7 Commandments to Observe in the Gym

I can guarantee that at least once a week I will get handed a flyer asking me to join a gym, along my route from the train station at London Cannon Street to my office in Central London. I think I take the leaflets partly in sympathy with those handing them out. I’ve been offered these ‘join our gym’ leaflets for years, but I still haven’t joined, even the subsidised gym run by my employer.

I'll explore why I haven't joined a gym in a future post so fellow strugglers can compare notes.

In this post I'll talk about how you’re supposed to behave should you or I accept the invitation to join a gym.

Until a few days ago I was ignorant of the unspoken rules on how to behave when using the gym. So here are the seven commandments to observe when if you decide to join:

1. Re-rack weights when you're finished, don' just leave them on the floor

2. Wipe down machines when you’ve done, the last thing you want to touch is a piece of equipment dripping with sweat

3. Avoid occupying equipment while you're chatting

4. Don't use more than one piece of equipment at a time unless you are sure nobody else needs them.

5. Don’t stare at others in the gym - it can distract them and make them uncomfortable. If you're watching somebody's form, don't do it for too long

6. Don't offer unsolicited advice, unless somebody is close to hurting themselves

7. Be willing to spot, (Spotting means helping someone lift through a portion of the exercise that they can not manage by themselves). you may want someone to spot for you one day.

Hopefully, these commandments should be pretty easy to keep.

See you on Wednesday 11th April 2012.