Man's Take Magazine

Gym Time – Manly Gym Etiquette

By Jake Walker

It’s true the gym is a place of utter masculinity where the testosterone flows freely (occasionally through syringes, but that’s another story), and we all should try to allow people some freedom to express themselves physically through motion and exercise.

However, there are some lines that need to be drawn when it comes to gym etiquette. It is a place shared by strangers who sometimes must encounter each other naked. Combine testosterone, extremely heavy objects, mirrors, and soap, and you’re bound to get a mess if you don’t have some hard and fast rules to abide by.

Even with a good set of rules come a series of practices most would consider common sense, but seem to escape many who show up at the gym. Here are a few points of etiquette to keep in mind while at the gym.

1. Locker Room: Most men don’t feel comfortable around other naked men so let’s try and be respectful. If you prance around like the tooth ferry minus the tutu you’re going to make people think you just escaped from a mental institution and they’re going to want to send you back. Sneaking up on a man tying his shoes while buck naked and dripping wet is also in poor taste. Nothing is worse than looking up and locking stares with One-Eyed Willy. Simply put- let’s try to keep to ourselves. This means you too, pecker checkers.
2. Grunting: You’ve probably witnessed the guy screaming after every rep. If you happen to be this guy don’t be surprised to get unpleasant stares or even mockery. Grunts are appropriate for max effort lifts or possibly for the last excruciating rep. But when we can hear you grunting oner, twoer, threer it’s not needed. We really appreciate grunting while throwing up less weight than my grandmother can curl. Yes, I’m the one in the back laughing at your sorry ass.
3. Sweat: We generally expect that you’re at the gym to get a workout. It’s understood that with this comes the body’s natural reaction to heat and work… sweat. Sweat it meant to cool your body and NOT to cool or aromatize others. So please, please wipe down the equipment your dripped and blotted all over when you’re finished. If you’re a heavy sweater bring a towel with you instead of having to run around grabbing wipes or three rolls of paper towels. Sweat as much as you want, just keep it to yourself.
4. Rack ‘em: Don’t you love seeing some muscle-head finish up his two-rep set of three inch deep squats with four big plates on either side, only to walk away and leave the weight there for the next unlucky sucker. It’s even better when you’ve got 100 pound plates for leg presses and such. We go to the gym to exercise on our own terms, not to clean up after others. So just put away the weights when you’re done so the 106 pound blond college girl doesn’t break a nail and curse your soul for leaving all that weight. By the way, this includes dumbbells and other equipment at the gym. Just put it away where it belongs so the next person doesn’t have to turn the gym upside down to find the one missing dumbbell.
5. Correcting Others: I’ve been told on numerous occasions that I was performing a lift incorrectly by someone I didn’t even know. Funny thing is I was doing it correctly only to watch the goober perform his lift wrong. If you don’t work for the gym, own the building, coach the team, or sign the insurance policy, then you should probably keep your advice to yourself unless someone asks for it or is glancing around like they lost their puppy. If someone is about to hurt themselves or others it may be a good idea to lend a very respectful piece of advice, but generally just let people do their own thing. If someone is struggling, clearly you should jump in and be ready to help… but if they aren’t about to die, you should still ASK them if they need help before you start manhandling their weights.
6. Staring: Let’s be honest, everyone is secretly a people watcher, especially in the gym where skimpy clothes and odd positions rule. Still, I think we can all do more to make others feel comfortable in their place of exercise. This means don’t stare down some dude you haven’t seen before just because he’s in between you and the mirror. Of course you can look, but Mamma always said not to stare. By the way guys, women know your silly tricks with the mirrors. Keep in mind those mirrors work both ways.
7. “Hey man can I cut in”: So you’re really pressed for time in a small or crowded gym and you decide to make a new friend. When is it ok to cut in on a machine that’s being used? The answer is simple. First, you have to ASK and get an affirmative response. Second, you need to wait until the person is totally done their set and then be quick about yours. If you’ve got a long set, just wait until the person is completely finished.
8. Spotting: The main goal when at the gym is not to hurt yourself or anyone else. You won’t get any stronger or leaned in the hospital if you fracture your ribs by dropping an iron bar on your chest. Therefore, it’s always a good idea to politely ask for a spot if you are working out alone. Most people don’t mind lending a helping hand as long as it’s not for too long. If they do, I’m sure they’ll speak up and tell you to piss off. It’s also polite to run over and spot someone if the bar is about to crush him (or her but it’s almost assuredly a guy). He might even buy you a protein shake afterward and introduce you to his hot sister as thanks for saving his life. I may have saved three lives on the bench in my lifetime. What you do not want to do is randomly decide to go over to someone and spot them unnecessarily. I personally had some guy come over to my bench and spot me with one finger, even though I pounded out 8 more reps. I think he was trying to tell me my weight was too light. I gave him a helpful suggestion of where he could put that weight.
9. Give Space: Have you ever seen a person get smashed in the face with a large dumbbell? Would you like to? Just walk really close to a person doing one-arm dumbbell snatches with a 90lb weight, or doing kettlebell swings with a 40kg bell. I’ve had people walk so close behind me the actually touched my shirt while I was hefting heavy weights over my head at high speed. I believe in the five-foot rule for allowing others space. By being ultra close to someone, not only do you risk a taking a 45-pound plate to the face, but you could injure the person who is exercising as well. I unfortunately saw someone get smacked in the kisser with an Olympic plate (nope, not a rubber bumper plate either). I wouldn’t wish that upon my worst enemy. Ok, would you believe I wouldn’t wish it on my favorite enemy? Close enough.
10. Remember it’s a Gym: I really have no problem with using the gym as a social club for those who workout. I don’t really care if you want to talk to people off to the side. But there are a few times when it becomes a problem. First, when you’re holding equipment (especially unique or high-demand equipment) and not even using it, except to prop up your knee while you chit-chat. Second, when you start cackling like a hyena and cause a distraction throughout the whole building. Third, when you don’t actually exercise at all. You just show up to the gym to socialize. This can be observed by the person who walks on the treadmill at the lowest setting for five minutes then exercise the jaw for an hour talking. I think worst infraction of this rule I’ve ever encountered was the homeless man who used the gym just for its showers. He never exercised. Instead all 400 smelly, hairy pounds of him stood around in the locker room naked as the day he was born for about two hours. Nothing like an absurdly overweight cave man shaving in the nude with a leg up on the sink counter to scar your vision for life.

Need some more Gym Etiquette? Check out these tips from FitDaily.

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Keywords:gym behavior, gym etiquette, gym etiquette for men, locker room etiquette, manly gym etiquette