Are you new to the gym? Or have you been going for a while, but aren’t sure how to behave in certain situations? Here are seven etiquette rules to follow to make sure that your gym is a pleasant environment for everybody using it.

1. Put your weights and equipment back

Once you’re done using your weights or equipment, put them back in their proper place. It is nobody else’s job to tidy up after you! When you are looking for a piece of equipment yourself, do you like to waste your precious time searching for it, because the last person using it didn’t put it back? You don’t? Well, neither does anyone else.

2. Share the equipment when necessary

If you are using a machine for several sets with breaks in-between (which means that you will be on that machine for quite some time), consider letting somebody else “work in” (do their sets while you are taking your breaks). In doing so, you will contribute to a friendly, cooperative atmosphere at your gym, and you will set a good example for others to do the same.

3. Treat the equipment with respect

Just because it doesn’t belong to you, doesn’t mean it doesn’t matter if it breaks. Treat the equipment you’re using as if it was your own. Gyms sometimes decide to get rid of certain pieces of equipment completely, because the running cost and effort of repairing or replacing them because they break or disappear constantly isn’t worth it. By treating the equipment well, you allow your gym to keep offering you a wider variety of well maintained machines and accessories.

4. Bring a towel and clean up after yourself

Make sure to check your gym’s policy on covering machines with a towel, and definitely clean up after yourself! Wipe any sweat residue off the seat, handles, or mat before you leave, and put any rubbish (tissues, bottle caps, empty plastic bottles,…) in the bins. It seems like this shouldn’t even have to be said, but the amount of gym-goers who act like it’s the gym’s employees’ job to pick up the litter they just leave anywhere or throw on the ground, is astonishing. Let’s bring some common decency back!

5. Respect other people’s personal space and privacy

In the age of phone cameras and social media, be careful not to film or photograph anyone who didn’t consent to it. When filming yourself, set up your phone or camera so that it films only you. And definitely don’t secretly film other people for social media attention (no matter what silly thing they might be doing)! Of course, also keep a reasonable amount of physical distance from other gym-goers. Don’t come too close to or touch anyone who didn’t ask for or consent to it.

6. Keep your volume at a reasonable level

A gym isn’t a quiet environment by default, and it doesn’t need to be. Still, there are certain things everyone can do to keep the amount of noise bearable. Use headphones when listening to music or podcasts, don’t grunt or shout uncontrollably while working out, and don’t drop the weights when it isn’t absolutely necessary. Putting the weights down in a controlled way requires more strength than simply dropping them. And while the floor may not shake with the impact of the heavy dumbbells you just lifted, you’ll still get additional strength benefits when putting them down quietly. As an extra benefit, you won’t make the people near you jump and lose their concentration.

7. Be welcoming to newcomers

Regardless of our starting point, we are all at the gym to better ourselves. Making fun of others for looking a certain way or for making a mistake is an absolute no-go. The same goes for looking down on newcomers, because they might not know their way around the equipment yet. Be kind, and appreciate the effort that everyone around you is putting into getting stronger, fitter and healthier.

It really is a privilege to spend time at a place filled with people working towards something positive. If we treat it as such, and apply a little bit of common courtesy, we contribute to making the gym an inspiring place to be.