Gym Etiquette Tips for Newbies

Guest Blog

So, you are a newbie to your gym and you have no idea how to behave. Though you are a full grown adult, and you understand how to behave in the regular and mature sense, being in the gym is a whole other ballgame. There is no one size fits all when it comes to better mental health but being in the gym is going to help.

The only problem is that you need to make sure that you are not getting it anyone else’s way while they are doing their own workouts and are in their own heads as they do it. Before you go to a gym such as Fitness 19, you will want to know the best time to go to the gym and how to behave while you are there. This is where gym etiquette comes in. First time gym goers such as yourself need to maximize the experience and your mental health, and that means knowing how to act while you are there. Let’s take a look at some gym etiquette tips for newbies.

• Always – and we cannot stress enough – re-rack your weights. Re-racking your weight is the most important rule that you need to remember when you are starting out in the gym. There are hundreds if not thousands of other people who are going to move through the gym during the day and everybody wants to find the piece of equipment that they are looking for. There is nothing worse than having to go on a hunt for a dumbbell or a medicine ball because somebody couldn’t be bothered to put it back.
• Dispense with the selfies. While it’s exciting to be out there and starting something new, you are there to work out not to put on a parade. You don’t need to take multiple gym pictures to show off what you are doing, and nobody in the background is going to appreciate it. The gym is a pretty private place for people, so make sure you are being respectful and keeping your phone use to a minimum especially by selfie‘s are concerned.
• Stay focused. Yes, the guy behind you who is lifting 100 kg may look very impressive, but stop staring. You are in the gym to do your thing and be self absorbed in your own exercise routine. Standing around and staring at anybody else can be very intimidating – imagine how you would feel if it was done to you?
• Ask for help. If you know that you need a spotter to help you with your weights, ask a personal trainer or gym member to help you. Don’t be the person that intentionally drops away on the ground that creates a heavy crash. If it’s too heavy for you, you don’t need to wear your ego – ask for help and avoid physical injury or threatening somebody else into having a physical injury of their own.
• There is no need to grunt. You see it on TV – the muscle men and women grunt as the left and as they put their weights down. Don’t do that. Nobody needs to do that.