How Not to Be the Gym's Biggest A**hole

Guidelines to avoid being an oxygen thief and workout ruiner.

This is not an exhaustive list, but observing the below guidelines will lead to more fruitful training for yourself and others, whilst making your presence and existence less regretful.

1. Re-rack your weights and equipment - The OG of gym rules. Re-racking your weights is first rule that most will think of in a gym. By doing this you are able to exhibit the baseline requirements to participate in a gym-based community. This guideline is the equivalent of Leave no Trace and is a core pillar of not being a shit person in the gym and other training spaces. Failure to do this should be punishable by firing squad.

2. Don’t interrupt someone mid-set - Everyone in the gym is there to improve themselves. You interrupting someone is valuing your own needs over someone else’s. The guideline could easily be broadened to “don’t interrupt”. There’s hardly ever a reason. One exception could be “unless someone is about to hurt themselves”. Failure to observe this guideline is rare, but it’s not unheard of. Do not do it.

3. Don’t sit on equipment scrolling - It’d be great for clarity to simply ban or discourage the use of phones when training. In certain environments, like in a team environment with a coach, this is almost always best practice. For everyone else the challenge nowadays is that people use their phones as a training tool, to either review footage of the previous set, as a training diary, or for music - all of which have their place. For the sake of others I’d encourage you not to do any them when occupying a piece of equipment someone else could be using.

   For your sake - no email, social media or anything else that steals your focus. It wont make you an asshole, but it will increase the chances of a shit session. If you think you are so special that you’re able to toggle your attention between Instagram and 100% focus on the task, remember that you aren’t.

4. Don’t talk on the phone - Absolutely nobody wants to hear you talking on the phone. If it’s urgent do it somewhere else. If it’s not urgent do it some other time. This is one of those rare instances where the gym and the library intersect. This is grub behaviour in both settings. Failure to observe this guideline is a strong indicator to yourself and others that you may be an asshole.

5. Don’t be afraid to ask for help - You aren’t supposed to know everything. In the gym and elsewhere it’s unlikely you have all the answers. If you don’t know where something is, how to perform an exercise or how a certain machine works - don’t let your ego be the enemy. Be sufficiently humble to be able to ask for help.

   For bonus points, be grateful when advice is provided. If someone is providing you with unsolicited advice it may not be warranted, or desired (or accurate!), but it’s usually coming from a good place. If the person offering the advice appears to be further along their fitness and/or performance journey there’s at least a small chance you’re doing something that warrants timely feedback. Consider the truth in what they’re saying, and be thankful that they’re bothering to say it. If their advice misses the mark, or feels patronising, aim to let it go.

6. Wipe down your equipment - This is basic stuff, but worth clarifying. Bring a towel, even if it’s more of a gesture than a worthwhile strategy. The best-case scenario is that your gym provides a cleaning spray and paper towels and/or wipes. These provide an actual hygiene benefit. Wiping down equipment with the same towel you wipe the sweat off your face with is gross, but it’s less gross than leaving puddles of perspiration on every apparatus for the next person to deal with. If not being an asshole is the goal - do your best. If hygiene is the priority - also do your best.

7. Be considerate of others when filming - Although some have banned this, filming in gyms has become more of a thing. Filming for content feels more frivolous than filming for technique. Because we can’t tell which it is, it’s on us as the gym goer to tolerate an amount of this.

   What’s more important is that when you film, that you go to great lengths to not impede the training of others in any way. If you can’t capture footage without negatively effecting anyone else then you shouldn’t film. If you have an online coach that has asked for video then either go to the gym at a time when it’s quiet or actually go around to anyone in the space that might impacted and ask them if they would mind. In all instances do your best to minimise others unwittingly appearing in frame - especially if it’s for social media.

8. Do not crowd people and equipment - It’s imperative for focus and safety that people are given sufficient space when training. If someone is about to approach the bar to squat or deadlift, don’t walk between them and the weights. Ideally avoid their line of sight. Practically, do what you can to respect others and what they’re doing. If someone is carrying something, anything, and you aren’t, get out of their way. If you’re unsure, give more space and more respect. Personally, I consider it disrespectful to step on a platform if someone else is using it, even if they’re between sets.

9. Be mindful of your stuff - The longer you’re in the game and the harder you train, the higher the likelihood that you’ll have gear, and more of it. It could be water bottles, or a belt, or extra clothes, or various potions and accessories. If this is you. You may have earned some stripes. It is now on you to set a good example. Exhibit respect for the place and people by constraining yourself and your things to a reasonable extent.

10. Acknowledge the existence of others - There are a variety of gyms and gym goers. Some are solitary and like it that way. Others are about to do something really fucking hard, or potentially scary. There are moments where people should be left to themselves, but if you are one of these people - try and interact with others. It might not be your instinct, but it may be in your best interest.

    Atmosphere makes a difference. What contributes to good atmo in the gym is people giving a shit about others. You want people to encourage and occasionally cheer for others. In some gyms this is unheard of and in other gyms it’s the most normal thing in the world. Which of these gyms do you imagine is more fun and yields better results. If you are an anti-social meathead or exercise nerd then the gym is your community, and how you show up makes a difference.