Each gym has its own culture and members are expected to know the etiquette unique to that club, said Jim Bell, president of the International Fitness Professionals Association.
"But the first rule in every gym," Bell said, "is don't hurt anyone else. If someone in the gym is annoying you, the proper thing is to do is go through the chain of command. It is better not to confront [a] member that's annoying you, instead tell a trainer or go to management."
Bell recommends picking a gym with a culture most befitting your workout style.
"Pick a gym culture you feel most comfortable with. Traditionally hard-core gyms like Golds and World are pretty high intensity. You would expect to hear grunting, groaning there."
Despite the recent spate of media reports, Bell said fights in gym were rare.
"People who go to the gym are generally pretty tolerant of each other because they're all there for the same reason."
Mitch Abrams, a sports psychologist who specializes in anger management, agreed that fights in gyms were probably no more likely than fights anywhere else, but because "gyms are places of heightened physical activity, people may feel greater license to use physical means to resolve disputes."
"There might be a slightly heightened likelihood that gym members might solve their problems using muscles, but that's merely an explanation and not an excuse. There is never a reason to put your hands on anyone."
Abrams also said that conflicts are fueled in public places where a perceived slight takes on greater significance because there is an audience.
"Once someone has thrown down the gauntlet and the argument has an audience, it's difficult to stop a fight."
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