Gym Etiquette

by: Matthew Krajewski

So I came across this great blog posting via Digg on Ploomy regarding gym etiquette. Don’t even get me started…

But since I’m writing this, I’ve already started, and will continue a lá Ploomy.

I’ve taken to going the gym pretty regularly, at first it was in the evenings, but for some reason lately my local gym is getting packed in tighter than a Rolling Stones concert at Madison Square Garden, so I’ve taken to the morning shift. Ah! Mornings at the gym when nobody is around to do any of the annoyances I’m about to list below. Usually…hopefully…who am I kidding, I’ll probably run into the same bozos when they also figure out that the gym is empty in the mornings. Oh, well, bliss for now, and I can vent about proper gym etiquette in the meantime.

Stop grunting like an animal

This is the one that annoys me the most. Just because you’re at a gym is not an excuse to grunt like an animal. It is a shared public space, and I’m always taken aback when some guy on the bench press starts grunting through his reps…probably means you should lighten up on the weight you’re lifting.

Leave the bike shorts for outdoor biking

I’ve got nothing against biking or bikers, but leave the apparel for outdoors and racing. Like they said in the Ploomy post, stick to loose fitting clothing, and reserve the tight fitting stuff for the proper venue… like a nightclub.

Don’t be a klept-o or a mess-o

Don’t be a kleptomaniac or leave a mess anywhere in the gym. This means jacking the disinfectant spray near the towels to go wipe down your machine. Spray your towel first, and leave the bottle, so you don’t leave three people waiting around for you to play Mr. Clean! Also, put the weights back where you found them, in the right place. They’re labeled for a reason.

Leave the conversation for the coffee shop

I can’t count the number of times I’ve had my workout tainted by the chatty-kathys that are talking one machine over from me. And because there are about fifty machines and loud music, they have to talk over all of the noise, so that everyone around them can hear them. Focus on your workout, and chat afterward, not during. Jeez!

Well, I think that about wraps it up; so just sweat as much as you want (wear deodorant, please!), but be polite about it, it isn’t your personal gym after all.

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