GYM RULES & ETIQUETTE
Here are a few gym rules we adhere to at RTC that best reflect our gym’s culture and allows us to foster a fun, safe, clean, and respectful training environment for everyone in our community. This list is hardly all-inclusive, but it pretty much comes down to safety, common courtesy, and respect for others and our equipment.
COMMUNITY FIRST:
Give us your feedback We love to hear from our members and guests. If you have something you want to say, please share it with us. Please let us know your gripes as well as your likes!
Welcome New Members. You were once the new kid on the block. Remember when you didn’t know what an AMRAP stood for or where the Abmats were located? Please introduce yourself to newer members and help them get acquainted with our ways.
No One Left Behind. Your workout isn’t finished until the last member in your class is finished. If you complete your workout before someone else, find someone who hasn’t finished and cheer them on. We guarantee there will be a grueling WOD in your future where you will be the last one standing and you may just welcome that extra push or cheer to get you through it.
SAFETY:
Kindergarten Rules Still Apply. You have to clean-up after yourself. It’s your responsibility to get out and put away your equipment, count your reps, get your own tissue, and clean off your bars. Plus, by carrying those huge Rogue boxes all the way across the shop, you’ll gain a lot of fitness.
Respect Our Coaches. Please pay attention when the Coach is explaining the workout and the movements. We ask that you refrain from loading barbells, grabbing equipment, practicing movements or discussing what you had for lunch when the coach is talking. While you may have heard the instruction for a deadlift one thousand times, it may be the first time for the person standing next to you. Besides you may just learn something new and it could be what separates you from your next PR!
Don’t Load Up Early. Please do not load or place weight on your barbell until you are told to do so by the coach. Trust us, you will be asked to remove the weight from your barbell.
Stay Aware. Be aware of your surroundings. We often get de-sensitized to what actually goes on at the gym, but there are really heavy objects being lifted, dropped, swung and thrown. Watch where you are going and listen to what is going on around you.
Scaling is Not for Sissys. Please do not argue with the coach if they ask you to scale your weight or movement. They are trying to keep you safe and moving effectively and efficiently through the workout. A coach will stop any workout or activity if it is deemed unsafe at any time.
Kids and Barbells Don’t Mix. We love all of our kids, but we want them to be safe. We encourage you to bring your kids with you, but all children need to be able to sit unattended in the designated kid area. If they require supervision, please have a responsible adult in attendance to supervise them. If your child is screaming please attend to them. Children are not allowed on the equipment at any time, and must be off the gym floor during classes.
Ghostriding is Never Cool. Please control your barbells or any weight you are moving. Do not drop lightweight barbells from overhead. This is a phenomenon called Ghostriding and while you may feel cool doing it, we guarantee you won’t feel cool when your barbell hits your neighbor. So please don’t do it. Barbells should only be dumped for safety purposes and out of necessity. We will give you one warning, after that your session is over.
Don’t Suffer in Silence. If you are injured please let us know before the workout. Remember we can scale and modify any movement! But only you know how your body feels. Train Smart!
ATTENDANCE:
Sign in to Class. If you don’t know how, please notify a coach.
Come Early. In fact, we prefer that you are early. Use the time to sign in, warm up, use the restroom, or meet a new member! Please be ready for class when it starts.
HYGIENE:
Don’t be a Smelly Nelly. Please Wear Deodorant.
Clean up your DNA. Please clean up your sweat, blood and puke. Wipe down your equipment before putting it away and pick up your used tape, Band-Aids, towels, Kleenex, and sweaty clothes.
EQUIPMENT AND FACILITY:
Speak Up. Please bring things to our attention. If you notice that equipment is broken, lights are out, or there’s no toilet paper in the bathroom, bring it to our attention so we can do something about it.
Clean Up After Yourself. Wipe down your white boards and equipment and keep your bodily fluids off our equipment. Pick up your tape, markers, poker chips, notebooks, water bottles, clothing and gear. Put away all the equipment you used back where it belongs. Stack the boxes neatly, put the bars in the racks, stack the plates in order, and hang up your jump ropes. If your kids make a mess, please clean up after them, especially any snacks they may have enjoyed. We pride ourselves on having the cleanest facility in the area. Please help us keep it that way. Set the example and others will follow.
Keep the Bathrooms Clean. We don’t expect you to be janitors. Just do the simple things like making sure your paper towels and tape end up in the garbage can. If you splash water all over the floor, wipe it up. If you sprinkle when you tinkle, please be neat and wipe the seat.
Respect our Equipment and Facility. Please take care of the equipment. Don’t tie knots in the jump ropes, don’t drag the boxes across the floors and don’t’ drop the kettlebells or dumbbells or any weight for that matter unnecessarily.
Don’t Drop Empty Barbells. Please do not drop a barbell without weight or when stripping weight off the barbell. This causes serious damage to our very expensive barbells. Plus every time an empty barbell is dropped a kitten dies.
Chalk Stays in the Bucket. I repeat…Chalk stays in the bucket. I assure you it is not magical fairy dust, so please use it sparingly. And whatever you do, do not use it to mark off your rounds on the floor. If you make a mess, there are spray mops around the gym for YOUR use!
ATTITUDE:
Be Positive. Eliminate Can’t or Never from your Vocabulary! Don’t drag others down with a bad attitude. We believe anything is possible with a little hard work and determination. Be optimistic, have fun and push yourself and others to do better.
DO YOUR BEST. We promise you the workouts will challenge you and push you to your perceived limits. We only ask that you use proper form and always try hard. Effort always earns respect. Nobody cares about your time on the board or how much weight you move, they only care that you tried.
TRAINING:
Be coachable. Everyone needs a coach! If you need help, ask for it. The coach is there to help make you better.
Your ego is not your Amigo.. And it is not welcome at our gym. Don’t be afraid to be uncomfortable! Challenge yourself and continue to progress through scaling options until you can execute full range of motion (ROM)! This stuff takes time so be patient, have fun and push yourself and others to become better. And please don’t take yourself so seriously…It’s only a workout.
Learn to Count. Please do not Cheat. It’s awkward when you do and evident to everyone around you. Try to complete every rep with good form and full range of motion no matter the time it takes you. Train with Integrity and the Gainz will come! If you lose count, the next number should always be 1.
Train Smart. Warm Up. Cool Down. Take Rest Days. We love Gainz…but make them smart Gainz! Rest, nutrition, and sleep are critical components to achieving results. Training and Volume alone won’t get you to your goal. Why do three WODs in one day when you aren’t very good at 1?
Have Standards. Always use full range of motion and train to the standard we teach. Just because you can do Rx weights doesn’t mean you always should. Lighter and lower is always better than heavier and higher.
Be accountable to yourself. Track your goals, your workout times, and PRs. Celebrate your accomplishments! “Life begins at the end of your comfort zone!”