Gym members who fail to understand or follow gym etiquette can turn your focused, intense workout into an unproductive session. From a distance, poor gym etiquette can be a big joke. Read more about how people at the gym behave selfishly and inappropriately, with no clue and bad manners.
I get into a fight in the gym about once every 7 years. Every time, it’s with some steroid-addled gorilla. You know the type: a giant grouch, wearing a heavy sweatshirt and baggy running pants, acting as if the rest of us are invading his private gym. Side note: If you’re built like a Greek…
I worked out in a gym last week that had on display the biggest indoor sign I’d ever seen. It was more like a billboard, in 2000 point font, hanging above the dumbbell rack: DO NOT DROP WEIGHTS. The dropping of weights, dumbbells in particular, seems to be one of the top etiquette issues at…
I’ve often wondered whether asking a stranger for a spot is a violation of gym etiquette. I know that when I’m asked for a spot, I’m irritated by the disruption in the pace of my workout and the break in concentration. I also resent channeling my precious energy into someone else’s workout, and, considering the…
Judging from comments on the web, unsolicited exercise advice is a chronic problem at the gym. To be fair, I’ve often had the urge to run up to people and ask what in the world they are thinking. However, I respect people’s space. I’m open to at least the possibility that a person is working…
All this talk of barbells sailing through actual gym windows got me thinking about sociologists’ theory of Broken Windows. Some researchers believe that municipalities can prevent serious crime by addressing problems when they are small: Repair broken windows quickly and vandals are much less likely to break more windows or do further damage. New York…