How to Train in a Crowded Gym Without Being a Jerk
We still have the busiest time of the year for gyms. Most of the people who started with New Year’s goals are still there, and regulars who may have stuck to less busy times at the beginning of the year are returning to their normal business. So, how do you navigate a crowded gym without getting in anyone’s way, or being a jerk to someone who innocently gets in your way? Here are some tips.
Respect the privacy of others
Due to the laws of physics, matter, and more, you must place your body in a specific region of space. In a crowded gym, there just isn’t much room to spare. So you need to pay attention to where you are and where others are while you are choosing where to train.
For example: if you’re doing dumbbell side raises that require you to spread your arms out to the sides, make sure you’re not going to punch someone in the face in the process. And even if you’re pretty sure you won’t hit the person on the bench next to you, they still might not appreciate your hands flying in front of their face.
So respect the privacy of others. And respect their line of sight too. It’s hard to keep track of where everyone’s eyes are looking, but there are a few basic perks:
- Do not walk between a person and a mirror if he is looking into the mirror.
- Don’t stand directly in front of a dumbbell rack; take a few steps back before using these dumbbells.
- Don’t walk directly in front of a person who is doing a barbell lift such as a squat or deadlift (people often choose a point in the distance to focus on).
- Don’t start exercising next to someone if there is a way to keep your distance.
Don’t leave your things on the way
The privacy rules apply to your belongings as well. Don’t put your stuff too close to others and definitely don’t drop your bag right in the middle of the floor. Keep it close to you, or keep it away from the wall, or hide it under a bench. If you have multiple items, consider leaving everything you don’t need in your locker.
And don’t use benches or other equipment as a personal table. You can put your water bottle on the bench next to yours if the seat is not occupied, but if those are the only two benches available, put your bottle away so the second bench can be free for others.
Don’t talk to people while climbing
Connecting with others is good and important – more on that in a minute – but only before or after they complete their set, not during . If you want to grab the 2.5-pound plate that’s hanging on the side of the squat rack, but the woman in the rack is about to start squatting, don’t bother her right now. Wait as long as you need until she finishes; when she flips the bar , then you can say what you need to say.
And yes, you have to ask if you have to get very close to someone to grab a plate – remember personal space?
Choose the least needed equipment
You have the same right to the equipment as anyone else. Never let the fact that any piece of equipment is typically used by a specific group of people distract you from it (teenage bros at a bench press station, people in spandex on treadmills, etc.).
But you have some duty, when the gym is crowded, to choose equipment with others in mind. If you need a hip press bench, choose a freestanding bench rather than a bench press. If the squat rack is a convenient place to curl your arms, but others are waiting to do squats, do your curls (or pull-ups, or deadlifts, or whatever you don’t need a rack for) elsewhere.
Plan your routes wisely
Circuit training is a time-efficient way to train: you do one set of each set of exercises, with little to no rest in between, before eventually returning to the first exercise and repeating them again.
In an empty gym, your circles can be anything: frame squat, mirror approach, treadmill sprint, cable approach, and then squats again. But in a busy gym, you shouldn’t use four things at the same time and keep four people waiting for you to complete the whole circuit.
If you decide to do the circle anyway, be flexible: if you go back to the rope machine and someone has changed the attachment and is doing a different exercise on it, don’t get mad at them. Either skip this station or give yourself an extra 30 seconds of rest to let them finish their set and see if you can work (I promise you will be fast).
Better yet, set up your schemas differently. Grab a pair of dumbbells on a squat rack so you can quickly switch between squats and curls, and just alternate between the two. Instead of running to the treadmill between the rows of cables, perform jumps nearby. Or skip circuit training altogether and do one exercise at a time when the gym is busy.
To work in
No matter what, there will be times when you and someone else want to use the same hardware. The solution here lies in work, otherwise known as interleaving.
There is a rule here: whoever was on the equipment first has the right to decide whether they will let others work. However, if you wish to use equipment that is currently in use, you must ask this person if you would like to. can work in; they are not required to read your thoughts and offer.
Here’s how the conversation usually goes:
- Person A: “Hey, how many sets do you have left?”
- Athlete B, counting on his fingers: “Uh … six.”
- Athlete A: “Oh. hm. Do you think I could work in?
At this point, Athlete B will either say, “Of course,” and both of you will go to the race, or say, “No, I would like to finish my sets, but you can do it next.”
It is polite, but not required, for Athlete A to stay nearby or return periodically; and for Athlete B to inform any further requests that Athlete A is also awaiting equipment. If they are very good, they will come and find athlete A to inform them that the equipment is now available.
Use your words
I know, I know, it’s annoying when you have to talk to people. But I estimate that 90% of people complaining about others in the gym could have been prevented if everyone was polite to each other.
For example: you are about to do a deadlift and someone throws their bag at the corner of your platform and starts doing push-ups on the floor right in front of you. It’s distracting, rude, and potentially unsafe. But maybe the guy doing push-ups is just overwhelmed and can’t figure out where else to do push-ups. He should have said:
“Do you mind if I do some push-ups here? Oh yeah, oh, I’ll keep my bag away from you.
And even if he didn’t, you can still say:
“Hey, I need a little more space here. Could you move your bag while I do the next set?
In this case, the rude push-up guy is wrong, but both parties are able to communicate. When you do this, it’s usually not hard to come to an agreement.
And if someone approaches you about a possibly rude act you are doing, don’t get angry. We’re all just trying to share space here.