Gym Etiquette

I have always been big on "gym etiquette," an unspoken, unwritten set of rules that I think that people who frequent the gym should follow.  It all boils down to being considerate of others, especially when the gym is crowded, which is the case more so during the winter months than during the summer months.

The idea for this blog post came from my experience at the gym on Friday.  Thankfully, the gym hasn't been very crowded lately, which makes working out substantially more pleasant.  I will preface by saying that I was especially not in the mood to be at the gym on Friday.  I left work at 4:20 and it took me an hour and 10 minutes to the get the gym due to traffic.  After the awful drive, I was incredibly irritated and the gym was the last place I wanted to be, but I forced myself to go anyway.

Picture this:  the gym has two sets of treadmills; the set I generally use consists of 8 eight identical treadmills in a row, the last one against the wall.  When I walked into the room, I noticed that there were 2 other people on the treadmills, on treadmill nos. 5 and 7, if you will.  I got on treadmill no. 2 - when there is more than one open treadmill to choose one from, I try not to get on a treadmill next to anyone if I can help it.  I know that I would much rather not have anyone next to me (for a number of reasons) and I thought other people felt the same way, especially those who work out hard.  Apparently not.

The other 2 individuals finished their workouts and I was the only one left on the treadmills.  Then, a girl came an got on treadmill no. 1 right next to me.  She picked the treadmill immediately to my left when there were 6 other open treadmills to my right.  I was like are you kidding me - choose another treadmill - dammit.  To make matters worse, she was, in my opinion, very annoying.  She switched frequently between really high and low speeds and the treadmill was very loud and shaky at the high speed and she was a heavy runner.  In addition, her music was really loud.  Then, a lady (a walker) came and got on the treadmill no. 3, the treadmill to my right.  All of the other treadmills were still open.  I was like what the hell is this?  I couldn't believe it.  I was surrounded and kinda pissed.  Enter the idea for this blog post.

I will note that I voiced my irritation to Jason yesterday and he didn't think it was a big deal, which kind of surprised me because he gets VERY annoyed by others at the gym.  Okay, so maybe it's just me on this one.   

Here are a few other things on my gym etiquette list, which are probably more universally shared:

1. The gym is not a place to socialize, but a place to work out.  Do not come to the gym to socialize and if you are going to socialize while working out please talk quietly.  I should not be able to hear every word of your conversation while I have my head phones on, especially if you are halfway across the gym.  One time, I even heard/watched two girls carry on a conversation while on machines with a person in between.  If I had been the person in between, I would have been shooting each of them daggers with my eyes.
2. Also related to socializing, if you are not stretching, doing sit-ups, or some other sort of productive exercise, get your ass off of the mats and let someone else use them.  I cannot tell you how many times, I've been unable to get on the mats because individuals are just hanging out on them talking.
3. No talking on your cell phone.  Few things are more irritating that someone on his or her cell phone.  There are actually signs posted in the gym that specifically prohibit cell phone use and I've come really close to pointing this out to individuals in the past.  What can I say, I'm a stickler for following the rules.
4. Parents, supervise your kids while at the gym or at least make sure they follow the rules.  Kids are not allowed in the room I work out in (unless they are a certain age and have taken a class on how to use the equipment).  Having kids in the gym screwing around on equipment is incredibly distracting (not to mention a lawsuit waiting to happen if they hurt themselves).  Two specific instances come to mind.  The first one: two girls were screwing around on treadmills close to me.  There were behaving so inappropriately that I actually stopped my workout and went an got a Y employee to kick them out.  The second one:  two boys came into the gym and were horsing around behind me while I was on the treadmill (not on equipment, but just behind me); one of them was trying to shoot a rubber band at the other.  The lady on the treadmill next to me turned around and told them to knock it off and get out.  As she was doing this she stumbled a little and what did the boys do - they busted out laughing.  I couldn't believe it - who laughs at someone who almost falls!?!  Little punks.
5. Dress appropriately.  There are many times that I've been offended and/or severely creeped out by what people are wearing.  I know it's often hot in the gym and you are working out, but that does not give you an excuse to wear too tight, too little, or too revealing clothing.  This applies outside the gym as well - trust me, no one wants to see that and no one thinks it makes you look attractive.  Harsh, I know.

It all boils down to being courteous to those around you.