There are 3 rules I have for myself and with whomever I train with. I am sure there are plenty of other good ones and I am probably not the first to have thought of these, but I have made these my own.
Rule 1. Challenge yourself
This means I don’t compete with my partner or anyone else other than myself. I don’t care how much you lift, or how much the person across the gym lifts. I just want to lift enough to challenge myself and a little more.
Rule 2. No one gets hurt, period
That means you need to listen to your body, and pay attention to your partner. You should not lift so heavy or so much that you pull a muscle, or drop a weight on yourself from exhaustion.
Of course if you have a partner then you better pay attention to them and give them a good spot. They are depending on you to help keep them safe.
You also don’t let any jackass do something stupid that could end up hurting you.
**As an example, once while on the bench there was this idiot who was spinning around with a bar and weights on his shoulders about 5 feet from me. He was not using clamps to keep the weights on and frankly looked unstable and unable to control his own body. He claimed to be working out abs and after refusing to move further away I let management know.
I’d rather be the “bad guy” than “the guy who had a bar and weights dropped on him while he was benching, causing him to drop his own weight on himself”.
Rule 3. Work hard
This should go without saying, but you should love to work out hard at the gym. If you are deciding to spend time at the gym then you should relish in the struggle that comes with exercising.
Personally, I want to be both exhausted and pumped at some time before I leave the gym. I love the feeling the next few days bring when you stretch and you feel your muscles ache from the workout. That is an awesome feeling that I have come to love. Know your limits but work as hard as you can.
That’s it, those are my guidelines and foundation for working out and they have served me well. What rules do you lift by?