Owner's Perspective - Gym Etiquette

Attention all you gym goers! All you weekend warriors, gym rats, muscle heads, and spandex bunnies!

I'm so happy to have you as a member! You are part of what makes this gym feel more like a community than just another place people come to throw around the iron. I know you pay your dues faithfully month after month, but PLEASE, for the love of God, review this handy little etiquette guide. This is from the perspective of a gym owner who has to clean up after you.

First I want to start with the standard ones:

** Re-rack your weights! This should go without saying, obviously...yet many of you still don't follow this simple request. I know you just finished a super set and your muscles are on fire (IT'S A DEEP BURN), but that really doesn't give you the excuse to just let the next person clean up your mess.

** Wipe down the equipment - Let's stay sanitary! If people develop a rash, they'll blame the gym. It doesn't matter how often I'm running through behind people wiping stuff down...doesn't matter they went swimming in a nasty algae-infested pond last weekend. I don't want to get blamed for your lack of hygiene. Do us all a favor and wipe down the bench/seat/mat when you're done.

Now maybe some less obvious ones:

** Don't lift more than you can reasonably control! I get it, you want a new personal record (or to impress the cutie on the stepmill) but I don't want you getting hurt, and I don't want you breaking anything. If you can't lift it and put it down without slamming the weights and causing a thundering, ground-shaking boom, then you're probably lifting more than you should be lifting.

** If you turn it on, please turn it off. I'd install motion detectors in the bathrooms, but people tend to get pissed off when they are in the shower and the lights turn off automatically. So do me a favor, if you leave a room, are done with the TV or floor fan, turn it off and help me drop my power bill a little.

** If you break something, tell me! Nothing is more annoying than someone telling me "hey, did you know __________ was broken?" As a matter of fact, no, I had no idea. Because someone just left it there and didn't tell me. If I don't know about it, I can't get it fixed. If I can't get it fixed, than that means other gym members can't use it. I try to be responsive and get things fixed, but parts may need to be ordered. Tell me so I can take the proper steps!

** General cleanliness. Not to sound like a broken record, but clean up after yourself. That goes with paper towels, toilet paper, and breath mint wrappers.

** Gym Temperature. Yes, I know it's hot/cold in here. But I have hundreds of other people who also think it is hot/cold in here. I have provided floor fans that you can turn on if you think it is too warm and you can wear a long sleeve shirt if you think it is too cold (or workout harder). But to be honest, 68 degrees F is the temperature at which I receive the LEAST amount of griping, so 68 degrees is where the temperature will stay.

** Be mindful of the other gym goers! You may not be the only one here, so if you're making excessive noises, smell bad, have poor taste in loud music, or continue to have your phone conversation, then you're probably annoying someone else. Maybe just keep a level of common courtesy and remember that some of the things you do affect other people.

** PLEASE, don't be CREEPY! Don't gawk, stare, say creep/rude/inappropriate things to strangers. Don't intimidate the other members, or I'm going to have to intimidate you!!

That's pretty much everything! Easy, isn't it!? Please keep these in mind the next time you are working out. You'll make not only the other members more comfortable and happy, but the rest of the staff and myself as well. Thanks, and I hope to see you in the gym again soon!