We’ve all seen people in the dumbbell area at the gym who annoy everyone in the place thanks to their inconsiderate lifting behavior. Here are a few areas of concern regarding dumbbell etiquette. Make sure you’re following them!

Dropping dumbbells

Yes, there are going to be times when you may need to drop dumbbells. Maybe you have just completed eight insanely heavy repetitions of incline dumbbell press. The thought of sitting up with the dumbbells is probably fairly impossible at this point, due to depleted strength levels. However, you should never be one of those people who just drops the dumbbells from three feet off the ground without warning. First, you should notify those people working on the benches on either side of you that you will be dropping them at the completion fo your set. Second, ensure there is enough space between your benches that you won’t be smashing anyone’s toes. Finally, make every effort to lower them as far as possible to the ground before dropping them. A dumbbell dropped from 12 inches will cause a lot less noise, damage, and potentially injury, than a dumbbell dropped from 36 inches. Make an effort to drop dumbbells without it being a big deal.

Monopolizing the rack

Suppose its shoulder day and you’re doing dumbbell side raises, followed by dumbbell lateral raises. You’ll be bouncing around the dumbbell rack for 20 to 25 straight minutes. While you’re making the place your home for that time period, it’s important to be a good “roommate” for the other houseguests in the gym. Grab your dumbbells, and retreat to your bench. Use eye contact, and nods to direct traffic through a crowded area.

The Mirror

We’ve all seen the super-intense guy who needs to have a clear mirror space to examine his own arms during a rough set of 25-pound dumbbell curls. That’s great for him – but often very inconvenient for those around him trying to get to the dumbbells he is blocking with his one-man show. It’s fine to use a mirror during your set to keep your form perfect and maintain your concentration. However, if your body is blocking anyone else from accessing the dumbbells of benches, you are displaying poor gym etiquette.

Down-the-rack

Complete one set of biceps dumbbell curls with the 50s. Then complete one set with the 40s. Then, move to the 30s. We have all seen Ronnie Coleman use this technique on his DVDs, and we all know how effective this type of training can be. However, you should work to use this training style at a time of the day when the gym isn’t absolutely packed with people.

Supersets

We all know that a set of dumbbell flyes followed by a set of incline bench presses can be highly useful for stimulating new growth in the pectorals. Don’t complete your dumbbell flyes in the dumbbell area, then sprint to your bench for the pressing. Take the dumbbells with you. After completing your superset, return the dumbbells. You’ll have an enemy for life in the gym employee who has to carry your 40-pound dumbbells across the gym to re-rack them!

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