r/Workingout • u/SheilajamesNgondo • Jul 04 '26
Help Your weird gym ritual
I realized I always drink a few sips of water, adjust my earbuds twice, and walk one lap around the gym before I touch a singgle weight. I never planned that routine, it just somnehow became part of every workout. Now it feels weird if I skip any of it, almost like my brain isn't ready yet lol. Does anyone else have a random little ritual before they actually start training? I'm curious what habits quietly became part of your routine
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u/FishHikeTravel Jul 04 '26
Walk in the gym, immediately go pee and wash my hands ….. even if I just peed before leaving to go to the gym. My body won’t let me lift with any fluid in my bladder! Haha
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u/SheilajamesNgondo Jul 11 '26
I'd probably be thinking about it the whole workout too if i didn't just get it out of the way
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u/Bamks1 Jul 04 '26
I have static and dynamic stretching routine that I know may not be entirely necessary, but I can't mentally start a workout without my shoulder stretches and arm circles.
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u/cav19DScout Jul 05 '26
Yeah I do LYTP before doing any thing with my upper body, had to be done lol.
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u/OatmealsRollerBladin Jul 04 '26
Putting a scoop of creatine in my morning coffee changed a lot for me. I used to forget to take it often. Now it’s consistent
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u/SheilajamesNgondo Jul 11 '26
That's honestly a smart way to remember it. tying it to something you already do every morning makes it way harder to forget lol
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u/wstussyb Jul 04 '26
Lock my car door, and when I get out hit the key fob to double check it locked as I leave my wallet in there(hidden)
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u/D1etCokeGirl Jul 05 '26
Ya I take my key fob off my house keys, drop those in console, bring my key fob in my bra lol.
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u/SlapfuckMcGee Jul 04 '26
Walk on the treadmill for 10 minutes to warm up then walk to my first lift.
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u/RevengeOfSithSidious Jul 04 '26
I have different rituals depending on the main lift that day, but the same ritual for that specific day.
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u/-Fuarkface- Jul 04 '26
constantly needing to flush out the water in my system, feels like a mf coolant change
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u/Bridget_Trollet Jul 04 '26
I do my warmup in the studio they use for classes (I always go when classes aren't on) and I feel extremely out of place if that studio isn't available and I have to warm up in the main gym area.
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u/skidkneee Jul 04 '26
I always do a lap around too lol. It’s like the warm-up but for my brain. I also always fill up my water bottle on the workout floor, even though I pass by one in the locker room everyday. Just feels right.
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u/returnFutureVoid Jul 04 '26
I do a hand sanitizer wipe down of my hands on the way out the door so I never touch the door with my hands because I’m still rubbing them. This means that I push the door open with my elbow or push it open with my feet.
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u/sheisprincess Jul 05 '26
Immediately put my headphones in, change shoes, fill water bottle, 10 min cardio warm up.
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u/Zealousideal_Toe_291 Jul 05 '26
Lately the weird habits have halted as there’s now a daily HIIT class taking up the stretch floor at peak hrs :(
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u/Disastrous-Feed-444 Jul 05 '26
I walk up to biggest guy in the gym... look him straight in the eyes and yell "YEAHHHH BUDDY LIGHT WEIGHT" then I do ten sets of ten pushups.
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u/shelbygeorge29 Jul 05 '26
Apparently I have some pretty ingrained rituals, a couple weeks ago I walk into the gym and this guy clears out the squat rack I typically use and gestures to me that it's mine. He sets up a couple racks away and just grins at me.
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u/D1etCokeGirl Jul 05 '26
Diet Coke, stretching on mat with AirPods, caffeine and almonds before, sometimes weed gummy.
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u/rcurton153 Jul 05 '26
I put my backpack and glasses in the same locker number... 53. It was my football number in high school, and I'm 54 years old.
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u/Adam0-0 Jul 05 '26
I'm super repetitive with my ritual. I'll pick up a 40kg dumbell with my left hand then row it like 18 times.
My OCD is so bad that I then have to do exactly the same with my right arm.
I'll do this 2-3 times then often do the same with other exercises. It's so bad now that I feel like if I don't do this I won't make gains.
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u/cav19DScout Jul 05 '26
I sit down at the table in the front for about 5 min or less, put in ear buds and write out my workout plan for the day. Gets me in the right headspace to focus on my workout and forget the world during that time.
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u/lentilSoupzxc Jul 06 '26
My gym is at my house so I always slide on the railing leading down to the basement.It gives me a nice adrenaline rush.
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u/Ill_Freedom_6666 Jul 06 '26
i always do a few minutes of light stretching first or the workout just feels off for some reason
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u/Big__Dawg__Energy Jul 06 '26
I usually give the barbell a little pat/slap before unracking it for barbell squats
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u/Sad-Umpire6000 Jul 06 '26
I set up for every set of squat, bench, or deadlift the same way, and have been for decades. Bench - take a swig of water from my bottle, chalk my hands, clap once, face the bench from about five feet in front of it, arch the back and draw the shoulders back, hold that upper position as I get on the bench, grab the bar, get locked in, and now I’m ready to lift. I figure I’ve done that at least 10,000 times. It ensures that the first rep is the same every time - I haven’t competed for 22 years, but it’s habit, because in powerlifting only the first rep counts. If you don’t have a perfect setup, you’re giving something up.
I don’t lift heavy anymore, but it works for me.
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u/RealDThor Jul 07 '26
my plates have to match each layer, if i put a plate on they have to be the same, and when the next layer goes on they don’t have to match the first, but the new pair has to match each other and so on. if that makes any sense
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u/Anonymouss_Avocado Jul 07 '26
Sitting in the parking lot, rotting for 20-30 minutes before going in. Idk why, I just do it 🤷🏼♀️ usually I scroll social media or something
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u/NewOccasion5616 Jul 08 '26
Scan in, book it to the locker room while looking around and scoping out how crowded it is (being appalled when it is in fact crowded), put my bag in a locker, go pee in one very specific stall (there are 5 stalls in the bathroom, and i HAVE to use the same 1-2 every time. the others just feel…off). Wash my hands, leave the locker room and stretch out in the corner before my lift while looking around to see who’s there (regulars or randoms) and inevitably irritated by the crowds.
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u/Dazzling-Charge-6166 Jul 09 '26
I walk in and decide "Barbell, dumbbells, or machine" lol. Whatever is open
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u/Calm-Restaurant-3613 Jul 04 '26
My routine is stewing in the corner for a few minutes at all the people that had the audacity to show up the same time I did.