The ideal gym for autistic people would have specific features that would appeal to even many neurotypicals.
However, there needs to be a standard gym that’s designed with Autistics in mind.
Banned: Fragrances
Whether in the form of perfume, cologne or powder, fragrances on bodies would be a violation of gym policy.
There’s just simply no need for gym-goers to put on perfume, cologne or heavily scented powder before stepping onto the gym floor.
In a gym that caters to autistic individuals, members would be encouraged to report violators of the fragrance policy.
If the staff detected the odor, the violator would be told to correct the problem. This would be by either showering at the club or leaving the gym.
Banned: Clothes Stinking of Tobacco
“That ashtray smell” would not be tolerated. Smokers would be required to change into fresh workout clothes after their last smoke prior to their workout.
This rule would also apply to pot smokers. It’s unreal how strong this stench could be at a gym.
And yes, there are people who will smoke tobacco or pot before entering a gym.
I’ve smelled them. In fact, at the gym I was a personal trainer at some years ago, one of the new trainers himself was a smoker. He was eventually let go because his clients had complained of the odor.
Banned: Bad Breath
I’ve never seen this complaint in fitness forums, and believe me, I’ve gone through a LOT of fitness forums.
A gym for autistic people would include free use of toothpaste and new toothbrushes, plus bottles of mouthwash stocked in locker rooms.
Yes, this stock would cost money, but every gym I’ve ever been in had money tied up in items that were not necessary, including unpopular pieces of equipment that were hardly used.
If someone complained of bad breath, gym staff would investigate, then require the offender to brush their teeth and use mouthwash on the spot.
I have to believe I’m not the only person who gags when I suddenly walk into a field of rancid breath that surrounds the offender with a 10 foot radius.
It’s just that nobody wants to broach this subject. There is no way my nose is like a dog’s and that nobody else picks up this foul type of odor.
I’ve been nearly knocked over a number of times by the rank stench — even while masked up during COVID.
Banned: Excessive Laughter
Yes, you read that right. It’s a GYM, not a comedy club!
There was one particular trainer at one of the 24-Hour Fitnesses that I used to attend, who emitted a high-pitched, squealy-type laughter — and frequently — when working with a particular female client. The client, as well, had a loud annoying laugh.
This is not something that can’t be controlled. I’m sure these patrons would never behave this way in court or during a wedding ceremony.
Now, I realize that some autistic people themselves have loud and frequent laughs. This could be natural or a masking effort.
But it seems to me that the majority (vast!) of people with loud, frequent laughs are neurotypical.
One day that trainer’s client was pulling a weighted sled backwards.
The trainer was in front of her, hands on the sled, walking with her.
Suddenly the trainer let out her hyena laugh. What in God’s name was so funny at that moment? Did the client tell a lightbulb joke?
A trainer should be having her client pushing a hard-enough sled that there is no room for comedy. Ever done sled workouts? When done the way they should be, there’s nothing to cackle about.
However, what really stood out was the hyena nature of the laugh. It didn’t sound natural.
Remember, a gym is a place many people go to seek refuge from the rat race, from stress, from people noise. They don’t want to hear squealy loud laughter every five minutes!
This woman and her client, as well as many other shrieky or deep throaty cacklers, could be heard throughout the entire gym, making escape impossible.
Banned: Talking more than one minute on your wireless headset
An autistic gym would have “yakking booths” for calls that were important.
One time at the gym I got a call from my realtor regarding a price offer on my townhome.
I took it outside. However, based on my observation of countless incidences of patrons loudly talking to that invisible person through their earpieces, or via their phone, these calls are clearly mostly social, with the remaining being business.
What call could be so important that they can’t wait till after the workout to conduct it, or before?
And who’s on the other end who’s perfectly okay that the person they’re conversing with keeps pausing the conversation to do another set? (Though I’ve witnessed people talking while doing sets!)
They can be heard halfway across the gym. I once approached a man and told him to stop talking so loud. A gym is a sanctuary where, as mentioned, many members want to get away from people noise. The man complied.
I once asked another, “Is that a program you’re on? Who are you talking to?”
His talking had been relentless, and disruptive to my focus. He said he was simultaneously speaking to his grandmother and cousin.
I asked, “They don’t have an issue with you repeatedly stopping things to get in a set?”
He said, “No, not at all!” Technology has altered the way people think about conversations.
I’d never want to talk with a cherished family member while doing my workout or even only in between sets. This would dilute the experience!
I’d wait till I was at home in a comfy chair where it was quiet — in my castle without any potential distractions.
Call me hypersensitive, but remember, this is about the ideal autistic gym, and many autistic people I’m sure feel the same way as I do about these matters.
I’ll bet many neurotypicals concur as well, as evidenced by a lot of online content about loud phone users in public.
Banned: Slamming Equipment
In powerlifting and Olympic-style lifting, barbells must sometimes be dropped, due to their weight.
For instance, in the “clean and jerk,” the athlete picks up a barbell, then in a second phase, pushes it above their head.
But this doesn’t mean they can gently set it back down to the floor. It’s way too heavy, and it must be dropped.
For these kinds of moves, there’d be stations with “bumpers” on which to let barbells fall.
Standard health clubs and gyms already have this setup, but every so often, someone detracts and performs these moves in non-dedicated areas, creating crashing-loud banging of barbells.
Next, weight stack machines can make tremendously loud noise when the stack that’s being lifted is allowed to crash against the rest of the stack when the set is done.
I’ve been lifting weights since age 15, and I can tell you flat-out that there is NO EXCUSE FOR THIS no matter how muscle-failed the user is.
Heavy weight plates do not need to be slammed atop or against each other.
Many men will let 45 pound plates “fall” on top of each other for the calf machine.
The solution is to put a 2.5 lb plate atop a big plate, which would create finger room to gently and easily set the next big plate on. It’s amazing how many men (and women) overlook this simple solution!
At a gym that caters to those on the Spectrum, slamming weights would not be tolerated.
Banned: Bright Lighting
Not all autistic people find fluorescent lighting aversive. But some do.
Lighting at a neurodivergent gym would be sensory-friendly.
Banned: Loud Music
Music for the gym floor would never be blaring; it would truly be background.
Music in group fitness classes would never exceed 70-75 decibels (dBs are a unit of sound volume).
Class instructors would never shout into microphones. In fact, there’d be no microphones. They wouldn’t be necessary if the music wasn’t loud.
