Physical health is extremely important. Not everyone needs to have a six pack, just like not everyone needs to be skinny. In fact, no one needs to have a six pack and no one needs to be skinny, but if one chooses to have or be either, chances are they had to work for it, which is the beauty of going to the gym.
No one can take that away from you and no one can take credit for the results you got. You did it yourself and that's amazing. Don't be afraid to go to the gym, but just remember to be considerate of others.
While I think everyone should place an importance on physical health, not everyone should do it in a public setting such as the local gym. Without further ado, here are 10 things never to do at the gym, all of which are unrelated to the act of working out.
1. Talking on the phone
If you have a dying phone call you need to take, of course, you should take it. However, if you are standing in a squat rack speaking on your Bluetooth, using hand gestures while taking a work call, please know you are in the wrong setting. Take your call to the lobby or just off to the side, you are not Jamie Lee Curtis in Freaky Friday.
2. Throwing your used towels on the ground
For some reason, people think it's okay to use things, throw them on the ground and then have someone else pick them up. These people are douchebags, and douchebags are douchebags.
3. Leaving weights on equipment
This is the same concept as towels, except not as gross but probably much ruder. Most of the people who are at the gym are on a time crunch and needing to be elsewhere. If there are weights on a rack, one will assume it is being used and there is nothing worse than waiting for equipment that isn't being used.
4. Dropping weights
For starters, it isn't safe and one day you are going to drop the weight on someone (hopefully yourself). Two, it is terrible on the equipment you are paying for and if it needs to be replaced, chances are your gym will increase membership prices to pay for new equipment. Three, the ending motion of an exercise is just as important as the beginning motion and by dropping the weight you are only cheating yourself.
5. Walking on the outside lane
Most gyms have either two or three lanes on their walking track. The outside lane is meant for running, the middle for jogging and the inside for walking. For gyms with two lanes, the inside is meant for walking and the outside is for running/jogging. Walk on the inside lane.
6. Time limit.
There is no time limit. If you are a long distance runner and train on the treadmill, you take your hour and a half on the treadmill and apologize for nothing. If you are exercise requires 15 sets of bench presses, great, take ibuprofen for your chest in the morning. People who pay for memberships can use the equipment for however long they want. They pay the same membership as everyone else and first come, first serve. Quit complaining about people who are using equipment for a long time, so as long as they aren't taking 10-minute social media breaks.
7. Locker room etiquette
Locker rooms are locker rooms and old people have no chill when it comes to nudity. It's fine, it was probably a part of their curriculum in gym class growing up, but do people really need to be publicly naked for 20 mins? Why is the first article of clothing you're going to put on your socks? Also, body-shaving is a private act and should be seen by nobody except for yourself. Some things should be kept secret.
8. Stop with the mirror selfies
Mirror selfies should be sent to your closest confidants. Your significant other, best friend who likes you enough to keep it a secret, but hates you enough to screenshot and blackmail you with it. Results are fun, and I understand wanting to show them off, but can you not wait until you get home or is the mirror that twenty other people are also looking at that much better?
9. Playing music way too loud
You can play your music as loud as you want, so as long as you have headphones. If you don't have headphones, please don't play your music out loud for everyone else to hear. You might think your "GhettoMusik" playlist on Spotify is lit, but Myrtle probably doesn't. Mertyl is listening to Patsy Cline while working the seated bike. She's doing her job, do yours, please.
10. Heavy grunting
Going up in weight is very challenging and in most cases will require loud exhales of oxygen (which can only be heard by the people next to you). The facial expressions made are going to be less than flattering, but grunting isn't okay; it's obnoxious. Unless moving a plane or lifting a building, grunting is very controllable and you can control it.
There you have it, the 10 unsaid rules of what not to do at the gym that have nothing to do with working out.
