Let's brush up on our gym etiquette!
*Originally published on August 20, 2019:
That woman next to you on the treadmill? She's a mom of six small children who just wants to get lost for 30 minutes in her Spotify playlist.
The guy doing walking lunges across the floor? He's a pediatrician who spends (much) of his day curing children of mystery ailments while trying not to get sick himself.
For many people, the gym is a refuge from the rest of the world. They don't want to deal inside the gym with what they deal with outside the gym. That being said, there are some common sense "rules" that should be followed so you and your workout neighbor get the best of your time away from everyday life.
- DON'T try to strike up a conversation.
- The gym is not a quiet place, but if you see someone wearing headphones and doing their best to avoid eye contact, chances are they are not interested in talking to you. Leave them be.
- DO wipe down your equipment.
- Sure, gyms have cleaning crews, but germs are everywhere. It takes 30 seconds to wipe down your bench or elliptical machine once you are done. Do it!
- DON'T grunt loudly.
- Okay, we get it! That weight is heavy. But grunting doesn't make it not as heavy. It makes the rest of us uncomfortable.
- DON'T sit on the machines between sets.
- If you really want to make someone mad, sit there and text. In all seriousness, if you are at the gym during prime time, chances are that there is someone else waiting for the machine you are sitting on. Let the other person work in with you, so while you rest, they work—and the other way around.
- DON'T walk around the locker room—naked.
- Of course, the locker room is there for you to shower, change, get ready for work, etc. But it is still a public place and it is still not your house. Wrap a towel around yourself to walk from the changing area to the shower, and, ladies, please don't put on your makeup while you stand in front of the mirror naked.
- DO put equipment away.
- No one wants to trip over your kettlebell. You're an adult. You got your toys out, so put them away!
- DON'T take selfies when you should be, you know, working out.
- I always say, "If your hair still looks good after a workout, you didn't work out right." Taking a selfie for progress pictures is one thing, but throwing peace signs and duck lips in the mirror near the Smith machine isn't cool. It's annoying, and no one on your Instagram is really impressed.
- DON'T talk on your cell phone on the gym floor.
- First, if you can carry on a conversation at the gym, you are not working out hard enough. Second, that phone call can wait until you are done working out. Third, no one around you wants to hea your conversation.
