Mirror On The Wall

Gyms tend to make too big a deal of mirror etiquette. The list of posted rules will always include something about dropping weights, some gym-specific oddball rule like “No beverages except water allowed on the gym floor,” and then something about not interfering with members’ line-of-sight to the wall mirror.

I’m a big fan of watching myself in the mirror. Yes, the guy staring back at me is strikingly handsome. But as important, the feedback helps me perfect my form, and even helps with balance.

As a responsible gym user, I do my best to avoid stepping in front of others while they’re in the middle of a set. If nothing else, I’m sensitive to the way this distraction can break one’s concentration. Nevertheless, there are limits to mirror etiquette in a public gym, and I accept that fact on both sides of the equation.

Of course, some people are just plain jerks. A couple of days ago, I backed away from my squat rack and began a heavy set of the most painful move in the business. This guy – chatting into his Bluetooth – walked across the back of my squat rack, grabbed a weight plate from the far side of the rack, and then proceeded to stroll back across the space between the my rack and the wall.

Geez.