Gym Etiquette
May 17, 2011 | 
Author I posted a question on the Fitness Guru Facebook page a couple of weeks ago. I wanted to know what you all thought were the most offensive breaches of gym etiquette. The answers came in fast and angry. And so below, I have compiled all those answers and, in a tidy bit of compulsion, created the 5 S’s of Gym Etiquette.
- Sights: when you’re getting dressed to work out, ask yourself if the outfit is something you would be willing to wear in front of your grandmother. I am not suggesting prudish over-layering. But many of you said that your some of gym mates dress slightly inappropriately, with the majority find fault with running shorts that are…..well…..skimpy. Think twice as you put it on. Would Granny smile or slap you in your head?
- Sounds: First, cell phones should be left in the locker room unless you have a potentially dangerous situation that you are awaiting. Dangerous does not include updating your best friend about the craziness of your day while you are on the treadmill. Chatting with friends at the gym is fine, but be aware of the people around you. Speak to each other as you would in a quiet restaurant. Try not to yell across the room at each other. Grunting is to be expected when you are working with heavy weights, but there is no cause to turn that into yelling. Odds are you are not a Ukrainian power lifter. Keep it to a simple grunt. Scream singing: one of my favorites and a staple of fitness classes like spinning. But, no matter how much you love American Idol and how well you know the words to It’s Raining Men, look around you……are you the only one singing? Be respectful of the class energy.
- Smells: First, the don’ts– don’t douse yourself in cologne or perfume before you work out. People’s sense of smell is especially acute while exercising and bathing in Paco Raban can be a little nauseating. Flip side– just as nauseating is Body Odor. You’re going to sweat and that means, at some point, you are going to smell. Don’t share that with your friends. Buy deodorant that you can leave in your gym bag or locker. Then use it. Please.
- Space: no matter how big the facility you are working out in, it is still finite and you still have to Share and Be Aware. If you are using a piece of equipment and someone is waiting, let them work in between your sets. It’s not going to ruin your workout. It’s all that cool stuff we learned in kindergarten coming back to help us! Also, if someone is working in front of a mirror, watching themselves so they can correct their form, don’t stand in front of them. Someone did that to me the other day, and we were the only two people in huge facility. Not quite sure what he was thinking.
- Singles: read this carefully. Read it twice if you have to. No matter what you think the energy is like, no matter how smooth you think the opening line is, they don’t want to talk to you. They don’t. They are there to have some focused time for themselves. They are not there to serve as dating fodder for your social life. You want to flirt? Try internet dating. But leave the folks at the gym alone. Seriously.
The most important thing to remember is that your monthly membership fee does not suggest part ownership in the gym. It means that you have the opportunity to take part in a fitness community. Be respectful of that community. This goes for both sides of the coin. If you have issues with the behavior of a particular member, it is not your job to strap on your six-guns and solve the problem. Speak to management and have them deal with it. That’s why they are there. If they can’t seem to deal with it, it may be time to find a gym that has more respect for the community it is building. Just a thought.
If I missed one of your pet peeves, or you have any questions or answers, shoot me an email at michael@fitnessgurunyc.com.
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Massage at Home: On the Cheap
It doesn’t matter if you work out every day, or if you are a weekend warrior: odds are, at some point you have ended up with tight sore muscles. So it is important to master the Art of Self-Massage.
Get your head out of the gutter.
Sometimes it’s neither practical nor economical to get yourself to a spa and spend an hour and a chunk of change getting a massage. But, by keeping a few simple tools around the house, you can give yourself some amount of relief and actually end up with a host of benefits: more energy, more restful sleep and better workouts with quicker recovery time.
We’ll skip over the portable massagers that you can purchase out of magazines and on late night infomercials. Those are adequate but unlikely to delivery more than the most brief, superficial relief. Here’s what you want: (article continues below)
- Foam Roll: it is what it sounds like: a three or four foot long, cylindrical piece of foam core. The idea is to get on the floor (your bed won’t provide a hard enough surface) and place the roll between yourself and the floor. Then proceed to roll out the tension of all your muscle groups. This technique is called “direct myofascial release” and it provides for the release of muscle tension and improved circulation to the tight muscles. Note: depending on how much tension you have, this technique may be shockingly painful at the outset. The more often you do it, the sooner it will be less painful. You can find the Rolls at Perform Better
- Rolling Pin: Yup, same thing you would use to roll out a pie crust. Only you are going to use it to roll out your muscles. It’s the same idea as the foam roll, only you can control the amount of pressure you apply. It’s a great technique for the quads and calves, but, understandably, it’s a little difficult to get to your back…..unless you have a friend come over and roll ya. But then it’s not self-massage, is it?
- Tennis and golf balls: These are my personal favorite. Again, like the foam roll, lie on the floor and place a tennis or golf ball underneath you. Allow the ball to press into the tight soft tissue, avoiding bone as that can be both painful and injurious. Roll around for bit until you find a tight, tense area (we call them “pressure points”) and then lie still, trying to relax over the ball and letting the tension drain from your body. Again like the roll, this technique will take some getting used to, but once you have mastered it, then, truly, will you be happy.
You can take advantage of self-massage whenever you feel the need. Pre- or post-workout, pre-bedtime, when you wake up in the morning. There is no harm in getting rid of that tension. The most important thing to remember is to relax as much as possible while you do it. If you feel yourself tensing because of pain in a particular area, focus your attention on your breath and try to let your body go as limp as possible.
If you have ideas for self-massage, shoot me an email at michael@fitnessgurunyc.com. And come and join us on Facebook for daily tips and ideas.
Post-Workout Pain
You know that feeling I’m talking about: you wake up in the morning and you are reallyfeeling that workout from the previous day….or sometimes even two or three days before. That pain is known as Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness (DOMS)– ooooooh fancy name for “Ouch, I kicked my own butt!” If you’ve been exercising for a while, that pain can send you the message that you are reallybringing it (No Pain, No Gain); if you’re new to exercise, you may use that as an excuse to put off exercising for a good long while. Don’t. No excuses.
No Pain, No Gain is not the greatest messaging: sure, you want to push yourself in an effort to get stronger, but push too far and you run the risk of injury. So what do you do if you get hit with DOMS? Here are some ideas:
- Get moving, sooner rather than later. Don’t go heavy handed into another workout but do something light: a brisk walk, a light jog, some easy stretching– anything that can help your body open up and get your circulation going.
- Hydrate: keep drinking water. Get more fluid into your system. Your body thrives on water. And no, coffee and soda don’t count.
- Try a nice hot bath bath with a cup of Epsom salts. The salts are great for soothing tired muscles.
- Find a great anti-inflammatory cream, particularly one with Arnica, an herbal anti-inflammatory. Traumeel makes a great cream and it’s always easy to keep a tube in your medicine cabinet.
- If you must, pop an ibuprofen tablet but follow the directions and don’t swallow them by the handfull. Honestly, it will wreck your stomach.
- Splurge every so often on a massage. If you are going to spend a lot of time challenging your body, make the investments in healing it as well. You will be able to work out better longer for it.
If you think you’ve injured yourself– if the area is swollen, discolored and/or sensitive to the touch– you may be suffering from a strain or a sprain. Check with your doctor. They can diagnose a strain (the over stretching or tearing of a muscle), a sprain (the over stretching or tear of a tendon) or even a stress fracture in the bone. If the doctor finds a strain or a sprain, they will probably suggest that you use RICE to help heal.
- R : Rest. Yes, my brave New Yorker, you must rest the injured area. That doesn’t mean skipping hills when you go for your run, that means skipping the run. Short term smarts on your part will lead to a much faster recovery. Note that if you avoid resting a strained tendon, the recovery could take longer than if you’d broken a bone. I know, I know….I’m such a dark cloud.
- I : Ice. Ice the injured area. At times, I think it’s easier to get New Yorkers to root for the Red Sox than to ice an injury. Take an ice pack, or even a bag of frozen vegetables, wrap it in a light cloth and apply it to the injury for 10-20 minutes. Do this three or four times a day and it will do wonders in terms of getting rid of the inflammation and allowing nutrient-rich circulation back to the area.
- C : Compression. Wrap the area in a bandage– not so tight as to cut off circulation, but just enough to feel the compression.
- E : Elevation. Elevate the injured area for 10-20 minutes several times a day. This means that if you have injured your leg or ankle, lie down on the sofa and put you legs up. This, like the ice, will do wonders toward helping to alleviate the swelling.
Be smart: follow the RICE plan for a few days and you will be up and at it again. If you find you keep injuring the same area, take a good long look at how you are training that particular area and maybe, just maybe, make a few changes.
If you have any thoughts about injuries or any questions about exercise or fitness, shoot me an email at michael@fitnessgurunyc.com.