Gym Etiquette 101

If you belong to a health club or gym you should be aware of both the formal rules as well as unspoken ones. The formal rules are usually written out by management of the establishment which includes things like time limits on cardio machines when others are waiting or no cell phones permitted in the locker room. The unwritten rules are also known as common courtesy or proper gym etiquette. Well, in some gyms around the country, common courtesy is not so common.

Have you ever heard your mother say “Close the front door! Were you raised in a barn?” It is based on the same principle of good manners. Bad behavior in gyms has even made national headlines. You will find a laundry list of reported incidents just by typing in “inappropriate behavior in gym” on any search engine on the web. You will also be likely to find true stories of public displays of affection in locker rooms. I have summed up some ways to prevent your self from being that rude, annoying person at the gym everyone loves to work out near.

What things aggravate you while you are trying to work up a sweat the gym? These are some of the most common pet peeves: People smelling like sweaty gym socks, dripping profusely with sweat and not wiping it up, people blatantly checking out others’ assets, singing at the top of their lungs to Milli Vanilli, grunting or moaning loudly, filling up their entire water bottle while there is a wait at the fountain, and music blaring from their Ipod. Excessive nudity in the sauna, steam room, and locker room are also the not so unusual annoyances.

Some common rules of the gym include: don’t hog the equipment, don’t jump in front of someone in the mirror, wear age appropriate clothing and leave something to the imagination. Guys – don’t wear those loose tank tops from the eighties – we don’t need to see your pecks unless you look like David Beckham, just kidding. Girls - leave the daisy dukes and pajama pants at home. It does not look cute in the gym.

Whatever gym I belong to, there is always that staple rail thin girl who is a permanent fixture on the elliptical machine. One in particular comes to mind – she was really pale, dripping with sweat, and always in a trance. I feel like she needed some sort of intervention from one of the staff members. She was obviously a gym addict. It’s up to you if you let things bother you. It might just be best to put on your tunnel vision and not pay too much attention to what everyone else is doing.