Right at the new
year, my entire family joined a gym that opened up very close to my house. It’s
a pretty great gym and so far I am enjoying my membership there. It’s
infinitely closer to my home than my last gym, less expensive AND has a pool! I also love that
the whole family is involved- it’s been extremely inspiring and lovely to see
everyone’s spirits lifted and their dedication to staying active!
Now, my old gym
was different in a lot of ways. It was female-only and most of the population
seemed to have a 9:00-5:00 job because when I worked out between my two
part-time jobs, it was just me and the retired. It was also a much smaller
building with just one employee cleaning, constantly. There wasn’t a lot of
worrying about gym etiquette there because there weren’t many other people
around to take into consideration. Here are some notes I’ve made on how to be a good
citizen of a gym:
1) WIPE YOUR
MACHINE DOWN- This is the most important rule, in my opinion. Pretend that the
handles on your machine are made of poles from the subway that never get cleaned. Gross, right? Wipe
it down before and after you use it. It’s winter, it’s flu/cold time. Ain’t
nobody got time for that. But we do have time to be a little sanitary.
2) If you’re
going to be naked in the locker room, keep a towel between your naked butt and
the seat in the locker room/sauna. For one, the sauna seats are made of wood
and glutal-splinters seem like the opposite of fun. For two, no one wants to
see your butt-print. Maybe one day at Grauman’s Chinese Theater Show, but
certainly not now and not here.
Know your audience. For three, that whole thing I just mentioned in #1
about being sanitary.
*Another bit of
advice on this topic- please keep your sweaty, naked self awaaaaay from me in the
locker room. I mean, just what kind of girl do you take me for? You haven’t
even taken me out to dinner.
3) Have a towel
handy. If your gym offers a towel service, take one. If they don’t,
bring one from home. It’s good because you’ll have less sweat to wipe down if
the towel is between you and the bench. Also, it’s good motivation- don’t leave
til that towel is drenched!
4) Grunting and
groaning is fine in my book, but talking on your cell phone in the
weight room isn’t cool. Texting is okay if you’re not walking around without
looking or hogging a machine/bench. But if your conversation is really that
serious, take it somewhere else, dude. I’m tryina get in the zone, here.
5) Be mindful of
time limits on cardio machines. A lot of places have a 20-30 minute time limit
when all of the cardio machines are full. If that is the situation you find
yourself in, try to be inspired to cross-train. Hit the weights after your
time on the cardio machine is up.
6) Don’t sit and
rest on the machines if someone else is waiting for it. You can politely tell
them that you have another set or two, but let them “work-in” in between your
sets. Have your cleansing-fluid-soaked paper towel handy.
7) Deodorant is
a must. Unfortunately, though, my gym smells like it
is personally sponsored by whatever spray-on deodorant is on sale at CVS that
week. One spritz is enough. If I can taste your perfume/cologne, it’s too much.
8) Don’t laugh
at anyone. We are all in the gym to better ourselves and raise self-esteem.
Mind ya business.
9) Wear
appropriate clothing for working out. Ladies, (and men with long hair) put your
hair up. Wear something you feel comfortable in and allows you to move through
your full range of motion. Keep all goods covered. I don’t know about you, but
the idea of my bare skin against those seats and machines is a little
cringe-inducing… covering up just to avoid peeling your skin off the
sweat-soaked bench is enough reason to dress a bit modestly.
Last But Not
Least…
10) CLEAN UP
AFTER YOURSELF. This is not YOUR personal gym. If you have a paper towel in
your cup holder on the treadmill after you wiped it down, THROW IT AWAY when
you’re done. If you used free weights, PUT THEM AWAY in their rightful place. Let’s
be adults here, people.
Got more? Leave
em in the comments section. Or take these advice nuggets with you and make your
gym a better place to be J Have a good workout!
