Buzz
We’ve all likely committed some gym etiquette mistakes, especially when starting out. I definitely remember blocking the dumbbell rack unintentionally. But as we get the hang of things, we can easily grasp the basics. Then, on occasion, we might find ourselves wondering, ‘What in the world is that person doing?’
Here are some of the most shocking and annoying behaviors shared by gym-goers on r/Fitness’s 'Rant Wednesday'.
Wearing glitter on your body at the gym.
Want to wear makeup while working out? Go ahead, enjoy yourself. But we do need to draw the line when it comes to bodily decorations that others have to clean up after you.
Please, for the love of gym hygiene, skip the body glitter. If you absolutely must wear it, at least clean the squat racks after your workout so that the rest of us don't end up covered in it.
Over-the-top public displays of affection
At the gym, there are two types of couples: those who take their own time for a personal workout, and those who are constantly assisting each other and kissing between sets. While they’re not causing harm, we can’t help but roll our eyes when they take it a bit too far.
Today at the gym, I witnessed a couple engaging in PDA where the guy was using the seated shoulder press machine directly in front of me. The girl stood between his legs, assisting him with his sets. After each set, they’d just embrace until he was ready for the next one.
Pro tip: There’s no need to “spot” someone using a shoulder press machine. (Though, to be fair, they probably already know that.)
Taking someone else’s platform as your own
Everyone loves to gripe about teenagers monopolizing gym equipment that they’re not even using. (If you're all sharing a squat rack, that’s fine—just actually use it instead of just standing there.) But sitting on equipment that someone else is actively using? That’s a whole different level of inconsiderate.
Today, I had two sixteen-year-old girls sitting right at the edge of my deadlift platform. I had to ask them to move so I could add weight to the bar. I’m guessing they were new to the gym, but seriously… is it not obvious not to sit less than a meter away from a heavy barbell being lifted?
Yelling ‘STOP STOP STOP’ for anything that isn’t an emergency situation.
While unsolicited advice is a common occurrence at the gym, it’s rarely delivered with this level of intensity:
I was in the middle of Romanian deadlifts when a personal trainer approached, shouting, ‘STOP STOP STOP!!! You’re supposed to drop the barbell to the floor and then lift it. What you’re doing is a Romanian deadlift, which targets your glutes and hamstrings more!’
I was like, ‘That’s exactly what I’m doing—a Romanian deadlift. What are you talking about?’
Digestive issues
Sometimes, you can’t avoid it. But that doesn’t change the smell in the air.
So much gas. 💨
Claiming every machine in sight at the gym
Circuit training is an effective way to get through several exercises in a short amount of time. However, if your circuit involves using equipment scattered throughout the gym, you can't expect others to give you free reign of the space while you complete your entire routine. Otherwise, you risk becoming that person:
As soon as you attempt to use a machine they’ve ‘claimed’ but aren’t actively using, they rush over to inform you that it's theirs (often quite rudely)... they don’t offer to share, and if you’re too hesitant to use it after their warning, once you walk away, so do they.
Sexist shouting
I'm not entirely sure how to categorize this, but let's just say: please don’t be this guy. He took a machine he wasn’t even using, just like the previous example, and then:
He went on to tell me that I would “see better results” using the adductor machine instead of the abductor one, claiming that the abductor was “designed for male bodies” (I can't even begin to explain how nonsensical that is). I was pretty much ready to leave at that point and told him I’d finish my sets when he was done, but he insisted that I finish right then. He then stood just a foot away from me, watching me the entire time. And to top it off, when I was almost done, he tried to act like a personal trainer, telling me to “push myself” and that I could “easily do 10 more reps!” It was the most uncomfortable I’ve ever felt. Easily the most frustrating and bizarre gym experience I’ve had.
Treating the gym like it’s your personal film set
Filming yourself is totally fine; it's a great way to review your form or get feedback from a friend or coach online. Filming for social media isn't necessarily wrong either, as long as you're being respectful of others while you do it. But then there are people like this:
New exchange students at my university gym film every set and livestream their workouts while turning off the music to avoid copyright issues. If anyone tries to put the music back on, they start yelling. They also leave their stuff everywhere, never re-rack weights, and constantly try to do four supersets all over the gym at once.
Challenging others to fights
I've heard countless stories of people challenging one another to fights at the gym, and it's never over anything worth fighting for—always trivial things like this:
An older guy moved my water bottle, and when I asked him why, he wanted to fight me. Ah, the joys of interacting with people.
Filling the gym with the smell of weed
Working out while high isn't inherently a bad idea, you just need to be mindful of your surroundings. Don’t trust your judgment with anything serious, and at least have the decency to take an edible or something rather than stinking up the entire locker room with smoke.
Smoking weed in a shower stall. Yes, this actually happened a few months ago.
Leaving weights all over the place on purpose
We’ve all left a dumbbell or a change plate lying around at some point. But then there are people like this:
Two older guys were benching in the rack next to me yesterday.
All finished, shall we just leave everything here?
Yeah.
Alright.
And off they went, leaving the bar loaded.
Guys, seriously...
Taking pictures or videos of others
People at the gym are not your meme material. And your sneaky 'selfies' aren’t fooling anyone.
Someone snapped a photo of me while I was deadlifting. A guy probably thought my face looked funny in the middle of the lift and figured he’d turn it into a meme. He tried to sneak a selfie but forgot to turn off his flash. The sudden light caught me off guard, and I instinctively glanced at him. He was trying to stifle his laughter while quickly hiding his phone.
If something like this happens to you, you can report that creep to the gym staff.
Thinking you’ll never encounter that person again
This isn’t just gym etiquette; it’s basic life etiquette. If you're going to end things with someone you're seeing or flirting with, do it like an adult. Otherwise, well:
I keep running into a guy I once sexted who ended up ghosting me at the gym every time I visit. It's pretty awkward.
