The dos and don'ts of gym etiquette

It's the first month of the new year, and that means your gym is loaded with new faces.

That's not bad, of course, but it does mean that there will be people who don't know the unwritten rules that many (but, alas, not all) gym-goers live by. So consider this a crash-course in how not to drive fellow weightlifters and cardio addicts insane, good for both gym newbies and gym rats who might have forgotten a thing or two.

Photo by Steve Janoski

* Wipe down your equipment when you're done with it. Use an antibacterial wipe if you can (many gyms provide them) or a towel if you can't. Because if there's one thing that drives everyone crazy, it's sitting down to use a machine only to find that someone else has left sweat — or worse — all over it.

Geoffrey Small, a retired 74-year-old from Fair Lawn, recently was at Gold's Gym in Paramus when he saw someone "sneeze all over" a machine and then walk away.

"You're spreading germs, especially at this time of year," he said.

Brenda Eickmeyer, an accountant from Ridgewood, said she goes to the gym after lunchtime specifically because it's slower — fewer people means fewer machines sullied. "Everything should be clean," she said.

* Re-rack your weights when done. Don't leave dumbbells on the floor, or stacks of 45 pound plates heaped on machines. People want to do their own workout — not clean up after yours.

Jaroslav Waznee, a 64-year-old professional trainer from Suffern, N.Y., said that no matter where he goes — he's worked out in gyms from Bergen County to San Diego — this is always a problem.

"They'll leave weights and other pieces of equipment laying around on the floor where you can trip over them," he said. "They become a hazard. And men will leave heavy plates on a leg press machine, and then women will have trouble taking them off. It's really rude and inconvenient."

* Don't use your cellphone. Do everyone a favor and leave it in the locker room.

Eric Thomas, 37-year-old owner/operator of Snap Fitness in Mahwah, called this his biggest pet peeve. "It distracts other people, and I think it's inconsiderate," he said. You're here to work out — do your workout. No one wants to be walking on a treadmill and hear someone yelling about what they had for dinner last night on a cellphone next to them."

* Use perfume and cologne sparingly. People who wear too much cologne or perfume can make it unpleasant for others, although Waznee said that some people, especially those who come right from work, might not notice how much they're wearing.

"When they perspire, it becomes even stronger, and some people are allergic to those smells," he said. "It gets obnoxious."

Joe Nici, a 58-year-old businessman from Bridgewater, added that taking deep breaths around perfume abusers "can really kill you," he said.

"It's usually the kind that you buy at the five-and-dime in the big bottles."

* Don't slam barbells or dumbbells on the floor. Slamming, Chris Reyes, a 42-year-old retired police officer, "is ridiculous. Even with headphones, it just scares you."

When asked if he was guilty of any offenses himself, he smiled sheepishly.

"I sing," he said. "You can't hear yourself! And then people look at you and you say, 'Oops … that was loud.' "

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http://www.northjersey.com/news/health-news/know-the-unwritten-rules-of-the-gym-1.1232537