Making Friends at The Gym

The gym can be a great place to make good friends with people who have the same goals and ambitions as you. Many great friendships have been formed in gyms and if you want the kind of friends that like to be active and live a healthy life as well, the gym might be a great place to start.

You might want to start building your network of exercise-related contacts to help you get into the fitness industry, or just make a few mates that will be a positive influence.

How to make friends at the gym

Don't be annoying

First off: Don't be the person that everybody wants to avoid. See the most annoying people in the gym and make sure you are not one of these people. Make sure you aren't the annoying guy at the gym because you won't make any friends at all that way.  

Make sure that your first objective for going to gym is to work out. Don't go to the gym just to make friends. This comes across and you won't win the respect of anybody there if that is the case.

Train hard. Look good and exercise as well as you can. People around you notice these things. Ironically, people who go to gym for the right reasons end up making more friends than people who attend for nothing but social interaction.

You should not go to the gym in jeans and a shirt to look good. That will make you look silly and unfocused on training hard. Look good by being presentable. You might be at gym, but take some pride in yourself. I'm referring to things like brushing your teeth and wearing clean gym clothes. The bigger and stronger you are, the more likely people will want to be friends with you. Use this as motivation to do your best at the gym. Just as much as you notice the people who are really performing their best at the gym, you want to be one of those people so that others can notice you too.

Be approachable

Start by being approachable. You might look intimidating without knowing it. Many people do. If your eye meets someone else's (which will happen by accident), smile. Smile often to give off the impression that you are kind, a nice human being and easy to talk to. Open up your body language. If you are on your phone between sets or if you are using headphones, then people should respect you and not bother you. Ditch these things if you want to make friends.

Talk to a variety of people

You might want to be friends with the biggest and coolest looking guys in the gym exclusively, but going up to these people in the middle of their training session is going to irritate them. You don't want to be the irritating guy. Be nice and pleasant to everybody at the gym. Greet the staff, cleaners, the old guy from the steam room that talks to everybody and even the people that you wouldn't usually associate yourself with. They are generally nice people, and once you make friends with these people, you will be introduced to more and more people until you know almost everybody around the facility.

Don't talk down to anybody. Do not judge the guy that does cardio along with weight training and don't say bad things about people to others at the gym. This will give you a bad reputation.

Gym at a set time

Most people gym at the same time routinely. If you are able to gym at the same time regularly, you will start to recognize reoccurring faces, and start getting to know the people there. Going to gym at a different time can sometimes feel like walking into a different gym altogether. Personally, whenever I gym at a different time from normal, I am surprised at all the strangers there. The funny part is that they all probably think I'm a newbie because they obviously haven't seen me before either.

Take baby steps

Don't rush in and try to start conversations with everybody. That will be annoying to the other gym members. Start with smaller steps. Make it a habit of smiling often. Greet people as you walk past them. Try to greet everybody you can and not only certain people. A simple 'how you doing' will do. Don't stop everybody to shake their hands if you don't know them. 

When working on exercises that need spotting like the bench press ask people around you for a spot - but make sure not to cause them inconvenience. Don't take up too much their time so that they can't focus on their own workouts. If someone is using a machine or weight that you want to use, ask how many sets they have left. If the number is 3 or greater, it is okay to ask if they mind sharing the machine with you. Most people won't mind sharing weights with you as long as it doesn't slow down their own workout. If the number of sets they have left is 2 or more, asking to share will sound silly so just wait until they are done. 

Feel free to ask people for advice when you need to, but don't ask a million questions every time you see them. Most people love giving advice and they will enjoy talking to you about what they know. You might want to ask someone how they got such big calve muscles or how to do better at your bench press. 

Don't overdo it

This is very important. Don't ever talk to someone for so long that they end up taking too long in-between their exercise sets. They will start to associate you with slacking off and will try avoiding your conversation altogether if they think it will lead to decreased performance in their training. 

If you want people to like you, you need to try to end up doing most of the listening in a conversation. When we talk, we often focus so much on what we are saying that we don't realize that the person who is listening is just waiting for you to end talking so that they can get away. You don't want that to happen to you. Develop the ability to distinguish whether the person is interested in talking to you or not. Most people won't tell you that you are irritating them out of courtesy, so try to draw the line between being annoying and friendly. 

If someone has earphones or is on their phone, don't bother them unless you know them. There are many people who don't like chatting at all when they're working out. You need to distinguish the difference between the people who don't mind interacting with others and the ones that don't want to socialize at all. 

Take it easy. Just because someone greeted you back doesn't mean you should be asking for their number. People will take time to start seeing you as a buddy in the gym as opposed to a stranger. Slowly but surely, get to know all the people a little more and more each time you can and let things happen naturally.

STAY STRONG!

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Benefits Of Drinking Lemon Juice For Athletes

Drinking lemon juice can be very beneficial to your body. Making it a daily routine can be helpful in keeping you healthy. The healthier you are, the more time you can train in the gym and the less down time that you are forced to spend grounded from that nasty flu or cold. Read more about this along with other benefits below.

Benefits of drinking lemon juice (With water)

Lemon benefit 1: It boosts your immune system

Lemons are high in vitamin C, which strengthens the immune system. Drinking lemons in liquid form (lemon juice) allows for quick and usable absorption when your body needs it. Drinking it daily allows your body to get more of the vitamin whenever you have a deficiency - which you might be unaware of even having. Don't wait for sickness to let you know you're vitamin C deficient. You don't know when you need vitamin C, so taking it regularly will do wonders to prevent the sicknesses you didn't know you were going to get. This proactive approach allows you to fight off illnesses before you get sick, not when you're already sick and it's too late.

Lemon benefit 2: Recovery, joint strength and injury prevention

Even though lemon juice is acidic, it assists your body to remove excess acid from your body. This can help remove some of the lactic acid build up from exercise. Doing so will speed up recovery and get your muscles back on track sooner. Add the vitamin C content to the mix and your joints will have more of what they need to get stronger. This helps to prevent injury. Here are other great ways to speed up recovery from exercise. 

Lemon benefit 3: Lemon juice makes you look good from the inside out

Lemon juice is used topically on the skin to help with pimples, wrinkles and to fade freckles. But taking it through a drink will make you look better from the inside out. It will give you a healthy glow and add a natural radiance to your skin. Its detoxing properties (see below) will help your body to remove impurities. This, combined with the extra vitamin C, will help to keep your skin looking young and fresh. Wounds and scars will take less time to heal and it also contributes to healthier hair and nails. Click here for more tips on improving your skin.

Lemon benefit 4: It provides energy, suppresses appetite and helps fat loss

Drinking lemon juice is a gentle, subtle way of losing fat without sacrificing any muscle. Even if lemon juice helps you to lose a few grams of fat a day, doing this daily will make a huge difference over a long period of time.

Lemon benefit 5: Lemon juice detoxes you

Lemon juice helps the body to release toxins in the blood and muscles. Furthermore, if you drink warm lemon juice and water first think in the morning, it helps you digestive system and allows your body to eliminate it's natural 'waste' easier and smoother. Think of lemon juice as the crowd control of your colon. It also boosts liver and kidney performance because it helps them to get rid of the toxins that often keep them too busy to focus on other functions. When the strain on your liver and kidneys are lessened because there are less toxins for them to deal with, they can dedicate more of themselves to other functions like regulating metabolism and important nutrients.

Lemon benefit 6: Healthy alternative to water 

Pure water is the healthiest thing to drink and should form the majority of all your liquid consumption. A squirt of lemon in your water once a day is a nice break from the boring taste of plain water, but won't have any negative health impacts - as long as you don't overdo it (see tips and advice below). A squirt of lemon juice in water is also extremely low in calories. Don't add sugar if you want to keep the calories low.

Lemon benefit 7: Vitamins and minerals 

Lemon juice has other useful nutrients that are good for your body and increase your overall health. These nutrients include potassium, calcium, iron, phosphorus, magnesium, vitamin A and pectin fiber. Pectin fiber aids digestion and reduces cholesterol. See the benefits of these minerals here.

Lemon benefit 8: Anti-bacterial properties 

The antibacterial properties in lemon juice make it a good remedy for sore throats (and preventing them). It will help you to fight the fight against any other bacteria that you aren't aware of around you. Lemon juice is also antiseptic. The regular presence of lemon juice in your mouth can deter germs that cause bad breath, plaque and gum disease. Just be careful - too much lemon juice can wear at your teeth since it is acidic. Read more on that below.

Lemon benefit 9: Boosts heart and physical performance

Lemon juice thins your blood which is good for your heart, circulation and cardiovascular system. Your body will have an easier time and be more efficient at delivering nutrients to your muscles during training. Improved blood flow will also shorten recovery times.

Tips and advice

Be tooth smart

Drink lemon juice diluted in water. Lemon juice is acidic and can cause tooth decay, so don't drink it on its own and be sure NOT to drink it before or after brushing your teeth. As long as you do this, it won't have a negative effect on your teeth.

Don't overdo it 

Lemon juice thins your blood, which is a good thing. With too much thinning, though, your blood won't be able to clot. If you cut yourself and your blood is too thin, it will keep flowing, causing more blood loss than normal. One glass of lemon water (2-4 table spoons lemon juice mixed with water) daily is enough to get all the benefits of lemon juice, without thinning the blood too much.

You can get very similar benefits from drinking apple cider vinegar. Do you know of any other benefits from lemon juice? Let us know in the comments below. STAY STRONG!

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How Bodybuilders Make Money

How bodybuilders earn an income

This is how you break into the bodybuilding industry in the first place.

Bodybuilding is expensive

Bodybuilding is one of the most expensive sports out there. The cost of supplements, nutrition and food needed to grow your body is no joke. 

Once you get serious, you can't simply go to the gym and eating whatever you want, whenever you want. A proper diet that ensures the best muscle growth is costly. 

Unfortunately we live in a world where the healthiest and most nutritious food is also the most expensive food. People in this sport can generally expect to spend up to a third of their salary on gym memberships, supplements and food.

It costs money to get ahead.

Will most people make enough money from bodybuilding?

Even while paying the high price for your passion, can you make enough money through bodybuilding to support your aspirations and make a living out of it?  

Short answer: No. 

You need to get a job to support your dreams. You need some sort of income to buy the supplements and food that you need to achieve your desired physique.

Long answer: Yes. 

There are many bodybuilders who make enough to live off the sport. Some even make a lot of money from it as well. Working in the industry as a full-time career option is rare and highly coveted - yet definitely possible. 

How bodybuilders make money

You need to do a combination of things to earn a proper salary as a bodybuilder.

1. Win cash prizes at bodybuilding competitions

2. Get sponsored by companies

3. Model

4. Personal training

5. Be a contest coach

6. Monetize and expand on your personal brand

7. Entrepreneurship

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1. Win cash prizes at bodybuilding competitions

This is not how bodybuilders make a living, but his is the first thing that comes to mind when people consider the income of body builders.

This is like an occasional bonus for the best of the best in the industry. The competitors at the top of their category do not count on getting this money - and you can't either.

A plan to live off prize money exclusively is going to get you in a financial mess - and a whole lot of disappointment. Congratulations to those who win money at shows, but don't count on it.

Even the top guys don't live off prize money. They still have to do the following things to stay in the industry full time. Check out these tips to win more bodybuilding shows.

Work for your salary.

2. Get sponsored by companies

If you perform well enough at bodybuilding shows, there will be companies who might be interested in sponsoring you. These companies are almost always supplement companies who want to use your image to sell their products to their target market.

Their market would be the people who want to look like you and be like you. These companies are not limited to supplement companies only. They can be energy drink, gym, clothing or other corporate companies. 

As stated in our 'make a career as a bodybuilder' article, getting a sponsorship is not as easy as stepping on stage and hoping that companies are going to chase you down with cash in their hands.

Most of the time, you are going to have to work for it. The competition for sponsorships is super tight. Therefore, it is essential to build strong relationships with prospective sponsors (learn how to forge relationships with the right people in the link above).

Some bodybuilders make a living with this kind of money. However, the numbers of bodybuilders who can live off their sponsorships are below 10% among the pros.

A sponsorship could be as small as a year's supply of their brand of supplements. They usually aren't enough to cover your nutrition costs, never mind everything else that comes with staying alive.

A sponsorship are rare and doesn't as pay as well as you'd think.

3. Modelling

Modelling and guest posing gigs can provide for good additional income.

This is also usually not a lot of money until you become well known and have established a strong brand that people recognize and want to pay for.

This is also very competitive, so it will be hard work for you to differentiate yourself from the crowd and get noticed by those who pay for models.

The amount of bodybuilders who make a living from modelling is quite low, but higher than the amount who live off sponsorships. 

Almost all bodybuilders combine a variety of these income streams to make a decent living.

Align yourself with the right people.

4. Personal training

Many bodybuilders become personal trainers as a way of doing what they love and working in the same industry to pay the bills.

The bodybuilding sport and this career choice often complement each other. The better people perform in bodybuilding competitions, the more clients with the same goals will want to be trained by them and therefore the more they can make from training others by charging more per session.

You can leverage your performance at shows to eventually train celebrate or A-list clients.

Working at a gym always has great benefits for a bodybuilder. The bodybuilder gets to network and has a bigger chance of meeting someone who could help him get further in his career. A friend of mine got a large contract from somebody that he met at his gym.

Although you need to get qualified first, it is easy to make a living from personal training. It is most likely not going to make you rich, but staying within the industry can bring in more opportunities.

A large amount of people who regularly compete in bodybuilding shows are personal trainers. If you want to be a personal trainer but are put off by the amount of other people going after the same job, specialize. Focus on training children and teens, pregnant woman or people who are recovering from injury.

Help others to help yourself.

5. Be a contest coach

Being a contest coach, just like personal training, can provide a steady stream of income that you can depend on - but won't make you rich. 

In order to become a contest coach, you need to know how the contests work. You need to have the skills to transform a newbie into the best performer that he or she can be onstage. 

You need a reason for people to believe that you can really help them to do the best they can at these shows. The better you do at your own shows, the more sought after you will be to others who want to be as successful as you.

6. Monetize and expand on your personal brand

If you want to make money out of bodybuilding, you need to develop your personal brand. You should become a well-known brand that people admire. 

How to grow your brand as a bodybuilder

1. Place well in bodybuilding competitions.

2. Build a big following on social media.

3. Get as much publicity from the media as possible.

4. Offer to write guest posts for websites and blogs that the industry pays attention to.

You should aim to reach as many people as possible. They should see your name repeatedly and start respecting your authority in the sport.

Once you have developed a brand within the industry, you can start capitalizing on it by selling you own merchandise, partnering with another company to use your brand to reach their target market, or becoming a product ambassador for larger companies.

The bigger your personal brand gets, the more opportunities will make themselves available to you.

Once you are well known, magazines and other media might offer you good cash for interviews, appearances, etc.

Build your brand.

7. Entrepreneurship

Entrepreneurship is an often over looked, and possibly lucrative, way to make money out of bodybuilding.

If there is a product or service that you can provide that people are willing to pay for within the industry, you have a great business opportunity.

Starting a business in bodybuilding has many possibilities. There are many ways of going about it. Although you can make endless amounts of money this way, it will require sharp business skills.

The chances are also very high that you will make nothing (or even lose money) when you try to start a business.

Look for business opportunities.

Extra tips and advice to earn money from bodybuilding

Decide: Are you in this for the cash or just for fun?

Unfortunately, bodybuilding is not like other sports because you can't try to qualify for a team and then get a salary depending on the club you belong to. 

If you want to make a living from it, you need to be clever about it. If you want to take up bodybuilding seriously, you need to decide whether you are going to do it for the sport of it or if you are going to need to make an income from it as well.

If you don't need an income from it and have another way of making a living for yourself and can afford the expenses like nutrition; then feel free to pursue it the best way that you choose.

Many of the greats have other forms of income and do bodybuilding professionally, even though they don't earn enough via the sport alone.

On the other hand, if you want to make your earnings from bodybuilding alone, you will need to be smart about it and plan well. You cannot rely on cash prizes from contests, so you will need to decide what other areas (listed above) you are going to pursue to make a steady income.

Some things shouldn't be monetized.

Think long term

If you are planning to live off bodybuilding, you will need to make a short-term, mid-term and long-term plan regarding your finances.

Perhaps you should get a normal job while you study to become a personal trainer, and once you are a personal trainer, work on starting a business that works well with your passion for bodybuilding.

If you don't plan right, ending your next muscle plateau is going to be the least of your worries.

Multiple revenue streams

The key to making a lot of money is through multiple revenue streams. Don't rely on only one way of making money.

Your first goal should be to establish a steady form of income. Your second goal should be to somehow get a secondary income. With the extra money from the secondary income, you can figure out the best way to turn the additional income into more money.

Don't stop until you're satisfied.

Think different from everybody else

As with any industry, the better you can differentiate yourself from the rest of the crowd, the more successful you will be.

If you stand ahead of the rest on stage as a personal trainer or business, you can make a lot of good money. Originality wins.

Be money smart

Save and use your money wisely. Make sure that you always have enough for 'rainy days' and keep your expenses as low as possible.

The worst thing you want is to cut supplements in the middle of the month because you thought you would get more money but didn't.

Don't let your bulking diet drill your wallet into the ground and halt your progress.

We hope this info was useful. Please let us know if it was in the comments below. STAY STRONG!

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The 15 Worst People in the Gym - Ever!

Don't irritate people at your gym.

There are too many people who irritate everybody else at the gym. Are you a new gym user? Don't be one of these guys!

There might just be a thing or two on this list that makes people hate you behind your back, without your knowing about it. 

Read up on the things that irritate everybody to make sure that you don't do any of these them.

Don't be irritating.

Things that irritate everybody else at the gym

1. People who make too much noise

2. People who drop the weights

3. People who leave their weights lying around

4. People who talk too much

5. People who stand in the way

6. People who take up all of the machines at once

7. People who leave sweat and other gross stuff everywhere

8. Screaming in the change rooms

9. People who change the steam room temperature and leave after 5 minutes

10. People who parade their junk in the change rooms

11. People who belittle others

12. People who take too long on machines

13. People who talk to you mid-set

14. People who ask for a spot but can't move the weight

15. Spotters who become drill sergeants

Don't do any of these things.

1. People who make too much noise

Grunting can actually be beneficial to your lift, strength and mental focus. 

Heavy exhalation on the concentric phase of lifts like pulls up, dead lifts and squats will help to tighten your core. This will help with form during these tricky lifts. 

It is one of the recommended ways to overcome light-headedness from squats and deadlifts. It also helps to maximize your bench press ability.

Don't overdo it

But there is a fine line between what is acceptable and what is not. Your grunt should be a genuine by-product of your training and should not be disrupting or distracting to the other people around you.

Don't grunt, scream and perform as way of showing off. That makes you look like a douche and puts you off as the guy who is just there to seek attention.

People can tell the difference between the war cries of someone pushing themselves to the limit and the guy that hopes his screams will make others stop what they're doing and stare. No one cares. We're all here for ourselves. Keep it to yourself.

On shouting: Don't scream to your mate across the room. We are all here to train and we don't want to hear about your fake manliness. 

People are trying to focus on their training and other voices ringing in their ears make them wish certain people weren't there at all. 

Save your Tarzan voice for emergencies only (like a heart attack, choking, someone dying under the bar, or forgetting your post-workout shake at home). 

Be considerate. If you want to say something, get off you're lazy ass and walk across the room.

People don't mind you having conversations with your mates. Just don't make us lose focus, okay?

Silence is wise.

2. People who drop the weights

It's impressive to see a guy who can curl 50's, until he suddenly loses all his 'strength' and drops it onto the floor.

Did you just make me look in your direction mid-rep and lose my focus?

If you can't put it down properly, go lighter and until you have the strength to put the weights back in the same way that you lift them in the beginning of your set.

I've heard a lot a haters judge these guys. I'm one of them. It doesn't make you look strong. It makes you irritating.

Want to be the guy that nobody likes? 'Accidentally' break one of those weights and make the rest of us wait a week or two before the gym replaces it.

Don't fake it, make it.

3. People who leave their weights lying around

I hate running around the gym looking for a weight that you were too lazy to put back, and I'm not the only one. 

You don't know it, but we are watching you; waiting to silently condemn whoever messes with our weights.

Want people to like you? Don't make it harder for them to do what they came to the gym to do: work out.

Be responsible. People notice.

4. People who talk too much

There's nothing wrong with having a chat or two in between sets at the gym. I do it often. The gym is a great place to make good friends with the same interests as you. 

They could motivate you to push harder and get further in your physical endeavors. I've learnt a lot from mates I've met at the gym, and I've made good friends there.

However, there is a big difference between the friendly guy who says hi and strikes up a good chat every now and then and the guy who goes there only to talk. We know the difference.

Don't be the guy that people end up avoiding because they are forced to hear you babble on about something that no one cares about for 15 minutes. Some people like to talk (like me) and others don't.

There are lots of people who avoid any talking at all and only want to lift. Don't irritate people. If you can't tell when you are irritating someone, rather don't try and let people approach you instead. Is no one is approaching you? Then focus and gym harder!

Click here if you need a few more guidelines for socializing at the gym.

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5. People who stand in the way

Don't stand in the way of mirrors, water fountains, weights, machines, racks, hallways, walkways, stairs, and anywhere else people might want to exercise. 

You can take up mirror space if you're using it correctly. If you're not, get out the way. Some people are too nice to tell you to move, but that doesn't mean that you are not in their way. 

Don't sit on machines that you are not using, even if it looks like no one is using it. I've waited a long time for some loser who just sat on a machine and got up without doing anything on it.

Keep moving.

6. People who take up all of the machines at once

If you're using the bench, don't put your phone, towel, water bottle, or anything else on the bench next to you. 

Someone might want to use that bench but can't because they think someone else is using it. It can make people pretty angry when they later discover that it was just you who couldn't put your stuff on the floor like the rest of us. 

Don't take up 3 machines at the same time when there are people waiting to use them. Your work out is not more important than the next guy. If you want to super-set, offer to share the equipment with anybody else who might need it as well.

Think about others.

7. People who leave sweat and other gross stuff everywhere

Sweat is good for you. If you sweat on the equipment, clean it off. It will take you a few seconds and will save you a lot of self-imposed hate. 

If you use tissues, throw them away. Don't expect the cleaning staff to do it because it makes you look bad in front of everybody - not them. 

Also, throw away any other stuff like water bottles, juice boxes, gum papers etc. 

Most people think of this as common sense. If you never thought of it, now you know. Don't spit in the water fountain, ever. Be a man and swallow if you have to.

Keep it clean, bro.

8. Screaming in the change rooms

I personally find these people the most annoying of them all. 

I've just finished an exhausting workout that almost killed me. I finally get to sit for a few moments on a bench in the change rooms, downing my protein shake and silently congratulating myself for an amazing workout. 

This moment of rest is important to me. It is one of my favorite moments. I love feeling like I have just conquered the world after an intense workout. 

But my moments of victory are interrupted up by the ignorant fools screaming at each other - like they can't hear the echo of their own voices. I hate being the one in-between the guy in the shower and the guy by the bathroom mirror's conversation about why they're so cool or whatever. 

Don't talk to anybody when you shower at the gym. In order to be heard above the shower's stream you have to shout and the other is going to need to shout so you can hear them. This irritates everybody!

Talk normal.

9. People who change the steam room temperature and leave after 5 minutes

These people walk into the steam room, change the temperature because it is 'too cold' and leave after 5 minutes before breaking an actual sweat. Your body needs time to respond to the heat of the steam room to get the proper benefits.

Many people use it to sit back and relax. I use it to sweat, raise my core temperature, detox and flush out lactic acid, jump starts my immune when I need it or increase blood circulation. 

If you are curious about the benefits of steam rooms, click here.

Sit in the steam room for at least 5 minutes before deciding that it's too cold. If it is still too cold, ask the people in the steam room (especial the ones that were there before you) if they would mind if you change the temperature.

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10. People who parade their junk in the change rooms 

You aren't shy about being bare and natural in the change rooms. Congratulations! Now put some clothes on. 

Most of us change in there and being naked is inevitable, but get done with it and move on. A cold shower is better at cooling you off from your workout or sauna, but we don't want to see the sights that come with it. 

You might be comfortable in your own skin, but you could be making others uncomfortable without knowing it. Some people consider it rude to have your junk in their faces for longer than what is necessary.

Keep it PG.

11. People who belittle others

Don't mock the new kid at the gym who isn't using the best form. It makes you look bad, not better.

If it bothers you so much, offer some advice; but don't get offended if he wants to learn for himself. So what if the other guy uses low weights and high reps? By the way, high reps are great for muscle growth.

Not everybody in the gym is a bodybuilder and some people want to have less muscle mass for various reasons.

Be careful, it's a small world out there and people talk. I've seen what people say come full circle all too often. I might be a big guy, but when I hear my smaller mates belittle the people who are smaller than them, there's a level of respect that I lose for them.

I have a high regard for the bodybuilding sport and for everybody that tries - whether I think that they are doing it right or not.

If someone is always on their phone or is constantly looking in the mirror more than working out, how is that affecting you? 

It doesn't look like that guy is really focused on lifting I might agree with you - but remember - each to their own.

Be kind.

12. People who take too long on machines

If there are only two benches and the other one is taken, don't take half an hour to do your three sets.

The list of people waiting on (or hating on) you is growing by the minute. It is okay to take your time, and be sure not to sacrifice the quality of your workout, but you need to be reasonable.

Place yourself in the shoes of the other people waiting inline. Mentally come up with a semi-compromise. 

Resting a little less in-between a set is not going to kill you. Who knows... the random muscle confusion might benefit you.

Compromise

13. People who talk to you mid-set

If you need to ask a question or say something, wait until the person is done with their set. 

Do not talk to them in the middle of their squat, curl, dip or lift. Lifting weights comes down to an internal battle between the mind and body. Respect his or her moment of focus. 

Interrupting people while they're busy with their set is just plain nasty. This applies whether the person is a complete stranger or your best friend.

Providing motivation and mental pump-ups during sets are fine, that's not what I am talking about.

I hate the 'how many sets do you have left?' guys when I'm focused on reaching that 8th curl. Could you really not wait a few more seconds?

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14. People who ask for a spot but can't move the weight

These people are the biggest clowns in the gym. 

If you are going to ask someone to spot you, don't load a weight that you can't handle and expect the spotter to do part of the work in moving the weight.

The spotter is there to ensure that you don't injure yourself or that you don't fail and end up under the bar - nothing more.

If the spotter is a good mate of yours, then it might not be seen as annoying; but asking someone you only know in the gym to spot you is the same as asking him for a favor.

Don't make him expend his own energy when he already has a workout to do. He isn't your personal trainer.

Don't annoy people by giving them more physical work that they didn't ask for. I laugh when these people ask 'how much of that did I lift?' afterwards. None dude!

Your spotter is obviously going to be polite and say it was all you - even when it wasn't. 

'Riding' means balancing. If your spotters needs more than a finger to assist you, it's too much. 

The only time he might need to exert a little more energy is if you fail on your last rep and he helps you rack the bar.

Use your own strength.

15. Spotters who become drill sergeants

When people ask me for a spot, I ask how many sets they want to do and if they want me to 'ride with them' (guiding the weights as the lifter moves them, so that they don't lose balance and topple the bar) or just stand by in case they fail and can't rack it. 

While spotting, be prepared to help out if you need to. Don't push the lifter to do more reps then he was planning to do.

Unless they ask for your motivation, they already know what rep range they are going for, and they might not want to train till failure. 

I, for example, train till failure in some programs and avoid failure in others to vary my training.

Forcing the poor guy to do more reps then he intended is not going to win you any brownie points. I avoid asking certain people to spot me now, solely for this reason.

Do you know of any people who need to read this? Share the article and decrease the amount of douches gym-wide. STAY STRONG.

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