Gym etiquette: 40 unwritten rules
Gym rules aren’t posted on any wall. Nobody hands them to you on paper when you sign up. Still, an experienced lifter spots a violation the moment someone crosses the line — 400 kg plates left on the leg press, biceps curls in the power rack, staring. Below are 40 practical rules that make training more bearable for everyone.
Gym etiquette: weights and equipment
1. Dumbbells and barbell plates go back where they belong. Never leave 400 kg of plates on the leg press — the weight you may have just finished your last set with. Dumbbells shouldn’t be left lying around on the floor.
2. As a rule, the power rack isn’t for biceps curls. The power rack is for squatting — a lifter who wants to squat always has priority.
4. Wipe the sweat off any machine you use. Nobody likes working out on top of your “body juices.”
6. If you’re doing biceps curls near the dumbbell rack, don’t block other people’s access to the dumbbells.
12. If you see a barbell already loaded with plates, don’t strip it until you’re sure nobody plans to use it. The same goes for movable benches and dumbbells.
18. If you’re not sure how a machine works, ask for help. Always. There’s no point in breaking machines and making a fool of yourself.
21. When you put plates back on the plate holder, keep them in a logical order — not alternating 5 kg, 10 kg, 5 kg. Don’t “bury” the lightest plates under the big ones.
23. Use plates sensibly on the barbell. It makes no sense to load 120 kg using nothing but 10 kg plates — a pile of small plates doesn’t look any more powerful.
31. Don’t use machines as a place to sit and tap away on your smartphone. There are other places for that.
37. Pointlessly clanging weights around and slamming them down with a bang is petty and childish. Natural thuds are okay, but deliberate slamming is not.
Courtesy toward other lifters
3. Do a quick “sniff test” before heading to your workout. The gym is a place for hard work, but unwashed clothes and smelly armpits make you unpleasant to everyone around you.
5. If someone is training in front of the mirror, don’t stand in front of them or walk past them for no reason.
13. Don’t touch another lifter’s gym bag or shaker without asking.
14. Don’t rush to play the know-it-all. Give advice when it’s asked for.
15. If someone is in the middle of a heavy set, keep your distance. Walking too close past a person squatting with a bar across their back breaks their concentration and can cause injuries.
16. If someone is training in front of the mirror, don’t stand directly behind them — the faces pulled back and forth in the mirror end up distracting each other.
17. Spare serious lifters the stories along the lines of “I used to squat 200 kg, I pressed sets with 150 kg” or “I’ve trained with Ott Kiivikas.”
22. Don’t sit aimlessly at a machine you’re not using. Your presence gives the impression that the equipment is occupied.
25. Never speak to a person wearing headphones without a real need. They can’t hear you, and you’ll end up making a fool of yourself.
26. If someone wants to use your weight for a warm-up between your sets, allow it when possible.
27. You never speak to someone in the middle of a set. Never.
28. It’s not really appropriate to walk up to a stranger and start asking what supplements they take.
32. Don’t pester strangers with idle chatter. Keep conversations short and terse.
33. Don’t overdo spotting. Putting your hands on the bar too early ruins the heavy rep of the person you’re spotting.
Gym etiquette for men
7. Men: when women are training at the same time, you don’t need to grunt harder under the weights because of it.
8. Don’t stare at women who are training until it becomes uncomfortable. Try to think with your brain, not your genitals, while you train.
9. Don’t rush to spot women on a whim, for example on the bench press. Do it when help is asked for.
10. Know that serious lifters generally don’t consider wearing gloves in the gym manly. Thick skin on your palms is more of a trophy for hard training.
11. Train your legs. There are no excuses on this one.
The remaining unwritten gym rules
19. Ask yourself whether you’re doing clean repetitions on the bench press, without bouncing. Sometimes a bit of “cheating” is fine, but if your bench press amounts to bouncing an extra-wide-grip bar off your chest, you’re wrecking your shoulder joints.
20. Don’t plan a circuit workout involving eight machines in the gym at peak hour.
24. As a rule, it’s not done to jump rope or do kettlebell swings in a crowded gym.
29. Passing gas isn’t nice. That’s what the locker rooms or the toilet are for.
30. Don’t block the gym’s main corridor with your set of lunges.
35. If you’re a heavy sweater, carry a small towel with you.
36. Spitting, whether in the gym or into the sinks in the washroom, is impolite.
38. Smokers: make sure you don’t reek like an “ashtray” in the gym. The same goes for your clothes.
39. Don’t make eye contact with anyone who is in the middle of a set on the hip adduction machine.
40. Taking “selfies” in the gym looks kind of funny.
41. Don’t do dangerous exercises that need a lot of space where many people are training.
FAQ about gym etiquette
Do I have to memorize all these rules? No. Most of them come naturally when we think of other gym-goers and use common sense. The rules are simply a summary of what experienced gym-goers do every day anyway.
What should I do if someone breaks these rules? Generally, nothing. Getting into a conflict in the gym is rarely a smart idea. If someone occupies a machine for a long time while on their smartphone, you can politely ask whether you can work in between their sets.
Do these rules apply to home training too? Many of them make sense only in a public gym. But respecting the weights, using proper technique and putting weight plates back where they belong are good habits anywhere.
Author: Janar Rückenberg (translation)
Come and train! ArtGym
