What gets recorded gets attention. Write down your workouts and make SURE you are progressing in some way the next time you walk in the gym.

I also find it helpful to avoid hitting on women in the gym. I think they appreciate that as well… : )

More info on my site: http://www.fitover40.com

JB

First and foremost I see this with young guys on the bench press. They load up the weight for 2 maybe three very awkward reps, then leave the area and talk to their friends for 10 minutes between sets.

Usually they are giving advice to other young unsuspecting trainers, all based on some magazine article they just read.

I also see this happen with some seniors that do a set of leg extensions, rest for 5 minutes then do another one, 5 more minutes rest, and another one….

I try to ask if I can sneak in for a set, but they insist that they are almost done.

That’s my 2 cents.

Scott Tousignant, BHK, CFC

www.UnstoppableFatLoss.com

Nothing grosses me out more than seeing a guy relieve himself and leave the restroom without washing his hands, then proceed to grab some dumbbells that I’m about to use after him.

Come on! Seriously!

Scott Tousignant, BHK, CFC

www.AskTheFitBastard.com/blog

1. Don’t blow your nose in the water fountain. This is a crude habit and can contribute to the spread of colds and viruses. Besides, that’s what the gym towels are for…

2. No smoking on the cardio machines. Those little circular spots are water-bottle holders, not ashtrays. If you need a cigarette that badly when you’re working out, tape one to the pulldown bar and take a drag on it as a reward for each rep you do.

3. When spotting someone on bench press, be sure to wipe your face first. You are not a stalactite, and dripping sweat into someone’s eye is not a good way to make friends.

4. If you choose to wear cologne or perfume to the gym, please don’t marinate in it. If the person on the stair machine next to you lights up a cigarette, you could both be seriously injured.

5. Those stands that have all the weight plates on them should not be used for holding your donuts. Your donuts will end up with a terrible metallic taste that even the coffee in your water bottle won’t be able to get out of your mouth.

6. The Crunch Machine is not a vending machine for candy bars. Please don’t try to put money into this machine. It’s for working your abdominals. You will never, EVER get a Nestle’s Crunch bar out of it.

7. Even though the gym has stair machines, it is not required by law to have elevator machines. Please stop asking about this at the reception desk.

8. Pick up after your dog when you walk him on the treadmill. No explanation necessary.

9. If you have a habit of spraying spit when you lift, ensure there is no one in your target area. It’s bad enough that the mirrors by the squat rack look like a St. Bernard shook himself in front of them.

10. Do not give yourself C.P.R. when doing bench presses. Bouncing the bar heavily off your ribcage instead of pressing it properly may cause damage to the bar and voids the warranty on the bench. Besides that, you don’t want your spotter feeling as though he’s dribbling a barbell down the court do you?

11. Beer and/or liquor in your water bottle are prohibited. Unless, of course, you bring enough for everybody. This also goes for mochaccinos, frappaccinos, and anything with an umbrella in it.

12. Use the rowing machine at your own risk. If it sinks, there are no lifeguards on duty.

- Dropping weights is annoying, but (sorta) understandable. But don’t leave them all over the place - put them back on the bloody rack!

- wear the proper clothing and shoes. Sandals in a gym is just asking for trouble. Working out in jeans looks idiotic and hardly gives you the range of motion necesary

- Don’t monopolize the whole gym by flitting between machines. Do your sets logically and in order - otherwise the people your sharing with get their circuits messed up because you are here one minute, there the next

- Just remember you’re sharing the gym - just because there are three benches, doesn’t mean you get all three to your own personal whims. And don’t give me dirty looks when I take one to the other side - I’m 100 pounds heavier than you, trust me, I need it more. You can play with the other two.

But.. geesh.. when you’ve got to let one go, or one slips out.. what do you do about it?

I don’t know how many times I can count the number of fitness fanatics who get all crazy when I move those material objects from the bench where my client needs to train.

What’s up with that?

A definite dumb act…

How about when your performing a seated bent dumbbell lateral and then some homo who looks as though he’s sitting on an outhouse starts performing side laterals with a cheating swing?

Just another guy using the wrong form who needs more exercise education

I could go on…

(If anyone takes that seriously, you need to watch more South Park…)

- Wipe your sweat off of the bench, treadmill or anywhere you left it!

- Don’t stand in front of the mirror checking your hair and popping zits, save this S**t for your own bathroom, not the gym

- Do NOT complain to others about anything in the gym, we’re not here for a support session of any sort. Just STFU and train!

- Do you have to yell when talking to people in the gym so EVERYONE can hear you?

- Squat racks are reserved for squatting or anything heavy, not for curls

- Do NOT talk to people while they are doing their set and if you’re at least half serious, you should not be talking while doing your set

I should mention that I train in the West End of Vancouver.

LOL!

–Oh amen to that, I agree! that definatelly needs to go in those rules.

I’ll add few, maybe some of them already got mentioned.

1) Grunting like a gorrilla on viagra between each and every rep doesn’t mean that you are training harder or lifting heavier than the rest of us… you might think that it acccomplishes the goal of attracting the attention you crave, but it’s not the right kind of attention… it’s just plain annoying.

2)If you’re hairy, extremely sweaty, full of zits, have other bodily plagues sometimes hard to recognize - or any combination of the above, PLEASE don’t wear a tank top, the rest of the gym members will gladly chip in to get you a well ventilated t-shirt.. just ask them… if you absolutely must show off your gross assets, please, use the super strength industrial cleaners to wipe off your machine after use.

3) The gym shower is NOT a toilet. If you don’t care about the other gym members, at least think about the poor gym employee who has to clean that shower at the end of his shift.

4) If you don’t care about your training and are just there to socialize, please be respectful as some people are very busy and don’t have 3 hours to waste in the gym, they want to be in and out of there in 45 mins - 1 hour tops… if you absolutely must ask someone a question or shoot the breeze… why not wait for him to finish his training and catch him after he’s done? Remember, other people went there to TRAIN, not cause they missed chatting with you.

5) If someone asks you for a spot and you accept, try and do a good job, he’s trusting you with a very important task… dedicate your full concentration to it, it will only take around a minute or two, the cute blond’s ass will still be there after the set is over. Remember that a spot is only there in case of failure, unless someone specifically asks you to “assist him” at the end of the set to ease the load and help him crank out a few more reps, DON’T help him, if you see him struggling, that’s fine, let him try and finish the rep on his own, don’t grab the bar in a panick and rack it for him… any normal person will let you know when he needs you to help him rack it up or if you see him struggling for a few seconds with no improvements or if the bar starts to go down instead of up, then it’s time for your assistance.

6) Similar to number 5 above but if you’re the one asking for a spot… make sure it’s for the exact purpose as above.. if you can’t bench 225 lbs… having someone deadlift 150 lbs for you does NOT mean you suddenly got stronger, that is annoying as hell, if you can’t lift it for a few reps, don’t as for a spot… instead go eat and get stronger you wimp… next time I’ll let you choke under that bar.

7) Loading every single plate on the leg press machine is annoying, there are other people training in the gym… Why not try Squats with a 1/10th of that weight and doing full reps instead of 1/4 reps tough guy. If you must do those heavy leg press that use up all the plates, try and wait when it’s not a busy time and no one else needs the weights.

Noise does not equal strenght. Don’t clank the dumbells together, don’t drop them from 10 ft in the air, when doing deadlifts, the goal is not to try and destroy the floor on EVERY single rep.

nikki
nikkicookers@aol.com
http://www.fitconnect.com “fitness social networking”

My thing would be SCENTS. Don’t wear fragrance to the gym! What for? You are only going to sweat it off before you leave. Please! Wear deodorant though..

if you’re not with her, and there’s no ring on the finger, how is a guy supposed to know she’s not single?

so, for clarity sake…

“No hitting on your girlfriend while you’re in the gym with her”

how’s that?

Yes, he has a girlfriend. They compliment each other well. She’s an awesome whole foods cook!