A refresher course in etiquette for everyone heading back to the gym
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- Created on Wednesday, 29 December 2010 17:41
- Written by R. Scott Rappold
By R. SCOTT RAPPOLD
THE GAZETTE
Welcome back to the gym.
The resolution-fueled urge to get in shape, coinciding with the “it’s-too-cold-and-dark-before/after-work” weeks of the calendar, is boom time for gyms and health clubs.
Some of those crowding the ellipticals are supplicants, returning for the first time since last year’s resolution fizzled or it got warm enough to comfortably exercise outdoors. Some are there for the first time ever.
“We definitely see a spike in January, and it’s usually the six to eight weeks following Jan. 1,” said Wendy Brez Dahl, spokeswoman for the 14,000-member YMCA of the Pikes Peak Region, which typically gets 1,200 new members in January.
Scott Clinton, the executive director of the Y’s downtown center, has this advice for everyone working out again after a long break: Take it easy.
“They just want to start back and go at it (like) gang busters, and they do too much too fast and they don’t want to go back (the next day) because they’re sore,” said Clinton.
Keeping in mind that each gym has its own rules, there are simple etiquette practices you should follow to make your workout as painless as possible for the rest of us:
• Wipe down the machine. This should be obvious, but you’d be surprised how often sweaty, tired people forget to do this. Wipe the handles. And spray the cleaner on the towel, not the machine.
• Don’t hog the remote. Even if nobody is obviously watching CNN, don’t change the TV to Fox News without asking those around you.
• If you’re sick, stay home. Gyms are notorious for being germ pits, and when you’re coughing up a lung because you’re not quite over a cold it only makes it worse.
• Don’t howl like Tarzan. Yes, bench presses can be exerting, but your guttural roar when you lift only bothers others.
• Don’t talk on your cell phone. Gyms may have policies on this, but hearing a loud one-way conversation on the treadmill next to you can be a distraction.
• Don’t hog the machine. The gym can be crowded, especially evenings in winter, and many gyms have time limits for using machines. Please observe them.
• Reset the weights. If you’re strong enough to put that 50-pound weight on the machine, you can remove it when you’re done.
• Don’t wander around the locker room naked. You may be comfortable with your body, but that doesn’t mean everyone else is. Put on a towel.
• Don’t be a stalker. Most people go to the gym to exercise, not get a date. So don’t try to hit on women, especially if they are reading or wearing headphones.
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