Gym Etiquette

Ok, so in the past I have been into sports pretty intensely - namely basketball. I've kept in decent shape through doing drills and such and medium distance jogging. However, I've never really done much working out with weights and stuff before this summer.

I'll be attending college again this fall and they've got a gym, obviously.

I've got some workout equipment at home, and I've been working out all summer... I've just never worked out in a public gym like that before.

Any tips for how to conduct myself in a gym?

My equipment at home allows me to bench press without a spotter... Is a spotter absolutely necessary for the normal bench press? If so, how do I go about getting one, and what exactly is expected of me if I'm spotting for someone else?

I've never actually been in this gym... Would you guys say most gyms have machines that allow you to get a good workout completely on your own?

One last question: At home, I have a big dry-erase board that charts all my progress and what weights I have been using so I'll remember how much weight to put on each exercise. How does one keep track of this when they go to a gym?

Sorry for all the questions. Help would be appreciated.

Cheers!
 
Just buy a small note pad to track lifts, a lot of people do this

As for general behaviour in the weight room, there's not much to remember, just make sure you wipe down benches after you've been sweating on them and only use the squat rack for squating (or maybe for OH pressing if you're lifting an impressive amount:))
Try not to do anything annoying like reading a paper between sets and ending up with a 5 minute rest period.

Other than that and you'll generally find the weight guys to be a very friendly and helpful bunch
 
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