(Originally appeared on Mogy.me)

I often get the same questions from trainers and trainees alike. It seems that people go through a stage in their journey of fitness when they think they are missing something. The biggest secret in this business is that there is no secret. Many magazines and supplement companies want you to think otherwise, that there are pills you aren’t taking, powders you aren’t drinking, or training methods that are going to change your life. None of this is true. If you look at magazines from 20 years ago you will see the same type of supplement ads. If they worked then where are the supplements now? If the training methods in those same magazines are so magical then why are people using different training methods now? What happened to all the perfect physiques that should have been created?

The basic principles of fitness are the same as they have always been. Perform resistance training to improve muscle quality. Eat less to lose weight. Perform aerobic activity to improve endurance. These will always be the same.  As we advance with our knowledge of the human body and our knowledge of training we find small things that can make a difference but these things are very small. The average person in the gym doesn’t need to be concerned with things that will help them improved a percent or two. So many people waste so much time trying to find hidden training information on the internet or trying every supplement under the sun. Really all you have to do is go to the gym consistently and be conscious of what you eat and you will achieve most of your goals. Of course if you are a high level athlete or trying to achieve something that is at the limits of your genetic potential you will have to be conscious of every little detail but these people are few and far between.

We love the idea that there is some rouge trainer or scientist going against what everyone else is doing and making incredible gains.  In fact we hear about them all the time.  Over and over they fade into obscurity.  Sure on occasion someone may respond with a great amount of muscle growth performing only 2 workouts a week for 20 minutes.  This is the exception, not the rule.  If you are betting on what side a flipped coin lands on do you pick that it lands on neither heads nor tails and instead lands upright on the edge?  Of course not.  The chance of that is so remote and goes against everything we know about probability and the well-established history of how a coin lands.  So why would you do the same with some magic solution for fitness.   Sure we want to believe that it isn’t simply hard work.  It is fun to play the lottery but no one in their right mind quits their job because they think they will really win.

We all have the feeling that the secret is JUST out of our grasp or we just haven’t stumbled on it yet.  If you are training with relative intelligence and your nutrition is decent then you already have it figured out.  At some point be it getting below 8% bodyfat or getting your bench press over 400lbs you may need to start exploring very specific diets or programs but until then the secret is just a lot of hard work and consistency.

There is no magic supplement.

There is no magic program.

There is no magic trainer.

There is no magic diet.

Those who have figured that out are making more progress than you are because instead of second guessing themselves they are forging ahead.  Training is hard.  Dieting is harder.  That is the way it is.  Accept it without looking for a way out and you will make better progress than you ever have.

I don’t work out in commercial gyms too often but when I do I am shocked at some of the habits people have and what gyms allow people to get away with. While you can’t make people change, you can change yourself. If you do hopefully others will follow your example. So here are some items of what I consider proper gym etiquette.

1. Rerack your weights.

Not doing this this should be grounds for revoking gym membership. This is simply picking up after yourself. Something we all learn to do as children. It takes very little effort and helps the next person. Some people might say that the person before them left the weights scattered around so they are just leaving it the way they found it. That leads us to our next item.

2. Rerack someone else’s weights.

It won’t kill you to pick up a small area you are in. Lead by example. If someone left your area unorganized then organize it when you are putting your weights up. It only makes sense. Who cares if you didn’t make the mess? Be better than that. Most people who have a normally functioning brain will feel bad seeing you pick up after them and won’t make the same mistake again.

3. Give your equipment to people who need it more than you.

If you are doing curls out of a squat rack for convenience there is nothing wrong with that. However, if someone is waiting to squat it is a deadly sin. Squat racks are for squatting. The same goes for deadlifting in front of a rack. You can deadlift anywhere. So you have to walk a few extra steps with weight. You are in a gym. Don’t be lazy.

4. Wipe down the benches and seats you use.

Gyms are breeding ground for bacteria. Additionally no one wants to deal with your sweat grease.

5. Don’t be an intimidating asshole.

No one cares how big you are or how much weight you can lift. Everyone starts somewhere. Just because you have 15 years of experience under your belt you don’t have to make the 15 year old feel more stupid that he or she already does trying to work out for the first time not knowing a clean from a curl. You aren’t in the gym to put on a show. You are there to workout. So is everyone else.

      6. Leave the girls alone

I watched 3 different guys hit on a very attractive girl who was working her butt off. She clearly was not interested in a date and was there to get work done. It was a gym after all. I can’t imagine how distracting that would be. And remember mirrors work both ways fellas. She can see you staring at her like a creepy stalker.

Be courteous.  Get your work done.  Go home.  Then everyone is happy.