Silence -- please!

Going to the gym for me is similar to going to therapy. Right after I hear the swipe of my card, I’m in the zone. When I’m at the gym running on the treadmill and blasting my iPod, it feels like all of my problems just sweat out (literally).

But when people do not have proper “gym etiquette” it completely demolishes my happy place. That is why I would like to take some time to run through some scenarios I have encountered so maybe we can all learn to respect each other’s “happy places” at the gym.

One thing I hate is when I’m doing some cardio and I hear a sound similar to a ferocious tiger dropping a heavy weight onto the ground. Yes, I understand that the gym is not a library and it’s natural to emit little noises while doing strenuous lifts -- dropping weights after a long set is understandable. But dropping weights from a high elevation can easily be avoided and screaming like the Hulk is never necessary. The other day I thought the old man running beside me was going to fly off the back of the treadmill when one of the weight lifters dropped enough weight to make the building shake.

Another thing that affects my happy place is a sweaty machine. Carmichael Complex does an awesome job of having a spray bottle and a rag at every machine. Here’s a crazy idea: use them. Nobody wants to sit down in a pool of someone else’s sweat and nobody wants to clean it off either. An even better idea is to use the towels the gym provides you to separate yourself as much as you can from the machine. I know the towel can’t cover everything, but it’s better than nothing.

It’s really great that you have a doctorate in personal training and have experience with the U.S. Olympic team, but share it with someone who cares; people are at the gym to do their own thing. I guarantee they don’t want to hear your advice or your resume. Unless someone is in danger of hurting himself or herself, advice should be limited, along with small talk. A gym is not a single’s bar or a party. Conversations should be kept brief and in between sets. Asking someone how their weekend was while they’re holding a metal bar over their head might not be the best time.

Also, there is the unspoken headphone rule. If someone is wearing headphones, they obviously are not feeling chatty, so don’t push it.

I’ll admit that I am guilty of this too, but when it’s peak hours and the machines are full, try not to exceed 30 minutes on cardio and don’t sit on a machine in between sets. Get up and move to the next one and then come back to do your second set.

Also, I’ll never understand why some people don’t take their weights off the machines. Do they just forget? Or are they trying to make it clear how much they can bench? Either way, don’t do it. By the time I finish taking off every plate you used, I could have been done with the machine already. Yes, moving the plates is a workout too, but not the kind I wanted.

This advice isn’t just for newcomers to the gym. Even daily gym-goers need a little reminder here and there. Things typically go much more smoothly if you take the time to learn the rules and be a pleasant gym-goer.

When things are easier for you, you'll more likely want to go back.