10 Things NOT To Do At The Gym

10 Things Not To Do At The Gym

We have all had an experience at the gym where you see someone doing something and it causes you to do a double take. You look back to make sure you weren’t hallucinating.

“What in the world are they doing?!?!”

I’m here to help stop the madness.  If you are guilty of doing any of the below actions, feel free to stop now yesterday.

1.)  Wearing Jeans or Jorts

Sure, there’s always that occasional situation where you unfortunately forget your gym shorts and are forced to workout in that awkwardly matched outfit of jeans and a t-shirt.   I’ll give the “once a year jorts wearer” a hall pass but for those of you who continuously show up rocking jeans…you need to check yourself.  Even if you’re on your lunch break and trying to get a quick workout in, it only takes about 10 seconds to change your pants.

Tip for you:  This is simple.  Stop wearing jeans and jorts to the gym.  I can promise you this; the world of workout pants is nothing to be feared of. 

jorts

2.)  Playing On Your Phone

To the girl who sits at a machine and plays on her cell phone.  Stop.  Just stop!  Angry birds can wait.  I promise you, you can sling that bird over that tree in about an hour.

Tip for you:  Get a clue with what’s going on around you.  There are actually other people in the gym other than you.  

texting-in-the-gym

3.)  Wearing Boxer Briefs When You Forget Your Shorts

True story.  I’ve seen a dude do this before.  He must have forgot his shorts and this meat head decided he would rather go half naked instead of skipping his workout.   I couldn’t help but stare at him the whole time…it was just so awkward.  I wonder if he ended up getting kicked out that day? 

Tip for you:  If you have nothing to wear other than underwear…please do all of us ladies a favor and hit the road.  Come back to the gym later, bro.

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4.)  Wearing A Full Face Of Makeup

Ladies, we aren’t at a club.  We are at the gym.  If you didn’t know, we are at the gym to workout and do something called SWEATING.  Sweating is a production of fluids secreted by the sweat gland when your heart rate rises.  Sweat + foundation + mascara = a sight that shouldn’t be seen.  Quit applying makeup in the bathroom before your workout.  Also, if you’re wearing a full face of makeup and your makeup looks flawless after your workout, you didn’t work out hard enough.  You obviously were at the gym for other reasons other than working out.  I hope you saw the cute boy you were dying to impress.

Tip for you:  Chillax on the makeup.  There’s a time and place for everything and the gym is NOT the place for this.  Don’t be that girl.

makeup

5.)  Bros who don’t re-rack their weight

Your lazy.  Your lazy.  Your lazy.  Did you just lift soooooo much weight that you can’t fathom the idea of taking the weight off the squat rack.  Do your poor leggies hurt too much?  Man up, bro!  Or are you not re-racking your weight because you want to show off how much you just leg pressed by leaving your weights on the machine?

NEWSFLASH: other people will want to use machines after you.  Leaving the weights on will cause someone like me to have to take an extra 5 minutes out of my workout to clean up after you.

Tip to you: Learn some manners and put away your big boy toys when you’re done playing with them.  Didn’t your mamma ever teach you?

rerack

6.)  Weight Hoarding

We all know the gym rat who could be casted on the next episode of Hoarders.  This person decides that they need one of every weight and size.  They surround themselves with dumbbells and barbells for the duration of their workout.  If your gym is anything like mine, you only have one set of some weights.

Tip to you:  Sharing is caring.  When you’re not using something, put it back until you need it again.

weights

7.)  Creep In The Mirror

The mirror is the most used piece of equipment at every gym.  Looking in the mirror during and after a good pump is expected.  These two just go together like peanut butter and jelly.   Just keep your eyes on yourself and don’t let your eyes wander too much.  Don’t be the guy who stares at girls through the mirror.  It’s just as creepy, if not MORE creepy when I catch a guy staring at me through an angled mirror.  It’s like you’re everywhere…staring…everywhere I look…you’re there…still staring.  You have just been given the creep card and no one wants a creep card.

Tip to you:  I can see you.  Just because you’re looking in the mirror and not directly at me, you’re still a creep. 

Creepy-mirror-stare

8.)  Chatty Kathy

The gym is a place to workout and have an occasional few words with friends.  The gym is NOT a social event.  We are not at the gym to catch up on life events and the latest gossip.  Don’t be the person who approaches everyone with a conversation.  No one likes Chatty Kathy.  I get it, you’re social and outgoing, but the gym isn’t a place for that.

Tip to you:  Ditch the gym partner if they are too chatty.  If you see someone with headphones in, don’t talk to them and wave at them until they are forced to take out their earphones.  A simple nod of the head will do.

talker

9.)  Smell

Don’t be the smelly one at the gym.  There are two main types of gym odors and neither of them are good.  There’s Mr. Body Odor who somehow has no idea of his retched odor coming from his body and then there’s Mrs. Bad Breath.  Mrs. Bad Breath always seems to be next to you on the treadmill.   When you’re doing sprints on the treadmill and are almost at the point of nauseousness, Mrs. Bad Breath always seems to hop on the one next to you and starts running.  When she starts huffing and puffing, she turns into a dragon and you get the wind of their nasty tuna-fish lunch they ate earlier.  There have been times I’ve literally had to switch treadmills because my treadmill neighbor’s breath smelled so bad and I couldn’t finish my workout.

Tip to you:  If you notice people around you are constantly switching treadmills after you come near them….give yourself a quick sniff and reevaluate your personal hygiene habits.

smelly

10.)  Don’t Be The Nude Dude

Sure, you’re comfortable in your own skin but that doesn’t make me comfortable with your skin.  That moment you’re in the locker room and quickly turn the other direction to be caught off guard to find bare knockers right next to your face is never fun (sorry if this is one of your fantasies guys, but it’s not fun).  When I accidentally look at you while you’re lathering yourself up with lotion, I instantly feel like a creep.  I question guess myself immediately “did she think I was looking at her business?”  No, no, no.  I was not looking at your business and thanks for making me feel more awkward than saying goodbye to someone before finding out they were going the same way as you.

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Tip to you:  If you really need to prop your foot up on a bench and lean over to lotion up that naked bod of yours, think about doing it in one of the private dressing rooms in the locker room.  Not everyone wants to see that.

I hope you enjoyed my 10 things NOT to do at the gym.  I’m sure many of you can relate to this post like I can 🙂

Do you have any other things that bother you in the gym?  What is the one thing that drives you crazy about the gym?  Leave your comments below.  I’d love to hear them!

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