidelines that will prevent you from making a fool out of yourself.
The most obvious part of gym etiquette is probably something that we’ve all encountered – someone not racking their weights when finished. This is the most crucial part of not being “that guy”, and most people when first starting to lift, will pick up on this rather quickly. Not racking your weights is just downright inconsiderate, and there is no reason that others should have to take time out of their workouts to clean them up after you. Re-racking your weights is a simple task, and if you don’t think you can put them back after using them, there is no reason you should be using them in the first place.
Next up on the list of proper gym etiquette, is avoiding using multiple machines at one time. To some, this may seem like something that is rather obvious, but to a select few it is actually something that is a part of their everyday workouts. This is especially true if you are working out during a crowded time in a small gym that may not have lots of equipment. Nobody should be waiting on you to finish because you are using two or more machines at a time.
For those of us with particularly grueling workouts, letting out the occasional grunt is simply unavoidable and to a certain extent acceptable when it comes to gym etiquette, but is still something that we like to avoid. On the other hand, there are sometimes people who look for every excuse to scream, as if they are begging for attention. They might say that they can’t avoid letting it out, but this really isn’t true – and no matter what weight you are lifting you should keep grunting to a minimum.
Lastly, you should always be respectful of people’s time. This can apply to more than one thing; for instance if you are working out with a buddy and you are talking in between sets of using the only squat rack in the gym, you should probably consider saving the talk for after you are done using the machine. It may not look like it, but there could be someone waiting to use your machine, and they won’t be too happy if you are using it to talk on. Just remember to be respectful of other people; they don’t have all day to spend at the gym, and neither should you. Proper gym etiquette will not only save you face, but will also make your workouts more pleasant when people around you are not grinding their teeth the moment you step into the gym.
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