Have you ever gone to use a piece of equipment at the gym, only to find the person before you left a slimy pool of sweat to mark their presence? If only they had a better understanding of gym etiquette - the unwritten do’ and don’ts of how to behave in the gym.
Here are my five golden rules of gym etiquette that, if followed, would make everybody’s gym experience more enjoyable (and hygienic).
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Rule 1 – Clean up after yourself - Always bring a towel and wipe down the bench, weight or machine after you’ve finished. It’s great that you’ve worked up a sweat, but it’s also great if you can keep it to yourself.
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Rule 2 – Don't smash the weight stacks or drop weights - If you are strong enough to lift a weight, you should be strong enough to lower it at a speed that doesn’t deafen all those around you. Lowering your weights with control is also good practice, as it reduces your risk of injury
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Rule 3 – Don't hog the equipment - If the gym is busy, be reasonable about how long you stay on a piece of equipment. Some gyms even have a time limit of 10- 20 minutes on cardio machines during peak hours so everyone gets a chance to burn off kilojoules.
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Rule 4 – If you use it, return it - Once you’ve finished using dumbbells, barbells, weight plates, medicine balls, fit balls, exercise mats or any other portable piece of equipment, return it to its rightful place. This prevents people from tripping, and makes it easier for the next person to find what they’re looking for
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Rule 5 - Keep it quiet - It’s unlikely that you would want to hear the grunting, singing, mobile phone conversations, loud talking or music blasting from the ear phones of other gym members. They probably don’t want to hear it from you either.
What other common behaviours from gym members should be black listed?
