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Sound Off Gym Etiquette Goes Hand in Hand With Working Out
By Tom Bonanti
A gym is not just a place where YOU go
to work out . The gym is a great social outlet for people of all
ages and backgrounds to go to exercise and relieve stress. As
such, there are some basic and oh so essential rules of gym
etiquette that I feel I must review. First, remember that you are not the
only one in the gym. If you have to carry around your cell
phone, put it on vibrate and when you get a call take it outside
or somewhere where you don’t have to share it with the rest of
us! Speaking of not sharing, keep a towel with you to wipe down
equipment after using it. No one wants to workout in a puddle of
your bodily fluids. Secondly, the gym is not your private
space. This means that you should not push in front of
others to get to equipment. Rack free weights once you have
finished your sets. Don’t linger at stations while you talk on
the phone or waste time. Others are waiting patiently. I was
once in a gym where a female bodybuilder of note was working
out. Her ego was bigger than her breast implants! This
behemoth pushed and shoved in front of others to hog the weights
and monopolized 2 and 3 pieces of equipment at a time. What a
gross turn-off. A simple “Excuse me…” or “Pardon me,
are you using those weights?” is so much nicer and than a primal
grunt and a shove from behind. Don’t forget basic kindness and
manners. You expect them from others, why not let others learn
from your good example?
Another basic rule of gym etiquette has to do with
personal hygiene. Primal man scent may flip your switch at
Ramrod, but three day body odor is not acceptable anywhere.
Showers can be used both before and after a workout. If your
jock can stand up on its own in your locker, then its time to do
laundry. Yes, real men bathe, wear deoderant and wash
their gym clothes. While I’m on this tirade of discussing
personal hygiene let me say a word to those phantoms of the
locker room who refuse to flush their mess and those who spit,
hock and dispose of their gum in the drinking fountains.
Get with the human race. Learn to flush the toilet! Stop using
the drinking fountain as your personal waste receptacle! And
while we’re at it, the locker room is no place to trim your
toe-nails, shave your head, or iron your clothes. These are
tasks to do at home not in a public place. Finally, let me say a word or two
about something that really irks me. The locker room and showers
are not your private areas to carry on sexually with yourself or
with others. It is illegal, and furthermore you are putting your
club and others in jeopardy for all kinds of trouble. Stop it
now! Well, I’ve gotten some things off my
chest. For me, and many others, the gym is a way of life. With a
few basic rules of etiquette, a little consideration and some
politeness, the gym can be a great place for all of us to
workout, unwind and socialize.
 TOM BONANTI IS A CERTIFIED PERSONAL TRAINER AND OWNER OF PUMP’N INC GYM AT 1271 NE 9TH AVENUE FORT LAUDERDALE, FL 33304, www.pumpnincgym.com. |
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Last
week I was downing a post workout smoothie with my friend,
Ricardo when the subject of gym etiquette came up in
conversation. Between the two of us we have 110 years of
experience working out in probably fifty different gyms. As we
reminisced, our talk became more heated as the topics changed
from blasting our biceps to the need for some sort of code of
gym conduct to prevent some of the awful things we’ve seen over
the years.