Gym Etiquette: Do You Make These Mistakes?
February 27, 2008 BY kram
The gym represents so many things to different people. For some, it is a safe haven after a taxing day at work. For others, it is a glorified happy hour to pick up dimes (chicks). But for most, the gym is an ally to fight that never ending war: “The Battle of the Bulge.”
Whether you’re a weekend warrior at Average Joe’s Gym or a meat-headed freak from Globo Gym, there are a few rules of gym etiquette to follow so you don’t end up being “that guy.”
The Fashion Show
Loose clothing is optimal. CLEAN shirts, sweatpants, athletic shorts, and sneakers will do. Please leave the cutoff jean shorts and pajama pants at home. That’s just poor gym etiquette.
Wipe Me Down
Imagine Patrick Ewing at the foul line in triple overtime. Now imagine Patrick Ewing bench pressing and no ball boys there to wipe up his mess. Kinda gross. Most gyms have brown paper towels for a reason, so use them when needed or bring your own towel.
Starbucks
Do a few reps, drink a cup of coffee, read the New York Times, update your fantasy team, do another set, wait 15 minutes, then repeat. Are you (expletive) serious!? Stop hogging the equipment. Hogging will only irritate other gym patrons who actually give a (expletive) about their workout.
Avoid Bad Form
What good are all those swinging and swaying motions during your barbell curls if you’re not intending to audition for “So You Think You Can Dance?” Using hip thrust momentum to get that weight up does not impress the judges. Those out-of-control, spastic gyrations only invite injury.
Gym goers should use strict form during their workouts. Lifting weights require controlled movements to achieve that “orgasmic” pump as Arnold refers to. The “pump” is a great indication that you are performing the exercise correctly. One more rep!
Beware of B.O.
There is nothing worse than having someone with rank body odor jump on the treadmill next to you during your workout. Yes, it is true that women can smell pheromones, but they don’t want to smell your stank ass.
Eye Candy
At times the gym can be one big meat market. There is nothing wrong with noticing that Jessica Biel booty walking by, but don’t make it a staring contest. Next time, use the mirrors at a 45 degree angle to check out that hottie.
10 Guys and a Bench
Workout partners are great to have on so many levels. A partner to push you to your max is the best supplement a guy could have in his diet. But do you really need 10 guys to spot you? One person lifts, then the next, then the next, etc. It’s like a merry-go-round. This falls into the same category of the Starbucks idea. How many more sets you guys got? “We’ll be here for awhile” is not the answer I want to hear.
Nice Rack
All gyms require you to re-rack your weights when you’re done. It would bother me too if I couldn’t find the matching dumbbell that’s on the other side of the gym.
Man in the Mirror
People fail to realize that the mirror is a great workout tool but not so much for narcissistic purposes. Use the mirror to check if your form is up to par. When you see your muscles being worked, veins start popping out, and you know that it’s working. Seeing is believing. Like equipment, the mirror must be shared with all gym goers. Jumping in front of someone during their seated military press will disrupt their focus and make them go “Hulk Smash” on your head.
I’m sure there are tons of other gym etiquette points I have not touched on. Feel free to leave some of your suggestions in the comments section.
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82 Responses to “Gym Etiquette: Do You Make These Mistakes?”
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i think i got the loose clothing right every time i wear a wife beater. and whats the etiquette on walking around naked in the locker room?
And, ladies, … I understand you gotta take a shower at the gym and all, but if you’re gonna pick something off the ground, naked, at least turn the other way so I won’t have to see the beaver shot.
I’d be lucky if I could bench the bar now. I get tired just taking the elevator.
Good tips. I’ll try to remember not to wear my cut-off jeans if I ever go back to the gym.
excessive grunting/yelling. There was a guy in yesterday who was doing dead lifts. On each rep he would practically scream. Then he collapsed in a heap of drama at the end of his set.
great points kram. what would you say about cell phone etiquette? I hate it when someone uses the gym as their own personal conference call room. I can understand in an emergency but I really don’t really want to hear how long it took with the TPS reports. thanks buddy.
Great tips!
Because I can think of an example of each from my gym that i frequent!
Amazing page., man
Gym Etiquette: Do You Make These Mistakes? | Deliggit.com…
\r\nThe Gym - A safe haven after a taxing day at work, a glorified happy hour to pick up c…
gotta agree with all of these - especially the bad form…it looks like people are preparing to throw grenades (or throw out their arms)
Thumbs up for this.
“Man in the Mirror” is so true. I am SICK of that shit. So many choads at my gym sit there and flex their muscles in front of the mirror. I can’t believe they don’t get how retarded they look.
I would add making annoying sounds like grunting and yelling to your list. There is nothing more annoying that some meat head making sexual-like or bathroom-like noises when lifting.
Please add:
“Gotta take a 10-minute break while sitting on the machine”-guy. The guy gets on the lat pulldown, does 8 reps, then releases the bar and sits there for 5-6 minutes. Hello! Let’s get going! This is even worse with any machine with a bench or seat of any kind. I don’t mine the Starbucks guy as long as he’s off the machine looking like a douche.
it drives me crazy when people pick up 120lbs dumbbells and in stead of putting them down on floor between reps, they just drop them on the ground. its very unsafe. not to wish them bad, but i think the only way they would realize the hazard in that if someone dropped 120lbs dumbbell on their foot.
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How about “that guy” who all he wants to do is socialize? I’ve been at the gym numerous times (with headphones on) and have had people try to spark up a conversation with me. I don’t mind a friendly “hello” or perhaps a question about my routine, but its rude when some guy starts telling me his life story. I’m there to work out, not socialize.
Treadmill etiquette (see: urinal etiquette):
If there are multiple open treadmills please follow a one treadmill buffer at least.
how is bad form bad etiquette? you’re not hurting anyone but yourself. oh, and i’ll wear pajama pants to the gym if i want to, seeing as it’s none of anyone’s business. in fact, how about adding this to the list: minding your own business?
Bad form may not get you what you want but it isn’t poor etiquette. Anyone who’s annoyed by it has other problems; their form is their problem not yours.
Grunting, groaning, and equipment slamming is poor etiquette. Those are the style points that should be made.
“heap of drama” lol
What about the huge mirrors with the dumbbells racks in front of them. There’s always that fucking guy who has to stand 2 inches in front of the mirror, right in everyones way. Completely oblivious to the fact that other people might want to get to that entire rack of dumbbells that he is blocking. Total shitheel.
I’m surprised curling in the squat rack isnt mentioned…. thats the king of all gym sins
Must add that it can also be quite annoying when people grab their dumbbells off the rack and do their workout right there. Please grab the weights and back off from the dumbbell rack so others can get to what they need, instead of having to waste our time waiting for you to finish your reps!
I know this is a repeat, but it must be said. Anybody who does curls in the squat rack is a douchebag. It is usually the same guy who wears construction boots, jeans, and a tanktop.
I deal with these two issues at my gym daily…
1) The Constant Cell Phone Talker - who goes to the gym and spends 45 minutes using the elliptical trainer at the slowest speed and talks on their cell phone the entire time (college age women I am looking at you)? Is it really THAT important that you need to talk right now? Work out or talk - not both.
2) The Perfume Bather - folks, when you go to the gym and start sweating even a little, that poison you call cologne becomes a noxious cloud of stink that would kill a small buffalo. Do NOT put on perfume or aftershave and go to the gym. Some of us are very sensitive to strong smells, and that combination of sweat and Drakar is beyond vile.
I’ve always wanted to create a post like this somewhere. There’s so much more to all this too - i.e. the smell comment goes for women wearing perfume and SMOKERS too. i dont want to smell your f*cking nasty cancer-stick while im working out so dont f*cking smoke before the gym. and the last comment is great. i consciously try to stay out of a lifter’s mirror-vision. when someone jumps in front of me (the military press ESPECIALLY) i just want to rip their balls off and steal their mp3 player.
not too sure if curling on the squat rack is the “king” of sins though
Thank god somebody is spreading the word!!! Thank you! I just started a blog on fitness and am planning writing a similar post. If you don’t mind, I’ll site this post with the few additions I have.
FYI, found this through digg.
How could you leave out the morons that hover over you or around you waiting impatiently for you to finish your turn on a machine.
I wish they would do what I do in that situation. Find another machine or slightly change their routine to accommodate other patrons. Some of these guys think it’s all about them.
Bad form is bad etiquette.. It hurts my eyes when I see some shmuck liftin like an idiot. And u wear pajama pants you prolly fit all these categories. I wouldn’t say grunting is bad etiquette just the guy that grunts and moans for every rep and every set he does on every workout. You’d be surprise how much grunting can help esp when your maxing out. But eye candy FTW lol. 45 degree angle any guy that looks directly at a girls butt is a little nugget and prolly has never been wit a girl on any level. ehh let the poor guy look i love when they slap them. And some of you have said curling in the squat rack? wtf?! i’ve never seen this and if I did i would surely smack the little bitch because he prolly is alittle bitch. But the worst thing ever is when ur doing a routine and ur looking at ur form and some mofo jumps in front of you and blocks ur sight of view. STOP IT!!! you can wait 6-8 reps which is about 20 sec until u get ur little 20 pound dumbbells ok… Esp bad when you do like 70-80 pounds for military press and ur trying really hard to get ur form right….
wrt “Starbucks Guy,” while that’s an extreme case, there are some training methods that do have a 5+ minute rest between sets. Generally it’s considered good form to be inviting to people to share the equipment during the rest, but make it clear you’re not done. Most likely that’s not what “Starbucks Guy” is doing, but best not to generalize too much.
How about singing? We have a retard who sings here, and it annoys everyone.
I have run into a few things at the gym that I absolutely hate:
1) The narcissist who prances around the locker room naked (wear a towel dude).
2) Those with weak bladders who whiz in the showers (you could pee before you get in).
3) The one dude who bopped the clown on the water jets in the jacuzzi (keep that crap at home).
4) The two beautiful girls who hopped into the jacuzzi by me and proceeded to look down each others bathing suits (if you didn’t bring enough to share…)
Ladies…. applying the entire bottle of perfume before you workout will not stop you from sweating or make it so you don’t have to shower afterwards. It just annoys others around you. We don’t want to choke on your perfume.
Please do include the barbell curls in the squat rack!!
I wear pajama pants and I don’t see how that makes a shit while working out.. you don’t like them, don’t look; I’m not there to impress you. You say wear loose clothing, I don’t own any tight pajamas. I am a exercise science major and it does bother me when people have terrible form, you would think the gym would hire people that would tell “the bad formers” these things before they hurt themselves and lose interest in health. Also funny how people try to be so big and use terrible form to accomplish greater weights and call themselves stronger, but in reality they are just using other muscle groups to aid in lifting rather than the muscle group they are trying to work being stronger.
agree with everything but the momentum. some olympic lifts require the use of body leverage. on that note, you should add no staring at the guy doing something other than squats at the squat rack (cleans, jerk, push jerks, etc.). oh and you forgot about the asses that use the bar at the squat rack for bicep curls. the big bar doesn’t make you look cooler (and no, i don’t buy that youre trying to work your forearms).
You forgot a few folks:
1) The whistler
( seriously … its not a concert )
2) The breather
( It’s great to get a few deep breaths in, but if I can hear you from 20yds away… come on )
3) The grunter
( You’re really struggling to get that last rep out, but try not to make it a regular occurence with EVERY rep. )
4) The talker
( I don’t give a shit about your kids sports career !! You need me to show you how to properly deadlift? Squat? More than happy to, but leave it at that, Im not there to shoot the shit. )
… This is getting long… I may finish it on my blog, there’s a lot of things that piss me off that I never say shiz about.
i think its funny to see everyones comments on starbucks, curling, etc. and how they bitch about how the article missed small specific things. just be polite and courteous and go to the gym to do work and not fuck around
Weight lifting is not a silent sport. Making grunting noises, or even yelling, is a great way to help yourself overcome a mental block in lifting and push yourself to the next level.
I saw a asian “gangsta” type guy at the gym a few months back, who would do a set of seated rows, then literally wave his hands around like a rapper and dance in front of the mirror for 3-4 minutes before doing another set.
He must have done at least 10 sets of seated rows.
I’ve encountered most of the tips and sometimes it’s really an annoyance when you can’t find the other dumbbell..and have to walk around the whole place looking for it to be in some corner.
Haha. Sounds like alot of you people don’t need to use the gym at all. You could just do your personal workout sessions at home. If someone’s paying for the same service as you do, how can you argue against it? You can’t.
Also, it ain’t rude having a bad B.O., it’s natural. If you can’t take it, leave the treadmill. Easy.
Not quite a rule, but as a rule of thumb: You can’t outrun your farts on a treadmill!
PUT YOUR WEIGHTS AWAY!!!
This one drives me crazy. There would be more women in the weight room if they didn’t have to unload 10 plates off the leg press every time.
Re: Avoid Bad Form
If you are lifting to get stronger, and not for the only-look good ironman competition. You want to lift heavy weights and sometimes it takes a little extra to get the weight into the proper position. If you don’t lift heavy weight you’ll never see your numbers go up.
Thanks for spreading the word through this post. Reminds me a lot of my past gym experiences.
Another one not mentioned, don’t do curls in the squat rack. The Squat rack is for squatting.
1) I hate people who talk to themselves on the elipticals.
2) Speaking of Smells - perfume or cologne, b.o and, farts are not necessary -, I.can.not.stand.the.smell.of.febreze. Please don’t spray your gym clothing with febreze. It stinks.
How about this one…
Guys in the weight room who will do almost anything to *look* like they’re putting up huge weight. This was really prevalent at my university as the 25, 35, and 45lb plates were all the same size and looked very similar. Sometimes, you would see someone putting up 3 plates on bench (ostensibly 315lbs) that were really 2 25s with a 45 on the outside. Sadly, the most frequent offenders were Division 1 athletes who happened to be working out in the main gym.
Here’s another: Be polite and allow others to work in. Oh and don’t confuse the gym with a prison yard.
a) Hacking up something from down your throat and spitting it out onto the shower floor. Yuck! Too many seem to think this is acceptable.
b) Leaving shoes and gym clothes on locker room floor while showering. No one wants to step on or trip over your nasty stuff.
And most importantly, it is not said that you shouldn’t overstep someone elses barbell, if it’s on the ground.
I dont get why everyone cares about doing curls in the squat rack, at every gym i have been to there have been more people benching then squating so where do you prefer people do straight bar curls, cause im gonna keep doing them in the squat rack until the ratio of chicken legs is less than half the gym goers
I would like to add my voice to the chorus of others:
If you absolutely must be naked in the locker room, do not bend over!!!
I cannot stress this enough.
The LAST thing I want to see coming into the locker room is hairy man-crack all in my face.
And yet I swear, it happens every single time.
Ayiyiyi.
All your gyms sound way better then mine… A lot of people dont dress appropriately at my gym. You have fat men wearing tights and bicycle shorts. Like dude, unless your a woman with an amazing body, you should not be wearing that stuff. Same with the fat women… Wearing short shorts or tight tights. Your fat, ugly, and disgusting, so cover yourself up please. If I owned the place, I would cancel your membership if you wore that stuff to my gym.
Old men in the locker room are always walking around naked and its nasty. We also have men wearing underwear that covers their front and has straps around the back, but not covering the backside. The locker room is not a gay club. Cover yourself up and please no gay sh*t.
And whats up with all the fat women thinking doing situps and crunches is going to make them lose their pot belly? And the dumb trainers that have them do it.
Also you old women and men who do not know what your doing, please go home. I saw an old woman almost hurt herself twice trying to adjust the seat on two machines, how dumb are you? And you want to try to use it? And all these men who have no control over the weight, they dont control the weight, the weight controls them. They do pull downs where they are about to be pulled off the seat because they let it fly back up because they cannot control it. I know all about cheating and forced reps, but Im talking about the idiots that do this beginning to end, not just the last few reps.
And you old guys that have no game trying to pick up a girl at the gym. Dont be a cheap@ss and talk to the girl while shes doing her cardio by just standing next to her and talking for 15 min, take her out to coffee, stop being so cheap… Also you women that talk on your cell phones telling your friend “I cant believe im not losing weight,” dude, if you were actually trying, you wouldnt be able to talk on the phone at the same time. You go on for 30 min, and the machine says you only burned a 100 calories and lets keep in mind the machines all overestimate. Why do you even leave the house to burn only 100 calories on the machine?
And for most you other guys, its fine if you want to warm up, but dont be a retard and do cardio before weights. You burn all your energy AND you make the machines all sweaty. If you want to do a few laps to warm up thats fine, but dont do 30 min cardio and then hit the weights.
I’d add a couple of extras. Turn your mobile phone off, it’s not the place for making home movies.
Also there should also be a time limit of leather donuts, hanging out in the mens locker room.
For Gym Instructors. Leave the girls along. She’s wearing headphones for a reason. She knows you’re bored and doesn’t want to be disturbed halfway through every set.
It always seem to be that the bad-form nazis are usually the skinny wannabe personal trainer types, yet the big guys don’t seem to be afraid to throw the weights around a bit?
Think about it.
#10 Profusely sweating spotters.
People who insist on spotting you at the bench but don’t bother wiping the sweat beads from their face first inevitably resulting in a bead or two falling in your eyes or worse - your mouth, while you are in mid press.
Please don’t wear cologne or perfume on or near the treadmills. Makes me want to puke when I am running next to you.
Ok… I hate being told to set my weights down softer. If I am doing inclined press it is more dangerous for my rotator cuff to lower the weights down and drop them to waist level and set them down. It is a lot easier to drop them at my side provided no one is within a distance to get hurt by them.
Also, I hate when people jump on a machine without asking while you are supersetting. If weights are on a machine, it is being used. If weights are on, and you don’t see someone around wait a couple of minutes. If I am supersetting (going between 2 exercises/machines back-to-back), I don’t want some idiot jumping on one and ruining the exercise.
Also, I hate gawkers. I am a big guy and I can lift high weight especially on exercises like the leg press. I hate when people stop what they are doing to stare at me. It’s annoying and rude.
Other than that, great list. Curls in the squat racks suck also haha.
You go to the gym, you do your workout and leave. That’s supposed to be what you are focused on, otherwise you shouldn’t
even bother hitting the gym. For me I do it because I addicted
to the soreness after a workout. :P
I personally go the the gym 3 times a week. It took me about 2 months to get the six pack I always wanted. =)
I agree with most of this article. Pyjama pants are actually very comfortable and loose and work well for working out. In regards to the comment above about bad form not being a part of Gym Etiquette, I completely disagree. Etiquette is a ‘code’ of ethical behaviour. Many people who go to the gym have absolutely no clue what they are doing so when they see some jackass swinging his (yes, it’s usually a guy) weights up by using every muscle in his body that person is doing a great disservice to all of the newcomers who are watching him and thinking that is the way it’s done. Oh, and for those jackasses who pile on the weights and end up using bad form in order to move it - The point of resistance training is to make the lift harder, not easier, in order to force a response (IE: growth) in the muscle. You get better gains by using proper form since you are isolating the target muscles.
I did curls in the squat rack today, and no one complained cause 10% of people at my gym do squats its pathetic
I agree with “seventeen reason.” The gym is meant for a workout. Plain and simple.
I wrote an article on our blog titled “bullet proof ways women can avoid being a target at the gym.” It basically deals with how women can protect themselves from the many threats at the gym. If you get my drift.
I guess I rubbed a few individuals the wrong way. At least judging by the comments to the article.
Check it out by clicking on my name if you’re interested.
bad form nazi’s kiss my ass, when you’re first starting out it’s impossible to do enough reps and keep good form. Basically your other muscles become like spotters. No one bitches when a spotter helps you with your last rep or two. At least the other muscles are getting a workout too, while the target muscles are still doing some of the work and getting some benefit. Yeah it might not look cool but who cares, I don’t go to the gym to look cool to a bunch of strangers.
11. Don’t be an elitist and tell everyone that they have to use the gym the way *you* want them to.
The rules have to be followed, but after that I will use what I paid for as I see fit, jocko.
I really get angry when someone hovers over me while I’m using something thinking I’m going to end soon because it really makes me concentrate less so I’m more vulnerable to messing up. I prefer that you ask me if I’m done soon or if we could take turns. I do this with many of the guys I know at the gym because I don’t like to “hog” equipment and I’d rather they go first if it’s a quick set then have them wait for me to do a full set.
Another annoyance is the trainer who thinks he knows it all and whatever I’m doing doesn’t “work”. If you don’t have this guy at the gym be thankful because he makes me wanna puke.
I don’t “care” about bad-form but I do care when bad-form endangers the safety of others. Especially when bad-form leads others to do it that way and potentially hurt themselves or when someone has to “come to the rescue”.
Re-racking plates and resetting cable weights, I know this really isn’t something most gym guys care a lot about but it is a pain sometimes. Do you wanna lug around 8 45lb plates to the weight tree because the last guy was lazy? As for resetting cable weights it is kinda tedious to look for the pin all the way at the bottom all the time instead of at the 0 mark.
As for the endless crunch trainers, I once saw a trainer poking a client in the stomach with a pencil to show them “how much fat they had there”.
[...] Gym Etiquette: Do You Make These Mistakes?The gym represents so many things to different people. For some, it is a safe haven after a taxing day at work. For others, it is a glorified happy hour to pick up dimes (chicks)www.ploomy.com [...]
[...] Gym Etiquette: Do You Make These Mistakes?The gym represents so many things to different people. For some, it is a safe haven after a taxing day at work. For others, it is a glorified happy hour to pick up dimes (chicks)www.ploomy.com [...]
Let’s add:
-Cell phones in the weight room. Bet ya $500 that it’s NOT an emergency.
-Trainers that hustle for business. If I wanted a trainer I’d go hire one. I know how the treadmill works and I can count my own reps; leave me the fuck alone.
-People that leave half a pound of Desenex on the locker room floor. Thanks for sharing your athlete’s foot, asshole.
-Could we please miss “the 700 Club” today? I think ALL TVs should be removed from gyms, but could we at least stay away from Fox News, soaps, religious programming?
Interesting post, I think its more about self-awareness and personal hygiene.
Being good to yourself and taking care of yourself, you are more likely to be “hygienic” around others too!
Seriously folks if you have that many problems with what all these
other people are doing maybe you shud invest in a home gym set
ive been going to the gym for at least 20 years and nothing has changed nothing…guys talkin on their cell phones…guys staring at chicks butts etc…etc you can talk about all day long and it aint gonna change…live with or work out at home
Perfect for those who go to the gym to socialize.
Maybe some useful ones like the proper way to face plates on the bar and on the tree would be of more benefit.
dropping the weights after a rep is very stupid, dangerous and irritating. “Excuse me but your machismo is showing.”
If you’re a 20 something woman and you’re wearing a top with your boobs hanging out, don’t call a 45 year old guy like me a pervert if he happens to look. If you’re going to put them on display they’re there for EVERYONE to look at, not just the guys you’re trying to attract.
[...] you are a regular gym goer then this guide to gym etiquette may be of interest. Mainly common sense but it’s surprising how many people [...]
I agree with most of whats been said.
Theres one guy at our gym that really does my tree in. He goes on the leg press and loads the thing to the max. Rather than controlling the weight up and down he simply has a guy lift it for him on the first rep and after than drops it back to the stop, where it then bounces back up. And then repeats this pattern. Its celar he has no control over it at all.
1. Stop farting in my space! i don’t want to smell your ass!
2. Turn down your damn Ipod’s! I don’t want to hear Fifty Cent’s latest crap.
3. Wear deodeorant you disgusting pig!
4. Girls, stop tempting me with your camel toes! Don’t act like you don’t know!!
1. Grunting is ok if you are actually doing something hard. But I hate the guys who make a big show of struggling and grunting when they aren’t doing any weight.
2. I don’t care that you are sneaking a look at my boobs/ass, but try not to be so obvious, it’s creepy.
3. Shut up! I see men at my gym who do more talking than working.
Oh, I almost forgot this one. Change in the locker room, not the bathroom stalls!
Hey wannabe runners! Please learn how to land on the treadmill quietly. I’m so sick of hearling you big ass feet hit the ground. Yes, I can even hear it over my MP3!
There was a guy at my previous gym who was built like a toothpick and would exclaim to his friends: “I have the biggest chest in the gym”.
He would walk around using his phone as a boom box.
The gym music is bad enough, now we have to listen to your crap too! DIE!
terrible etiquette.
Close the shower curtain, I don’t want your runoff! And don’t hawk on the shower floor. And please don’t choose the shower next to mine when there are twenty other ones.
People who watch other people changing. There oughtta be a law against that.
People who smoke in the bathroom! And spit on the bathroom floor. Seriously rotten.
Trainers who stand around breathing your oxygen - make yourself useful or go somewhere else please.
People who get between you and the mirror during a set, and just stand around gawking at themselves. Or people who cut by you mid-set in your space and throw off your rhythm - they should be gut-checked.
Employees who come and talk to you, or watch you training, standing around talking, while weights are scattered all over the place and towels and even trash. I’d fire ‘em.
People who don’t wipe their sweat off the machines. People who bounce around five different machines with no plan or method to their workout - and somehow always land on the machine you’re about to do next..
TALKING. TALKING. TALKING. If it’s all you’re doing, GTFO. It gives me a headache when all I can hear is your voice going on and on - especially if it’s using a phone on a treadmill. It’s a shared public space, people. Not a stage for the drama of your life. (This goes for groups having business meetings in cafes too). If the guy across the room can follow your conversation, IT’S TOO LOUD.
I hate it when there’s nobody in the gym, you go to your locker, and then they give the next guy the locker right next to yours! So the whole room is empty except for you two bumping elbows and moving each others’ locker doors. Or when that guy puts his junk right where you would sit instead of the whole rest of the bench.
Don’t get me started!