so there was this guy in the gym . . .
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I absolutely did NOT ask. This was either a case of "I don't feel like walking these stupid dumbbells all the way over there (less than 20 feet), so I'll just dump them on this person" or it was "Oh, a girl in the gym who has more weight to lose. She must need pointers." Or maybe I'm just being a b!tch and he was a friendly guy who loves his shoulder flys. Who knows?
I have literally been spoken to by more people in the gym this week than in the last five months combined. Must be something in the air. That, or my "blocking bootface" has slipped. Guess I better work on that.0 -
" in other words, 'cat . . . watermelon . . . lake; why are you talking to me?' "
There's your problem!! You're thinking friendly things. Try skunk, hemerrhoids, toxic waste..... I generally use images of all my clients that irritate the living **** out of me. Apparently if I think of this my face reflects it.0 -
" in other words, 'cat . . . watermelon . . . lake; why are you talking to me?' "
There's your problem!! You're thinking friendly things. Try skunk, hemerrhoids, toxic waste..... I generally use images of all my clients that irritate the living **** out of me. Apparently if I think of this my face reflects it.
I lol'ed so hard... oh so hard.0 -
@crabada at least he didn't ask you to finish cleaning up, little lady.
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I love the coping mechanisms for dealing with mansplainers. I am taking notes in case someone decides to patronize me while I'm pumping my iron.0
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There's your problem!! You're thinking friendly things.
heh. not really. i'm thinking this: http://www.quora.com/What-is-the-story-behind-the-cat-pushing-the-watermelon-out-of-a-lake-photo-Is-it-shopped
and aiming for the face that would go with it. like, wtf does anything you've just finished saying have to do with anything about what i'm doing?
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When I got to the leg area where the squat rack and power cage are both located, there was a trio of guys working out near the leg press. They then moved over to a few of the leg machines. I don't know if all three worked out though as one seemed to act more as a coach/helper to the other two though all looked around the same age, or close enough. He would count reps and such, give instruction on what to do. And on one of them, he was counting loud and either pushing on the leg bar or pulling up, I'm not sure which. So, he was either making it more difficult for the guy lifting or trying to make it easier as if the guy was lifting heavier weight than what he could have done on his own. No idea what was really going on there but they left middle of my squat sets.0
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^^ I see people do that, especially on bench and less frequently squat. Guy is putting up a bunch of weight and his spotter holds the bar for him and helps him lift it backup. I think that's cheating. I've also seen the spotter hold the bar while someone "maxes out" quarter squatting. Both should just drop the weight and/or use the smith machine.0
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I don't have anyone patronizing me at the gym, but there is this guy that wink at me and fly from the other side of the gym to put the bar in my power cage (the bar is often in another cage and I just have to pull it and move it, like, six feets across) anytime I'm making a move toward the said bar. He insists to help and feels really entitled to do so, but everytime I'm like: you know that I am going to put as much weight on this bar that it already weighs AND I will lift it anyway, so why are you insisting to help me like if I was a weak skinny fat frail lady?0
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DaivaSimone wrote: »why are you insisting to help me like if I was a weak skinny fat frail lady?
snort. you should monitor HIM, and rush over the next time you see him preparing to unload some plates from his bar
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That's special of him. I've only gotten a few questions of "are you using that one?" followed by, "oh good on you" which by tone showed the guy's surprise the girl was using the 60 lb fixed barbell, lol. That and the big guy who was doing deadlifts who figured since I'd waited about 10 minutes for him to finish it meant he didn't need to take any weights off when he was lifting 6 45 lb plates total. He later responded to a guy who called him out on it, while I was struggling to take off the extra plates I didn't need, that it looked like I had it just fine. pfft
No one has really offered to help or given advice. Most it's just, are you done yet? in regards to the squat cage when it's busier at the gym. I've had a girl offer to spot me on bench once, that's the only offer I've gotten and if she was there after 11 pm when I'm trying 90 lb lifts. I'd probably accept said offer.
I've also seen the bench press assist. There was one of those last night too. Guy was benching at least 135 but the also somewhat short guy helping him did a good part of the work.0 -
There is a new guy at the gym who has been consistently showing up to bench press (if what he is doing can be called that) for over 30 mins 3 to 4 times a week. At first when I saw him in the weights area I was thinking good for him for taking up lifting because he looks about middle age and almost sickly skinny. His arms are about half the size of mine.
Then I saw him actually lift. He does nothing but bench presses, with his neck and head lifted up off the bench like he is about to do a crunch and legs straight forward bent at the knees so that his feet are on the bench. 10 lb plates on each side. His lift is always lopsided and he always hits the metal thing where you put the bar on each time he lifts. So the bar goes up, clank on the metal then, then down. I can't tell if he is hitting the thing on purpose or if he is so lopsided and not in control of the bar that he is hitting it inadvertently. It is literally the craziest thing I have ever seen at the gym.
This has gone on for over 3 weeks now. Normally, I would never criticize other people's form or training method because I don't think I know enough to know what they are doing. But it hurts me to see this guy. I can't convince myself he is doing some super advanced move because he is obviously not in control of the bar and I'm afraid he is going to hit his head one of these days.
The sad thing is that it his crazy lifting doesn't appear to be a result of a bad ego. He looks like he is trying and he has stayed with 10 lb plates on each side of the bar for as long as I have seen him. Plus he seems like a nice enough/considerate person. The benches are always busy now that he uses one out of the three that are at my gym for almost the whole time I'm there so sometimes I go over and ask him how many sets he still has. I realized that every time I ask him, he always says he only has one left then does it really fast and moves on to some incline bench to continue doing his crazy lifts. Then he moves back to a normal bench as soon as there is one available.
I've been debating whether I should say something to him for a while. One one hand, I feel like I am not the most qualified to be telling someone how to do something. And I don't want to make him feel bad and I'm not sure if advice is welcomed since he keeps to himself. And I like to mind my own business.
So I've been hoping that one of the trainers or someone will say something to him to help him. I hoped that maybe if he kept coming back, he will see that no one else benches like he does and will try to copy what they do or actually look how up to do a bench press or something. I saw him reading something on a smart phone today so its not like he does not have the ability to google bench press. But he has been in the gym since before the new year and still continues to do the same thing.
Today all the benches and all the bars were in use (wtf?) so I ended up just standing there for a while after my squats waiting. I watched the crazy bench guy for a few minutes and decided that somebody had to help him and if no one else was going to do it then today was the day that I would. So I went over and asked to work in with him hoping to chit chat a little and smoothly interject with some bench tips. But he didn't understand. He was reading something in Korean so I'm not sure if it was his English or if he just didn't understand the term but he asked me if I need the bench. I say yes but can I use it in between while he is waiting. He looks like he doesn't understand then says he is done and proceeds to move over to the incline bench. I had already decided I was going try to help him so I I ask him if he would mind if I told him something I noticed on his lifts. His response was to profusely shake his head and say he is okay so I leave it alone.
Still not sure if not sure if I did the right thing or if I should have just minded my own business but at least now I will not feel guilty if he ends up straining his neck or hitting his head with the bar one day.
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Posted twice and not sure how to delete. Sorry.
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It's a shame he couldn't understand you but I think you did the right thing by talking to him. Speaking up when someone is doing something potentially dangerous is different than offering unsolicited advice.0
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I agree with @MissHoliday -- Good of you to offer.
Sorry for the repeat from my feed, but I had to share here too for those of you who may not see it:
** So Much Bad Behavior at the Gym Today** >:(
Exhibit #1: Bro curling in the squat rack. Yup. For real.
Exhibit #2: Two girls need a rack, so while it's easier to do my OHP there, after my second set, I offer the one I'm using. "Great, thanks!" I proceed to unload the deadlift bar, get set up and continue my OHP sets lifting said bar to chest, and then OH. (Pretty sure this is why I failed my third set, but whatever.) The girls randomly throw plates on the bar and then proceed to *not use the rack!* Like, at all. WTF?
Exhibit #3: A group of FIVE sharing one squat rack, but oozing their junk and water bottles and bodies and conversations into three other areas, to the point where I actually have to ask them to move over so I don't hit them with my bar. They proceed to rotate in and out, but think nothing of getting dangerously close to where I'm working every time they have to swap the plates. Which is every five, very ugly reps. I wanted to stab each and every one of them. *Sigh*0 -
oy crabada . . . so much selfish in your gym today. and that last one is dangerous. they'd get a bruise, poor babies, but the person they run into could get actually hurt. you're lifting heavy *kitten* there. what would it to do you if one of them knocked you off balance while you were just coming out of the hole?
i did way early workout this morning, so whole other crowd. much much quieter and an obvious-but-not-to-me benefit of that time of the morning is everyone else is on their way to work too. so they work out, they move on, you get a spot. no hanging out and socializing like the squat rack is just another food-court table at your local mall.
only two noteworthies, and they weren't really, especially. guy who beat me into the rack was very pleasant and very polite and super-considerate about letting me know he would be a really long time. and offered very sincerely to let me work in. but he spent 30 minutes or so doing the proverbial quarter-depth squats, so nuff said.
the other was one of those old old little chinese men who almost always have something i stop and pay some attention to. this one though . . . all he did was step into the rack and position the bar - and then he just wedged one trapezius sideways-on to the bar and spent 8-12 reps of lifting it an inch or two with just that one muscle. 8-12 reps, step out, turn around, 8-12 reps on the opposite side. dunno if he was doing acupressure or actually lifting, but eitehr way.
i was watching and my own traps have been part of the general firestorm of ouch this weekend, so just looking at it, it looked like it would feel so good. if i had had any time left i think i would have waited him out and then stepped up in there to do it myself.0 -
"Oozing junk" gave me quite the picture. It's bad gym etiquette and a safety hazard to leave slime on the equipment. Good point that it's not only dangerous to them but to you should they cause you to tip over. I was in the rack in my gym once that's next to all the kettle bells and a woman actually got irritated with me that she didn't have space to work out while I was squatting. I was like, well, you can move the hand weight elsewhere, I'm not strong enough (yet) to move the squat rack.
I wrote on your wall about people taking the bar from the squat rack then working out behind the squat rack. So annoying, especially at my big gym where there are bars and floor space in another area. Sometimes, I'll just grab another bar and ask if I can use the rack while they're curling or whatever behind it. Then I stick my butt in their face. Payback's a B.
@canadianlbs if you worked in, he probably would have told you that you're squatting wrong. It's best not to work in with other philosophies, it just causes contention
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Today, as I was walking on the treadmill, I watched a guy use the TRX to stretch. Basically he jumped up and grabbed the top like he might try and do pull ups or something with it. Instead, he just hung there for a moment then jerked his body around before letting go and walking away.
Last night there was a girl using the leg press with 2 45 plates but they were both on the same side. That was kinda interesting.
Not only is the guy who is probably around 70 still coming to the grit strength class, he also is convincing other's in his age range. Not the guys but he's got a couple of ladies trying out the class. He had one ask him questions about the clean and I ended up joining in on the conversation about how some seem to almost jump and such, discussing momentum and getting used to the move. It was an interesting, short discussion. Hope she keeps going to the class sometimes.0 -
MissHolidayGolightly wrote: »I wrote on your wall about people taking the bar from the squat rack then working out behind the squat rack.
Yes, that is annoying.
What is more annoying is what these girls did -- put a 25 lb plate on either end of the bar, and then just left it there, unused, to continue doing their non-deadlifts with the fixed barbells, contorting their backs in order to touch the ground on every rep. I gave up the rack for absolutely no reason.
Bad form -- literally and figuratively.0 -
MissHolidayGolightly wrote: »@canadianlbs if you worked in, he probably would have told you that you're squatting wrong. It's best not to work in with other philosophies, it just causes contention
it's a good rule of thumb, but a) you can't see someone's philosophy until they do a few squats, and b) in this case i had a sense that the guy was still watching me after i took over from him and tbh i got kind of the feeling that if anyone was going to be asking anyone for form tips it might have been him coming over to ask them of me.
ima actually try for another am lift tomorrow. it all depends on the timing, but it was so quiet and also efficient. i really liked it. only thing is the gamble aspect - if you do happen to get caught in behind someone who takes forever to finish with something you need, then you've used up your workout slot in the schedule and not done your lift.
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