The halls are different. In an ordinary fitness club, it is enough to be polite, ask if you are going to disassemble someone's equipment, and not pester people with questions and advice. In the halls for powerlifting and weightlifting, you also don't need to sit on other people's benches, always follow the line of approaches to weight, and don't step over the barbell if it is not far from San Diego. Establishments for the "elites" of this life do not accept loud screams when approaching and dropping weight on the floor. Crossfit clubs are almost half full of flying barbells and growling people, and that's the norm. First, take a look around, and you will understand how to behave. And we will tell general rules behavior in the hall.

We will not tell you that you could be taught this in your family or in the section where you went as a child. Not everyone has had this experience.

1. Take Weights After You

In some reserves for the rich, personal trainers are engaged in this. But if you still do without the services of such a guy, if you please disassemble the leg press, remove the dumbbells, and not even throw around fitness rubber bands if you are a fit baby.

From the simulators, you need to remove the pancakes and hang them on the rack in order. This is especially important in those rooms where all the pancakes are black, and you have to wind several kilometers in chaos in order to collect yourself, for example, a barbell for deadlift... On the racks for the scales, there are usually signs with the weight of the pancakes, what and where to hang.

Even if you are very tired, and in general, on the verge of fainting, you can still sort it out after yourself. An exception is the case when someone wanted to warm up with your working weight. And that, and this also happens. This rule applies equally to girls and guys, it is unlikely that you immediately begin to warm up on squats from 100 kg, so you will not overwork much if you later sort it out.

2. Do not drop weights

Sometimes dropping the bar to the floor is part of a competitive movement, or a way to save your back if you're doing a lot of repetitions of some kind of hard work. But in a fitness situation, such things are not used. Even if you suddenly wanted to push the barbell in the aisle, on the floor, without a platform and at rush hour, you will have to lower it from the top point, not throw it off.

Usually "flying" equipment does not last long, unless we are talking about professional weightlifting bars. Therefore, carefully lower it. It will still come in handy.

3. Dress normally.

Half-naked fit girls in shorts and tops look cool on posters. But in life they may be asked to dress if the beauty appeared in this form in the lift or weightlifting gym, where professional athletes are trained.

The same goes for the most big bodybuilders who are happy to bare their torso at every workout. Most people are completely unprepared to use exercise machines after the naked person in the room. So even if you are in great shape - wait with her demonstration to the beach or competition.

Everyone's favorite item is slates. Coaches in some gyms may not allow a beach shoe lover to attend. It’s not that ugly, it’s just not safe. Feet can slip and it is so easy to get injured due to the banal unwillingness to wear normal shoes.

Yes, I want everyone to see that you are not just walking from simulator to simulator here, but are actively engaged. But it is not at all necessary to leave behind puddles of sweat. Open clothes and intense training? Carry a small towel with you that you can use under you or to wipe down benches and machines behind you. Wipe down the bars too, especially if you are squatting in an open T-shirt and your body cream is actively moving to the bar. Not all halls can use chalk. The person following you may be injured.

5. Don't meddle in other people's personal space.

Of course, the exception is when you have been asked to insure someone. But even here it is not necessary to joyfully hug the insured while squatting, and even cuddle up to him so that the amplitude of movement becomes minimal.

Try not to stare at the person starting the set, especially if that person has put together a large barbell and is planning a heavy set.

6. Wear a shift

It is good, of course, to get out of the car in the summer and go straight to the gym, without changing shoes, and without changing clothes. But it's still better to change your shoes, because the rules of most clubs allow you not to admit people without a change to class.

1. Do not meddle with conversations

Each club has a "hobby group" in which they discuss who is friends with whom, who beat whom in the octagon, and what are the chances of winning the next players. And there are people who are greatly annoyed by the participants in the "conversation circle" who are standing or sitting on the simulators. Even if you saw that a person is doing something amazing, it is better not to go to him with your admiration during training. It is considered the norm to say hello and toss over a couple of phrases, and not to stand and discuss something constantly between approaches.

2. Do not forbid doing "in turn"

Yes, many clubs are still poorly equipped. Maybe they have a bunch of machines, but, for example, there is only one bench press. In such a situation, everyone who works out in the evening should take turns. Even if your working weights are well over a hundred, allow other people to join you. Yes, they will be able to remove and hang pancakes themselves, but you still have a long rest. Those who are engaged in bodybuilding according to some kind of "fun" schemes with a rest on a timer, with drop sets, or some other method of increasing the training volume, can simply explain their needs. Or find a less peak time for your workout.

3. Ask if the machine is free

There is no need to happily sit on any free bench and try to swing something there. The guy over there next to the machine is clearly using it. Ask how many more approaches he has, and ask to be in line. The main thing is not to go silently and not start changing working weights. It is for this that impudent beginners are not liked.

4. Don't pester

Even if you are a master of sports in powerlifting, and the girl in front of you is squatting with a terrifying forward bend, erect shins and in an under-sitting position, keep your comments to yourself. She may be injured, or the ward of some newfangled "gluteal" trainer. And you obviously don't like starting your acquaintance with a conflict. In general, giving out your comments about other people's technique before you are asked is not entirely ethical.

5. Lovers of circuit training is dedicated to

Most likely, for the sake of your great methodological scheme, you will not have to walk on Monday, Wednesday and Friday nights, but during more free hours. A person occupying a lot of equipment at once interferes with the entire hall. Even if you do not strive to become the most popular person in the gym at this moment, it is better to choose a different method for this.

If it seems to you that someone is barely lifting their weight, you don’t need to run happily and lift this weight for him. It so happens that the approaches are planned at the extreme level of resistance, and the person just has to do everything himself, and with your help you deprive him of the approach. By the way, when you are asked to insure, better hands keep away from the bar until you clearly know it's time to help.

7. One pulls, the other presses

If you are engaged in "egolifting", and simply hang excessive weights for yourself and try to lift them somehow, tie it better. The point is that your belayer will pump long muscles back, there is no. Are you pressing? Use a normal bench press program. Do you do bodybuilding and fitness? Choose an adequate weight.

8. Stay out of the thick of things

It can be quite challenging during rush hour, but you don't need to attach your bench where people are in large numbers. You will hurt them and interfere with your exercise. Be careful.

9. Reposition the weights

If you asked someone in line and hung your pancakes on top, remove them yourself. The person who put you in weight is not obliged to do an additional amount of work because of you. The same goes for simulators.

10. Be tactful

Yes, people are different. Someone cannot sit down normally even from 20 kg, and someone starts to warm up with a barbell of 70 kg, and work - from 300. Therefore, it is better to keep your valuable comments and opinions to yourself. Moreover, do not make jokes about the appearance of other people. It's just not polite, and hints at the low social status and cultural level of the joker.

11. Do not refuse insurance

If you are really able to help, never refuse, it is very ugly. But those who are not confident in their abilities should be told about this. There is nothing shameful or bad about it.

People growling during the approach are the norm in the lift rooms. And not the norm in ordinary fitness, where they work on health and beauty, and not on becoming truly strong. Therefore, try not to make particularly loud noises during your workout.

13. Conversations and music

14. Perfumery

This applies not only to girls. Some guys stifle themselves so brightly that even the most seasoned ones cannot be next to them in training for more than half an hour. For the hall, it is enough to just take a shower, use some not too odorous deodorant and that's it. You shouldn't pour a liter of perfume on yourself.

There is nothing to be ashamed about being a beginner. They do not like beginners, but those who, by their behavior, distract from training and bring chaos to a slender inner world gym.

It is better to train in any gym so as not to create potentially traumatic situations. Even if you are doing CrossFit, it is not at all necessary that after each approach, pancakes fly off the barbell, and all the space around you was littered with kettlebells.

The safety regulations are as follows

• For workouts, wear clothes that will not get stuck in the machine and shoes designed for this type of workout. Of course, you don't need to buy weightlifting shoes if you put a 20 kg bar on your back for the first time in your life. Any sneaker with a hard sole will be enough. For traction, sneakers are suitable, and for regular exercises in simulators, any sport shoes that fixes the leg;
• If you are unsure where to get some of the equipment, ask the coach on duty. You don't have to search for locks half a workout;
• Yes, the locks will have to be worn, especially if the bar is assembled with several pancakes, and you are not sure of your stability under load;
• Don't drag your viruses into the hall. Have a cold? Sit at home and heal. It is unlikely that your preparation for Olympia is disrupted due to SARS, but infecting other people is a bad habit, which, moreover, makes the gym not the healthiest environment in the world;
• Ask for insurance on the bench press and squat if the weights are working. Try not to rely on the stress factor, which, according to legend, helps to squeeze out any weight;
• Don't sit on exercise benches with your smartphone. It makes everyone nervous, from attendees to trainers;
• Do not eat in the hall. An exception can be made perhaps by powerlifters who train for 3-4 hours in a row, and may well drink a portion of a gainer between sets or eat a bar;
• If you are eating in the locker room, do not disturb other people. In general, now there are few places where there are establishments that do not have a fitness cafe or something like that. There you can always eat your own food too. In fitness clubs, this does not raise any questions, because these establishments are created so that you can get better and eat healthy food.

Modern rooms are divided into two broad categories. In the first, instructors can only suggest where what equipment is, and conduct the first training-instruction. It usually consists of a “run” through all machines for all muscle groups, and demonstrating how it works. Some free plans for beginners can be publicly available in the gym, but usually trainers write them in such rooms for a small fee.

If you want to do some serious work on yourself, you will have to hire a personal trainer. This is the name of the person who will be with you every workout, and will follow both your technique and exactly how you are doing. A personal trainer will write a training program, help you adjust nutrition, and help you achieve any goal.

Usually attempts to get personal training the attendant is crowned with nothing. This is not a bad coach, but this is the club's policy. You have to pay if you want a personal touch. If you just bought a subscription, but not a coach, you will get access to equipment and insurance as needed.

The second category of halls is still quite rare. These are studios or, suddenly, halls old school where coaches are people who train athletes. They can prompt and tell completely free of charge. If you decide to put on the technique and practice according to the plan, pay. No - the trainer will do everything so that you simply do not get injured, tone your body, and even pump up your biceps by the summer. In studios, there are subscriptions that include the services of a coach. Then any person can either do it himself, or turn to a specialist to help.

Many clubs are closing memberships for people who engage in illegal personal coaching. You can just come to study with a friend, and the next day find out that both will be refunded, but you will no longer come here. Does it make sense to study in such a club? Everyone decides for himself, in fact, to engage in high level really easier with a training partner. So the likelihood of injury is less.

Certain exercises are not permitted in other clubs. Yes, it comes about home-grown performance of weightlifting movements in the aisle of an ordinary "rocking chair". Check if you can do this if you are going to do CrossFit.

Be sure to find out everything before buying a subscription. Is it possible to use magnesia, or its liquid version, is it allowed to use one's belts and personal equipment, in general, are there any accidental restrictions on the time of using cardiovascular equipment.

Yes, some clubs allow you to run on a treadmill or stationary bike for no more than 20 minutes at a time during rush hour. This can be a problem if you want to lose weight and need to do a lot of cardio.

Club rules, by the way, can be pretty weird. There are still establishments in which the staff cannot communicate with clients outside the club, and even add them to social networks except for work accounts. It is better to find out all this in advance so as not to get into a mess.

But for most ordinary fitness clubs, it will be enough simple rules politeness, etiquette and behavior in society. Say hello to other people, say goodbye to your coach when you're about to leave, and remember to clean up after yourself, that's all.

In this article, we will cover a specific topic for many people. It will be especially useful for beginners or those who recently went to the gym. It seems to them that in gym everything is calm and quiet, but in fact, depending on your behavior, sometimes there can be critical situations, sometimes you can even get in the "face".

Do not occupy the projectile while they are working with it.

This is the most important thing to remember when you arrive at the gym. For many newbies, this is not so clear and obvious, but, nevertheless, it really is.

Often there is such a situation: a person works with some kind of apparatus, be it an assembled barbell or dumbbells. In bodybuilding, we do approach by approach, and in bodybuilding, the load is of a volumetric nature, i.e. there is a load, after which there is some rest time until the next approach. This rest on average varies from 1 to 3 minutes. Accordingly, this time the athlete is not next to the projectile, he can move away, but the projectile is busy and he works with it. Often, beginners are not in the know, and seeing the projectile, they begin to disassemble it.

It is not right. He borrowed this shell, he worked with it, and you violate the whole plan for him (training regime).

The first thing you should do, if you see an assembled barbell or dumbbells, is to ask the people around "is there someone working here or not?" If people were silent, this does not mean that the projectile is free. Stand next to the projectile for 1 - 2 minutes, if no one approached during this time, then the projectile is free.

Remember: if you see an assembled projectile, then it is busy.

"Let's work together on the same apparatus"

You can't do this either, the person who took this simulator before you has priority, because he was the first to occupy it. Moreover, with this "work together" you can disrupt his training regime. Let's say if a person rests 30 seconds between sets, or a person does supersets.

Remove the shells behind you

This is a very important rule, why do you need to disassemble the shells? Because the rest of the visitors know the rules of the gym, and will not understand that the apparatus is free, so the first rule says "if the apparatus is assembled, it is busy", and accordingly, any adequate visitor to the gym understands that someone is working with it.

If a situation happened that you left and did not remove the projectile after you, then the next time you will be looked at in a different way, not only coaching staff but also other visitors to the gym.

Remember: always remove the bar / dumbbell after you, where they were taken, the pancakes where they were removed.

Keep your distance

Maintain a distance from the person doing the exercise. Recent times in all gyms, people do not notice this, do not feel the distance.

Let's say a person makes a "wiring", a beginner stands next to him or starts to touch him, walk next to him, carry dumbbells. First, you violate his personal space, and second, you create the likelihood of injury.

Do not obscure the person while approaching

Do not stand in the line between his eyes and the mirror when the person is working. All people are exhibitionists to some extent, especially men. Why are there so many mirrors in gyms? Because people love to admire themselves, it is not customary to talk about it, but this is how it is.

Do not step over someone else's projectile or things

Do not step over the projectile if it is in an assembled position and a person is working with it. This is quite an old superstition, it comes from powerlifting. It is believed that if a person is serious about a difficult approach at the moment, and someone crossed the barbell, then he "jinxed", respectively, the person may not take this critical weight.

And if a person goes to a critical weight, and he believes in this garbage, then he really will not succeed, he will believe that you "jinxed" him. Remember this rule of the gym, and use it wisely.

Don't show yourself in front of the mirror

Frankly speaking, absolutely everyone is drawn in front of the mirror, but they do not noticeably do it. Otherwise, you become like a person with a non-traditional sexual orientation.

You can admire yourself as a handsome man, but imperceptibly, for example, you practice and then pose within the framework of the plan, this is work, you participate in competitions, this is possible.

Don't wet the benches with your sweat

The gym is a public place, so other people use the benches. You come up to do the exercise and the bench is wet, it's unpleasant. In such a situation, you need to either train in closed clothes (a T-shirt so that it absorbs moisture that will not get on the bench), or put something on the bench, a T-shirt or a towel.

Don't stare at people

Don't look at strangers. It is clear that we constantly evaluate each other, but when we stubbornly look at a person, this is regarded as a sign of aggression. In such a situation, at least a person experiences discomfort, and it is unpleasant for him.

It's okay to look at a person if you already know him, but if you stare at a stranger, be it a girl or a man, it is perceived as a sign of aggression.

If you borrowed a projectile - work

If you took a shell, do not be distracted, you came to training, very rarely in gyms you notice people who work seriously, often people think that they came to the gym and work well, but this is not so. Most people perceive going to the gym as a part of their image, “lifestyle, a normal successful“ dude ”should do fitness 2-3 times a week.”

They love to get worn out. You have already done 3 exercises, and they still say something.

There are people who spend all their time talking on the phone during training: Facebook, contact, Instagram - you should leave all this elsewhere, and in the gym you should work on your body.

Gym rules

Have you noticed that people around you are more and more fond of sports? Many people start running or cycling, doing martial arts, or going to gyms. As in any community, the rocking chair has its own unwritten rules of etiquette. How to behave in the gym? Fitness trainer Valentin Sudnik told Sputnik that what drives him out of himself the most is the behavior of clients and other visitors.

People who take off their sneakers while exercising

It is annoying that people who come to the gym in uncomfortable shoes, in the process of training, decide to take them off and continue training in socks. Do they not think that their feet can give off an unpleasant odor, and indeed that it is unhygienic?

It's better to choose the right sneakers just once, and you will be a welcome guest in any fitness center.

Screaming from the tension

Fitness trainers don't like it when they scream with tension in the gym. If you have a barbell, and on it there are two hundred kilograms of pancakes, the bar is already bending, and on the last approaches you shout something out (it really gets easier), no questions asked.

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But beginners come to the gym, who take light weight and yell at the whole hall from the first approach - just for the sake of pleasure.

People without experience and an enviable form, who go to the gym for only a few months, but think of themselves as experts and begin to give advice to everyone around, are enraged: they teach how to do this or that exercise correctly; some of them say that "this exercise does not work" (although, of course, it is not done correctly).

The fact is that most often they advise not what is needed, and they never ask if a person has contraindications. At the same time, it is simply dangerous.

Throwing dumbbells or banging them against each other

Some people throw dumbbells or barbells on the floor on purpose. When a person presses heavy dumbbells and on the last approaches from fatigue simply cannot balance them - he carefully throws off. The people I am talking about throw them revealingly and with a crash throughout the hall. Are you doing this to get attention?

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The only thing more terrible is the ringing of iron on iron: when the client spreads the dumbbells to the sides and brings them to a collision. Try not to touch them against each other: this ringing annoys and knocks down everyone else in the gym.

Talking loudly on the phone

More often than not, the reason people talk loudly on the phone while moving around the gym at the same time is loud music. But instead of shouting over her, wouldn't it be better to go to another room or at least use headphones?

Stepping over the barbell

Do not step over the barbell! This is the main sign in the gym; otherwise, something may go wrong - you will pull and will not hold out, you will get injured, something else. Do not step over the one with which you yourself are engaged, and, God forbid, someone else's - I personally hate it when someone steps over mine.

Stealing someone else's inventory

It happens that he made an approach and, while you were resting before the next one, he carefully put the dumbbells on the bench and went to drink. There are people who pick them up (not from the rack, where there is a lot of free inventory, but from the center of the hall!) And start working with them. And you have a certain time to rest and you need to start the next approach in time.

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In general, always put everything back in place. Have worked with the weights - take them to where you took them. It doesn't even piss off, it's just bad manners.

Climb with questions

I am quite calm about beginners who, in the course of the lesson, ask something from the fitness instructors in the gym. It is not difficult for me to answer all the questions, even when I am doing it myself and I am asked about something during the rest between sets.

But you can't go to people with questions when you see that their training is very intense - in this case, every second of rest is important.

I've been a coach for over 10 years now, and I've been training in different gyms for twice as long, so I've seen all sorts of things. I will say this: it is useful to know these rules not only for beginners: many "veterans" also violate them, making it difficult for others to train.

First, I will highlight 3 main principles:

• Control the situation
• Behave yourself properly,
• Take care of the equipment as if you bought it yourself.

Simple, right? All the following rules are only special cases of these principles.

Preparation / general

1. Learn the rules of your gym

Each room has its own freedoms and restrictions, usually in the form of a list on the wall. If something is not very clear, ask the instructors or other staff. It should be remembered that things that are allowed in some clubs are strictly prohibited in others.

• Can chalk be used (scrubbed on the palms and bar for an exercise such as deadlift)? In some halls they do not like to wash the floor and iron after it, while in others it is possible to arrange a chalk blizzard.
• Is it allowed to throw the barbell onto the platform and is the deadlift allowed at all? Sometimes the halls are located in ordinary office buildings, where it is forbidden to drop a centner of iron.
• Can I take off my shoes? As much as you would like to perform certain movements with bare feet, it is not always allowed to take off your shoes.
• Can I shave in front of the mirror in the shower / changing room? Some halls prohibit any means of freeing the human body from vegetation.

In short, follow the rules of the place where you visit. Even if their prohibitions look foolish, they cannot be neglected.

2. Showering before training (and wash your tracksuit)

It sounds strange, but there are some clean people who take a shower only after training, despite the fact that their day was clearly hard and they were sweating a lot even before they came to the gym.

And some folks neatly put their clothes in a bag after a hard workout and marinate there until the next visit to the gym. The shorts can last a couple of workouts in a row, but change your T-shirts after each.

3. Wipe off with a towel (and wipe down the exercise equipment seats after yourself)

You need to keep clean not only your belongings, but the equipment of the hall. However, I think each of you has found puddles of sweat on the benches and seats of the machines.

Every decent room should offer napkins and even disinfectant spray on its own, but if you're unlucky, wipe it down with your own towel. This is very important, because some infections are transmitted in this way (my mother is a microbiologist, everything is very serious).

4. Put the shells in place

Refers to the principle "if it were all yours." Completed the exercise - put back what you did with it. Don't put off until the end of your workout, clean up in the process.

If you are a decent athlete and have worked hard with the barbell, then please hang all the pancakes in order. Don't do this:

5. Warm up and stretching

You ask, what's wrong with them? Absolutely nothing if you don't take the aisle. Most gyms have a dedicated stretch area (easy to find: mats and even foam rollers). If your club is simpler, then just go to a corner where you will not interfere with anyone. Stepping over stretched bodies in the aisle is not only annoying but can also lead to accidents.

Dumbbell rows

1. Get away from them

I constantly observe the same thing: a guy takes a pair of dumbbells and immediately, without moving away from the racks, begins to swing his biceps or wave his arms like a mother bird, driving the predator away from the nest. But in 95% of cases, he still does an exercise for the biceps.

I don’t care what exercise you need to do, just take it and step back so other people can do it too. I understand that some people want to do drop sets with different weights, but believe me, the pump will not go anywhere if you spend 10 seconds on a couple of steps back and forth. Maybe even pump up your forearms with such a long walk for a farmer.

2. Leave enough space for others

If someone else picks up dumbbells, do not get too close to him, otherwise you can get it properly with a projectile. He can do lifts in front of him and over the sides, different swings and rotations, so go around him like a mill. In general, always be careful when someone is working with free weights nearby.

3. Do not block the mirror.

If you have noticed, in many rooms mirrors are located precisely behind the dumbbell rows. Why? Well, some people like to admire their biceps in the process, others need to follow the technique of the movement.
Try not to block the mirror to others: you can not only upset the narcissist, but “help” someone to get hurt.

4. Don't drop dumbbells

Many pitching people like to throw dumbbells on the floor, bringing the approach to failure. Although you can throw some shells (more on them later), this is not about dumbbells. They can simply split - I have seen this many times.

If your workout is causing equipment damage, you are doing it wrong. And you don't seem cool to anyone when you throw dumbbells, even if they're heavy. Nobody cares. Everyone only thinks that your dumbbell does not fall on his leg.

Other equipment

Many of those reading this would prefer to train alone. As I understand you! But usually we find ourselves in the hall with a bunch of the same people. So you have to be good boys and girls and share toys.

1. Find out if the equipment is busy

When I go to the squat racks, bench or platform, I use all my hunting tracker skills to find out if they are currently busy:

• Is there a towel hanging from them? (usually a sign that it is busy)
• Are there any other things lying around: a notebook, a bag, a lifter's belt? (also a good signal)
• Is the bar loaded with pancakes? (here it is 50 to 50, some fellows simply do not clean up after themselves).

After a visual inspection of the place itself, I look around: is there someone walking nearby or is not burning you with eyes from another corner? If so, I politely ask if it is busy.

If the person is wearing headphones, then I simply point my finger at the equipment with a questioning look.

How to borrow equipment yourself

So, you have determined that the apparatus or simulator is free, you started the exercise. Now hang the towel on the bar or bench yourself when you go to drink or go to the toilet. It's like a "Reserved" sign in a restaurant. I still slip my training diary everywhere. For a guarantee.

1. How to "work together" with others

It happens that you need to do a certain exercise, but the projectile is already occupied. Here's what you can do:
Think about it if you can do it with a different weights or on a different machine? Personally, I can offer many alternatives for each exercise, but you will have to choose according to your circumstances.

Can you train with the occupier? If a person is doing the same exercise and / or with the same weight that you need, then ask him: is it possible to join? Of course, when you squat from 50 kg (this is completely normal, don't worry), and a person is pulling 200, then he is unlikely to agree. In that case, it’s better to wait.

If he does not mind, then you can wait for the completion of his approach and complete yours during his rest.

When a person does not agree with anything (and you must understand him, some work better alone), then you can hang out nearby, just do not hang over him. He will take the hint anyway.

2. Circular and supersets

You may need multiple equipment / machines to do multiple exercises in a row.

Here are the best practices for doing this:
Try to collect the required shells in one place. It infuriates when you just start a set, and someone runs up from another corner of the hall and says that he needs this shell right now - he was just too lazy to carry it away. Try to choose shells and simulators that are located nearby for your circles / supersets.

Hang towels and lay out your notebooks. Well, what else remains? Personally, I try not to occupy more than two shells or simulators at once.
Forget the long, circular program during rush hour. When the gym is full, do not even try to take squat racks, and a bench, and a horizontal bar at once. Pick one or the other. If you jump around the full hall, someone big will not stand it and will throw you out the window.

Try simple combinations such as barbell and own weight... Or pull-ups on the bar, and then an exercise with dumbbells pulled to it. In general, learn to share.
And most importantly, if you've borrowed a bunch of equipment, then practice rather than texting or chatting on the phone.

Squat Racks, Bench, Platform

People can work with huge weights on them, so be careful, even if you just walk by. Here are some rules of lifter etiquette:

1. Do not get into his space

If, of course, you are not a belayer, then walk around at least a meter. This is not only in order not to distract him, but also for your own safety. When you need to go through, wait for the set to complete.

2. Do not loom before your eyes

Maybe you do not really understand this (if you yourself do not work with large weights), but try not to move in front of the eyes (even within 3 meters) of a person with a heavy barbell. And even when he is just setting up before the approach. This is very important for them.

3. Do not interfere with the preparation for the exercise.

Not all weights are easy to lift. Sometimes people spend a lot of time on psychological preparation before approaching the bar. At this time, do not even speak to them (if not a fire). How do we know if a lifter is training? He is not far from the bar, looks directly at it or into the void (concentrates), makes a very serious face. Wait for him to complete the approach and put the barbell down. Better yet, wait a little after.

4. Take care of iron

If you regularly drop the barbell, then something is wrong. However, it happens that you can't cope with weight, for example, squatting with a barbell on your back. If doing it in the frame, set the restraints just below your squat depth and drop onto them. If you squat on a special platform and use rubber pancakes, then the bar can be thrown back, like this:

If these things are not to your liking, then just use a weight that you can definitely handle.

5. Load the bar correctly

A standard Olympic bar weighs 20kg and can handle heavy loads. But in the gyms there are also smaller training bars, from 15 to 5 kg. Do not hang too much on such, it will bend. If you do not know what kind of load the bar is designed for, then ask the employee for the gym (for this he is here).

6. Relieve the Bar Correctly After Your Squat or Bench Press Record

The bar on the racks should be unloaded gradually, removing the pancakes evenly from both ends. Of course, you will have to run a little more, but this is better than unloading on one side, because of which the bar will fall off and injure someone. Believe me in my experience, it’s not worth it.

7. Requests to hedge

If someone asks you, and you doubt yourself, it is better to honestly refuse. They will understand. If you need a belayer, then ask someone who is closer and looks stronger. In 99.9% of cases, they ask for insurance for the bench press.

Before you start, find out two things:

• Do I need to help remove the barbell from the racks?
• How many reruns are planned?
  The rest of the details of the correct insurance should be discussed in a separate article.

8. Don't swing your biceps in the squat frame.

This is also an important rule. The squat frame can be used for other exercises as well, such as bench presses and bench presses. But the biceps can be pumped anywhere, so do not occupy the frame if you do not want to turn the whole gym against you.

Hall atmosphere

So, we discussed training preparation and behavior in different areas of the gym. Now about communication and behavior.

In every room there is a "bro" armed with "bro-science". Their advice can be both very reasonable and completely delusional.

Men: Listen calmly, nod, and continue training in your own way. If curiosity awakens, then look for information about it after your workout.

Women: It's more difficult for you, because the pumped-up guys in the halls more often want to "help". For example, to the coach from the Nerd Fitness team Stacy (who pulls 180 kg) kind "bros" often say that "big pancakes weigh 20 kg, don't hurt yourself." She silently hangs four of these pancakes on each side and does her exercise. This "bro" is silent (because it raises less), but next time another is usually found.

Here's what she advises in this situation:
"When someone in the audience begins to patronize me, considering me an idiot, I answer with a very simple and polite phrase: thanks for your help, but I need to finish my program as soon as possible, I am in a hurry."

Until a person is in real danger, it is better not to touch him. Even if you think he needs help, you don’t know all of his circumstances, experiences, goals, and trauma. Perhaps he is doing exactly what he needs. And nobody likes smart people.

3. Do not make noise and do not express yourself

The halls rarely insist on complete silence, as in a library. You can usually rattle the iron and make some sounds while doing hard exercise(like "cue!" in karate). However, do not constantly yell and squeal as if your barbell is energized. You will distract everyone and drop something on you.

Want to express your excess of feelings? Some halls have their own atmosphere, where you can. But you better not risk it. Training, of course, helps to release emotions, but not to the same extent.

4. Throwing the barbell

We've already talked about dumbbells (you can't throw) and squats (you can if there are special platforms or a frame).

However, there are gyms that do weightlifting (snatch, chest lift and clean and jerk). For this, special Olympic bars and rubberized pancakes are used. You can throw them, but be careful anyway. If possible, direct the bar with your hands so that it does not fly far away and knock someone over.
If you do not know if it is possible to throw in a specific room, ask an employee.

5. Don't stare

This is generally good advice for life in general, but staring in the audience can be particularly distracting (and even unnerving). The muscles or working weights of a fellow gym member can be mesmerizing, but try to sneak a peek at them without annoying them.

Personally, it really bothers me. When I do chest lifts, I don’t have to stand a meter in front of me and stare like a movie star.

And also from Stacy: if you are such a cunning young man that you look at a girl in the reflection of eight mirrors, then you are not that cunning. She sees you too. And she hardly likes it.

6. Mobile phones

Today, a phone or tablet can help in the gym - as a stopwatch, training diary, or a camera for capturing performance techniques. Only, please, do not start noisy negotiations. If you can chat on the phone throughout your workout, that’s some kind of wrong workout. Also, you do not need to occupy a bench or a simulator to view a feed on Instagram or Facebook. You came to train - so train.

You also need to remember that the hall is a place for everyone, not your personal studio. You can film your exercises, but try not to capture other people in the frame. Not everyone wants to be YouTube stars.

7. Water and food

Protein shakes - approx. The bars are already on the edge. Three liters of water? Well, if you really need so much, then take it, but try not to spill it.

Everything else will wait. In my presence, people ate a variety of dishes right in training. Don't do that.

8. If someone misbehaves

As I said earlier, if someone puts themselves or others in danger, they will have to intervene. Health is more valuable than politeness.

If someone breaks the rules and just spoils the atmosphere, then of course you can make a comment. Just keep in mind that people don't like comments, even if they deserve them. Therefore, it is better to inform the staff of the hall - let them do their job.

No more mistakes in the hall

It seems like a long list of everything to remember before the first visit to the gym.

But don’t worry, you’ll get comfortable with time. Just try to make the room comfortable for you and everyone else. Let me remind you of three main principles:

• Control the situation
• Behave yourself properly
• Take care of your equipment as if you bought it yourself

The rest is details, remember them over time. Behave and have fun with your workouts!

Tony Gentilcore

A friend of mine and a terrific writer, James Fell, recently wrote a funny piece called One Hundred and One Rules of Gym Behavior, which highlighted some of the unattractive behaviors that many gym goers indulge in. After reading this work, I was inspired to write my own list. By consensus, I created the etiquette at our own gym - Cressey Sports Performance. We can afford the luxury of setting standards, disapproving of some of our clients' behaviors, and limiting much of what is considered par for the course in any conventional commercial gym.

No phones!

We ditched plaques because we thought they would not make a good first impression on parents, but the "rule" still exists. Whenever a young athlete stops training in order to check his phone, I go up to him and say something like: "If you are not talking with Emma Watson about your plans for the evening, then go back to the bar."

In addition, in our room, you will never see someone get annoyed about the need to share equipment. Also, while doing the exercises, it is not forbidden to scream or grunt, and also to use chalk instead of gloves. Moreover, you cannot load a leg press machine with a bunch of discs and then leave without unloading it, because we do not have such a machine at all.

Likewise, there are a number of unwritten but implied rules in our room, including:

Tonny usually plays techno music on Thursdays (note: also on Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays).

Eric always waves his hands and with the words “my ears fade from this music” turns on Linkin Park.

No focused arm muscle work until you can cleanly pull up at least one (for women) or five (for men) times.

Tony has to coach clients in a jersey.

Do not feed the dog. He's as gluttonous as a gremlin.

Pretty simple, isn't it? However, this does not mean that I never got out of my little world and did not train in a commercial gym. I like to visit various gyms from time to time, not only for a change of scenery, but also for entertainment. When this happens, I am always amazed at how the rules are broken. Some people seem to have their social filters turned off when they are surrounded by barbells and dumbbells. Or is it a male deodorant that affects people in such a way that they don't give a damn about everything.

Anyway, below are some of my thoughts. Consider a list of Rules of Conduct in the gym.

1. Don't be a coach

It’s impossible to put into words how annoying it is when you are offered unsolicited advice. I myself never impose advice. It happened that they approached me with questions and I answered, but this is a completely different matter. If someone asks you a question or wants to know your opinion, then no problem. But if a person goes about his business (especially if he is wearing headphones), and even if the exercise he is doing looks more like an African dance, still keep your opinion to yourself. It is not interesting to anyone.

2. Don't act like a coach (even if you are a personal trainer)

For many beginners personal trainers who must work the so-called "minimum hours" (an expression meaning cleaning equipment after customers) for initial stage working life, offering people unsolicited advice is a chance to attract potential customers. But do it carefully. Don't be one of those trainers who walk up to all gym goers within three kilometers and fix their technique. It is okay to offer help or give advice if the person is doing something clearly wrong and risking injury. But you don't have to go with your recommendations to a guy who pulls 200 or more kilograms in several repetitions: "Here is my business card, we need to talk." Get some tact and learn to understand when to advise and when not.

While working in commercial gyms, I have always successfully offered people new exercises or small variations of what they were already doing and then continued to work. I didn’t behave like a slug, a sluggish mumbled about “You need a personal trainer.” I figured that if I had a few casual conversations a day, that was not difficult, since I was still paid for this time and did not embarrass anyone , - then at some point the law of averages will come into force, and some of the visitors will succumb and want to train with me personally.

I also offered "free" half-hour sessions that detailed the technique of certain exercises (squats, kettlebell swings) or suggested a short but killer mid-body workout.

3. Know your business

Another important point is that if you are an "expert" and always insist on unsolicited advice, then at least have a clear idea of ​​what you are talking about. This is especially important for personal trainers. One day during my workout in the gym, the trainer on duty came up to me and told me that my squat was not deep enough and that I was pushing my body forward too much, although in fact I had just finished a series of forward bends with a barbell on my shoulders.

4. No more admiring yourself in the mirror.

Who among us can safely walk past the mirror without lifting our T-shirt in order to supposedly wipe the sweat from our forehead, but in fact, to look at our abs? A couple of times you can, but don't get carried away. Your abs are still there. He is there.

5. Control the sounds you make

I don't care if someone makes sounds during training. This is a gym, not a library. However, in commercial halls, this question can be principled, because some people go too far. I won't mention the name, but I remember that a few years ago I trained in a high-class gym and after a set of deadlifts I heard a terrible roar from the corner of the gym. I had to go and see what was happening there, because I expected to see a huge human being lifting not a barbell, but a bulldozer, and saw only a clown, lying bench press twenty-five kilogram dumbbells.

6. Stop yelling

I’m both in favor of turning myself on before heavy exercise, but have mercy on those around you. You shouldn't yell before every approach, so as to say, "Hey, look everyone at me!" Trust me, you're not a champion wrestler, and your 100-pound quarter-squats won't surprise anyone.

7. Advice for guys

If a girl is engaged in the zone free weights, this does not mean that she must be constantly “rescued” or offered to be insured in every exercise. She can handle it herself.

8. Advice to all

Just because a woman squats or does deadlifts does not mean that she is a professional athlete or is preparing for a competition. My wife has a great answer to a question like “Wow, great. What are you training for? " She replies, "I train to live."

9. Preacher

Everyone has their own preferences and hobbies. Lifters love to swing, yogis love to do yoga, and Pilates lovers love Pilates. And it is right. It doesn't matter what the person does. If it brings him pleasure and helps him to improve, then this is already a victory. Let's stop being prejudiced against each other, proving that your path is the most correct, thereby striving to rise above others. It's one thing if someone pays you for advice and expertise and hires you to help them achieve a certain goal. If so, use the training regimen that best suits the person and their goals. All other situations are none of your business.