Sunday, November 20, 2011

The 50 Commandments of Commercial Gym Etiquette

Bret Contreras wrote a really good piece recently titled "The 50 Commendments of Gym Etiquette." Check them out here:
  1. Thou shalt re-rack dumbbells and plates and return equipment to where it belongs
  2. Thou shalt not eat, talk on cell phones, text, or read while in the weight room
  3. Thou shalt respect other individuals’ space and maintain adequate distance from other lifters while they’re lifting
  4. Thou shalt not bump into a lifter or their barbell while they’re exercising
  5. Thou shalt maintain adequate distance from the dumbbell rack when using the dumbbells to allow others to obtain or re-rack their dumbbells
  6. Thou shalt not drop thy weights
  7. Thou shalt attempt to a reasonable degree to not hog equipment during busier times when others are waiting for it
  8. Thou shalt not claim the platform, squat rack, or both sides of the cable column for more than 20 minutes during peak gym hours
  9. Thou shalt not use in-demand equipment such as squat racks, platforms, and bench presses for performing isolation exercises that can be performed elsewhere
  10. Thou shalt not claim multiple units of equipment for supersets, tri-sets, or giant sets during peak gym hours if equipment is limited
  11. Thou shalt offer individuals waiting for equipment to work in whenever convenient and appropriate
  12. Thou shalt return weights and adjustments to previous settings when another lifter allows thou to work in with them
  13. Thou shalt not talk excessively to others in between sets when others are waiting for the equipment
  14. Thou shalt not utilize busy walkways to engage in exercises such as walking barbell lunges or farmer’s walks during peak business hours
  15. Thou shalt maintain adequate personal hygiene; taking showers regularly, washing thy clothes, and wearing deodorant
  16. Thou shalt wipe away thy sweat off of equipment
  17. Thou shalt be reasonable and wait for equipment if it’s in use; refraining from appearing overly impatient and intimidating while the lifter is exercising
  18. Thou shalt not engage in complex/contrast training methods during peak gym hours if space does not permit
  19. Thou shalt not grunt excessively or scream while training
  20. Thou shalt wear appropriate clothing while training and ensure that shorts are long enough to conceal private parts
  21. Thou shalt not talk to others in the middle of their sets of heavy exercise
  22. Thou shalt never tell a joke or attempt to make a lifter laugh immediately prior to or during a set of exercise
  23. Thou shalt maintain an appropriate level of seriousness while training while avoiding either extremes of the “seriousness-continuum”
  24. Thou shalt attempt to learn the basics of spotting technique in a myriad of exercises and do thy best to provide a proper spot to individuals when asked
  25. Thou shalt not abuse your spotting privileges and shalt not require a spot for a majority of thy sets, nor shalt thou attempt a lift that is way too heavy for thy capabilities and over-rely on thy spotter, nor shalt thou ask an individual for a spot if they don’t appear well-versed in spotting techniques
  26. Thou shalt inform your spotter how thy like to be spotted; letting them know if thou want a lift-off, how many repetitions thy hope to perform, whether thou want help with forced repetitions, and/or whether thou want them to barely assist you with one extra rep
  27. Thou shalt not shadow-box or throw air-strikes in between sets
  28. Thou shalt not stand in the mirror-path or walk through a lifter’s mirror-path when the lifter is in the middle of a heavy set and is using the mirror to watch their form
  29. Though shalt ask around to confirm if equipment is not in use when arriving at a piece of equipment that is abandoned yet loaded with weights
  30. Thou shalt avoid performing crazy exercises during peak hours that require excessive space or the use of many pieces of equipment and shalt try to the best of thy abilities to find a suitable alternatives
  31. Thou shalt not flex thy muscles excessively or pose in front of the mirror
  32. Thou shalt ask experienced lifters for advice during opportune moments but shalt not abuse this privilege
  33. Thou shalt not traverse the gym ponying-up unsolicited advice to other lifters
  34. Thou shalt not lie to others about how much weight thy hoisted back in the day and attempt to “one-up” other lifters
  35. Thou shalt not flirt excessively with other lifters regardless of gender
  36. Thou shalt control thy temper and attempt to maintain a positive demeanor
  37. Thou shalt not crank thy neck laterally to watch form in the mirror from the side view while lifting
  38. Thou shalt understand how to position thyself symmetrically while using a barbell and shalt use the bar spacings to assist with such symmetry
  39. Thou shalt use chalk if necessary but shalt take precautions to avoid making a mess
  40. Thou shalt not fill up your entire water bottle when others are waiting for the drinking fountain
  41. Thou shalt not place a giant gym bag where gym-goers traverse during peak gym hours
  42. Thou shalt not hog cardio equipment and should attempt to complete thy session within 30 minutes during peak gym hours
  43. Thou shalt not believe that thy method of training is far superior to everyone else’s , nor shalt thou shun all other methods simply because they don’t coincide with your goals and preferences
  44. Thou shalt place plates onto barbells with the smooth sides facing outwards and the carved part facing inwards; thereby respecting tradition and paying homage to our iron hoisting ancestors
  45. Thou shalt attempt to use the same brand, color, and size of plates if possible on each side of the barbell and try to maintain symmetry; thereby respecting tradition and paying homage to our iron hoisting ancestors
  46. Thou shalt attempt to work together and cooperate with other lifters; using common sense, having common courtesy, and respecting others
  47. Thou shalt be reliable, punctual, encouraging, and supportive to thy training partner if thy choose to obtain one
  48. Thou shalt attempt to train during non-peak hours if thou find thyself frustrated with the commandments listed above or are following a “needy” program such as GVT
  49. Thou shalt attempt to learn proper exercise form and should avoid going too heavy for thy abilities, and shalt know common form mistakes such as turning lateral raises into shoulder external rotation movements, rolling the shoulders while shrugging, heaving excessively during curls, doing quarter squats, round back deadlifts, bouncing the bar off the chest when benching, half range benching, and upright bent over rows
  50. Thou shalt understand the basics of program design; and if attempting to be athletic thou must perform mostly compound free-weight movements, maintain a balance between pushing and pulling for the upper and lower bodies, and refraining from ignoring work for the posterior chain, single leg stability, and rotary core

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