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Maintaining good gym manners: 11 unwritten rules

April 06 2022 6 min read

While the gym is a centre of self-improvement for most of us, there are always a certain few who leave their manners at the door. Those that don’t follow the unwritten rules of the gym can cause great distress for those that do.

When it comes to good gym etiquette, these are 11 things you should avoid. Recognise any of these people?

1. THE PERSON WHO DOESN’T WIPE THEIR SWEAT FROM THE MACHINES

You sweat all over the machine during your workout. You wipe it off. Simple, right?

Unfortunately some people think that their sweat is a miracle fitness enhancer and deserves to stay on the machines all day. Avoid making gym enemies by bringing a towel with you to clean the machines after use.

2. THE PERSON WHO INSISTS ON HAVING A PHONE CONVERSATION WITH A LONG-LOST FRIEND ON THE TREADMILL

Sometimes phone calls can’t be avoided, but some people seem to think the gym is the perfect place to start a long conversation. While we understand that everybody has the same right to be at the gym, why bother hogging the treadmill when you aren’t intending to work out properly?

3. THE GUY THAT HAS HIS OWN PARTY IN THE WEIGHT ROOM

We can see that you are lifting triple your own body weight, but do you really need to shout about it? People that grunt, scream, drop heavy weights loudly and generally make excessive noise can make others feel a little uneasy.

4. THE SELFIE TAKER

Do we need to say any more about the selfie? If you look fresh enough to take a selfie at the gym you might just not be working out hard enough.

5. THE PERSON WHO GETS TOO CLOSE TO YOU

There are ten other treadmills free, but they just had to jump on to the one right next to yours! Respect people’s personal space in the gym and make sure you spread out if possible.

6. THE HOARDER

You can usually find this person surrounded by a collection of weights, a couple of steps and a few gym balls thrown in for good measure. Surely they can’t be using all that equipment at the same time? But beware as you will be greeted with an evil stare if you try to reclaim some of the equipment.

7. THE NOSY PARKER

While a bit of healthy competition is natural, it soon becomes incredibly annoying when the person next to you nearly falls off their machine trying to get a look at your stats. It doesn’t matter that they are on level 6 and you are on level 10 - concentrate on your own workout!

8. PEOPLE WHO WANT TO START A CONVERSATION WHEN YOU’VE GOT HEADPHONES IN

The gym can be a fantastic place to meet new people and make some friends, but trying to start a conversation with someone who is clearly in the zone with headphones on is the fastest way to create a gym enemy.

9. THE PERSON WHO LEAVES PADLOCKS ON LOCKERS

There are a finite numbers of lockers available for everyone, which makes it really annoying when you need to store your stuff away at busy times only to find that the majority of lockers are taken by absent gym members. Try to take your gym kit home with you after a workout, that way you can also keep it smelling fresh and clean as nobody likes to work out next to someone whose kit has been stowed away for days on end.

10. THE GIRL WHO IS MORE READY FOR A NIGHT OUT THAN A GYM SESSION

Exercising in makeup is not only pointless, as you will probably sweat it off anyway, but it can also be bad for your skin, as when you sweat your pores become clogged, which can lead to breakouts.

11. THE PERSON WHO ONLY GOES JAN 1ST – 17TH

To us, one of the most frustrating things is to see people give up on their fitness goals. Don’t abandon the gym midway through January, stick to your routine and see the benefits.