Once upon a time gym etiquette was the norm. Towels, fresh faced, sweaty and working out. Nowadays I walk into the gym and all I see is pretty boys taking selfies, girls with more make up than a drag queen and resting bitch face on both sexes.
Have I missed something?
I probably should just go and mind my own business but please humor me and give me a moment to vent. Here’s some gym etiquette advice.
Having a towel is a must, not an option. I’m sure you don’t want to be sticking to my sweat, and I sure as hell don’t want to be anywhere near yours. So if you forget your towel, most gyms lend them out for $2 a pop. Just remember to return it to the appropriate bin for laundering.
Wipe down your equipment. This one goes hand in hand with having a towel. Use the darn thing, put it on the machine before planting your ass on it. If you happen to sweat just a little bit more, ladies I know you think you’re glowing and you probably are, but wipe it down. Keep a clean towel in your bag for the shower so you don’t have to dry yourself with the germ-ridden one.
Keep the grunting for the bedroom. Seriously, I just want to crack up laughing when I hear the grunts and moans on the gym floor. Ok, so sometimes when you lift heavy a bit of noise might come out but exaggeration is not necessary. No one cares how heavy you lift but you.
Put your weights away. It’s so frustrating trying to locate a desired weight and finding it where it shouldn’t be, unused and forgotten. Leaving them lying around isn’t only annoying for the next person to use them but also a safety issue. You don’t want to be breaking a leg falling over a kettlebell.
Make-up remover is your friend. Sorry, but the gym is not a nightclub nor is it a beauty parlor. Sure you want to look pretty but with panda eyes, three layers of foundation, blush and glossy lips while you’re trying to master the pull up is only going to make you look silly. Plus when you sweat your pores will clog up and all that gunk will just lead to facial breakouts. Thanks, but no thanks. Take it off and reapply to a cleansed face after your workout and shower. If you must wear some stick to tinted moisturiser, waterproof mascara and a neutral lip balm.
It won’t kill you to smile. I don’t know, maybe I’m the weird one. But generally when I’m at the gym and I happen to make eye contact with someone I’m going to smile. It’s not flirting or trying to get someone’s attention it’s just being friendly and polite. It astounds me how many people walk around the gym looking like they’re ready to beat someone up. A smile is free, remember to give it away a bit more because you never know when you’re going to need a smile to make your day.
Turn it down just a bit. You love to workout to music. Great. So do many other people. That doesn’t mean they want to be hearing yours. This point goes for any public place. Keep it loud enough for your to hear but not that loud that the person training next to you is forced to listen too.
Quit the bitching in the change room. The change room is not the place to be gossiping about your colleagues, name calling frenemies, or discussing last night’s great or lame lay. You never know who might be listening. Do you really need or want an awkward moment when you find yourself standing face to face with the person you’ve just bitched about? Didn’t think so.
So there’s my vent. I feel a little better now. Today instead of hitting the gym I did my full body weight training at home. From kettlebell swings and squats , to jump pull ups and planks.
Do you think people should have better gym etiquette?
