Proper Gym Etiquette - aka Don't Do This!!!

I have been around the gym/health club business almost my entire life. I started working out at one in high school, continued on in college, built and ran one for almost 10 years, and am currently a member at two clubs in the Lehigh Valley, PA. After years decades in and around the business I have just about seen everything there is to see. I can't remember the last time someone surprised me with something they did ... well ... now that I think about it I can (see #3 below).

For the most part, as long as the dumb stuff that goes on doesn't affect me, I have learned to let it go. Because, really, I don't own the place now, and I don't have a deep affinity for either gym I use. After almost 10 years of owning a club where I didn't let a lot of dumb stuff happen, it was not so easy at first to let things go. Over time I have mellowed out about this. But, for whatever reason, it has started to get under my skin again.

Here are my list of 10 thing NOT to do at your local gym:

10.  Do NOT leave your s*** all over the place (Clean up after yourself) - While you may think this is common knowledge and logical, in the gym environment it is not. Put your plates back on the rack when you are done. Re-rack your dumbbells. And spry down the leg curl machine when you sweat all over it. Seriously, have some common courtesy.

9. Do NOT throw dumbbells at the end of your set -Yes, yes. I know you are really big, and really strong, and you went to "complete failure" with those 70 pound dumbbell presses ... except for the fact that if you were at "complete failure" you wouldn't be able to throw those dumbbells. This is a safety issue. Just as you don't want a broken toe, neither do I.

8. Do NOT Loiter on the equipment - Your gym membership gives you the right to use the equipment, but so does everyone else. Use it and move on. The last thing anyone wants to do is waste time while you sit on the pec dec talking it up with your best bud or that girl who is never going to go out with you. Seriously, get on, do your sets, let someone else get their workout in.

7. Do NOT spend an unusual amount of time looking at yourself in the mirrors - Need I say more.

6. Do NOT go into the hot tub in your tighty whities - Or, really, anything other than a bathing suit. This is not your house, this is a facility that is being used by many other people who just don't want to see it ... especially when you get out.

5. Do NOT go into the hot tub - Because, think about it. People workout then get their dirty, disgusting bodies into that overheated water. You are sitting in other people's filth. And if you do get in, you are probably going to be sitting next to someone in their underwear (see #5).

4. Limit the nakedness in the locker room as much as possible - There are very legit reasons for not being fully clothed in the locker rooms. You need to change from work clothes to workout rags. You also use the shower. These are totally legit. But ... you can shave in a pair of shorts, or at least a towel around you. Also, don't sit your unclothed butt on the bench.  

Source

3. Do NOT use the club provided hair dryer to dry anything other than the hair on your head -
Nobody wants to use that thing after it has been in your sweaty shoes or shorts. And nobody wants to see you blow dry your nether region. Trust me, the naked old guy with one leg on the counter drying his ... you get the picture.

2. DO NOT ABUSE THE EQUIPMENT!!!! - As one who has owned the equipment and a user of the equipment this is my personal number one issue. When I owned Body Dynamics I would get the same story from the abusers that can be summed up as this: I pay my money, I have the right to treat the equipment as I choose, la la la la la.. No. You. Don't. Your gym membership entitles you to use the equipment, not abuse the equipment. That $35/month gives you rental rights, just like everyone else who pays their money. And just like you, they are paying to rent good, not broken equipment. If the gym owner has to replace a dumbbell or a bar or whatever, that costs money. Eventually, that money adds up and your rate has to go up. Or, they don't replace the damaged equipment and you eventually workout at a craphole. And btw, if you have to throw those 60 pound dumbbells because you went to "total failure," you really didn't because, you know, you had the strength to launch them across the room.

1. DON'T Be a Dick - This is the general catch-all for anything for anything that doesn't fit in above that is just not cool. Washing your feet in the sink would be a good example, as would stalking that cute girl who really wants to just work out and could care less about you. In general, if you think it might not be socially acceptable, it probably isn't.

Thanks for Allowing me to rant. If you think I missed something, please feel free to let me know in the comments.

Train hard. Stay focused.
Jon