We will be hosting Group Fit Bingo for all of November and a week into December. It will feature mini challenges to get you to push your limits and go a little out of your comfort zone. The first 5 winners to get BINGO will get a variety of prizes to choose from!
All you need to do is show up to class and sign your initials on our Group Fit BINGO card we will have in the group fit room starting November 1!
Now that we’re in the summer season, we’re seeing all kinds of fresh faces in the gym. Whether it’s new members or tourists, summer brings in a lot of new people, so it’s the time of year where we’re rehashing our gym etiquette rules. Following these rules will make sure that everyone is able to experience the gym well and have an overall positive experience!
This more of a rule of the gym than an etiquette guideline, but with a whole lot of fresh faces and tourists, we have to highlight this. Make sure you have the proper attire for the gym, otherwise we will make you go change into something appropriate.
In our gym, proper attire is:
Like we said above, if you don’t follow these guidelines, we will make you go change into something that follows these guidelines
It’s not a workout if you aren’t sweating a little bit, but nothing’s worse than walking up to a machine that’s covered in someone else’s sweat. So, for the sake of others, wipe down the machines when you’re done. We provide free rags and spray bottles to make it even easier for you. It’s also generally a good idea to wipe down a machine before you use it as well to stop the spread of germs, but cleaning up your sweat when you’re finished is crucial to making sure others can have a positive gym experience.
Let’s face it. Everyone is at a different level on their fitness journey, so not everyone can lift the same amount that you can. It’s important to rerack your weights once you’re done so everyone else in the gym can work out effectively.
Also, keep in mind that there’s no shame in asking for help if someone left their weights on and you’re not able to lift them off. We’ve all been there at some point in our fitness journies.
Here’s the scenario: you forgot your headphones and you’re doing squats. All of a sudden, from behind you, you hear (loudly) “Hello? Oh what’s up bro?” then proceed to hear a full one-sided conversation about their previous night’s escapades for the entirety of your squat session. Pretty awful, right?
This is something we see in the gym almost every day, and it’s pretty obnoxious every single time. We think it’s awesome that your bro or your grandma called you. But not everyone else needs to hear what you’re saying to them, so take the call into the hallway.
Being late for one of our fitness classes can be disruptive to the class and can throw off the flow (especially for circuit-based classes). So please show up on time for our fitness classes so we’re able to make sure they run smoothly.
We get it. Sometimes things happen where you can’t quite make it in time. If that’s the case (and you aren’t too overly late), make sure you enter quietly so the class can continue as planned.
Also, we can’t believe we have to say this, but if there’s a class going on that you’re not participating in, don’t go into the room. The room is meant for fitness classes and we promise the gym has everything you’ll need for your workout.
It feels amazing when you finally hit your groove. You’ve built your amazing workout routine, have watched yourself advance, and gotten into a solid rhythm. Then, those pesky seasonal sicknesses get you. We know how worrisome it can be to give up on your routine until you’re feeling healthy again, but by continuing to come into the gym, you’re putting everyone else at risk to catch whatever you have. It’ll also likely extend your sickness, as you’re not allowing your body to recover. So it’s best for everyone if you stay home.
If you’re super set on continuing to work out, ask one of our trainers to make you a quick, low-intensity home workout! They’ll be able to whip you up something incredible.
This rule is pretty simple: what our trainers say is final, and arguing with them is only going to make things worse. Whether you’re training with them or are asked by one of them to follow the rules, what they say goes. We understand that gyms have different rules, so if you’re doing something wrong and they correct you, just agree with them and move on.
With the new year comes plenty of resolutions. The most popular new year’s resolution is to get into the gym or to get into great shape. While we encourage these decisions highly, there is a certain amount of etiquette that comes with using the gym that new gym-goers may neglect to do or be unaware of. Well, that’s what we’re here for. Please make sure you’re following the below rules when you use any gym (except home gyms. You can do what you want in those):
This is probably the biggest rule you should follow when using the gym, especially now during COVID. Doing a gym workout can be rigorous, and most people will work up quite a sweat, especially if you’re newer to gym usage. And nothing is grosser than sitting down onto a gym machine only to realize it’s covered in the previous user’s excessive perspiration. Not only is it gross, but it’s also unsafe. Without properly disinfecting the machine, it’s very easy to transmit sicknesses to other users, and that’s how you get into bad situations. Because of this, it’s vitally important that you wipe down the machines when you’re done with them. Most gyms provide disinfectants and rags to make this process as easy as possible.
Look, we aren’t all the same levels of fitness expertise in the gym. Some people have been going to the gym for years and can bench a dump truck, where some people (much like our current blog writer) find the thought of benching anything to be daunting and terrifying. That being said, you should always reset the machines and weights with the new gym-goer in mind. If you just benched a bunch of 60 pound weights on each side of the barbell and leave them sitting on there, there may be some gym users who won’t be able to remove those weights, therefore rendering them unable to use the equipment. Even with machines where you can pick your weight by inserting a peg into a stack of weights, it’s common courtesy to reset when you’re done. This goes for putting free-weights back on racks, too.
We get it. Most of us have our phones on us during workouts so we can listen to music, answer important texts, and take the occasional selfie. These are totally reasonable and acceptable, assuming you keep your phone use in check. If you have to answer a text and you see someone is waiting for the machine you’re using, don’t sit there to answer the text. Either get up and let the next person use the machine, or start your next rep. Also, under no circumstances should you answer your phone and engage in conversation while at the gym. Gyms are loud, so you generally have to speak up to make sure you get heard, and nobody else wants to hear that.
This one is more broken into two parts: communication (yes) and chattiness (no). First off is communication, which is crucial for a positive gym going experience. Sometime, gyms get busy, and the piece of equipment you need to use may be in use by another person. It’s totally acceptable to wait until they’re done with their current rep to ask when they’ll be done on the machine. But please make sure they’re done with the rep first, otherwise you’ll kind of look like a jerk. Paired with that, if you’d like to take a weight off a rack currently being used, just ask first. Don’t just assume you can take it.
Next is chattiness in the gym. A little bit of conversation is fine, and if you’re friends with the person, you can totally have a conversation with them. But if someone is wearing headphones and kind of seems like they’re in a groove, you will most likely throw them out of it if you approach them just to chat. Also, the gym is NOT a place to get your flirt on. Most people don’t want to be hit on while they’re exhausted and sweaty, so please save it for somewhere else.
This is less of an etiquette thing, and more of a rule for all gyms. You MUST wear closed-toed shoes. This is a safety thing for both you and other gym goers. Dropping weights on your foot hurts like crazy, and having closed-toed shoes can help prevent some of that injury. Just looking in a hypothetical situation, if you’re lifting a kettlebell and it slips and falls on your foot, there’s a pretty good chance there will be blood and broken toes. Now, if you’re wearing open-toed shoes, your foot blood is going to go all over the place, and the gym will have to close off that entire section for cleanup, which ruins it for everyone.
Paired with safety, it’s important to have solid support on your feet when using the gym, and open-toed shoes simply don’t provide the support that is needed. This can cause injuries to your legs, back, and shoulders, as well as create long-lasting side effects that you won’t know about until way further down the road.
Never, under any circumstances, should you bring a Bluetooth speaker into a gym. Like, literally never. If you don’t want to listen to the default music in the gym and want to listen to your own music while you workout, nobody will judge you for that. But nobody who is fine with the default music in the gym wants to listen to what you’re listening to. So, please, if you want to listen to your own music, just go buy a pair of headphones. We shouldn’t have to say this, but you’d be surprised. This is also poolside etiquette, but we’ll save that for another day.