The January fitness enthusiasm is well-documented online. Post-Christmas in the Western world, many people feel guilty about how they’ve treated their bodies throughout December, or take the dawn of a new year as the sign to start a positive habit, with exercise being a popular choice (Hi, 2017 Me!).
With this influx of newbies, regular gym goers in particular tend to pipe up in what is best described as frustration, and at worst is something more like active hostility. The thing is, the gym belongs to nobody, and if we are to truly stand by our assertion that everyone is welcome, those of us who are already regulars have a duty to support this decision.
Here’s how I think we should be welcoming to newcomers:
1. Sharing is caring!
If you’ve seen the inside of a gym, you’ll know that there’s only so much equipment. Weight machines tend not to be duplicated within one facility, so there does tend to be a queue for the popular ones at busy times. There are usually more options with cardio equipment, and lots of gyms will have more than one set of dumbbells. But it’s still finite. And so, as we are often heard telling children – share your toys! Avoid using the same kit for your entire workout (more on this later), and if you see someone hovering nearby, let them know how long you’ll be (and if you say more than four sets, expect some side eye from me)
2. Make space on the gym floor
As well as sharing the kit, share the actual physical space. Even if you’re doing a circuit which involves items such as a mat and a bench, keep them tidy in a minimal space, rather than strewn across the entire packed out functional area. Remember the darkest days of the pandemic when we kept to our 2 metre-square taped boxes? Visualise that space, and mark it out for yourself. And if you have the luxury of being the first one into a space that’s likely to become shared, don’t pick the dead centre to set up in. Choose a corner so that others can access a spot too
3. Efficiency saves everyone time
I know, radical right? But along the same line as making space, there is NEVER a time for supersetting with two pieces of kit that are on opposite sides of the gym, peak times are truly the absolute worst for this behaviour. In fact, the kindest way to ever superset is to use one piece of fixed equipment (such as a machine or squat rack) alongside a mobile piece (dumbbells, kettlebells, mats, resistance bands) or paired with a bodyweight exercise. And, if you don’t know how to tweak your programme in order to match exercises up like this, guess who does? A personal trainer
4. Model the gym community vibe
No, I don’t mean posing and sharing your apparel commission code (save it for your Instagram bio). I mean, just be nice. Smile and nod at new people. We all know that’s how friendships start. If you see someone coming through carrying things, step back and let them pass. Wipe down equipment after use (something I can’t believe we’re still saying). Avoid chatting in a huge group and blocking kit or general access (blow up the group chat later instead). Put your stuff away after using it (especially if you found it in the wrong place – nothing changes if we all adopt this stupid behaviour). Again, it’s playground stuff – we all know how to be nice, and I know it’s particularly hard at 6am when the caffeine hasn’t hit yet and it’s still dark, but please try
5. Don’t be a dick
It could’ve begun and ended here, really. But that’s what all of this comes down to. I’m going to add my voice to the list of the ones pointing the following out: you were new once too. You had no idea what you were doing, what anything was called, and why some people left plates on machines and others didn’t. Everyone deserves to be in the gym. Help them to believe it.