The weight room can be an intimidating place for many people. It’s a place where the advanced, beginners, and everybody in between go to train. Some of you maybe hesitant step inside thinking you may do something wrong and get judged by the people standing around you. These negative thoughts could keep you from going to the gym, and make you further away from achieving your fitness goals.

So, I’m here to help you get started. I’m going to give you quick lesson on a couple of gym etiquette to help you combat any “gymtimidation” that you might have in the back of your mind. I’m also here to give a refresher to all the advanced lifters who are reading this, in case you have forgotten. So without further ado, let’s get started!

  1. Leave your ego at the door
    This rule applies to all individuals that step into the weight room. You may be a bodybuilder, cross fitter, powerlifter or just a gym goer. You maybe be fit or not so much. The important thing to remember is we are all equal when you walk through those doors.
  2. Mind your own business
    Unless someone approaches you and asks for advice or help, keep your thoughts for yourself. The last thing a beginner wants is a veteran standing beside him giving him questionable advice on how to lift. The only people who should be giving advice are the trainers.
  3. Re-rack the weights
    Don’t be a person who benches three plates and just leaves it there. If you’re strong enough to lift the weight, I’m pretty sure you can put it back.
  4. It’s not polite to stare
    Now, I know there are going to be attractive individuals that go to the gym. Let’s do all of them a favor and keep our focus on the weights in fronts of us, rather than them. If you spend most of the time staring it makes the workouts less effective. More training, less staring!
  5. It’s not a social event
    Don’t be a person that trains 15 minutes and just stands there talking for an hour. It hinders the person who you’re talking to and everyone around you. Someone might be waiting on you to move away from the machine so they could begin their set. So please, leave the chitchat to a minimum.
  6. NO curling in the squat rack
    This is a rule that is somewhat nowadays thought of as a joke. So you may ask, “Why is this a bad thing?”, well what if someone wants to squat?! You should always assume that someone else is looking to use the equipment your currently on. So, showing respect to the people and the equipment in a certain manner is gym etiquette 101. Also there are many other places where you can do bicep curls.
  7. Wipe off the bench (and all other equipment)
    This one’s pretty obvious. Wipe down the equipment after using it. If you leave a pile of sweat on the equipment and the person after you has to wipe it down, it is extremely disrespectful. Just like brushing your teeth and taking a shower every day, it should be a habit, which you don’t have to think twice about.
  8. Don’t hoard all the equipment
    Pick one piece of equipment, complete that section of your workout, and move on to the next one. Be considerate of others and don’t occupy 2-3 machines at once. Especially if the gym is crowded, but if it looks like a barren wasteland, go crazy.
  9. Leave your phone in the locker
    Unless you use your phone for music or a stopwatch leave it in the locker. Nothing is more distracting than having someone loudly chatting on his/her phone when you’re trying to workout. If you expect to see results in the gym, you’re not going to achieve it checking your phone every 30 seconds. Whatever it is, it can wait.
  10. Honor the newbie
    If you’re the newbie, I hope you don’t stay there for long. When you become an advanced lifter, remember where you started, and that everyone was once the newbie. Just saying hi or offering help can promote a positive and productive environment.