By V. Berba Velasco Jr., Ph.D.
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You’ve got a dozen sweaty people—maybe more—crammed into the same workout room. They’re all competing for the same equipment. If you’re one of these guys, what can you do to avoid unduly inconveniencing to anyone else? Here are a few simple tips.
Keep conversations to a minimum
Remember that people are there to work out, not to make chitchat. A few words of conversation are okay, but people generally don’t welcome extended conversations from strangers. This is especially true when they’re lifting weights, as experienced gym rats typically rest for only a minute or so between sets.
What if you’re doing cardio work? Inexperienced gym visitors may find themselves becoming bored after a few minutes on the treadmills, elliptical trainers, or exercise bikes. At that point, they sometimes decide to chat up the person next to them. What they don’t realize is that many gym habitues don’t welcome this intrusion, especially since a heavy cardio workout can demand their full concentration.
It’s especially tempting when the other person has a book or a magazine open. After all, “Hey, whatcha reading?” seems like a perfectly good way to start a conversation. Don’t do it. If they’ve got a book or a magazine in front of them, it’s because they’re interested in reading, not in making small talk. Don’t bother them.
No loud conversations
If you must converse with someone, keep your voices to a moderate level. Nobody wants to hear you talking loudly across a room. As I said, working out often requires concentration, and loud conversations tend to be both distracting and annoying.
If you’re both working out at opposite ends of the room, then wait until you’re done with your workouts, or until you’re both resting between sets. Then you can chat with each other from a moderate distance.
No darned profanity
It happens a lot. A bunch of guys run into each other at the gym, a conversation gets going, and before you know it, they’re hurling the F-bomb and the S-word all over the place.
Do NOT do that. Please remember that the gym is a public place, not a private sanctuary. You never know who will be walking by – or even if the other people around you would appreciate hearing such language. What’s more, the excessive use of foul language in public tends to reinforce certain negative stereotypes about gym enthusiasts, and we wouldn’t want that, would we?
Watch for visual cues
Instead of just sitting on the same machine in between sets, experienced gym rats will often walk away from the equipment they’re using for a minute or so. They typically do this to promote blood circulation or to burn a few more calories. Often, they leave a towel or water bottle behind as a sign that they are still using that machine.
In such situations, it’s best to ask this person if you can squeeze a set in, especially if you see a telltale towel or bottle by the machine.
No lounging!
Some of the most annoying people at the gym are the ones who sit around on benches or the machines for extended periods. Some of them will even show up in jeans or other street clothes, just playing around. Some of them might indeed be working out, but then they’ll sit around for five minutes or so, chatting with their friends. Don’t be that type of person. Don’t hog the equipment, especially if you’re not really using it.
As I said, experienced exercise enthusiasts know that walking around for a while can make their workouts more effective. Moreover, it also gives other people a chance to get some exercise in as well. And if you’d rather not walk around, for fear that someone else will jump in, then keep your rest periods short. 60 seconds is usually plenty of time to rest, especially when you’re not working with extra-heavy weights.
There is a great deal more that can be said about proper gym etiquette—more than can be covered in a brief article. Still, these simple guidelines alone can help make your workout experience more pleasant for everyone.
About the Author:
V. B. Velasco Jr is a senior crossdisciplinary engineer at a small biotech firm that provides immunology research services, cryopreserved PBMC samples and serum-free media.
