Since 1982, I have been a member of various health club organizations in California, Colorado, and Florida and guess what... in every club that I've visited, there is one theme that is constant throughout:  lack of etiquette when using the equipment and the steam room.

First, let's visit those exercise fanatics who love to do a set of reps, taking some 20 seconds at the most, then SIT on the machine for some 2 or 3 minutes getting their strength back to do another set of reps for 20 more seconds, and then sit again till they do their 3rd set of reps.

So far, this person has taken up at least 4 minutes of time when someone else could get in and do THEIR set of reps in 20 seconds while the first person is resting. AND you should only rest some 30-45 seconds between sets anyway.

Also, I've been told by trainers that when you finish a set of reps, you should not remain in a sitting or laying position, you should stand up and move around so the blood flows through your body with as little resistance as possible, thereby reducing blood pressure buildup.

So, for those of you who remain on the machine or bench, please get up and let someone else share with you.

Since most of the health clubs have their aerobics floor within view of the workout area, for some "strange" reason, I find a lot of men just sitting on the machines like it's their easy chair, and staring out into space.  "Spacing out" they say when I ask to use the machine.  Sure, they space out, they space out dreaming of the ladies on the aerobics floor!  I never seem to see the guys "space out" when they are on machines facing the opposite direction!

If you think it's only the men who hog the machines, ladies, sorry but you too can be a pain.  Not only do the women do the same thing that the men do (except they don't stare at the aerobics floor) but in addition, they tend to be "Queen Bees" on the machines.

A guy comes up, starts a conversation with a lady while she's on a machine and the next thing you know, she, they, haven't moved in 5 minutes! 

In some instances it doesn't have to be a male-female conversation, I've seen 3-4 women surrounding a machine and carrying on like they were in some coffee house talking a mile a minute on a caffeine buzz!  That's what coffee houses are for, not the club's workout area.

I guess what frustrates me so much is the lack of supervision from the staff of these health clubs. 

I remember years ago that a floor person or two would always correct members if they were using a machine improperly, or get them to move along a little faster on the circuit.  I don't see that one-to-one help anymore, I only see more people using the equipment improperly because they don't remember how they were instructed, or they are trying new equipment out for the first time and can't find an instructor to help them.

I also mentioned my frustration pertaining to the way most people use the steam room...the WRONG WAY!!  First, let's understand how a steam room benefits our bodies.  When your body temperature reaches a certain degree of heat you've got to exit the room, or pass out.  But how your body reaches this maximum level is what's important when using the steam room.

Everything being equal, when entering the room, the steam comes on and stays on until a certain room temperature is reached, and then it shuts off, allowing the room AND your body to cool down.  The steam then comes on again, increasing both the room and your body temperature. 

It goes through this cycle time after time, as does your body so you should expect to spend some 20 minutes in the room, breaking a good sweat.  Now, this would be all good if the steam came on automatically, but not at some clubs. 

At some clubs, a timer is placed next to the door, and for some reason almost everyone turns on the steam when entering the room WITHOUT asking those using the room if more is better!  We could be halfway through a cycle when the steam is kicked up for someone else's benefit, ruining our treatment. 

I want to be able to stay in the steam room at least 30 minutes, sweating out the poisons from my system—but to do it correctly, the steam should come on for 5 minutes, then off for 10 minutes, then on for 5, etc. and stay on that cycle all day.

I could go on and on about the operation of health clubs, but as I mentioned earlier, they are all the same in most cases, so I can only hope that any of you who read this article will try to correct these problems whenever they affect you.

The best way to deal with them is to write a note to the area supervisor and club manager, describing in detail what you have observed and who is doing the bad deed.  Maybe if enough letters are written some provisions will be made for at least one floor supervisor throughout the day.