Why etiquette is mostly about sharing
On a busy floor, friction rarely comes from rudeness. It comes from a bench with a bottle on it and nobody beside it, a rack loaded with someone else's plates, or a machine held for a circuit at the peak hour. Two habits prevent almost all of it: ask before you take something, and give it back in the state you found it.
New members worry about breaking rules they have never been told. Regulars mostly notice whether you ask and whether you tidy up, not whether you know every custom. If you would rather learn the stations with someone beside you, a few sessions of personal training at RPM cover how each machine adjusts and where everything lives.
What to say when you want a turn
Short, plain questions are enough. Nobody expects a speech between sets.
| Situation | What to say | What usually happens |
|---|---|---|
| Someone is resting on the machine you need | How many sets have you got left? | They give you a number, or offer to let you work in |
| You want to share a bench or cable station | Mind if I work in with you? | You alternate sets, adjusting the pin or handle between turns |
| The dumbbells you want are beside someone's bench | Are you using these? | They hand them over or say when they will be done |
| Someone asks to work in with you | Sure, I have two sets left | Give an honest count, then share or finish and move on |
| You stepped away and someone took your station | No problem, I will go after you | Move to a similar exercise rather than argue the point |
Working in means taking turns on one station: they do a set while you rest, then you swap. It is normal on machines and benches. On a rack loaded for a heavy lift, waiting is usually kinder than asking someone to strip and reload plates between every set.
If the stations you need are always taken at your hour, the problem may be the hour rather than the people. When the gym is least busy sets out the usual calm and crowded stretches of an Abu Dhabi week.
Habits that matter in each area
| Area | The habit | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| Dumbbells and plates | Return each pair to its own spot on the rack, and strip the plates from any bar you loaded | The next person should not hunt for a matching weight or unload yours |
| Squat rack | At busy hours, save the rack for lifts that need it and do curls elsewhere | A rack does a job no other station on the floor can do |
| Machines and cable towers | Wipe the seat and grips, and set the pin back to a light weight | Nobody wants to discover your working weight mid-rep |
| Treadmills and bikes | Wipe the handles and console, and ask whether a time limit applies when it is busy | Cardio machines are shared by the hour, not by the set |
| Turf lane | Check the lane is clear before a sled push, then park the sled at one end | People walk across the lane between stations |
| Heavy bags | Ask before taking a bag someone is using between rounds, and keep clear of a swinging bag | Rest periods in boxing are short, so a bag can look unused when it is not |
| Pilates studio in the Ladies section | Arrive before the class begins and follow the instructor's set-up | A late start disrupts a whole reformer class |
Bags and bottles belong in a locker or against a wall, never in a walkway or on a bench you are not using.
Wiping down: what the guidance says
Wiping equipment is courtesy, and it is also hygiene. The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) tells athletic facilities to clean shared equipment after each use and let it dry before the next person uses it, with the focus on surfaces that touch bare skin. Its advice to athletes adds cleaning your hands before and after using shared weight-training equipment.
- Wipe what your skin touched: bench pads, seat backs, handles and grips.
- Give the surface a moment to dry before you walk off, so the next person does not sit on a wet pad.
- Spray onto the cloth rather than straight onto screens or consoles, unless the club tells you otherwise.
- Lay your own towel on a bench or mat if you sweat heavily. What to bring to the gym has the full kit list.
- Ask on your first visit where the wipes or spray are kept.
Phones, cameras and other people's privacy
- Film only yourself, and only after you have asked the club's rule on recording. Frame the shot so nobody else appears, even in the mirror behind you.
- Keep your phone in a locker or a pocket whenever you are in the changing room.
- Take calls off the floor, and keep music in your headphones.
- Do not scroll on a station between sets when people are waiting for it.
- If someone is filming you without asking, tell a member of staff rather than confronting them.
Filming other people without consent also raises UAE privacy law. Can you film or take photos in a gym in the UAE? covers what the official sources say, which this page does not repeat.
Norms in the women-only Ladies section
RPM's Ladies section is for women only. It has its own strength and cardio equipment and the Pilates studio, and female coaches on the roster work there. Men train in the Mixed section.
- Privacy comes first. Many women choose a women-only section so they can train in lighter clothes or without a headscarf, so count any camera as a question for staff before you lift it.
- Keep the section's doors closed behind you as you come and go.
- Ask the team about any rules on phones and photos in the section, and whether guests are allowed in.
- Which sections your membership covers depends on your tier, so confirm yours before your first visit.
When etiquette goes wrong, and the rules to ask for
| What happened | A calm response |
|---|---|
| Someone has held a station for a long time | Ask how many sets they have left. If it keeps happening, mention it to staff |
| A stranger offers advice you did not ask for | Thank them and carry on. Ask a coach if you want a second opinion |
| You see someone about to get hurt | Tell a member of staff straight away rather than stepping in yourself |
| You broke a rule without knowing it | Apologise, fix it, and ask what the rule is so it does not happen again |
RPM's house rules are not published here, so ask for them when you join. These are the questions worth settling on the first day:
- Is dropping weights allowed, and where?
- Is chalk allowed?
- Is there a time limit on cardio machines at busy hours?
- What is the rule on phones and filming in each section?
- Where should bags go while I train?
Sources
Questions, answered.
Is it rude to train with headphones in?
No. Most people wear them. Take one out when someone speaks to you, and keep the volume low enough to hear a question.
Can I save a machine by leaving my towel on it?
Only while you are standing beside it between sets. Leaving a towel or bottle on a station while you train elsewhere holds it from everyone else.
Should I correct someone whose form looks wrong?
Usually not. Unasked-for advice is rarely welcome, and you may not know their plan. If they look likely to get hurt, tell a member of staff.
Is it awkward to ask staff how a machine works?
Not at all. Staff would rather show you a seat setting than watch you guess, and asking is part of good etiquette, not a break from it.