All about Gym Etiquette
(Fundamentals)
The word ‘etiquette‘ encompasses many elements, all of which are related to one thing: human behavior in any given environment or set of circumstances.
For example, you might have ‘wedding etiquette’ or ‘funeral etiquette’ and many other types of social or cultural etiquette. One of the first forms I was exposed to (as a kid) was ‘tennis etiquette’ – because I had joined a fairly posh English tennis club in England, and I was told by staff and coaches that I was expected to behave in a certain way both on and off the court. One example of this is when players are expected to shake hands after a match and show respect to each other, regardless of who won or lost.
Golf and cricket clubs also have their own versions of etiquette.
And then there is gym etiquette.
My advice to you is to take gym etiquette seriously and learn the rules of what is and what is not acceptable behaviour. Thus, you can always gain ‘the moral high ground’ in any dispute. You will be noticed and respected by those who have also taken the time to learn what is expected of them to honour their chosen sport, and to make progress towards the top of their sport, with the minimum of fuss and bluster.
Gyms – you get what you pay for:
There are (and always have been) many different types of gyms.
A membership subscription is almost always commensurate with the quality of the gym, its staff, and equipment. It is frequently the case that the rules of etiquette (enforced by gym management) will be stricter for the ‘better’ gyms. Better gyms are generally more expensive, and mostly, ‘you get what you pay for’.
I can think of one crucial exception: Bob’s Gym, located in Bristol, England, back in the 1980s. Bob was in this game for the love of it, more than to make lots of money. I suppose he recognized a dire need for a great gym at that time in that location, and he seized his chance when an old bus depot became available for Rent nearby, where he lived. He filled it with dumbbells, barbells, and an assortment of old but sturdy and well-maintained machines. And he kept his subscriptions down to a minimum. But he didn’t stand for any nonsense, and if anyone stepped out of line with their behavior or their adherence to the required level of etiquette fell short of the mark, Bob wasted no time on pleasantries and would bark sharp warnings at people – “One more time and you’re out.” And as I remember, no one messed about with Bob when he was pissed off, and they valued their gym memberships very highly – because they all got so much fun, positivity, and discipline from their sport. Idiots and disrespectful people (or those who simply couldn’t hack it) eventually quit the gym, either because everyone ignored them or because they were told in no uncertain terms not to return. Hard work was encouraged and respected. Time wasters were laughed out of the place.
So Etiquette in Gyms has always been and will always be very important. It still rankles me in modern gyms when people stand around talking too much, perhaps into their phones, or maybe to each other, or play there preferred music genre which others don’t like, or or they are too lazy to learn the specific form of exercises and so in their quest to compete with peers, end up cheating with Steroids and/or cutting corners to lift more weight. There were always those types of people, and there always will be. A good Gym boss will know how to deal with them, and the boss must seek to create a more harmonious environment for the majority of members.
Finally, people come to the gym to train and to focus, not to listen to your idle chit-chat. Don’t gossip and chatter like an old washerwoman ( or washerman these days 🙂 ) – everyone has their fair share of life’s troubles weighing on their minds, and they come to the Gym to forget the negatives. So the last thing other people in the gym want to hear is you moaning about your troubles! Back in the day in England, in the offices where I worked as an Information Technology high flyer, there was a saying that went, ‘Don’t wash your dirty linen in public.’ In other words, everyone has dirty linen to wash, and they should do it back home in private and not bother other people with it, because different people already have a pile of washing to do!
18 Important Points of Gym Etiquette:
- Respect other users and be polite
- Don’t disturb other people’s quiet focus
- Don’t Procrastinate (Don’t talk loudly or chatter for extended periods)
- If you train hard and focus, you usually find that others follow your example and respect you more
- Don’t gossip and chatter
- Try not to interrupt or intervene where there is bad form or disruptive activity. (This is the job of the Gym Management staff, so report it and find another gym if it doesn’t improve.)
- Don’t impose your standards on others
- Turn your phone off and leave it in your locker
- Avoid using damaged or broken equipment (and report it ASAP)
- Don’t hog machines and equipment (try to be fair and reasonable)
- Rack weights and reset equipment when you have finished with each set
- Use a towel to wipe machines down after use
- Try not to disturb the ‘positive vibe’ by moaning or getting negative
- Don’t take food or drinks into the training area – if you need to snack, go back to the locker room
- Don’t ‘ego-lift’ because if it is a gym of a reasonably high standard, then you will just look like an idiot
and the positive vibe and ethos will decline around you - Don’t leave items lying around on the floor – other people can trip and get badly injured
- Avoid leaving free weights lying on top of benches or anywhere apart from where they usually are; a dumbbell can easily fall from a bench onto someone’s foot
- Be aware of (and careful of) sexual chemistry in the gym – this happens quite frequently and is a fact of life. This is a crucial social skill to acquire.