As I have written about on this website previously, I am an avid gym-goer. I stick to a hybrid approach of exercising both in my home gym and at a ‘regular’ gym. Both of them have their benefits. I encourage people who are considering one or the other to check out previous articles on this website about the benefits of creating a home gym and getting a ‘regular’ gym membership.
For folks who are considering signing up for a gym membership, or already have a gym membership, there are certain forms of etiquette that I strongly urge people to follow. Part of the items below are general considerations and some of them are based on my personal pet peeves.
Ultimately, the main premise of all of them is that people need to be respectful to their fellow humans, including the gym staff, and respectful of the facility itself. There are plenty more examples of proper gym etiquette to be sure, but below are the main ones that I recommend to friends and family.
Wipe Down Equipment
When most people workout, they tend to sweat. Even if they don’t sweat, they still make contact with gym equipment with their hands and other parts of their body. With that in mind, it is really important for people to wipe down the equipment that they just used on the parts where their bodies made contact with the equipment. It is both an equipment hygiene thing and a public health thing. All gym-goers deserve to use equipment that is clean and germ-free.
Re-Rack Weights
There are multiple reasons why people need to re-rack the weights that they use. For starters, it helps other people know that the equipment is now free to use after you used it. Additionally, it helps the gym staff and your gym peers who would be the ones to re-rack the weights if you fail to do so. One thing that I want to stress to people is to re-rack the weights where they are supposed to go.
It is one of my personal pet peeves when I am looking for a specific weight, whether it is a dumbbell or plate, and I have to go on a hunt to try to find it or remove several other plates to get to the one that I need. Put the 5s where the 5s are supposed to go, the 45s where they are supposed to go, etc. The same is true for other gym equipment like cable handles. Put them where they are supposed to go so that other people don’t have to hunt for them. Putting the cable handles away also is another way to let people know that the equipment is now available for them to use.
Don’t ‘Steal’ Equipment
One thing that I love about using my home gym is that I don’t have to worry about anyone ‘stealing’ the equipment that I am using, and by that, I mean someone jumping onto whatever equipment I am using if/when I go to get a drink of water. When I am typically at the gym, in addition to having my specific weights or cable handle on the equipment, I also try to leave some other item like a sweatshirt or shaker bottle at the equipment to let others know that it is ‘taken.’
But even then, there are times when some jackwagon comes along in the middle of my sets to start using the equipment, and then I have to have the awkward conversation with them, pointing out that I was using the equipment so they need to either wait or find something else to do. DON’T BE THAT PERSON.
Don’t ‘Camp’ On Equipment
Kind of piggybacking off of the last item, don’t ‘camp’ on equipment for endless amounts of time. I get that people need to rest between sets for a bit, but spending tons of time doomscrolling on your phone or taking a phone call while remaining at the equipment is ridiculous. It holds up the equipment for others who want to use it.
Studies have found that resting 30-90 seconds in between sets is optimal. I grant a bit more grace time than that because some people take longer to recover. But if you are sitting at a machine for half an hour doomscrolling on your phone or ‘closing a deal’ on a business phone call or gossiping about some personal drama that you know about, that is disrespectful to your gym peers.
Keep The Gym Clean (This Includes Smells)
One thing that really makes me mad is when I see someone ‘litter’ in the gym and not clean up after themselves, or spill something and not wipe it up themselves, or at least make the gym staff aware of it. That crowd may be OK with living that way in their own homes, but a gym is a community space and everyone deserves to have a clean gym.
Furthermore, making a mess and considering it ‘to be the gym staff’s problem’ is a jerk move. Yes, the gym staff is on the clock, but that doesn’t mean that they have to needlessly clean up after disrespectful people. I am the kind of gym member that if I see something on the ground, I pick it up and throw it away, if for any reason so that I don’t accidentally slip and fall because of it being on the ground.
And as the headline of this section states – keep the gym free from undesirable odors. Come to the gym clean, wear deodorant, don’t bust out a tub of tuna fish and start woofing it down at the gym, fart outside if you have to let one rip, and be mindful of how much cologne or perfume you wear because some people have scent-based allergies.
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Disclaimer: The contents of this article and this website are not meant to substitute for the professional advice of a doctor, nutritionist, and/or certified personal trainer. This content is provided as an educational tool to help people on their fitness journeys. While we strive to research topics as much as possible and provide useful and accurate information to the best of our abilities, we also strongly recommend talking to your doctor, nutritionist, and/or certified personal trainer before starting any workout, therapeutic, or nutritional regimen, as each individual’s needs and situations vary depending on the person.