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Kathleen Gobeille's avatar

On gym etiquette and waiting/asking for a machine is not rude to ask, but never do it while the user is actively lifting, wait until they are resting.

Another option I use often is to ask the user if I can “work-in” on the machine or equipment. This means I lift while they rest. However, the etiquette for this is that as the person asking to work-in YOU are responsible for switching the weight and the location of the seat back to what the original user was lifting.

If you’re asking to work in on something like a squat rack, bench, or leg press (eg equipment that requires adjusting for height and plates) make sure you’re capable of moving the weight.

Most avid lifters will rest 2-5 minutes between sets, so you have the time but if they are pressing 500 lbs be sure you can move the weight off the machine, do your set, and load the equipment in time.

If it’s a cable machine where the user can easily switch the pin, it’s easy, but on other equipment that involves weight plates and J-hook heights, note their size and strength.

As a 5’5” woman squatting 130 lbs, I wouldn’t ask to work in with a man that is 6’3” squatting 400 lbs. my whole workout would be moving weight around. Haha.

Bottom line, you can always ask. Most seasoned lifters are cool with it.

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James Callan's avatar

A great episode, as usual. And the question about waiting for gym equipment prompted a meta-question from me about etiquette. (This from the same James who asked about "tacky" a few months ago.)

The question: Is it rude to be weird?

The question asker wanted to know if it was "weird" to ask someone when they'd be done with a machine at the gym. I realized I've often heard that word — "weird" — used as a rough synonym for "rude" — but like "tacky," in my mind, "weird" might overlap sometimes with "rude," but more often just means that something is unusual or uncommon. And it doesn't seem inherently rude, to my mind, to do something unusual. Not break the rules, but stray outside the norms.

But you asked for questions, and I'd love to hear your thoughts about the relationship between being weird and being rude.

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