Gym etiquette is dictated by these written and unwritten rules which are expressly and impliedly agreed among gym enthusiasts. Gym etiquette dictates that respect for the other person is of utmost concern [ ]. Even common sense dictates that unless one waits for his turn, there would be chaos in a place that is cramped with sweaty people. It is this logical reasoning which bound everyone else who goes to the gym to respect the unwritten rules by being considerate of others in the gym. Sorokin says:
“The key to gym etiquette is “being nice. ” This keeps one from trouble and it secures him of his safety from other people’s derision or seemingly accidental attacks. It keeps others from being the target of accidental drops of weights, accidental trips, accidental hits, and the otherwise niceness of a person. ” [Sorokin, Mark. “How to obtain gym etiquette. ” Fitness is Beautiful. The John Hopkins Newsletter, University of Phoenix, March 29, 2002]. In several instances, however, these unwritten rules are not observed.
In fact, they are violated. This is brought about by the mix of peoples with different cultures who go to the gym and the mix of regular, intermittent, and walk-in clients. Like any situation where there are people who come from different cultures, someone may want to be on the upper hand against one or two other individuals. Or it could just be a simple disregard of the unwritten rules due to negligence or indifference. Where these situations occur, people in the gym are pissed off and they may even get disturbed in their workout.
In extreme cases, where these scenarios are left uncorrected by management, the veterans would just leave and seek another place where they can be left in peace as they do their programs. In some instances, these violators are booted out and intimidated by the bigger built enthusiasts. As Mark Sorokin says, [ ] “Not everyone who goes to a gym for workout knows gym etiquette. Sometimes this unwritten policy of proper use of the gym causes people from going to gyms just to avoid embarrassment of awkward situations. ” [Sorokin, Mark.
“How to obtain gym etiquette. ” Fitness is Beautiful. The John Hopkins Newsletter, University of Phoenix, March 29, 2002]. METHODOLOGY This study has been conducted through actual observation of people in the gym. Observation was done at least 3 times in a week at 2 hours per visit. In those visits in the gym, people were observed from the time they log-in up to the time they log-out. Most of the gym users arrive at the gym after work. Only a handful do their gym program during the day. The normal routine would be the following:
1) Log in upon arrival in the gym. The gym enthusiast would usually spend some time with the instructor before he proceeds with the warm-up. 2) The gym enthusiast prepares for warm-up by putting on his right gym outfit. He uses a locker where he deposits his bags and the gym is not responsible for any lost item that may occur while the gym user is in the gym. 3) Warm-up is undertaken for a period of 10-15 minutes. Starters would usually need the guide of the gym instructor. As for the regular gym users, they usually have their own warm-up regimen.
Those who arrive in groups do the warm-up regimen at the same time. 4) The gym enthusiast then proceeds to his program depending on the type of development he intends to workout on. This becomes an individual program and gym users usually follow the same pattern or the same set that they do every other day. They usually change their patterns twice every week. 5) As soon as the gym enthusiast completes his program, he cools-down before he proceeds to the locker room. Cooling-down regimen is usually varied. This is also the time spent by regular gym users to interact with the others.