By Conner Williams - Editorial Editor

The Health and Wellness Center hosts, on average, 5,440 users per week, according to Rip Horsey, director of campus recreation. It can become cluttered and busy at peak times, and following these simple tips will make everyone’s workouts better and their experiences more enjoyable.

Disclaimer: This list was not obtained from the Health and Wellness Center. It was compiled by the editorial editor of The Journal.

1. Put your weights away

• This is number one for a reason. Seriously, put your weights away.

2. Wipe down your equipment
• This falls in close accordance with number one. Nobody wants to have to use a bench or machine that is covered in your sweat. Great job on working hard, but please clean up after yourself.

3. Don’t idle on machines or stations
• Everyone rests between their sets, but that doesn’t mean the machine or bench then serves as a place to take a load off while you text away. Get off your phone, and let someone else work in.

4. Do your exercise at least 5 feet away from the mirror
• We all know the key to building big arms is to stare intently at yourself while doing curls, but that doesn’t mean you need to stand directly in front of the dumbbell racks. Leave enough room so that other people can grab and put away the weights they need.

5. Use headphones
• Nobody wants to hear your music, or you singing along to it. Attention-seeking behavior is just plain obnoxious. Go to Bi-Mart and buy a $6 pair of Skullcandy earbuds.

6. Use a spotter
• There is a thin line between arrogance and ignorance. If you’re going to attempt a lift that you know you can’t do more than twice or will struggle with, ask someone to spot you. We’re all happy to help, just as long as we don’t have to lift all the weight for you because you want to show off with some immovable heavy weight.

7. Wash your hands after using the restroom
• This one is pretty self-explanatory. According to the Center for
Disease Control and Prevention, washing your hands prevents illnesses and the spread of infections to others. Who would’ve thought? Thousands of hands touch the gym equipment every day, so let’s try to keep it as sanitary as possible.

8. Don’t take over someone’s station or machine
• You just saw that person using that piece of equipment, so before taking it from them, ask if they are done. If not, ask if you can work in with them. Most people are happy to share equipment. After all, this is a public gym.

9. Be aware of your surroundings
• Don’t blindly walk around the gym with your eyes glued to your phone. There are people everywhere, and running into someone can cause a very dangerous situation.

10. Use deodorant
• This cannot be stressed enough. You may not be able to smell yourself, but the rest of us can, and it isn’t pleasant. Go buy a $2 Speed Stick, and keep it in your gym bag.

11. Keep the between-set conversation to a minimum
• You’re here to work out, not to chat and take up valuable gym space. If you need to take a phone call or text someone, do it off to the side of the weight floor.

12. Keep your workout tips to yourself
• Unless someone is performing an exercise with excessively poor form that can cause injury to themselves and/or others, your fitness advice probably isn’t welcome.

13. Try not to stare at other people
• This one mostly applies to the men of the gym crowd. We’ve all been caught creeping at least once, but try to keep it on the down low, and don’t make anyone uncomfortable by conspicuously staring wide-eyed while they’re mid-deadlift.