Sunday, June 7, 2009

On the radio a fellow called in about a question he had regarding gym manners. It appears he uses a gym at a guest house on a regular basis and does circuit training. Apparently other guests come in and, not realizing he is utilizing several machines in a consecutive order, begin to work out and foul up his circuit. He has explained politely only to be chastised and ignored. What can he do?

My advice was to speak up and tell the other gym participants they were interrupting his workout and could they possibly work on another machine for the time being and, if that didn't work to tell the gym manager or whoever was in charge what was going on. Perhaps the facility could put up a sign to alert other participants that circuit training was going on and to please ask before jumping onto a machine.

Gyms are enigmas in our society. They can be sweaty places filled with bacteria and germs and yet people seek them out for health purposes. Seriously, I do not have any problem with gyms as long as they are maintained and clean. They are a fixture of our youth-oriented society.

Q. My gym provides mats for us to use. Should I use theirs or bring my own?

A. Definitely bring your own. While a good gym does its best to keep its mats clean, they are used several times until they are washed. Even your own mat should be washed once a week if you sweat on it every day. Yes, mats can be washed in the washing machine, on cold with mild detergent and hung dry. Do not dry a mat in the dryer.

Or you could bring a towel that covers the mat.

Q. I take spinning classes. People rush in and grab bikes as soon as the previous class empties. Some people are very adamant that they have certain bikes. Can they do this?

A. If you let them, yes. No one owns a bike at a gym. If a person gets to a bike first, it is their bike to use. You cannot save bikes for people unless you are polite and ask if a person doesn't mind that you spin next to someone. I find that if I ask nicely I usually get what I want.

Gyms are great places to meet people and share a sense of community and well-being. What better place to be social than at a gym while working out and sharing your workout high. At the end you feel a sense of accomplishment and you encourage one another to become fit and healthy.

But a gym might also be intimidating. Some gyms are total pick-up places. They are places to go after you have gotten in shape, look fabulous and are cruising for some action. It's best to ask people who go to gyms which ones they like and why.

Q. I'm a dancer and I do pilates for an injury. I recently moved to a new town and took a pilates class. I was furious when it wasn't pilates at all but some mumbo-jumbo combination of yoga, pilates and other stuff I had never tried before. I not only didn't get what I paid for, I could have done more damage to my injury. Can I ask for my money back?

A. Absolutely. A good gym will give you a free class to try out a new workout for promotional purposes or for goodwill. If you took a class that was specifically billed as beginning weight lifting but turned out to be ti kwon do, you didn't get what you paid for. You may like it and want to include it in your repertoire, but it should be given free as a promotion. And take note: Just because you are in a class following an instructor, it doesn't mean that what you are doing is right for your body. If it hurts, you may be doing something wrong. Get help.

Q. There is this dude that takes off his shirt when he works out on machines. He looks great, but is this OK?

A. Everyone needs to cover up accordingly when working out unless you are in a pick-up gym or nude gym and then you should clean each piece of equipment with antibacterial spray or wipes after you use it. Frankly, I clean each piece of equipment before I use it, just in case.

Once again, it comes down to being aware of your surroundings. Be polite, people use the equipment after you. Treat the gym as your space and how you want someone else to leave it for you. Others watch you clean up after yourself and will take notice and clean up after themselves too. Dress appropriately. Men wear shirts, women a sports bra -- which is just that, a bra, and should go under something.

Amanda Piper-Smith will answer questions on manners of any kind, with no judgment passed, at amandapipersmith@aol.com. She appears on KONK 1630 AM on Fridays at five.