A gym is much like an adult playground, so it’s good to know how to get along with the others in the sandbox. Instead of building sandcastles, we’re building fit bodies.
I am a professional writer and a personal fitness trainer certified through National Federation of Professional Trainers. I published a book, Gym Etiquette 101, this summer and will be writing some blogs with snippets from my book. I hope you’ll follow along…no sand shovels or buckets needed, but you might want to keep a sense of humor close by.
The book offers 10 helpful tips for surviving and eventually loving a gym. I will share some of these in my blogs, as well as some of the illustrations created by Sloane Williams.
To give you some background, I did lots of research, interviews and observations before
writing the book. Through the power of social media, I surveyed people across the country and a few overseas to find out the top 15 complaints at a gym. I call them #gymfails. Most likely you have seen these if you are a gym rat; you may have even committed one or two.
- Not wiping down equipment (this was the biggest complaint by a landslide)
- Lifting and caveman-type grunting
- Not re-racking weights
- Talking on the phone while using equipment
- Watching other people exercise
- Leaving wet towels in the locker room/sauna
- Walking into classes late
- People talking to you while exercising
- Provocative dressing
- Hogging equipment
- The arrogant walk, cocky strutting
- People who stink
- Those trying to find a “hook up”
- Germs brought into the gym
- Slamming weights down to get noticed
Join me over the next several weeks as we begin walking through the ins and outs, dos and don’ts at a gym. Feel free to share the blogs with trainers, gym rats, gym rat wannabes and anybody else. Check out my book/website: www.gymetiquette101.com. You know you want lots of copies. See you in the gym!
