What to do between sets
Here’s what I usually see: people sitting on a piece of equipment between sets, zoning out, or chatting with people. The sitting around part can be a pain because in a crowded gym, chances are good someone else would like to be using the bench or machine you’re perched on.
Now I’m going to sound like an old crank. But when I first started working out in gyms, in the early 1980s, it was common gym etiquette to allow others to “work in” with you. The person using the bench, machine, whatever, might ask someone standing nearby, “Did you want to work in?” And nobody took offense if you approached someone and asked whether you could work in. That’s a phrase I rarely hear these days.
The other problem with sitting around, as I see it, is that you’re losing focus and losing an opportunity to keep your heart rate up.
What I like to do upon finishing a set: immediately move to another exercise for the same or a different bodypart or immediately begin a few laps (40 seconds each) around the indoor track. I find that staying in motion keeps my energy up, and if I’m walking, I start thinking about the next set and what I hope to accomplish with it.
If I just sit and wait, I can almost feel my energy level draining.
And although I don’t want to be antisocial in the gym, there’s only so much time I’ll devote to chatting with people unless the workout is over. Talking about something other than what I’m doing at the moment also causes me to lose focus and energy.
So what do you do between sets? And are you happy with the energy level of your workout?
July 22nd, 2005 at 4:45 pm
What’s “working in?”
I’m still not able to move right through everything in my workout, so I’m one of those who has to take a break between some of the sets. I do find that I’m reaching further into the routine every few days before I have to break. Since I don’t visit a gym and do my workout at home, I stop and catch my breath, watching the workout video until I’m able to join in again.
I’ve had this video, The Firm Workout, for several years now and just this week FF’d to the end to hear Twenty Questions about Fitness. It’s basically everything you and I have talked about over the past several months. Good stuff.
July 22nd, 2005 at 5:01 pm
Good for you–your fitness level is increasing! But even if you don’t feel ready to move to the next set, you can work on a different bodypart or even walk in place. Whatever works for you.
“Working in” is gym lingo for taking turns on a piece of equipment. When the machine in question has a weight stack that can be changed in two seconds, there’s no reason various users can’t take turns.
Of course, that doesn’t work so well on a bench with a bar loaded with plates. Good gym etiquette dictates leaving someone else’s loaded bench (or loaded squat rack or loaded Smith machine) alone.
July 24th, 2005 at 9:51 pm
I have another alternative to multiple sets: using multiple pieces of equipment that hit the same sets of muscles. For example, a chin/dip station, as well as a triceps press and a biceps curl machine.
As it is, the circuit part of my workout still takes over 30 minutes; coupled with the treadmill part of my routine, I’m almost at an hour. I don’t really even have time for multiple sets.
July 27th, 2005 at 3:41 pm
Ah, that is a pain. No one wants to sit around and wait in a gym. When I am pumped to go, I am pumped to go. I dont want to sit there with a novel I want to sweat!! Haha.. I prefer to work out at home. Its much less of a pain in the neck.
I found this article:
http://www.associatedcontent.com/content.cfm?content_type=article&content_type_id=1739
Its about the ‘home gym’. Hmm.. gym etiquette.. Are there postings up that give rules and regulations? There should be an etiquette sign for thoes that are unaware!! Good luck!