Gym safety and etiquette

Gym Safety and Etiquette.

If you look on social media, whether it be Instagram, Tik Tok or Youtube you can see “Gym fails”.  Lots of footage out there of what some people might term “fuck around and find out”. If you want a long training career though, and I would hope you all do, here are some suggestions on not only how to train but how to do so safely.  

There are certain things that are obviously not a great plan. Squatting with weight is a great exercise, whilst squatting with weight when you’re balancing on a Swiss ball for example, isn’t worth it, given the reduction in weight and risk of falling.

I’m certainly not suggesting one can go through life with no risk, no activity is one hundred percent safe, but one can always take reasonable steps to mitigate unnecessary risk. Strength training is a generally a very safe activity, there are much lower incidents of injury than most sports. Taking a few wee precautions will help you ensure you have a safe training career and it certainly better than being the feature of the week on “Gym idiots”.

Respect the equipment.

Barbells, dumbbells and kettlebells are typically made of cast iron or steel. People are not, so the gym is no place for tom foolery.  Failing to respect equipment can result in serious injury.  Equally if you are making a heavy attempt and it seems to be going awry, set it down. The last thing you want is to lose a lift with a heavy weight over you; ultimately equipment can be replaced, but you are irreplaceable.  

Use safety measures where available.

If there is a safety measure available for you to use, use it. Whether it is safety arms, pins or straps, take advantage of them.  For example, when squatting, try and do so inside a power rack or half rack. Set the safety bars so that are about in line with your hip when you are stood up.  Then with an empty bar squat and check they are in the correct position. The correct position should allow you to lean forward a little and set the bar on the pins thus allowing you to duck out from beneath. Ideally when squatting, have spotters available to assist you. On the topic of squatting, if you have long hair, you might want to think about having it tied up, lest it gets caught under the bar.

When I bench press, I do so in a rack and set the safety bars so that the bar is just below the height of my chest. Again, this is so that if I were to get stuck at the bottom of a bench press, I could simply relax my chest and set the bar down on the pins. You can also start the bench press this way, from a dead stop at the chest. This is inherently safe (you can’t get pinned) and a great way to develop strength from the start.

Wear appropriate footwear.

Probably because of seeing it on Worlds Strongest Man, quite a few people now think it’s ok to lift in just their socks. If you are standing on a lifting platform, with can be varnished wood, socks are definitely not the best footwear. They provide little in the way of support and the feet can slip potentially dropping a weight on yourself. Even with rubber mats beneath your feet I still wouldn’t recommend lifting in a commercial gym with just socks on. A much better choice would be shoes specifically designed for lifting, with a tarsal strap that keeps the foot secure in the shoe and a proper sole that won’t slip on the ground. Depending on the movement this could be a thin flat non-slip sole or a shoe with a heel wedge, either will be good

Respect your fellow users and staff.

Gyms are commercial facilities, and as such they are relatively public spaces. The other members will be paying for a membership, just like you, so treat others with respect. Take a towel with you and wipe down equipment when your done with it, don’t leave a bench covered in a pool of your sweat. I don’t think I’ve been to a single gym that doesn’t have signs up saying “Please put your weights back”.  It’s not just about making it easier for everyone to find the weights they would like. Plates and dumbbells left lying around will create a trip hazard for you and your fellow users.  So, when you’ve finished with your weights, put them back where they live. Whilst I certainly encourage the recording of lifts to check form, you should always respect your fellow users, don’t set up a tripod where its going to be in others way, if someone doesn’t want to be in the background, respect that and never film in changing or locker rooms.  As Joey Swole notes, it’s never ok to film others without their consent especially if you’re doing so to mock them on social media. As noted earlier, Gyms are commercial facilities, you have no inherent right to be there so respect their rules, respect the staff and you can enjoy all the benefits strength training has to offer.