Here’s a few ways to earn the respect (lack of) from your gym buddies. This could all be resolved by the old saying, You mom doesn’t work here...
1. Turn off your cell phone. Unless your family is waiting for that call from the governor issuing a reprieve to your second cousin, you really don’t need a cell phone at the gym. If you, or your calls, are that important, maybe you should be somewhere else.
2. Clean off the equipment after you use it. There’s nothing more discusting than sliding across your ass-sweat on the leg extension machine. Have you noticed the management provides anti-bacterial spray in those bottles over there? Use it!
3. Put your plates away. Everybody knows you’re a tuff guy and you can squat 800 pounds, but I shouldn’t have to unload your bar to squat my measly 90 pounds.
4. No grunting, snorting, or singing. If you regularly wear headphones, take them off once in a while and listen to yourself while you work out. You may be shocked to find that the noises you make won’t get you on American Idol.
5. Be odor neutral. I won’t even mention B.O. I hope nobody is so crass that they need reminding. On the other hand, perfumes, colognes, and even that lunch you had at the Thai restaurant earlier, may be very distracting to others.
6. If you are through with your workout, leave. The gym can be a busy place. While you are sitting on the weight bench watching re-runs of Lassie, someone may be waiting to use it.
7. Use one piece of equipment at a time. Again, if the gym is busy, don’t bounce back and forth from the free weights, to the cable machine, to the Smith machine. You may not notice, but others may be waiting.
