A few simple tweaks can go a long way in making someone feel more welcome—and wouldn’t you have wanted that courtesy when you were just getting started?
For people just getting started at the gym now, these early days are likely going to bring worry and anxiety along with it, especially for groups who are often underrepresented in the fitness space in general. So that’s why I’m imploringfeel comfortable in the gym, who does feel like they belong, to take inventory of your actions and behaviors there. I know I would have.
Fitness as a whole is ripe for a reckoning to become more inclusive, more welcoming, to anyone who wants to get started. Why not do your part to create positive change? Here are some things to keep in mind at your crowded gym this month—when you don’t want to be that asshole turning off a whole new crop of people from all the good fitness has to offer.
You may think you’re helping—so the next person doesn’t have to load up from scratch—but not everyone can use that amount of weight for their sets. And reracking that weight to something theylift can be difficult for someone just starting out. Forty-five pounds is a lot, especially if you have to reach up to unrack it! By leaving those big plates on, you’re sending the message that this machine might not be for them.
Along that same note, it’s also a good idea to adjust the settings on the machines you use back to neutral when you’re done with them. If you leave the leg press on its tallest setting, short people are going to have a hell of a time getting it back to their level. Same for a tall person leaving a rack set up for their overhead press—a short person can really struggle taking down that barbell from a height that may well be above their head.
Since gyms tend to be busier with the New Year’s rush, my advice—whether or not you think someone wants to use one of “your” machines—is to break your circuit up into smaller parts and program them with exercises you can do with the same equipment. For example, maybe you superset a bench-supported row and dumbbell chest press, so you only need a bench and dumbbells. That way, there’s no uncertainty as to what equipment is available, and you’ll be ready to move on quicker. It’s just courtesy.
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