# My Gym, My Rules **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [July 20, 2005, 8:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-gym-my-rules/313346 "2005-07-20T20:29:19Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Licentious\_Ectomorph](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/5e9695/32.png) [@Licentious\_Ectomorph](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Licentious_Ectomorph)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2005, 1:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-gym-my-rules/313346/41 "2005-07-21T13:05:30Z")
Er, people aren’t allowed to be naked…in the _locker room_? :eek: 😕 With regard to stripping the bar, I never do because (aside from the fact that no one else does) it seems kind of, well, pointless. Chances are the next person will want some or all of the weights you used on it. By the same token, it doesn’t bother me in the least when I go to use a bar that someone has left weights on; at most I have to add or remove one or two, rather than load the whole thing up from scratch. I don’t think it’s really any more trouble one way or the other. I would like to ban the constant, LOUD hocking and hurking in the locker room. There is always at least one person, usually more, putting on a lovely phlegm-purging concert. I realize that in a locker room, many social niceties are left at the door; people shower, use the toilet, groom themselves, and do all sorts of things that are usually kept private. But really, deliberately making disgusting noises like a giant cat coughing up a furball can’t be necessary. ---
**Author:** ![auntie\_em](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/5e9695/32.png) [@auntie\_em](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/auntie_em)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2005, 1:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-gym-my-rules/313346/42 "2005-07-21T13:12:00Z")
> [@Ashes](#): > > No one is allowed to wear enough perfume or cologne, that the stench is actually visible. Preach it! I was on the elliptical yesterday, and was forced off, off and away by a woman who hopped up on the elliptical right next to mine, wearing enough perfume to knock off an entire cell block of death row inmates. The good news was that I was two minutes away from being done, anyway. The bad news is that _that’s_ the point in the workout at which I’m gasping for as much unfettered air as I can get, and to have every facial orafice suddenly smothered by Eau D’Agent Orange makes me think I might just die. I have equal GRRRRRRRR for gym employees who decide to spray down all of the empty machines with Super Chemical Kill Dem Germs while I’m on one (and we’re talking 4:30 pm, not closing time or anything). Same effect. > [@](#): > > For the gym owner/staff: lower the volume and please, please, please do not _ever_ play anything by Cher, _ever again_. That goes goddam double for Ricky Martin. I know some will think it sacrilege that I don’t want to hear Cher, but you’ve no idea what listening to the _same four songs_ for an entire year can do to a person. \*Do you belieeeeve in looove… \* Gah! Which brings me to this question: How come the only people who win at fitness facilities with televisions are the ones who want to watch Oprah? ---
**Author:** ![slortar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/6bbea6/32.png) [@slortar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/slortar)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2005, 1:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-gym-my-rules/313346/43 "2005-07-21T13:27:51Z")
Damn, usually I have more vitriol to pour out in these threads but the people at the gym I work out at have been behaving themselves lately. About the only thing I’m miffed about is that asshat who keeps loading the leg press machine inside out and then leaves the plates on. You know, 25 lb plate on the inside, then 4 45 lb plates. So, if I want to strip it down to a warmup weight, I have to take off all 8 45’s, then both 25’s, then put a few 45’s back on either side, blech. Annoying. Luckily, I squat much more than I leg press, so it’s not a big deal. ---
**Author:** ![Lockseer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/a5b964/32.png) [@Lockseer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lockseer)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2005, 2:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-gym-my-rules/313346/44 "2005-07-21T14:04:02Z")
> [@Licentious Ectomorph](#): > > Er, people aren’t allowed to be naked…in the _locker room_? :eek: 😕 Not what I said. I’m saying, if you’re coming back from the shower, where (odds are) you had a towel with you, wrap yourself up if you have to bump and grind and against fellow gym members on the way back to your locker. It’s common courtesy. ---
**Author:** ![Scumpup](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ce73a5/32.png) [@Scumpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scumpup)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2005, 2:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-gym-my-rules/313346/45 "2005-07-21T14:44:10Z")
Oh, and in anything but a hardcore weightlifting gym, bringing a rosin bag and getting white powder all over the fucking floor and equipment marks you as a sloppy, inconsiderate asswipe not the lone serious lifter in a sea of poseurs. ---
**Author:** ![Ethilrist](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ethilrist/32/4604_2.png) [@Ethilrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ethilrist)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2005, 3:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-gym-my-rules/313346/46 "2005-07-21T15:19:34Z")
> [@Wolfian](#): > > Why wouldn’t someone wear underwear under their clothing? That’s for the ladies who think their thongs make their asses look especially nice if they wear them over their tights, and guys who wear boxer shorts over sweats. ---
**Author:** ![Waverly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/57b2e6/32.png) [@Waverly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Waverly)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2005, 4:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-gym-my-rules/313346/47 "2005-07-21T16:02:15Z")
> [@Ethilrist](#): > > That’s for the ladies who think their thongs make their asses look especially nice if they wear them over their tights I agree… if your ass is looking good with your thong over your tights, so much the better to drop the tights. Hell, drop the thong too… _more on rule changes_ I suppose people can use treadmills any way they like, but as long as you are making rules, please mandate that people who hang onto the rails while they stroll like they are in some sort of shopping cart race be immediately taken to the parking lot, leashed to a car, and go on a forced 10 mile run. “You lag, you drag!” Don’t know why, but it’s always bugged me. Anyone rocking during curls like a giant metronome so that they can pretend to lift whatever is on the bar can spend the afternoon wiping down equipment and cleaning the showers. Anyone leaving their left over soap, shampoo, or whatever in the shower will have to eat them. I’ve got head phones on because I plan to listen to them, not you. When you see headphones, submit your comments in writing. ---
**Author:** ![plnnr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/7ea924/32.png) [@plnnr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/plnnr)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2005, 4:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-gym-my-rules/313346/48 "2005-07-21T16:21:09Z")
In the last of these types of threads I, too, asked that people kindly wipe down the eqiupment after they use it. No, you don’t have to sterilize it, and no, you don’t have to use Lysol, but a quick wipe down with a towel would be nice. You know, to get your sweat off the equipment so I don’t have to lay in it. From the responses I got, you would have thought I had asked the Pope not to be Catholic. I was taken to taks that I was be such a light-weight pussy as to not mind laying in other people’s sweat. ---
**Author:** ![plnnr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/7ea924/32.png) [@plnnr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/plnnr)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2005, 4:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-gym-my-rules/313346/49 "2005-07-21T16:23:06Z")
> [@Waverly](#): > > _more on rule changes_ > I suppose people can use treadmills any way they like, but as long as you are making rules, please mandate that people who hang onto the rails while they stroll like they are in some sort of shopping cart race be immediately taken to the parking lot, leashed to a car, and go on a forced 10 mile run. “You lag, you drag!” Don’t know why, but it’s always bugged me. The treadmills at my gym have the heart monitors built into the rail, so I can see where people may want to do this. Not that big a deal, IMHO. ---
**Author:** ![Padeye](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/a9a28c/32.png) [@Padeye](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Padeye)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2005, 4:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-gym-my-rules/313346/50 "2005-07-21T16:27:58Z")
Screw this, I’m going to Average Joe’s. ---
**Author:** ![Waverly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/57b2e6/32.png) [@Waverly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Waverly)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2005, 5:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-gym-my-rules/313346/51 "2005-07-21T17:08:15Z")
> [@plnnr](#): > > The treadmills at my gym have the heart monitors built into the rail, so I can see where people may want to do this. Not that big a deal, IMHO. Keep in mind that you are on a moving belt. From your perspective those little handles are moving away from you at whatever speed you set the machine at. If you want to hang on for a moment to get your heart rate, fine. Keep holding though, and it’s more like you are being taken for a stroll by a motorized walker than exercise. Am I wrong to think that’s pathetic? ---
**Author:** ![mhendo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mhendo/32/3159_2.png) [@mhendo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mhendo)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2005, 5:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-gym-my-rules/313346/52 "2005-07-21T17:13:00Z")
Personally, i find it extremely uncomfortable to hold onto anything when i’m on a treadmill. I prefer the more natural feel of my arms swinging like they do in a reegular run. ---
**Author:** ![tremorviolet](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e47774/32.png) [@tremorviolet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tremorviolet)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2005, 5:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-gym-my-rules/313346/53 "2005-07-21T17:21:07Z")
> [@Licentious Ectomorph](#): > > With regard to stripping the bar, I never do because (aside from the fact that no one else does) it seems kind of, well, pointless. Chances are the next person will want some or all of the weights you used on it. By the same token, it doesn’t bother me in the least when I go to use a bar that someone has left weights on; at most I have to add or remove one or two, rather than load the whole thing up from scratch. I don’t think it’s really any more trouble one way or the other. Maybe it’s not more trouble for you. But when I get to the incline bench and some asshole’s left two 45 pound plates loaded on each side and I wanna use two tens 'cause I’m a fairly petite female and just restarting my benching routine, it’s a HUGE PAIN IN THE ASS. And I’m not gonna leave those two little bitty ten pounders on the bar to get in the way of the next guy who wants to load 45s. Unloading your weights is just plain common courtesy, no matter where you work out. ---
**Author:** ![Liz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/liz/32/17737_2.png) [@Liz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Liz)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2005, 5:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-gym-my-rules/313346/54 "2005-07-21T17:21:39Z")
> [@Waverly](#): > > Keep in mind that you are on a moving belt. From your perspective those little handles are moving away from you at whatever speed you set the machine at. If you want to hang on for a moment to get your heart rate, fine. Keep holding though, and it’s more like you are being taken for a stroll by a motorized walker than exercise. Am I wrong to think that’s pathetic? Some folks have neurological disorders that cause balance problems, homes. FYI and all that. So not everyone using the handrails is a lazy bastard. Well, I am. But not everyone! ---
**Author:** ![SisterCoyote](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/958977/32.png) [@SisterCoyote](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SisterCoyote)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2005, 5:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-gym-my-rules/313346/55 "2005-07-21T17:51:36Z")
> [@Waverly](#): > > Keep in mind that you are on a moving belt. From your perspective those little handles are moving away from you at whatever speed you set the machine at. If you want to hang on for a moment to get your heart rate, fine. Keep holding though, and it’s more like you are being taken for a stroll by a motorized walker than exercise. Am I wrong to think that’s pathetic? You’re entitled to your opinion. I, on the other hand, am hanging on to the rails on the sides because I have a) extremely weak ankles, b) uncommon klutziness in general, and c) a fear of losing my balance when my ankle goes and becoming the laughingstock of the gym. Notice that’s not “if” my ankle goes, but “when” - I’m guaranteed at least one stumble a workout. ---
**Author:** ![Mint\_Julep](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/bc79bd/32.png) [@Mint\_Julep](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mint_Julep)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2005, 5:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-gym-my-rules/313346/56 "2005-07-21T17:55:05Z")
> [@FisherQueen](#): > > (I use the clubhouse gym in my apartment complex, which occasionally causes annoyance) > > No, your children really cannot come into the gym, even if you brought them down to use the pool. Children will instantly be confiscated and sold on the black market. Sopping-wet children will be thrown into the river. > > This is not a television lounge. Do not come here just to sit on a weight bench and watch the cable tv. Even if you don’t have cable in your apartment (sobbing with joy, having found someone to share the pain) You are my long lost twin **FisherQueen** , I too deal with this at my apt gym. I am probably known as the mean lady who yells at kids in the gym now, because I simply refuse to tolerate the drippy pool children who want to sit on the treadmill and watch cartoons. I rant about this all the time to the manager! ---
**Author:** ![Spiff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spiff/32/9852_2.png) [@Spiff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spiff)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2005, 5:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-gym-my-rules/313346/57 "2005-07-21T17:56:18Z")
> [@Scumpup](#): > > I authorize the closest person to cave your skull in with a dumbell. But wouldn’t that cause an annoying ringing sound? ---
**Author:** ![AskNott](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asknott/32/5790_2.png) [@AskNott](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AskNott)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2005, 5:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-gym-my-rules/313346/58 "2005-07-21T17:57:12Z")
I have heard of people using cell phones to take pictures in locker rooms. (I’ve never seen it happen.) I’m not sadistic enough to suggest an appropriate penalty for that. At the gym where I work out, the employees, in their referee shirts, periodically go around spraying and wiping down equipment with disinfectant. I wipe off my own sweat, but I’ve never seen else wipe their own sweat. They probably think I’m OCD. Men get Tu-Thur-Sat in the ground floor equipment room and pool/sauna/steam room. Women get Mon-Wed-Fri. Sunday is coed. Upstairs, it’s coed all 7 days. That’s where the cardio room (treadmills, steppers, bicycles, ellipticals) and another workout room (another set of machines and most of the free weights) are. **On working with a trainer…** Everybody in the gym should maintain courtesy. However, courtesy includes not wasting the time of somebody who has hired a trainer. The trainer gets from $20 to upwards of $50 an hour (and the gym gets part of that.) When I see somebody who has a trainer on the clock, I do not inconvenience him. He’s only got an hour, and he’s paying extra for every minute. If I leave the gym 5 minutes later than usual, it’s no big deal. If he wastes 5 minutes, it comes out of his pocket. If you don’t rest between your three sets of 15, you’re doing one set of 45. Is that good form, **Jimpatro?** That’s not the way I was taught. ---
**Author:** ![mhendo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mhendo/32/3159_2.png) [@mhendo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mhendo)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2005, 6:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-gym-my-rules/313346/59 "2005-07-21T18:06:04Z")
> [@AskNott](#): > > **On working with a trainer…** Everybody in the gym should maintain courtesy. However, courtesy includes not wasting the time of somebody who has hired a trainer. The trainer gets from $20 to upwards of $50 an hour (and the gym gets part of that.) When I see somebody who has a trainer on the clock, I do not inconvenience him. He’s only got an hour, and he’s paying extra for every minute. If I leave the gym 5 minutes later than usual, it’s no big deal. If he wastes 5 minutes, it comes out of his pocket. Not sure exactly what you’re getting at here. Persoanlly, i give someone with a trainer exactly the same courtesies that i would extend to anyone else using the gym. But these people need to obey the rules of the gym and the rules of gym etiquette like everyone else, and they get no preferential treatment just because they want to spend their money on a trainer. ---
**Author:** ![Waverly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/57b2e6/32.png) [@Waverly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Waverly)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2005, 6:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-gym-my-rules/313346/60 "2005-07-21T18:10:19Z")
> [@chatelaine](#): > > Some folks have neurological disorders that cause balance problems, homes. FYI and all that. So not everyone using the handrails is a lazy bastard. Sure, but I would call this arguing the rule through the exception, ya lazy twit. And I bet if these people consulted a doctor, like the placard always warns, he’d tell them not to ride a giant belt sander in their condition. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-gym-my-rules/313346.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-gym-my-rules/313346.md?page=4)