Gym Etiquette: How Not to Be a Gym Jerk

Gyms can be daunting places. They’re full of exotic equipment, packed with people of all ages, shapes, and sizes, often loud, and can seem totally chaotic – especially during peak hours.

However, despite appearances, the majority of gyms run very smoothly as most users follow an unspoken set of rules known as gym etiquette.

The main points of gym etiquette are based on common sense and respect for your fellow exercisers. However, beginners sometimes fail to appreciate the ins and outs of acceptable gym behavior. More experienced users may choose to ignore gym etiquette, thinking that the rules don’t apply to them.

I’ve been going to gyms for more than four decades, with over 30 of those years as a professional personal trainer. I’ve also managed and owned several gyms. Consequently, I’ve witnessed almost every gym faux pasyou can think of.

While the rules of gym etiquette may seem unimportant, if everyone follows them, the gym will be a much safer and more pleasant place.

In this article, I share the most important dos and don’ts of gym etiquette.

Be a Considerate Gym-Goer: The Dos

1. Bring and Use A Towel

Sweating is a natural part of working out. However, while gyms are inherently sweaty places, that doesn’t mean other exercisers want to sit or lie in puddles of your perspiration. To that end, make sure you place your towel between your body and any benches or machines you use. Using a towel also protects you from other people’s sweat.  

2. Wipe Down Equipment After Use

Leading on from the point above, use your towel to clean your sweat off any of the equipment you use. Some gyms also provide disinfectant sprays and wipes for added hygiene. It’s very disrespectful to leave unwiped sweat on a bench or machine, not to mention pretty gross!

3. Put Your Weights/Mat/Handles Etc. Back in Their Correct Place

Putting your equipment away makes gyms a safer place. Discarded dumbbells, mats, weight plates, etc., are trip hazards, and a fall in the gym could have severe consequences. Returning handles and other equipment to the correct storage place also means they’ll be easier for the next user to find.

In addition, not everyone will be strong enough to put your 45-pound weight plates or 100-pound dumbbells away. As the sign used to say in my old gym, “If you are strong enough to use ’em, you’re strong enough to put ’em back!”

Related: Arnold Schwarzenegger Shares 3-Step Guide for Proper Gym Etiquette

4. Put Safety First

While accidents in gyms are relatively rare, they are sometimes severe. Most can be avoided by putting safety – yours and your fellow gym users – first. For example, always use collars on your barbells, don’t try to lift more weight than you can safely handle, use the equipment correctly, and pay attention to your exercise form.

Taking responsibility for safety will cut the risk of accidents to virtually zero. 

5. Wear Appropriate Clothing

Workout wear has (thankfully!) come a long way since fitness folk used to train in their street clothes or underwear. However, despite easy access to state-of-the-art exercise clothes, some people still don’t know how to dress for the gym.

Of course, comfort and safety are priorities, but so is common decency. Long story short, your workout clothes should be practical, respectful, and freshly laundered. Your footwear should also be appropriate for the gym, i.e., no flip-flops.

4. Ask for Help If You Need it

Gyms can be overwhelming and confusing places, especially for beginners. Don’t get stuck in the dark – ask the staff if you need guidance or help. You can also ask your fellow exercisers, but remember that a) they might not be as knowledgeable as they appear, and b) they may not appreciate the interruption. That’s why the staff should be your first point of contact.

7. Be Ready to Share Equipment

Gyms can get pretty busy at peak times, with lots of people wanting to use the same weights or equipment. While you could just wait for whatever you want to use to become free, many exercisers prefer to share equipment to save time. This is called “working in.”

It’s good manners to work in with a fellow exerciser when asked. For example, you might alternate sets on the leg extension machine, i.e., you lift while the other person rests and vice versa.

However, not all exercises are suitable for working in. In some cases, things like changing weights or rack heights for each lifter are just too time-consuming to be practical.

Related: Joey Swoll Reacts to Female TikToker Who Refused to Share Equipment Due to ‘Poor Gym Etiquette’

8. Be Prepared to Spot If You Are Asked

It’s not uncommon for solo lifters to ask gym acquaintances or even strangers to spot them during an intense workout. Spotting involves providing assistance so the lifter can safely rack and unrack their weights and pump out reps to or beyond failure.

Assuming you know how to spot, it’s polite to provide a spot when asked. However, it’s also okay to say no if you don’t feel confident. After all, the first rule of spotting is safety.

Looking for a spot? Go ahead and ask! But remember that the other person is doing you a favor, so don’t take them for granted or be ungrateful.

Not sure how to be a good spotter? Check out this guide and learn this essential gym bro skill!

9. Be Courteous to Other Exercisers and Staff

The world would be a much better place if everyone were friendly and polite to one another – and that includes gyms. While being driven and even aggressive during your set is perfectly okay, you must not direct that aggression at your fellow exercisers or the gym staff.

Be patient and courteous to other exercisers, and they’re more likely to act the same way toward you. Remember, everyone is there for the same reason – self-improvement. The gym is no place for anti-social behavior.

Related: Joey Swoll Calls Out WWE Superstars for Rude Gym Encounter, Challenges Them to WrestleMania Match

10. Keep Your Belongings in A Safe Place 

When I was training for powerlifting, my gym bag was full of personal equipment, such as knee wraps, lifting belt, resistance bands, wrist straps, chalk, and a bunch of other necessary gear. Because I needed all this stuff, I had to carry it around the gym with me.

If you are in a similar situation or just like to keep your phone close at hand, make sure you always put your belongings in a safe place. For example, don’t leave your gym bag in walkways, and don’t leave your phone on a bench, where it could get stolen or crushed.

Take responsibility for your possessions to keep them safe and ensure they are not a hazard to others.

Avoid Gym Faux Pas: The Don’ts

1. Don’t Hog Equipment

Workouts like supersets and circuits are incredibly effective and fun. However, they invariably involve monopolizing several pieces of equipment. That’s no problem in a home gym, but it won’t win you any friends in a busy commercial facility

The gym is a public space, and other people have the same right as you to use the equipment in it. Hogging equipment is unacceptable, even if it is for a worthwhile cause. Save your superset and circuit workouts for when the gym is quiet.

2. Don’t Abuse the Equipment

Setting up a gym requires a significant financial investment. Strength training equipment is very expensive, as are things like squat racks, flooring, and mirrors. Replacing these things can wipe out months of profit, hitting the gym owner hard.

Gym equipment and furnishings are usually built to last. However, they can be damaged, especially when misused.

Spare a thought for the owner of your gym and respect the equipment by using it correctly. Remember that profits spent on replacing avoidable breakages is money that could have been spent on new equipment and facility upgrades.

Related: Joey Swoll Disgusted After Woman Grinds on Dip Bar at Gym: ‘Have Some Dignity’

3. Don’t Take Phone Calls on The Gym Floor

I remember the time before cell phones were invented. Nowadays, everyone has a phone, and most people carry them around the gym. However, it’s poor etiquette to take a phone call while sitting on a piece of training equipment. After all, you are preventing someone else from using it.

Phones ring – it’s what they do! If you answer a call and it lasts more than a few seconds, move out of the way so other exercisers can use the equipment. And remember, no one else wants to hear your side of the conversation, so keep your voice down.

4. Don’t Wear Strong Perfumes/Colognes

Gyms can be smelly places, but the mix of heavy perfumes and colognes usually makes things worse. A light spritzing is fine, but strong fragrances can be cloying and unpleasant. There really is no need to put on perfume or cologne before you start your workout. If you feel you need to freshen up, have a quick shower instead.

5. Don’t Interrupt Someone’s Workout

While it’s perfectly okay to talk to your fellow exercisers in the gym, don’t interrupt someone while they are working out. You might put them off their set, and the lapse in concentration could result in injury. Wait until their set is complete, and then speak to them.

That said, some people prefer not to chat at the gym. Invariably, they’re the folk wearing headphones and avoiding eye contact. Take the hint – don’t speak to anyone giving out the “leave me alone” vibe.

6. Don’t Do Excessive Grunting or Yelling

I’ve trained in some seriously hardcore gyms with elite powerlifters and bodybuilders. While these places were often loud, the grunting and yelling were never excessive. In contrast, I’ve had to listen to some ridiculous screaming in commercial gyms, often from people doing conventional workouts with less-than-impressive weights.

Shouting and screaming don’t lift weights – muscles do. That doesn’t mean you need to train in silence, but there is no need to yell. In my opinion, exercisers who shout and scream are calling for attention. They might as well be shouting, “Look at me!”

7. Don’t Be A Space Invader

Avoid standing too close to your fellow exercisers, and don’t hover nearby even if you are waiting for them to finish so you can use their equipment. Similarly, avoid setting up too close to another exerciser, e.g., putting your bench next to or right behind where they are working. Respect other exerciser’s personal space; there is no need to be a space invader!

8. Don’t Take Unauthorized Videos or Photos

While there is nothing wrong with taking the occasional gym selfie, it’s a different matter to turn the gym into a film or photography studio. Taking videos and photos often inconveniences other exercisers, and it’s unreasonable to expect people to stay out of your frame just because you are filming.

In addition, taking and sharing images of your fellow exercisers without their express permission, usually just to shame or embarrass them, is out of order. That’s the sort of negative behavior that is ruining gyms and fitness culture in general.  

In short, if you want to film or photograph your workout, it’s your responsibility to work around your fellow exercisers, not force them to work around you.

Closing Thoughts

While most gyms have rules and regulations, many finer points of gym etiquette are unspoken. They’re the things you are expected to know or only discover when you make a faux pas, and someone points out your mistake.

Knowing the dos and don’ts of how to behave at the gym will help make working out more enjoyable for everyone.

Do you have any gym behavior pet hates? Share them in the comments section below!

---