lifestyle

Modern etiquette: Minding your manners at the gym

12 Comments
By Mary M Mitchell

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12 Comments
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Stuff that bugged me at my gym;

1/ the guy that needs to do a "victory lap" around the gym each time he finishes a set of exercise. Usually after doing a 25 kg bench press....

2/ the people who sit at machines and chat after they are finished. Move on, folks.

3/ the guy that not only struts around the change room naked, but also uses the communal hair dryer to blow-dry his "package" after showering.

4/ also in the change room, the guy whose idea of washing before hopping into the bathtub is scooping a ladleful of water out of the bath and throwing it somewhere in the region of their crotch. This is Japan- bathe thoroughly.

1 ( +2 / -1 )

Why waste your money at a gym when there are a million and one ways to to it freely. One requires slight imagination.

-1 ( +3 / -4 )

Why waste your money at a gym when there are a million and one ways to do it freely. One requires slight imagination.

-1 ( +3 / -4 )

Gyms in Japan are basically social clubs for people to hang out, watch TV, chat to friends etc....I never see people improve their bodies.

1 ( +4 / -3 )

I went to a really friendly gym for a while and found it to be a great experience. Some people need some sort of push to get them excercising and I found that my gym membership did just that. Also, I don't know of too many houses in Japan with their own pools or places to swim all winter with a hot tub and sauna to relax in after. However, now I have a treadmill at home along with some weights for my hubby and I to use.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

In short, be a robot. And don't fart.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

So many rules, no fun at all, like everything else in JP. Being constantly stared at by staff should be banned!!

-3 ( +0 / -3 )

I disagree with No. 1 above. The other nine sound logical. For beginners, I like to wear old training clothes, so if I get sweaty, so what. They always get washed after each session anyhow. Those who dress up like it is a fashion show tend to turn me off (this also goes for cycling, jogging etc.). And I prefer going barefooted in the gym because I can get a better "grip" on the mats when hitting the heavy bag or tossing the medicine ball around. Never even considered walking into a metal plate or barbell while working out ... until I read about it in No. 1. The loud grunters & groaners really bug me ... and I just hope they hurry up and finish their routines ... then get out.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

For a very short time I was a member at a local gym.

I love saunas and wanted to try the sauna, but in order to get to it, you had to walk past the swimming pool.

In the swimming pool area, there is a strict rule that you have to wear swimming caps. It was written in big letters on the wall.

As soon as I set foot in the pool area, a rather wimpy little official zoomed up to me.

The conversation went like this:

"Excuse me!"

"Yes."

"You can't come in here like that."

"Like what?"

"Like that! Without a swimming cap!"

"Oh, I see. Don't worry. I'm not going swimming. I'm just going to the sauna."

"But you can't come in here without a swimming cap."

"But I've already told you. I'm not going to enter the pool."

"It's a rule."

"Oh. Is it?"

"Yes."

"Even if I were to enter the pool, why would I need a swimming cap?" (I'm completely bald.)

"Because it's a rule."

"How about my beard? Wouldn't I need to cover that?"

"The rules don't say anything about beards. But you can't come in here without a swimming cap!"

We Woosters know when we have reached a brick wall. We do not need to labour the point. I found that I was in complete agreement with comrade Smith's comment above, ". . . there are a million and one ways to to it freely. One requires slight imagination."

So, there and then, I quit.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Gyms in Japan are basically social clubs for people to hang out, watch TV, chat to friends etc....I never see people improve their bodies.

I agree, gyms in Japan fulfill the function of doctors' surgeries for middle-aged people.

-3 ( +0 / -3 )

For the record, I've never come across a decent article on gym etiquette in mainstream newspapers.

I agree with quitting the gym and employing some imagination. I quit ages ago, took up running and got some weights for home, and saved an incredible amount of time and money each month. I noticed that because I was hitting the gym, I felt entitled to eat what I wanted and so while I was fairly healthy, I'm now far fitter from condensing my workouts and spending time on actual hobbies.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Scant, sexy dressing is inappropriate because it is distracting and embarrassing.

I'm late 40's, male, and hairy. Looking sexy in ANYTHING is just not possible!

By definition, classes are group activities.

Hmm, is this a gym or a studio? Big difference.

Don’t crowd. Consider others’ exercise space and don’t crowd them.

Two's company, right?

0 ( +0 / -0 )

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