So Mr. Patrick and I were training at a new spot to get him ready to do battle with Daniel Roberts at UFC 129…
[Ninja is a tough guy and we’re going to be 100% ready for him come April 30th.]
Anyway, the reason we changed training venues is because I wanted to do some specific things this camp and they have the equipment to facilitate these things – Olympic platforms and an indoor track – which we don’t have at our regular facility.
And here’s the funny thing that happened when we were doing Pullups on a bar attached to a Power Cage…
Claude literally just finished taking his hands off the bar when some dude proceeds to drag an adjustable bench our way, push it into the cage, then changes the incline of his bench so it’s setup just perfect, loads a 10 and 5 pound plate on either side of the bar, then does his set of incline presses with 75 lbs, without saying a word.
Really?
Did this guy just roll up on a UFC fighter and his trainer and evict them from their spot?
OK OK OK, sorry, not everyone knows who Claude is (yet) and even less people know who I am, so let me check my ego at the door for a moment.
But still – if you were a 19 year old, 125 pound guy, would you roll up on some tough looking black dude and his trainer and take over their spot in the gym?
I know that I sure as hell wouldn’t, not out of fear (well, maybe completely out of fear) but at least out of some sort of sense of gym etiquette!
But the shenanigans didn’t stop there folks. Oh no, there’s more…
When the guy finished the set and we were looking at him and each other in confusion, he says to us, “I’m just gonna work here.”
Straight up!
Damn! This kids got balls the size of boulders!
AND (yes, there is more), as we were sitting there in shock and awe after this bold statement from the super flyweight, some random girl proceeds to step up to the Chinup bar right in front of myself and Claude, who were still stunned at the audacity of the young incline presser (YIP), and proceeds to bang out a set of 3 or 4 Chins (impressive), without a word to either myself, Claude or the YIP.
My jaw literally hit the floor.
This was just too much comedy for one day at the gym.
So we left the scene of the crime and continued to finish the session, and I don’t think we’ll be back.
Now, because of this, I want to hear your stories of gym tom-foolery in the Comments section below.
But first, I want to share my ADVANCED Rules of Gym
Etiquette, based mainly on experiences like this one:
Like everything we do here, these rules are ADVANCED, so if you haven’t mastered the basics yet, go hit up Google and come back when you’re ready… 🙂
RULE #1 – If you want to work in on a piece of equipment, ASK (politely).
Obviously the story I shared above spawned this rule. Most guys have no problem letting you work in.
If someone asks you and it’ll screw up your workout, you can politely refuse and tell them why, but if you do this, also tell them how much longer you’ll be so they know.
RULE #1 – Subsection B – If you’re asking someone to work in, don’t ask when they’re in the middle of an exercise.
If you’re like me, when you’re training, you’re intensely focused on your technique, so when some yo-yo comes in and interrupts that, I get a bit peeved.
I remember when I was working out in my University’s gym back in the day doing tricep cable pressdowns and one of those big yet fat dudes (twice my size) asks me to work in while I’m in the middle of my set.
So I ignored him, finished my set, then told him to please not talk to me while I’m in the middle of an exercise but said he could still work in.
I then proceeded to stare at him while he tried to use the same weight as me but failed miserably.
That felt good and I hope he learned his lesson!
RULE #2 – Don’t walk too close behind someone lifting heavy shit.
When I’ve got 200 lbs on my back doing reverse lunges, I don’t want to be distracted by someone walking right behind me, worried about being knocked off balance.
If someone is walking close and you’re doing some heavy lifting, don’t assume that they won’t bump into you – they might be playing with their iPod, talking with their friend or just not paying attention, so just wait with the bar on your back until it’s clear.
People must realize that it’s tough to judge how close a person is behind you when looking into a mirror – so if you’re walking behind someone, just give them extra space so they can focus on their task at hand.
RULE #3 – Don’t smell like you’ve been wearing that Dri-fit shirt for the past 3 days.
This is self-explanatory and I know you’ve smelled these people before.
They should be forever banished or at least whipped a few times in the shower to learn their lesson.
RULE #3 – Subsection B – Don’t fart in the gym.
If you’ve got to go, do it in the changeroom or bathroom.
DO NOT do it in the corner of the gym, because more than likely someone will come there to do an exercise and running into your mustard gas isn’t pleasant.
I’ll admit, I’ve done this before in my more ignorant days and was thoroughly embarrassed when I did it to vow never to do it again and hold it in even if my head explodes.
I never said I was perfect. 🙂
Got any gym etiquette related stories to share?
Have any suggestions for more rules to add to the list?
Share them below!
And make sure to hit ‘Like’ to create a better gym environment for everyone. 🙂
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