Your best behavior at the gym

By LISA LIDDANE
KNIGHT RIDDER NEWSPAPERS
So you're a new member of a health club. Or perhaps you're returning after a long absence. You'll find that this is the busiest and most crowded time of the year in the gyms. How to survive and enjoy your workouts?
Here's a manual on survival tactics and gym etiquette, not just for newcomers and comeback kids, but for longtime members who might need a refresher course:
UGo when it's less crowded, at least for the next two months. Most health clubs have fewer members from 9 a.m. to noon and after 7 p.m.
UAsk the front-desk staff for an instructor who can show you the basics of how to start and use the cardio machines such as the treadmill, step/stair machine, stationary bike and elliptical trainer as well as the resistance machines.
UMake sure you have eaten about an hour before the workout so you have fuel. Avoid foods that can make you feel gaseous.
UBring water in a spillproof sports bottle. Drink water throughout your workouts.
UPractice good personal hygiene. Sweat is expected at the gym, but body odors that cause others to pass out or flee aren't.
UBring a workout towel or two and use them, if your gym doesn't provide towels. Use one for your skin and the other to wipe equipment and benches if others have forgotten to do so.
UWipe your sweat off the equipment, including benches, weights, resistance machines and cardio machines. Fewer things are more disgusting at the gym than leaving perspiration on the equipment.
UGet a schedule of classes, either on paper, by phone or from the club's Web site. Find out which classes have sign-up lists and what time the sign-ups start.
UMake an appointment with the group-exercise director, who can brief you on the various classes and tell you which ones are best for beginners. Ask the director about equipment as well as shoes and clothing suitable for the classes.
UArrive early for a class. When you arrive late, you forfeit your favorite spot in the front row once the class starts. If you do see an opening and it's in front of others, ask them first if it's OK. It's rude to go in front of people who have arrived earlier without first asking them.
UExpect a learning curve, and go easy on yourself. When you're the newcomer in a long-running class, it's common not to get all the moves in the first several classes. It may even take you a few weeks to get the hang of it. Be patient. Avoid interrupting a class if you don't understand a movement, unless an instructor asks everyone if they have questions. A good instructor will give instructions throughout the class on how beginners can adapt. Talk to the instructor after the class about tips on learning the movements and proper form.
UTake another class with a different instructor if you don't like the first you've tried. Sometimes, it's all about compatibility. Some people like instructors who are drill sergeants, others like instructors who are like motivational speakers.
XLisa Liddane is a health and fitness writer for The Orange County Register and an American Council on Exercise-certified group fitness instructor. Write to her at the Register, P.O. Box 11626, Santa Ana, Calif. 92711 or send e-mail to lliddane@ocregister.com.