All Men Are Exercising Wrong
This may include the New York Knicks.
After last night’s historic collapse, I understand much more clearly why some Knicks fans I’ve been chatting with are approaching this series against their rivals with more fear than joy. Only three-to-six nights of stress to go! —Matt Stieb
WORKING OUT AND WORKING THROUGH IT
How to Get Healthy and Not Be Annoying
We have a lot to talk about.
Inspired by our writers going off on their niche opinions on exercise etiquette — and my own opinions on RFK Jr. swimming in jeans — I asked you Dinner Partyers last week about your hyperspecific training fixations. The poll returned some general answers: Clean the equipment, don’t hog gym space looking at your phone, respect the bike lane, etc. But many of the more targeted answers said more about male behavior than anything else. And if they didn’t have to do with men, they probably had to do with feet:
Just Be Normal
If a woman (or anyone) is alone in a row of empty machines, don’t take the one next to her (them)!! — I clearly am looking to avoid attention.
As a (female) longtime weightlifter and 20-plus-year gym vet, I want to make a T-shirt that reads "Have you asked a man yet how many sets they have left?" If three squat racks are in use and the other two users are men — even when they have been using them for longer than me -— people will ALWAYS ask me first. So I guess my etiquette advice is to not do that (at least every time?) — lol no, thank you
When running outside, wear shoes! I'm from Portland OR and we've got a bunch of weirdos who run barefoot outside. — Emily in Portland
Don't wear carbon-plated/"super shoes" for anything but running workouts. They are specialized, expensive competition shoes that aren't meant for walking, the gym, or anything else. — A.C.
If you are lucky to still be working from home, please work at home, not the gym. People who are on meetings, even silently, mess up the circuit by being totally distracted and unaware of what is going on in their space. They just sit endlessly at your favorite machine staring off & oblivious to your glares. It’s neither work nor a workout and it’s super annoying! — Liz
Just Be Quiet
More of a comment than anything else: Can men STFU? Both at the gym and in exercise classes, men of all ages are eager to make their presence known by groaning, moaning, huffing and puffing loud enough for the entire room to hear. It is so unpleasant and obnoxious. The women in my spin studio are worn out after class — and dead quiet throughout. But the men are loud and distracting as hell the entire time. Enough already!! — Put a sock in it
Haruki Marukami said it best (for gentlemen of all genders): “A gentleman shouldn’t go on and on about what he does to stay fit..” — Desert Runner.
Just Be Clean
If you take yoga, all the time or just one class here and there, please for the love of god think about the state of your feet the day before. Straight men of yoga, I’m talking to you. — Kali
You asked for niche, so this is specific to hot yoga -- DO: if you sweat enough that there is literally a puddle expanding AROUND your mat, it is your responsibility to bring extra towels to deal with that shit so it doesn't start creeping toward other people's mats (EWW). — 26 and 2 snob
I am generally not a germophobe, and I'm not even one of those people who think that flip-flops should be illegal, but I cannot abide people walking barefoot around the gym — particularly in the weights area. Just wear socks! Socks are fine!!!!!!!! — Footwear faithful
And Some Passionate Opinions
PLEASE NO MEN IN COREPOWER CLASSES!!!!! Either stay home or go flip a tire or something. – Bella
NO COUPLES IN YOGA CLASS!!!! – Emily
No skin-colored leggings, please. — Muffin
Exercise at home, always. I've never understood gyms or studios and can't fathom the money people shell out for these memberships. I have shoes, I have stairs, I have a little weight set, I have a big exercise ball to bounce on while I watch TV. And in this way, my exercise etiquette is always perfection. — JustKat
QUOTES OF THE DAY
While We’re at It, Don’t Be a Freak at the Office Either
We’ve been saying this for 100 years.
We’re five years out from the pandemic shutdown, and God is still testing our weakest soldiers (office workers) with his easiest battles (how to act in the office.) To help guide us, the great-great-grandchildren of etiquette expert Emily Post have published an update to her 1922 guide, Etiquette in Society, in Business, in Politics, and at Home. In our latest issue, Carrie Battan reviews the new book and argues why “a Great Workplace Reset is in order” and how Etiquette 2.0 could help:
Click Your Way Out
Hmm, what other dumb etiquette opinions do I have? Honking is actually fine; let’s go with that.
“Why do men have to breathe while they exercise?!” Hard hitting journalism from NY Mag.
Some of the observations here about what entitlement men expect at the gym are true, but the claim they should be quieter when lifting is stupid to the point of being comical. I’ve been lifting for 30 years in various modalities and I’m sorry to tell you grunting through exertion is normal across both sexes under sufficient load or strain. This is true for physiological reasons among many, many others. Trying to police this part of how men (people, really) lift is borderline misandry and unfortunately makes accepting some of the other reasonable demands here harder to take seriously.