Home » » Weight Training » Etiquette

Etiquette

© Matt Danielson

Every once in a while you see obscure articles in the Bodybuilding mags where they raise a nagging finger and babble about do's and do not's in the gym. May it be spitting, cursing or slamming down weights. This is good - as there're many out there who behave like something that crawled out of a cave previously sealed off for the past million years or so. And as I'm running low on new questions asked, I might as well deal with this topic now from my perspective.

Rule #1: Attitude.
"Yo, check me out, I'm so f-ing big & bad I don't HAVE to wait for my turn on the legpress! Take a hike, dweeb!"
No matter how bad you think you are, I'm sure you wouldn't appreciate being pushed around by Greg Kovacs or some other 350+ dude yourself. Size is NOT an excuse to behave like an ass, bluntly put. In fact, if you're big, that usually indicates that you've spent a number of years in the gym and therefore should have aquired a certain amount of gym manners. So what in fact you WOULD be proving is that you're not only insecure, you're also making an effort in fulfilling the myth of the musclehead-with-an-attitude. Great going, dude.

Rule #2: Wiping
If you've finished a set of leg curls and discover that you've left a nice little ocean on the cushion big enough for your nephews to play sea battle on it, it might be a good idea to wipe it off. Think about it - what is sweat? Essentially the same as urine. Do you feel like lying down and rubbing your face in another person's urine? Of course, some wiseguy might argue that it evaporates and therefore is no problem ... Except for the slight detail of it being the WATER evaporating. The really yukky part remains, and is ready for the next person who, unknowingly, wets it with his own sweat and gets it all, so to speak. Think of it as "instant urine" next time you see a slob walk away from his pool of sweat with that excuse.

Rule #3: Personal Hygiene
Fortunately, most people know what the word "deodorant" means. It's also commonly found as part of standard gear in gymbag, which is even better. However, it does not replace the shower. There's a major difference between being clean/hiding stench. It also goes for gym clothes, which should be washed often. Shoes can be quite something else in this category, as they have this tendency to turn into virtual stinkbombs. Preferrably, alternate several pairs and take out the inner soles when not in use. Avoid storing them where air circulation is bad, and storing them in the gym bag 24 hours a day is banned!

The copyright of the article Etiquette in Weight Training is owned by . Permission to republish Etiquette in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.