November 26, 2008 8:25 AM

Jamie Martin says:

Re: Gym Faux Pas

by 2resa on Sun Apr 27, 2008 9:46 am

I just finished looking over the May issue of "Mind Your Manners!" and have one issue with it. Karen Asp mentions that grunting is not acceptable and is simply a means of getting attention. I disagree with that. In some cases, yes, there may be some unwarranted grunting but that is not in all situations. My husband is a grunter on some days. For instance, when he is doing a heavy squat day and he has 425 lbs on his back and the bar is bending, he can be loud to get those last couple of reps out. He doesn't grunt all the time but if it helps to get those last few, than go for it. I've found that when I'm trying to do heavy squats, I make some sounds and it does help to get the last couple up. Most people in the gym don't go heavy enough, which is obvious when they're more focused on the TV than the set of leg extensions they're completing. Point being, don't assume people do it to show off. Some people do it to get the very most out of their training. Besides, most people have their MP3 players going so I double my husband's grunts can be that disturbing.

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November 26, 2008 8:25 AM

Jamie Martin says:

Re: Gym Faux Pas

by passionatelife on Sun Jun 22, 2008 4:14 am

Most people at my gym when I'm working out (Lifetime in Gilbert, AZ) are pretty good with gym etiquette, at least the regulars. There are a few people whom are not, and it mainly revolves around talking too much (the weightroom is not social hour, go down to the cafe) or talking on their cell phones. That latter bothers me to no end. I can see if you have a quick call -- answer it and get back to working out. But, to be endlessly on the cell while you're exercising is distracting.

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November 26, 2008 8:26 AM

Jamie Martin says:

Re: Gym Faux Pas

by admin on Tue Jul 08, 2008 8:37 am

Here's a letter regarding gym etiquette we received from a reader that we thought was worth sharing:

Hooray! I was so happy to finally see an article on etiquette (“Mind Your Manners!” May 2008), as I often have to bite my tongue around the less-than-thoughtful crowd at my local club. However, you guys left out a couple of items, including what I call “mirror etiquette.”

1. Please don’t walk or stand in front of me while I’m using the mirror. I don’t always have a workout buddy, and I need the mirror to ensure that my form is proper.

2. When picking up dumbbells, step back a few feet so that the rest of us can also get a pair of 25s without getting clocked in the head.

3. One set equals one set of weights. Unless you can use three sets of dumbbells simultaneously, please take only one set and then re-rack them before getting the next pair.

4. Machines are for exercising, not resting. Between sets, get off the machine and stand next to it. This lets me know that I can work-in with you instead of guessing how much longer you’ll be.

5. For goodness sake, please re-rack all barbell weights. You came to the gym to exercise — so quit being lazy! Besides, the person hitting the bench after you may not be able to safely put away four 45-pound plates.

Thanks for writing this great article. Trainers should make it required reading for all of their clients.
George V., Colleyville, Texas

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November 26, 2008 8:26 AM

Jamie Martin says:

Re: Gym Faux Pas

by Dbkfan on Thu Sep 04, 2008 11:09 am

Lifetime Fitness is gracious and responsible enough to provide antiseptic wipes to clean the machines and weights after use. Too often I will see someone use a machine and walk away from it, leaving their sweat for someone else to clean up or worse still, come in contact with. It takes only a minute to get a wipe and clean the machine, something that can be done while resting between reps or sessions on a different machine.

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November 26, 2008 8:27 AM

Jamie Martin says:

Re: Gym Faux Pas

by Off and Running on Fri Sep 05, 2008 10:29 am

Yes! Please use the so thoughtfully provided wipes - even if you don't leave sweat marks on the machine. And it needs to be done after each set, not just when you're completely finished using the bench or machine or whatever. If I need to sneak a set in between someone else's, I definitely do not want to be laying in sweat.

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November 26, 2008 8:27 AM

Jamie Martin says:

Re: Gym Faux Pas

by billy574 on Thu Sep 25, 2008 8:40 am

I thought the gym etiquette article was logical and well-written except for one GLARING exception: nudity in the locker room. Uuummm, hello, where else are we supposed to be naked if not in the locker room? This wouldn't have been an issue 20 years ago; it's only recently that there is this newfound modesty in the American populace that says you can't be naked in front of me, even in a space that was designed for that. I'm sorry, but if you have a problem with nudity DON'T GO IN THE LOCKER ROOM and SHOWER AT HOME!! I can't believe the editors of the publication of a fitness center actually displayed such agreement with body shame. OK, some people may not necessarily WANT to see my glutes, but that's too bad for them if they are in a locker room and expecting everyone to be covered up in burkas. Europeans would laugh at such a notion, because, generally, they have a lot fewer hang-ups about the human body. Please, as a fitness organization, you should be discouraging body shame, not encouraging it.
In response to other comments, sometimes it is necessary to walk between you and the mirror if it's the only passage that's been left open. Also, if I am doing drop-down sets with dumbbells, I need all 2 or 3 sets of graduated weights nearby in order to do that without interruption, so don't assume I'm doing the same kind of workout as you with your one weight at a time. Grunting is actually wasting energy, so if you need to do it to get the last few reps out, you're mind is no longer focused on the set. I think it's mainly the blood vessel-bursting "yellers" that most people have a problem with, not the gentle grunters.

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November 26, 2008 8:27 AM

Jamie Martin says:

Re: Gym Faux Pas

by Guest on Fri Sep 26, 2008 4:02 pm

To Billy,
About the nudity thing...
I think you might be a reading a tad more into that Etiquette Rule...
Obviously a bit of nudity is expected in the Locker Room.
I think the problem is, how MUCH nudity you are tossing out there.
You should remember, there ARE others in the club, who have different opinions compared to yours.

Most clubs are family orientated, and as such, there will be young boys in the Men's Locker room, whose Father's might not appreciate you walking around with everything hanging out and flopping around.

If you walk around nude in front of your young kids while you are at home, more power to you.
But perhaps a bit of covering might be in the best interests of the rest of the Fathers who might not agree with you.

Whats wrong with tossing a towel around your waist as you walk from the showers to where you dress, or while you are shaving?

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November 26, 2008 8:28 AM

Jamie Martin says:

Re: Gym Faux Pas

by billy574 on Wed Oct 29, 2008 9:27 pm

The modest father should therefore take his son into the family locker room, where they can dress and shower in private. If he wants to teach his son to be disgusted, offended, and ashamed of male genitalia, more power to him, but don't expect others to participate in that socially-learned shame. There is, of course, nothing wrong with wrapping a towel around one's waist. Likewise, there is nothing wrong with NOT wrapping in a towel. Again, if one is going into the locker room expecting not to see naked people, he or she should probably use the private family locker room or do all their personal grooming at home where they can have their own privacy and not have to look at others' bodies. No one is forcing you to look at anyone's body, you are free to look at the usual eye level, or even away from the "offending" person.

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November 26, 2008 8:28 AM

Jamie Martin says:

Re: Gym Faux Pas

by JenJam on Sun Nov 02, 2008 6:38 pm

I am really annoyed at my club by the women who snot, cough, and spit in the showers. This is disgusting and unsanitary. I would never go without shower shoes and try to find a shower that is dry (maybe not used that day). There seems to be a large number of people from other cultures at my club, so I'm not sure whether this is acceptable behavior elsewhere. I've begun shouting from my stall, "that's disgusting" and "please stop" to no avail. This happens at least once every time I shower.

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December 9, 2008 9:33 AM

coachbrandon.net says:

It is amazing to me the different expectations we have for other peoples behavior. I am for example, forever annoyed by the people that leave their towels on the floor in the changing area. And by the articles of clothing that are left strewn about while the owner showers. I wasn't raised to think that it was o.k. to clutter common areas.

But I understand that not all people were brought up by the same standards. Although I'm annoyed, I don't expect people to act any differently. I'm sure that I have some habits that bother other people, but I'm not sure what they would be. If I'm doing something wrong, please ask me nicely to change my ways. I'll do my best.

I enjoyed the article. There were many things that rang true for me. Let me tackle the nudity issue... I'm not sure if it's the same in the womens locker room, but men have some disgusting habits. I think it is weird that some men parade around the locker room completely naked for extended periods of time. Walking to and from the shower is understandable, but walking to the TV, the drinking fountain, the TV, the sink, the TV, and back to the sink repeatedly is a bit weird. I can only assume that this person gets some kind of misplaced joy from his actions. I'm not bothered by the behavior, just fully intrigued by underlying drive. On the disgusting side, clipping your toe nails on the bench is disgusting especially while completely nude with your feet propped up on the bench next to your bum. Save it for home, please.

Here's a suggestion for LTF: Run short PSA's on the LT channel on the TV's. Give etiquette tips in short non-confrontational ways to inform the members what courteous behavior looks like.

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December 12, 2008 6:15 AM

GoHabsGo says:

I recently overheard a PT telling a client about having seen a member in the lockerroom with one foot up on the counter while drying his 'wedding tackle' with a blow dryer. I thought it was just a little story that was made up to lighten the mood. Strike me down if when I finished my workout I didn't go to the locker room to see a rotund, older man with one leg up on the counter, blown drying his nether regions! My only hope is that it was the same person the PT was referring to and not some sort of epidemic.
Cell phones conversations should be heard ONLY by the two parties engaged in the call. Please don't interrupt my workout just because Donald Trump or Bill Gates urgently needs your advice, Mr. Rockerfeller!
Toe nail clipping? Please stop doing it at the gym.
Towels, banana peels, et al - don't leave them behind in the shower stall (yes, banana peels!).
PSAs are absolutely warranted.

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December 20, 2008 9:59 AM

woodsey44 says:

What is everyones take on the music at the gym? It appears the format over the past 2 weeks has changed I find that it does not at all align with the family environment lifetime preachs.

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January 5, 2009 12:12 PM

Kimberlyteaches says:

I don't see the big deal about being naked in a locker room. I don't use the little "closets" to change, but I'm not running around naked in the hopes that I'm going to either make someone happy (not likely) or angry (uh..look away). I cover myself with a towel on the way to the shower, but I'm not offended if someone has the bravery to do otherwise. I'm not there to judge or be judged- I'm just there to work out, shower, get dressed and go about my day. I guess some people treat the locker room as their home bathroom and I can understand the perspective of how some of those behaviors are inappropriate for public, but I'm the type of person who would address that problem with them rather than post it in hopes that he/she would read it. If that wasn't successful, I might seek an alternative means, but then again, I guess I don't really pay attention to what everyone else is doing. Either I'm living in my own little world or I just don't have the time to play the locker room police :)

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January 5, 2009 3:41 PM

mcr says:

I know that it's considered proper for someone to ask to work in when I am using a machine. The thing is, I take very short breaks (10 seconds) in between my sets, and I like to complete 4 sets consecutively in order to exhaust whatever body part I'm working on. Also, as a small female, I usually have to redo all my settings if someone else, particularly a big guy, works in. Isn't it OK to ask someone to wait a short time so that I can complete my sets all at once?

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February 9, 2009 11:57 AM

Dee says:

Personally, my biggest pet peeve is when women are exercising next to each other on the treadmill or whatever machine and think that it's okay to talk to each other above the sound of their treadmill and everyone else's treadmill.
It drives me crazy.

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