 "Photo: Anthony Yoon")
Going to the gym can be an intimidating experience. You may not feel comfortable with yourself or your abilities and may even worry that everyone is watching, just waiting to see you make a mistake. These are normal feelings, and as a certified personal trainer who has been exercising for well over 10 years, I can attest to the fact that these and other partial feelings of inferiority are near universal for any gym-goer.
However, there are stated and unstated rules of etiquette and advice that, when followed, make the gym-going experience that much more enjoyable for you and your fellow gym members. They are:
Proper form: Whether you've been lifting weights for years or are completely new to the scene, exercising with proper form is fundamental to attaining your goals in a safe, timely fashion. Most fitness centers, including the campus facility, have on-staff personal trainers that can assist you in learning proper lifting techniques, so there should be no barrier between you and a safe, effective workout.
Weights and noise: Slamming weights down and making excessive noise are probably the two most juvenile things one could do and will see when in the gym. This usually occurs when a guy wants to show off or has used too heavy a weight. Typically loud grunting, screaming, or chest-pounding will precede dropping the weights, with him looking around afterward to see if anybody saw how cool he was. To avoid being an annoying meathead, use the proper amount of weight for the lift, don't slam the weights around, restrict grunting or other noises to the final heavy set, and return the weights to their original place in the gym. This will assure you no evil stares from properly behaving members.
Hygiene: Apparently some people have not realized that when they don't bathe, wear deodorant, or wash their gym clothes they stink an ungodly smell. This is especially nauseating if you are running on the treadmill or performing some other stationary exercise for an extended period of time while Stinky is right next to you. Don't be that person-wear deodorant, bathe regularly, and wash your gym attire daily.
For the guys:
There are more exercises than the bench-press and bicep curl. If you want a big chest, hit those back muscles. Not only will targeting the back muscles force your posture into a more upright stance (thus naturally making your chest appear larger), but it will also take you further toward that oh-so sought after V-taper.
If it's big arms you want, then hit those triceps, as they compose approximately two-thirds of the upper-arm muscles and will lend themselves naturally to increased girth.
However, if it's ladies you want, then work on those shoulders, proportionality (such that your biceps aren't bigger than your quads), and your confidence, because when it comes down to it, when you feel good about you, she probably will too.
For the ladies:
Cardiovascular exercise is good, but it is not everything. You need to get off the elliptical machine and treadmill and work on a few strength exercises, if not for anything else than to increase your bone density, which will help stave off the early and later effects of osteoporosis. And don't worry, you're not going to blow up huge like a bodybuilder or anything, as your body lacks the major amounts of testosterone needed to facilitate such changes; so be sure to use weights that provide a challenge to your muscles.
Fundamentally, for your muscles to become stronger, they need to be pushed beyond their normal operating capacity to a state of fatigue - this applies to both males and females.
If it's guys you want, carefully enter the gym, glance toward the free weight area and just wait: one of us XYers will surely pick up your signals and bombard you with half-baked pick-up lines.
Anti-etiquette for all of us:
Other notable but unmentioned tips of anti-etiquette include: not sharing equipment, not wiping the equipment off after use, staring at or harassing an unwilling female gym member, acting belligerent or hostile to another gym member, carrying unnecessary things onto the fitness floor, yapping on your cell-phone, singing, walking around or hovering near others exercising and staring at yourself constantly in the mirror (mirrors are for form, not to awe at oneself).
Ultimately, should you ever need help in rectifying the obnoxious behavior of another member or assistance in learning a new exercise, there will always be a fitness floor attendant, manager or personal trainer ready at your disposal who has more than likely heard a similar concern or question before.
It's comforting to keep in mind that others are probably just as nervous and self-conscious as yourself, so we can each do ourselves a favor and abide by the common sense rules of gym etiquette to promote a more enjoyable fitness atmosphere.
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