Rules of Gym Etiquette By Charles Staley Subject: Re: Gym Rules From: Charles Staley Date: Tue, 26 Oct 1999 05:44:13 -0700 >From: Dave Rubin >Date: Thu, 21 Oct 1999 06:31:21 -0700 > >Appreciate it if anyone could send me a web site where I could find >standard gym rules and etiquette. I need to post it at the gym where I >work. Thanks in advance. Based on the behavior of the people at the gym I currently use, I believe the rules are as follows: 1) First, never have a goal or a conscious strategy regarding what you are trying to accomplish- just go in and basically do what everyone else does. 2) Never seek professional assistance, even if you've never been in a gym before...just watch others and copy what they do. 3) Whenever possible, perform your arm curls in a power rack. If the gym has bumper plates, use them for the curls instead of regular metal plates. 4) Always drink Gatorade before, during and after your "workout." After all, if you let your glycogen stores become depleted, your body might actually have to start accessing fat stores for fuel. 5) A walkman with headphones is mandatory- without this important device, you might have to actually become conscious of what you are doing. 6) Avoid the "Evil 5:" Squats, deadlifts, dips, chins, and Olympic lifts. Of special importance: even though many gyms feature a stylized pictogram of the snatch lift as part of their logo, NEVER perform a snatch in a gym. NEVER. 7) Instead, concentrate on the "Golden 5:" Bench presses, arm curls, behind the neck presses, lat pulldowns behind the neck, and dumbell side bends. 8) Always leave your weights on the apparatus you just used- you may risk burning an additional 6 calories if you replace them. 9) To impress others with your dedication and expertise, always bring in a copy of Men's Fitness, and emulate the lastest midsection workout by leaving the magazine open on the bench next to you, and carefully study the photos between sets to make sure you're doing it right. 10) Lastly make ample use of wrist wraps, belts, knee wraps, elbow wraps, you name it- really go for that "mummy" look that's so in vogue these days. Dave, forgive me for that! There are some standard gym rules lists floating around, although I have none right in front of me. I'm sure someone on the list will forward the information you need. It is kind of funny though- a few weeks ago I was training at a Bally's in Chicago, and half way through a power clean workout, I notice the lift of gym rules on the wall, featuring "no power cleans" and "no deadlifts." I can almost understand the power clean rule (just because most people have never seen one, and might risk walking straight into a speeding bar), but deadlifts??!! I wonder if this is a standard Bally's rule? The only thing that these 2 exercises have in common is that they're effective! Charles Staley Myo Dynamics (800) 519-2492 http://www.myodynamics.com Subject: Re: rules for gym From: "Tim Cornia" Date: Sun, 31 Oct 1999 09:09:25 -0800 >> 7) Instead, concentrate on the "Golden 5:" Bench presses, arm curls, behind the neck presses, lat pulldowns behind the neck, and dumbell side bends. >> I'm sorry to disagree but you have the "Golden 5" wrong. Everyone knows the "golden 5" are flat bench presses with a bounce at the bottom, standing barbell curls with severe uppur torso movement, dumbell curls, preacher curls, and isolation curls. If you are really ambitious, you might go for the golden 6th exercise which is cable push-downs but only for 1-2 sets to get the pump before your arm measurement. No "true" serious trainer would do ANY ab exercises but if they did, it probably would be the side bend exercise and if the serious trainer was doing lat pulldowns, they would make sure to start the movement with a quick jerk back with their upper torso to get the weight moving. In all seriousness, if I were going to get rules for a gym, I would look around on the internet, ask people who have worked out at different gyms, compile them and make your own list. Here are some I would like to see or have seen in gyms where I have worked out. 1. Rack your weights!!! 2. Have a towell with you and wipe equipment after use. (I have been in gyms that if you dont bring a towel, you have to buy one before they let you in. I think that's great!! ) 3. Do not talk to people in the middle of their set. (new gym members seem to alwasy make this mistake and it is because they dont know better) 4. Avoid walking directly in fron of someone during their set. (huge concentration breaker) 5. Clean up your chalk mess (most gyms I have been to prohibit chalk but I wouldnt mind it if it was either confined to an area or if the mess was cleaned up once in a while) 6. Keep your personal hygene in check. This goes for body and clothes. Nothing is worse than week-old smelly socks, shirts, and shorts. 7. Keep profanity in check. Yelling during a lift is ok. Yelling "You Mf, Son of a ******, A##hole" at the weights is not ok. 8. Sharing equipment. this one I have mixed emotions about. If someone is doing a superset with 30 seconds of rest between sets, do you require him to share? If someone is only using that piece of equipment and is taking 5 minutes between sets do you require him to share? The one rule I follow and enjoy others to follow is the second person on the equipment is requires to place the weight where the first person left it. He was there first. 9. Schedule the areobic equipment and allow no longer that 1 hr during peak hours (shorter time periods if your gym is really busy). This list is not all inclusive and I would be interested in other people's suggestions. Pet wrote in message ... >Hi Mate, > >Trouble is that in a commercial gym, there are lots of people trying to use >the same equipment. > >Imagine trying to do a Giant set of four exercises back to back !!! > >You'd never achieve it. (Not without getting in the gym after it's closed) > >If I had to ask everyone in the gym " 'scuse me mate, are you using this" >everytime they had left a towel on a bench I'd never get anything done!! > >So, accept there are people that are stupid and ignorant I don't think the person moving the original poster's towel or whatever was either stupid or ignorant, Pete. All this guy had to do was say "Please give me a couple of minutes before you use that bench" and give a 20-second explanation of what he was doing. That would have been common courtesy, the woman he mouthed at wouldn't have minded waiting, I'm sure, and no-one has an automatic right to "territory" in the gym, as this guy put it. If one's using a piece of equipment, fine. If he wants to use two or three pieces of equipment in rapid succession, fine, as long as no-one else wants to use them. It's just not fair to hog several pieces of equipment in a commercial gym for 15 or 20 minutes - other people have schedules as well, they might have to get back to work, or pick up the kids, or whatever. and don't realise 1 >person may need to be using 2 stations,benches whatever. > >If someone jumps on your bench between your sets, Politely ask "Do you mind >if I jump in between your sets?" then they'll see what your doing and may >get the idea. I'd agree completely with that, Pete - as I said earlier, common courtesy. Bawling some woman out, as this guy did, was just pure bullying tactics, and reprehensible. > >Bitchiness is the Domain of the Arsehole. If you want exclusive use of the >gym then buy your own and use it when you close the doors !! Agreed again. Stephen Mulholland mulhollands@rocketmail.com > >Well that's my opinion anyway. > >-- >Pete > >http://www.gymratz.co.uk >(The Ultimate On-line Supplement Store **Updated 31/03/00**) >(But we also do free weights and Multi-gyms and stuff too!) > > > >monkey wrote in message <38FE926C.C2E8F76E@donotspammehome.com>... >>monkey wrote: >>> >>> I don't my being bitchy as long as I know I'm 'right'. ;-) >> >> >> >>I don't MIND being bitchy ... >> >> >>Sorry for any mistakes ... I just finished final exams and I'm >>fried! ... and a little tipsy! ;-) >> >> >>-- >> >>monkey > > >