7 Things All Good Gym-Goers Do Every Day

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Re-Rack Your Weights

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The idea is a simple one: once you're done with your sets, put the weights exactly back where you found them. And if you found them on the floor anyway? Re-rack them. By leaving them on the floor, you're risking injury on a fellow gym-goer (everyone's strength is different) with a safety hazard from laziness.

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Wipe Your Equipment Down Once You've Finished

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Personal hygiene is just as important as mitigating injury risk at the gym, and it's a gripe that almost everyone shares. They wouldn't share your towel, or wear your sweaty T-shirt after a spicy finisher, so why should they have to tolerate a sweat-soaked bench, dumbbell or barbell? The fix is simple, gents — bring a small towel with you or use disposable wipes that most gyms provide.

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Use Grunts, Screams and Yells Sparingly

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There's no denying that the odd grunt or exhalation can help you grind out an extra rep or two, but when your lifting-induced decibels are vibrating the paint from the walls and irking fellow members, it's probably time to lower the noise a tad. Retain your modesty by turning your jarhead grunts to a more gentle growl.

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Don't Drop Your Weights

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CrossFit zealots, we're looking at you here — dropping weights (and the noise that comes with it) is one of the most frustrating habits a gym-goer can adopt. It doesn't matter if it's five or 50kg, dropping a loaded barbell or dumbbell is a serious safety hazard for other gym-goers. Lower your weight in a controlled manner and you'll get more from your lift.

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Clean Up Your Chalk

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Like sand, chalk gets everywhere. Sure, it has the potential for you to grind out a few extra pull-ups or deadlifts, but you don't need to coat your hands — and the surrounding equipment — in the white stuff. You're (probably) not an Olympic weightlifter, so be sure to use chalk sparingly. If there's a spill, wipe it up after your set and, of course, clean the chalky equipment with a wipe. Liquid chalk is a good way of keeping things neat and clean.

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Don't Try and 'Reserve' Equipment

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Working through supersets or tri-sets? Good for you — it's a sure-fire way of gaining muscle quick, but it doesn't give you a hall pass to reserve over numerous pieces of equipment in the gym. Especially when it's rush hour. Let the other members use it — they'll almost certainly understand that you can both work together on it, without you hogging the machine.

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Don't Play Your Music Out Loud

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Music can make you feel great during exercise — but it doesn't mean you a) need to share your tunes with the world and b) act like you're in a music video by blaring your latest workout playlist. Keep it to yourself and everyone's happy.

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