So Nick and I both agree that gym etiquette and safety need to be discussed just to lay down the best practice rules for those that are painfully misinformed.

First of all, please make sure that you’re using clamps to hold the weight on your barbells… I can’t say how many people I’ve seen up the weight after their warm ups without putting on the clamps, and then do ok for the first rep or two only to start struggling and have their stronger side push further.  Thereby angling the bar… and subsequently dumping weight off of one side.  While at times this is absolutely hilarious to watch (particularly if said person acts like they’re God’s gift to anything alive), it can also cause a lot of physical damage within the weight lifter (sudden torquing to one side because of no weight on one side of the barbell… not to mention potentially reducing a poor bystander’s feet to the depth of crepes.

The other biggy when it comes to weight room safety is something that is touted quite regularly but still doesn’t seem to click with people: spotters.  While the lack of a spotter can sometimes serve as motivation to pump out one last rep (you let the weight down and realize how stupid you’ll look if you get stuck underneath it), it can be very dangerous.  Weight can drop on your head/throat, you can dislocate bones by trying to force the move, etc.

In a nutshell, always use clamps to avoid making foot crepes, and always use a spotter.