Gym pointers? (Etiquette, tips, etc.)

[Student_Driver]

I finally joined a gym after a long time of moaning that I wanted to do it but didn’t have the time. Things are going good so far, and I already find myself looking forward to hitting the gym and altering personal plans to make sure I can get some time in. Right now, I’m just going and familiarizing myself with the equipment, doing an hour of cardio (1/2 an hour of elliptical, 1/2 hour of bike/treadmill/whatever), then light weight training (alternating between different muscle groups on alternate days) to get back into the habit. It feels good.

My last experience in a gym setting was at in a small university weight room, which was a different experience than being in a big commercial gym. I’m meeting up today with my doctor to get a physical, and later with a trainer to get a short- and long-term plan worked out, so I’m not looking for medical advice/warnings so much as I am general gym-going advice and personal experiences.

So, a few questions off the top of my head (though if you just want to post your own experiences and findings, that’s great too!):

I know to sanitize equipment after use (and, as I’ve noticed not everyone is good at this, I’ve been sanitizing before use, too); to avoid making multiple trips in a short period of time, I’ve been wetting down a handful of towels with the sanitizer and taking it with me on my rounds in the weight room. Is this kosher, or should I be getting the towels one at a time so they don’t dry out? Would it look weird if I brought my own little bottle of sanitizer so I didn’t have to keep going back to the towel/sanitizer stations?

If I need a spotter, do I ask an employee, or another patron?

I know one should give their muscles a day or two of recovery between weight-training workouts, but what about when doing cardio?

What should I do with my wallet, keys, etc.? Leave them in the car, trust the gym’s lockers, carry them with me from machine to machine?

What are the etiquette basics for the gym and locker room? (Besides not sitting on/monopolizing equipment, sanitizing equipment, and acting nonchalant around naked guys…)

Anyone have personal anecdotes about how long it was before they noticed physical results from cardio? I’m looking forward to seeing my blood pressure begin to trend down, but don’t know if I’m looking forward to something which might be half a year off…

[badbadrubberpiggy]

@Student_Driver

I know to sanitize equipment after use (and, as I’ve noticed not everyone is good at this, I’ve been sanitizing before use, too); to avoid making multiple trips in a short period of time, I’ve been wetting down a handful of towels with the sanitizer and taking it with me on my rounds in the weight room. Is this kosher, or should I be getting the towels one at a time so they don’t dry out? Would it look weird if I brought my own little bottle of sanitizer so I didn’t have to keep going back to the towel/sanitizer stations?

People do it different ways at my gym, I’ve honestly never given it much thought, so you’re probably safe doing whatever you feel comfortable. In your case, I’d probably just carry around the towels, rather than bring your own bottle.

If I need a spotter, do I ask an employee, or another patron?

Either ought to be OK. Offer to spot them or work in with you if you ask another patron.

I know one should give their muscles a day or two of recovery between weight-training workouts, but what about when doing cardio?

Basically, listen to your body on this one. You CAN do cardio every day if you want, and some weeks I do, but if you start feeling burnt out, rest.

What should I do with my wallet, keys, etc.? Leave them in the car, trust the gym’s lockers, carry them with me from machine to machine?

I leave mine in a locker - at my gym, you bring your own lock and just grab a free locker. Some places you can rent lockers, or they’ll give you a key if you want to use one while you’re there (for free). I’ve never had an issue locking my stuff up at any gym.

Anyone have personal anecdotes about how long it was before they noticed physical results from cardio? I’m looking forward to seeing my blood pressure begin to trend down, but don’t know if I’m looking forward to something which might be half a year off…

You’ll probably see some results fairly quickly, after a few weeks it should get easier and you might see some physical changes, but if you’re trying to lose weight, too, what you eat is generally more important than the exercise - basically, it’s very easy to eat 600 calories worth of food pretty quickly, but it’s fairly tough to burn off that much through exercise (though YMMV, if you’re bigger you generally burn more calories than someone who’s smaller, doing the same exercises).

[shiftless]

If you are just starting out you will notice a lot of good results in a very short time. After all the soreness goes away, of course. When I first started lifting weights I definitely felt like I looked better and was really stronger after the first month. I won’t say I looked good but I’m pretty sure “better” applies.

I am one of those people you see not sanitizing equipment. Sorry, but just because another person touched something it doesn’t mean that thing is now poisonous. If I sweat on something and you can see the drops, then I use the wipes because nobody wants to get in somebody else’s sweat. My opinion is that barbells, dumbbells, handles on machines - things like that only need to be cleaned when they are actually wet. In fact, those wipes they use can make handles sticky and gross and sometimes I can’t tell if the wetness is sweat or cleaning fluid. Anyway, my opinion is that part of using gym equipment is taking the chance that you might touch something with someone else’s sweat on it. There really is no way to avoid this in a place designed to make you sweat.

If you need a spotter, get an employee. Never met one that wasn’t happy to help. Really, I think they get bored and are actually happy when people ask for help. Later you may make some friends with similar interests and you can spot each other. Then you can make the grunting sounds too.

I use the gym locker. Kind of depends on the setup where you are. Do you chance clothes at the gym? Then I would say a locker is necessary.

The thing about resting muscles for a day - this mainly applies to serious weight lifts I believe. Yes, in general you should avoid doing massive curls two days in a row, for example. It’s a rule of thumb and it shouldn’t stop you from doing exercise, especially light weights.

There have been a few gym etiquette threads here. The basic idea is the same as anywhere else except with more people, closer together with less cloths and more sweat. Don’t hog equipment. If you see someone that looks like they may want the equipment you have - ask - “are you waiting for this?”. They may be waiting, they can work in and you just started making a new friend. Don’t assume everyone dislikes you because they are in shape and you aren’t. I’m fat and old and all the gym rats I have every interacted with have been friendly and helpful.

Good luck. The gym can be a fun place to go, except for the exercise part.

[badbadrubberpiggy]

@shiftless

Don’t assume everyone dislikes you because they are in shape and you aren’t. I’m fat and old and all the gym rats I have every interacted with have been friendly and helpful.

Good luck. The gym can be a fun place to go, except for the exercise part.

Yeah, I forgot about this part. I agree, don’t worry about looking silly when you try new exercises, or if you feel like you’re not as fit as the other people there. Nobody is watching you, most people are going to be pretty into their own workouts.

If you’re not sure how to use a piece of equipment, ask an employee, they’re happy to help. Also, a lot of gyms offer a free session or two of personal training when you join, so look into that if you’re not sure where to start.

[Student_Driver]

Thanks so far.

I’m not too worried about looking out of place; it’s a friendly place so far, with a wide variety of people and body types. It’s also a large place, so if I don’t want others to see just how little weight I can lift, I can find a secluded spot.

My primary goal is simply to get my blood pressure under control. (My weight is fine, and the weight training is for strength, not bulking up). My blood pressure is a bit high, 140/90 or so, and there’s a family history of heart disease, so I’m determined to get things under control through lifestyle changes. Exercise has been the big component that I’ve been missing; I enjoy exercising, and even find that day-after muscle aching to be a good feeling, but it’s easy to let working out slide when I have other time pressures. When I can see my blood pressure edging down to something more healthy, it’ll help to reinforce exercise as a permanent lifestyle change… thus my interest in how long it might take to see a change.

Thought of another question, one that’s rather specific: in general, how accurate are the heartrate monitors that are built into the handles of gym machines? It’s not much to get personal heartrate monitors, and I’d be willing to make the investment if they’re more accurate.

[running_coach]

If you’re doing multiple sets, don’t hog the machine/bench 10 min between sets, lets others work in if they ask or vacate the equipment until you’re ready for the next set.

When you’re working with free weights,UNLOAD THE BAR AND PUT AWAY YOUR PLATES!!!, you managed to get them on the bar, you can get them back on the rack.

[Enderw24]

@Student_Driver

Thought of another question, one that’s rather specific: in general, how accurate are the heartrate monitors that are built into the handles of gym machines? It’s not much to get personal heartrate monitors, and I’d be willing to make the investment if they’re more accurate.

I have no clue how good personal heartrate monitors are. My experience at gyms is that 1/3 of the monitors on machines simply don’t work at all. 1/3 are so wildly inaccurate you’d have been better off not wasting your time trying to get a reading.
Of the last third, they’re accurate, but usually take 10-15 seconds to formulate a reading and thereafter any reading you get is from 10-15 seconds ago.

I like to know my heartbeat occassionally, but I eventually stopped trying to use the grips to determine unless, like with the elliptical, it wasn’t impeding my ability on the machine.

If I need to, I take a 10 second count and multiply it by six to get a beats per minute number with an error rate of +/- 6. It’s close enough for my purposes.

[Athena]

@shiftless

I am one of those people you see not sanitizing equipment. Sorry, but just because another person touched something it doesn’t mean that thing is now poisonous. If I sweat on something and you can see the drops, then I use the wipes because nobody wants to get in somebody else’s sweat. My opinion is that barbells, dumbbells, handles on machines - things like that only need to be cleaned when they are actually wet. In fact, those wipes they use can make handles sticky and gross and sometimes I can’t tell if the wetness is sweat or cleaning fluid. Anyway, my opinion is that part of using gym equipment is taking the chance that you might touch something with someone else’s sweat on it. There really is no way to avoid this in a place designed to make you sweat.

I’m with you on this. Sure, wipe it off if there’s actual real drops of sweat on the equipment. But most of the time this isn’t the case, at least with me. But hell, it’s a fookin’ GYM. People SWEAT there. If you can’t handle the idea that your shorts may touch someone else’s sweat, then maybe a gym isn’t for you.

[running_coach]

@Enderw24

I have no clue how good personal heartrate monitors are. My experience at gyms is that 1/3 of the monitors on machines simply don’t work at all. 1/3 are so wildly inaccurate you’d have been better off not wasting your time trying to get a reading.
Of the last third, they’re accurate, but usually take 10-15 seconds to formulate a reading and thereafter any reading you get is from 10-15 seconds ago.

I like to know my heartbeat occassionally, but I eventually stopped trying to use the grips to determine unless, like with the elliptical, it wasn’t impeding my ability on the machine.

If I need to, I take a 10 second count and multiply it by six to get a beats per minute number with an error rate of +/- 6. It’s close enough for my purposes.

Personal HRM are as accurate as an EKG.

Taking HR by hand can be inaccurate unless you can do it while still exercising, if you need to stop, your HR will drop too quickly too get an accurate number.
Anecdote: When I first started using a HRM, I did the following test. Got my HR up to 150, held it there for two minutes, then stopped to take my pulse. In the 17 sec. I needed to find and take my pulse for 10 sec.(as above) my HR had dropped to 121. My 10 sec. count showed a HR of 132.

[badbadrubberpiggy]

@Enderw24

I have no clue how good personal heartrate monitors are. My experience at gyms is that 1/3 of the monitors on machines simply don’t work at all. 1/3 are so wildly inaccurate you’d have been better off not wasting your time trying to get a reading.
Of the last third, they’re accurate, but usually take 10-15 seconds to formulate a reading and thereafter any reading you get is from 10-15 seconds ago.

This. I have a personal HRM, a Polar F6 that’s can be read by the Precor machines, and they still don’t always give the same reading as my HRM does. The readings can fluctuate wildly, depending on the machine, sometimes it just randomly disconnects from what my HRM is actually putting out.

The calorie counts they give are generally off, too, they don’t account for enough variables, usually just age & weight, if that.

[Pammipoo]

Invest in a combintion lock. Most gyms have lockers available for day use, just take the lock home with you.

If you use the showers, wear some kind of shoe/shower sock. Some of those showers are NASTY.

I think someone already said it, but dont be afraid of asking for help. It’s better to ask how to do a particular machine than to break a neck or something.

And everyone else is doing their own thing, they’re not watching you (well, except for the creepy old guys who leer at me on the treadmill…). For the most part, they really dont care how silly you look doing an exercise.

[Hakuna_Matata]

I don’t wipe equipment down, and in fact to be honest at my gym I have NEVER seen anyone wipe equipment down. With the exception of treadmills, ellipticals, etc. But not any of the weight stuff.

I would make the following suggestions:

If you are a male–don’t tuck your shirt into your shorts. Then you will be noticed There are two guys at my gym who do this, one who is fit and one who isn’t. They both look like dorks! There is something just odd about that look. If you saw the movie Grease, think of what John Travolta looked like when he tried out for the track team. Not a good look for anyone!

I think it is okay to say hello, or something small chit-chat wise. But don’t be one of those people at the gym who socialize endlessly. I doubt anyone would say anything to you, but they all are thinking ‘why doesn’t that person shut the f*ck up already’. There is nothing as irritating as concentrating on lifting some weight and you can’t concentrate because this chitter-chatter coming from the machine next to you. Or waiting to use a machine that two people are having a coffee social over, usually I finally get pissed off enough that I ask if they are done, which usually prompts them to finish up their story. Go get coffee AFTER the gym and talk all you want.

Don’t drop the weights on the floor making a lot of noise. If you can’t control the weight to place it on the ground–you are lifting too much weight in my opinion. If you need to grunt do so quietly!

Finally–enjoy yourself. Congratulations on getting yourself in better health. I think that is admirable and you should take pride in that.

[Flyhalf]

Do not curl in the squat rack!

[JThunder]

@Pammipoo

Invest in a combintion lock. Most gyms have lockers available for day use, just take the lock home with you.

Right. It’s for your own safety, and it’s just common courtesy as well. It can be incredibly annoying to open one locker door after another, only to find out that some bozo has stashed his gear in there and never bothered to put a padlock on it.

It’s so aggravating that I can easily imagine some frustrated gym rat deciding to take your shoes, pants or wallet, just out of spite. I’ve never done such a thing, nor would I ever do so. The thought has entered my mind, though.

[Hakuna_Matata]

@JThunder

Right. It’s for your own safety, and it’s just common courtesy as well. It can be incredibly annoying to open one locker door after another, only to find out that some bozo has stashed his gear in there and never bothered to put a padlock on it.

It’s so aggravating that I can easily imagine some frustrated gym rat deciding to take your shoes, pants or wallet, just out of spite. I’ve never done such a thing, nor would I ever do so. The thought has entered my mind, though.

I find this thread fascinating. How different gyms in different location are I suppose. I live in a fairly rural area granted, but I have only on rare occasions seen a lock on any of the gym lockers at our gym. I have never thought of it as an issue to be honest and I doubt anyone at my gym has issues with it either.

I agree it is a bit irritating to open lockers and see stuff there, but we just shut the door and move to the next locker. The lockers sit out in the open (except the ones in the bathroom/shower areas) and the lock just sort of conveys the message that you don’t trust anyone it seems to me. As far as I am aware we have never had any problem with people stealing stuff.

Guess that is what happens when you live in Mayberry