What do you do when you see terrible form at the gym?

ironanimal

I would approach them, but in a way that they can relate to you:

"Hey, I was doing good mornings and my back was always hurting, so I checked it out and found out that my back was never as straight as it should be. You might give it a try if you are hurting the next day after you do them."

You sound like an infomercial.

Just tack "And for only $19.99, I can provide you the tools to do it right!" on the end.

JNick77

Today I saw someone going deep on some good mornings with a really rounded back (I'm not exaggerating when I say his back resembled a flamingo's neck) on the squat rack but ultimately just said nothing and let him do his thing.

What would you do if you saw terrible/potentially dangerous form in the gym?

Interesting, I saw somebody doing RDL's the other morning with a horribly rounded back. It made my back hurt just looking at it.

In the gym let's face it, nobody wants to hear anything from anybody about what they're doing wrong. Men don't want to hear it because hey, we're men and have ego's to uphold. Women don't want to hear it because then we're just creepers.

Dave198lbs

I would approach them, but in a way that they can relate to you:

"Hey, I was doing good mornings and my back was always hurting, so I checked it out and found out that my back was never as straight as it should be. You might give it a try if you are hurting the next day after you do them."

You sound like an infomercial.

Just tack "And for only $19.99, I can provide you the tools to do it right!" on the end.

that was snotty and not very helpful

go to the back of the line

ironanimal

I would approach them, but in a way that they can relate to you:

"Hey, I was doing good mornings and my back was always hurting, so I checked it out and found out that my back was never as straight as it should be. You might give it a try if you are hurting the next day after you do them."

You sound like an infomercial.

Just tack "And for only $19.99, I can provide you the tools to do it right!" on the end.

that was snotty and not very helpful

go to the back of the line

Why so serious Dave? Lighten up

Mutant13

I know if I were doing something wrong I'd like to be told the correct way to do it. Provided the person was polite and actually knew what they were talking about.

I once heard one guy tell another that he should be pushing his elbows APART on tricep extensions.
Thankfully the guy didn't listen to him.

Gallowmere1984

Unless you actually have experience in variant biomechanics, you keep your trap shut, basically. You probably have absolutely no idea of exactly how these peoples' joints are shaped and/or move under pressure. You certainly can't tell this from a passing glance, or even 30 seconds of hard staring.

For example, my deadlift form looks atrocious, however it works very well for me, and I have had absolutely no negative side effects. The reason? I found out early on that the typically prescribed DL form does not work well for me. As such, I started working on strengthening my traps to support the weight (I can shrug 525x2 at max) of my current DL PR, which is 425.

cortezpj

I ask the gym's PTs to intervene and offer advice rather than sit at their desk...

At my gym on a Saturday afternoon there is a session for teenagers and they often have no idea about technique and risk injuring themselves. I do intervene personally at times but it has more "weight" coming from a fitness professional.

This is my favorite post so far. I read the OP a day after it was first posted so by now there are already over 7 pages worth of replies, more than I care to read.

To answer the OP, I personally wouldn't say anything. But that's because I'm not qualified or credentialed to offer advice on proper lifting techniques. If I was, then yes, I'd say something. I think any advice / constructive criticism / recommendations would be received as more credible if it came from a member of the gym's staff or a certified personal trainer.

If we put ourselves in the shoes of the person displaying improper form and we were getting unsolicited tips from a total stranger, how would we take it? How do we know that they know what they're talking about if they don't appear to be a PT or a member of the staff? How could anyone know for certain that any unsolicited advice may be worse and even pose more potential harm?

Doing nothing is rarely, if ever, a good thing. But we also need to consider all the facts and factors involved.

BCSMama

Personally, if I were doing something incorrect that could cause injury, I would be ever so grateful to learn proper form since I am fairly new to weight lifting. However, I can see how it could be uncomfortable to approach someone like that. I don't know what I'd do since I don't consider myself qualified at all to know how to correct someone's form.

TR0berts

When I start lifting, I think I'm going to get a t-shirt made. On the back in big letters.. "Tell me if my form sucks".

Not only is this a legit LOL for me, I think it's actually a good idea. I have a feeling my squat form is a little off at the bottom, but I can't really tell without hurting my neck. Maybe I'll do this and hope that anyone that "helps" me knows what they're talking about.

RedHeadDevotchka

It depends, if they are doing it for attention (and you can usually spot these types a mile off) then leave it alone. BUT if not, and you really want to say something say it nicely. I've been approached for doing things correctly and incorrectly before. If the person comes over and sound arrogant and is all loud about it, Im not gonna be receptive.
But if they come over and are casual and conversational, well I'll probably be open to listening to them.

BlueInkDot

Ugh is SUPER annoying. Guys are ALWAYS commenting on my working out. Yes, they are genuinely compliments like "WOW, you are lifting more than me doing those triceps." "I've never seen a women do unassisted dips before." or when doing pull ups, "That's really impressive." But it is DOWN RIGHT annoying as F**k! It makes me feel like everyone is watching me while I work out. I've even gotten compliments after coming out of a group exercise class BY PEOPLE NOT IN THE ROOM! Like dammmn....stop watching me and making me feel self conscious! I have to say being talked to at the gym is highly annoying. I had a guy YESTERDAY walk by with a grin on his face and say, "Going at it hard today, eh?" Ewww....keep walking. Please. I just awkward chuckled back at him and walked away.

I could seriously go on and on....I get a comment about every single thing I do at the gym. And on the other hand, it also makes me mad because it is like "What? You've never seen a woman work out?" like no women work out....and no women are capable of being good at it? I seriously think it is their ego getting to them. They can't help but to say something.

Oops.
I'm sorry. One of those people was me.
I saw a lady with her trainer and she was doing pushups from her toes with a big ol' weight on her back. She did SIX! I was so impressed and just... hopeful that I could do that someday. I found it inspiring to see a woman capable of such awesomeness. It's like seeing a celebrity in your town. You just want to shake her hand and say "I'm such a huge fan! Thank you for inspiring me!"
I really wish you could see that we're all just ... impressed and inspired by your success and be happy for that...

taylorwaylor

Well if i was the one with bad for i would DEFINATLY want someone to randomly come up and help me correct it... Say something!! Cause he probably doesnt even know that its bad form..

taylorwaylor

When I start lifting, I think I'm going to get a t-shirt made. On the back in big letters.. "Tell me if my form sucks".

Not only is this a legit LOL for me, I think it's actually a good idea. I have a feeling my squat form is a little off at the bottom, but I can't really tell without hurting my neck. Maybe I'll do this and hope that anyone that "helps" me knows what they're talking about.

Ahhh! I want a shirt like this!!