4 Stupidly Annoying Gym Behaviors

I am happy to say that so far this year, I have been pretty regularly getting to the gym (using the stronglifts 5×5 program – it’s awesome!). While it has been great for my health, the experience has lead me to repeatedly observe some stupid behaviors totally lacking in common courtesy that I just don’t understand. Here are the five most egregious:

1) Not Re-Racking Weights

Simple rule: If you use a weight, put it back. If it’s a dumbbell, replace it to the dumbbell rack. If it’s a plate, take it off the bar you just used and put it back on the rack. And yet weights are constantly left on bars and strewn around the gym. What the hell people?? It’s not that hard!

I want to open a gym that starts with a tiny monthly fee, but has hidden cameras set up all over the gym floor. At the end of the month, all members are forced to pay $1 per weight they didn’t put away after using. I would be the richest gym owner EVER!

What you are saying about yourself if you do this: “I am a selfish moron who cares not one lick about the feelings of others or my impact on the world around me.”

2) Working Out Directly In Front of the Dumbbell Rack

If you haven’t been in a gym in a while, there’s usually this thing called a dumbbell rack, which is a long line of dumbbells of all different weights, from 5 to 100 pounds (or more). Let’s remember people, that a gym is a community made up of many people. And yet, for some reason, some moron will always walk up to the rack, grab two dumbbells, not move an inch, and then do his set of exercises directly in front of the rack!

For those of you bad at visualizing, let me point something out: this behavior effectively blocks others from picking up anywhere from 10 to 20 other dumbbells!

Because this one person is too inconsiderate to literally take one big step away from the rack, everyone else has to wait until he finished before they can get to the weights they want.

What you are saying about yourself if you do this: “I am a selfish moron who cares not one lick about the feelings of others or my impact on the world around me.”

3) Hogging Equipment While On a Cell Phone

There is a limited number of pieces of equipment in a gym. In mine, there are only three flat bench press benches. Sometimes they are all going to be taken and I am going to have to wait. I get it. No problem. If I am waiting because someone is working out.

What I hate though, is when the dude tying up the bench whips out his cell phone and starts chatting away. Dude! If you are going to talk on the cell phone, get the hell off the bench!

Of course my gym has signs that say, “no cell phones, please,” but they are about as effective as the signs that say, “please re-rack all your weights when you are done,” and “no idiots allowed.” (Ok, last one’s not a real sign, but it should be.)

What you are saying about yourself if you do this: “I am a selfish moron who cares not one lick about the feelings of others or my impact on the world around me.”

4) Re-Racking the Dumbbells in the Wrong Spot

Why is it that so many times when I go the dumbbell rack to grab some weights, there are dumbbells that are clearly in the wrong spot? The rack is organized with dumbbells going from left to right, lightest to heaviest. The rack is also usually labelled with exactly which weights are supposed to go in the spots. This shouldn’t be so hard.

Just this week I was using a 35 pound dumbbell. I walk back to the rack to put it away, and there, in the two spots where the 35 pounders go, are two five pound dumbbells.

What. The. Heck.

Why is this so hard for people? If you take something, put it back where you found it! This is the first rule of common courtesy but at the gym, all that goes out the window. Lazy, stupid people.

What you are saying about yourself if you do this: “I am a selfish moron who cares not one lick about the feelings of others or my impact on the world around me.”

In Conclusion…

Are you noticing a theme here? It’s not complicated. Just use the same common courtesy you would a) expect from others and b) offer to someone if you were a guest in their home.

You can (and should) apply this out of the gym too. A little common courtesy and politeness will go a long long way.

Otherwise, you are just another run of the mill moron…