The gym is a slightly strange place. On the one hand, we go there to work out, sweat and forget for a moment about everything happening outside. On the other hand, it is also a shared social space where we spend quite a few hours each week, often alongside the same people and certainly using the same equipment. In this social microcosm, we share benches and weights, mirrors and locker rooms, as well as far less personal space than we might like.
As a result, alongside the official rules, every gym also has an unwritten code of conduct that makes clear what is acceptable and, more importantly, what is not. Not even close. And then there is the Israeli gym, a ruthless jungle where only the strong — literally — survive.
So can a towel really “save” a machine for you? When does an innocent selfie become an invasion of privacy? And why should you think twice before approaching someone in the middle of a set? Here are all the rules that should be printed, laminated and posted next to the water coolers.
Leaving sweat on the equipment
Every gymgoer knows the moment: You walk up to a bench only to discover that someone has left behind a damp souvenir from their last set. Yes, sweating is natural and even a sign that you worked hard, but the next person should not have to wallow in the bodily fluids you left on the equipment.
The gym is a shared space, not a crime scene where you leave DNA samples behind. Finished? Give it a quick wipe. Two seconds of effort will spare the rest of us an intimate encounter we never asked for.
Giving unsolicited professional advice
Oh, hello there, Mr. Arnold Schwarzenegger, Mr. Olympia. Good thing you showed up. We really couldn’t manage without you.
There is something about the gym that makes people feel as though a personal trainer certification came automatically with their membership. All it takes is seeing someone perform an exercise a little differently and suddenly there is an irresistible urge to walk over, correct them and explain exactly what they are doing wrong.
But with all due respect, you don’t know what their training goals are, whether they are dealing with an injury or physical limitation or whether this is exactly how their trainer instructed them to do it. Even if you are convinced you are right, unsolicited advice can come across as patronizing and condescending rather than helpful.
Unless there is an immediate danger, keep the professional analysis to yourself.
Not putting weights back
You walk into the free weights area and instead of starting your workout, you find yourself playing another round of “Where’s the dumbbell?” One is lying next to a bench, its partner has disappeared to the other side of the room and you are running around as if the gym has turned into an escape room.
Is it really that difficult to put a weight back where it belongs? If you managed to lift it for three sets, chances are you still have enough strength left to return it to the rack.
Picked it up? Used it? Put it back. Do that and the world will be a slightly better place.
Were you born in a gym?
(Photo: Shutterstock/otate22)
Working out when you’re sick
Yes, we know it’s hard to skip a workout. You feel like you’re wasting away, it will break your streak, you’re addicted and you have a problem. We’ve been there too.
But there is a big difference between that and dragging yourself to the gym with a 39.3 C (102.7 F) fever, strep throat and a bubble of mucus dangling from your nose. Showing up sick turns the gym into a mass infection party, as if it were 2020 all over again.
Instead, here’s an idea: Stay home. If the urge to move is unbearable, you can go from the bed to the couch, from the couch to the refrigerator and back again. Three rounds, rest as needed and you’re all set.
Marking your territory with a towel
Who knew that something as mundane as a towel could wield so much power — the ability to mark territory, claim ownership of a machine and then disappear to the other side of the gym as if no other gymgoers existed?
Just like at a hotel pool in Eilat, apparently all you have to do is spread out a towel to declare: I was here and someday, eventually, I will return.
A towel is not a deed of ownership or a lien registered with the Land Registry. During peak hours, you cannot toss one down to reserve several stations at once and expect everyone else to wait while you complete your private circuit.
Moved on to another exercise or disappeared for an extended period? The machine is available to the public again. Even the magic of a towel has its limits.
This isn’t a hotel in Eilat
(Photo: Shutterstock/Amnaj Khetsamtip)
Approaching someone in the middle of a set
A guy is bench-pressing 80 kilograms (176 pounds), the vein in his forehead has tripled in size and he looks one step away from the emergency room at Rambam Medical Center. He is not having fun.
Why, seriously, why do you have to ask him at that exact moment whether he and Lilach ever got around to replacing the grout around the bathtub?
Talking to someone in the middle of a set is like a waiter asking whether you’re enjoying your meal while you’re in the middle of a bite, only worse. At least you can nod at the waiter with your mouth full. When you are trying to maintain proper form while desperately negotiating with your lungs, there really isn’t room for questions from the audience.
If the weight is still in the air, the conversation is closed.
Beyond simply being annoying, approaching someone in the middle of a set breaks their concentration and can hurt their performance. During heavy exercises, it can also pose a safety risk. Wait until they put down the weight, finish gasping for air and return to the land of the living.
Making too much noise
The gym has taught us that effort produces results, but it has also taught us that the human voice has a surprisingly wide range.
A heavy weight can draw a groan, an exhale or even a sound we never knew we were capable of making. That is natural. What is less natural is turning every rep into a spectacular vocal performance worthy of the safari.
The people around you are already dealing with their own exertion. They don’t need your soundtrack as a bonus. Just try to tone it down a little.
The same goes for playing music through a speaker. We’re sure your taste in music is fantastic, but keep it to yourself and put on headphones. Not everyone asked for a front-row seat at your concert.
Please keep the noise down
(Photo: Shutterstock/MilanMarkovic78)
Scrolling on your phone or taking calls while occupying equipment
Resting between sets is a legitimate part of a workout. Watching three videos, answering emails and having a catch-up call with Sean from your soccer game while people are waiting for the machine is an entirely different activity.
It is very easy to lose track of time while scrolling, but the bench you are sitting on is not your living-room recliner and the machine is not a private phone booth.
Need to take a call or disappear into your feed? Give up the spot and come back when you remember that you came to work out.
Does your dad own the bench?
(Photo: Shutterstock/antoniodiaz)
Hygiene, hygiene, hygiene
There are many rules when it comes to hygiene. Yes, wiping off your sweat already got a section of its own, but there are a few other matters that need addressing.
For example, showing up in clothes that haven’t seen a washing machine since your last workout is not sexy. Yes, even if the slogan on your old army training shirt is absolutely hilarious.
Deodorant is a must. A single gymgoer who has neglected their armpits can upset the ecological balance of an entire Israeli summer. It is a social responsibility. On the other hand, there is no need to solve the problem with half a bottle of perfume.
And that is before we even get to the various gases that may be released during a workout. After all, there is nothing more enjoyable than bending down to pick up a weight, getting hit in the face with a wave of stench and feeling your life flash before your eyes.
If you feel one coming, take a few steps to the side. That is not weakness. That is leadership.
Showing up late to a group class
People make plans and life happens — not to mention traffic. Sometimes even those who make every effort to avoid it still manage to arrive late to a studio class.
We won’t scold you for being late once, but when it becomes a habit, that is a big no-no.
You know the scene: The door opens, everyone turns around, the instructor loses the flow of the class, you offer your cutest “sorry” and try to figure out why everyone already has sweat stains under their arms while you are still looking for a mat.
Were you looking for attention? Because now you have it from the entire studio.
Beyond the disruption, you may have missed the warm-up and the explanation of the exercises, meaning you also missed the part designed to help you perform them safely.
Significantly late? Sometimes the most courteous thing to do is simply sign up for the next class. It hurts, but the truth hurts.
But why disturb everyone?
(Photo: Shutterstock/PeopleImages)
Filming yourself while other gymgoers are in the frame
Smile, you’re screwed!
Social media has turned every workout into a content opportunity and every piece of gym equipment into a potential film set. And that, as you might imagine, is a recipe for trouble.
All it takes is one phone placed at the wrong angle for your private workout video to turn into a guest appearance by half the gym.
There is nothing wrong with filming yourself to check your form, document your progress or simply post yet another workout story. The problem begins when other gymgoers become extras in your production without being asked and sometimes without even knowing it.
Before hitting record, check who is in the background, move the camera or crop them out of the frame.
In the locker room, the rule is even simpler: Don’t film. Period.
People, surprisingly enough, change clothes there. They should not discover after the fact that they made a guest appearance in your reel and became unwitting stars of soft-core porn. Anyone who spends time online knows these rules were written in blood.
Smile, you’re screwed
(Photo: Shutterstock/Ground Picture)
Staring, making comments or turning the gym into Tinder with weights
It’s 2026, folks. Since MeToo, we were supposed to have learned a thing or two about boundaries, but apparently some people still need a refresher.
Yes, the gym is full of mirrors, tight clothing and positions that, outside this particular context, might require an explanation. None of that is an invitation to stare. A little tact would do everyone some good.
We’re not against romance. People have met in worse places and at the gym, at least you already have one topic of conversation. It is fine to smile, say hello and even exchange a few words between sets.
But not every instance of eye contact is an invitation, and headphones are generally the universal version of a “do not approach” sign. If you get a one-syllable response and the earbud immediately goes back in, the conversation is over.
And perhaps most importantly, comments about someone’s body are best kept to yourself. “I can tell you’ve been working hard on your butt” is not professional feedback anyone asked to receive, even if you say it in the tone of a personal trainer. And this applies to everyone, regardless of gender.
One polite approach, the ability to read the situation and the willingness to back off — that is all there is to it. Anything beyond that is no longer flirting. It is harassment.
Taking over the mirror for prolonged posing and photo shoots
Every gym has them: the people who do not merely use the mirror but seem to be having an illicit affair with it.
It always begins quietly, almost furtively. Out of the corner of your eye, you see them sneak toward the mirror, lift their shirt slightly to make sure their abs are still there. The bolder ones turn a shoulder toward the light, carefully compare their right profile with their left and then pull out their phone, because an intimate moment like this with their triceps simply must be documented.
Meanwhile, the rest of us mere mortals are trying to peer between their elbow and their phone so we can use the mirror for the strange purpose for which it was installed: to see ourselves.
There is nothing wrong with checking your form, tracking your progress or snapping a quick picture. The problem begins when a quick glance turns into Paris Fashion Week.
We’re just here to remind you: The mirror is a shared space, not an exclusive relationship.
The mirror belongs to everyone
(Photo: Shutterstock/MilanMarkovic78)
Turning the locker room into your private beauty salon
Don’t get us wrong. We’re all for self-care, especially when we’re not the ones paying for it.
Go ahead and shower, comb your hair, shave and put on some moisturizer. Why not? Pamper yourself.
But there is a difference between getting ready quickly and opening a beauty salon next to the lockers. The same applies to prolonged body shaving, dyeing your hair and taking over the entire sink with a toiletry bag the size of a cooler.
And nails, by the way, should be clipped at home. Nobody wants to step out of the shower and discover a stranger’s crescent-shaped toenail clipping stuck to their flip-flop.
Finished getting ready? Clean up after yourself. Hair in the sink, shaving foam on the counter and a wet towel on the bench are not part of the next gymgoer’s spa package.
The locker room is there to help you leave the gym feeling refreshed, not to let you leave behind a biological hazard.