Something Funny Happened on the Way to the Gym

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squirrell79
squirrell79 Posts: 154 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
Ok, it was actually at the gym, and while it's not laugh-out-loud hysterical, I thought it might provide some amusement here.

BACKGROUND: I've been working through Chalean Extreme, an introductory strength training DVD program. Yes, I know it's not Stronglifts or NROLFW, etc....but it's worked for me. I'm now very comfortable with dumbbells and have made good rookie progress. Thanks to MFP, I've become interested in learning more about "heavy lifting" and Stronglifts and all that good stuff--e.g., where to go after my DVDs are finished.

TODAY: I normally do my weights at home (we have a good range of dumbbells), but today I went to the gym. After reading stuff and watching many YouTube videos on proper form, today I decided to try an actual deadlift with an actual barbell. I used ONLY the barbell because (A) I wanted to go slow, (B) concentrate on good form, and (C) not kill myself (the barbell is heavy for me). Hey, we all have to start somewhere, right?

I did a few of these and then put the barbell away. A middle-aged guy asked me what I'd been doing (he couldn't see from where he was originally). I said I was trying to learn to deadlift. His eyes lit up and he said, "Ah! You should be using this machine over here. Let me show you." He then walked me over to the Smith machine and told me all about how great it was and how it would keep my back straight and not let me injure myself. "See, if you want to make it heavier, just put some weights on the ends!"

He was actually very friendly, and I didn't mind it because I knew that he meant well. We went our separate ways, and it was all good. No harm done. But honestly, I was just trying not to laugh because I knew exactly what 99% of the MFP population would have said to him!
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Replies

  • djshari
    djshari Posts: 513 Member
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    I'm lost what would they have said??
  • squirrell79
    squirrell79 Posts: 154 Member
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    Well, most of the lifting folks on MFP would have laughed at the guy and said, "Thanks, but no thanks!"

    And they probably would have been thinking things not suitable for printing in a family paper. :-)
  • LJSmith1989
    LJSmith1989 Posts: 650
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    Well, most of the lifting folks on MFP would have laughed at the guy and said, "Thanks, but no thanks!"

    And they probably would have been thinking things not suitable for printing in a family paper. :-)

    So smith machine = no good?
  • LaurenAOK
    LaurenAOK Posts: 2,475 Member
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    Haha that's funny! A similar thing happened to me one of my first times at the gym. I was waiting on a squat rack and one of the trainers came up to me and said "we have more on the other side of that wall that usually aren't occupied, if you want to go over there!" Excited, I walked around the wall to the other side... only to see that there were no actual squat racks, only smith machines :grumble: I snuck back over to the squat racks later when the trainer wasn't looking!
  • DopeItUp
    DopeItUp Posts: 18,771 Member
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    Deadlifts on a smith machine...that's a new one on me.
  • tigersword
    tigersword Posts: 8,059 Member
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    Well, most of the lifting folks on MFP would have laughed at the guy and said, "Thanks, but no thanks!"

    And they probably would have been thinking things not suitable for printing in a family paper. :-)

    So smith machine = no good?
    Smith machine = injury machine. Forces you into unnatural movement patterns that will eventually cause injury.
  • LJSmith1989
    LJSmith1989 Posts: 650
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    Well, most of the lifting folks on MFP would have laughed at the guy and said, "Thanks, but no thanks!"

    And they probably would have been thinking things not suitable for printing in a family paper. :-)

    So smith machine = no good?
    Smith machine = injury machine. Forces you into unnatural movement patterns that will eventually cause injury.

    I see
  • CramerWife
    CramerWife Posts: 18
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    The 'Smith' machine could be better for you though since you're just starting out and you even mentioned that the bar itself is heavy (45lbs) so I personally think you should go that route until you achieve perfect form and your ideal weight, he did mean well and being a weight lifter myself I wouldn't have said anything mean/offensive towards him at all, just simply 'thanks for the tip!' And then keep doing what I was doing. I have that happen more often than people would think and most of the time they are great tips!!

    Congrats on taking the next step, changing up your routine will end in results!!
  • squirrell79
    squirrell79 Posts: 154 Member
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    Haha that's funny! A similar thing happened to me one of my first times at the gym. I was waiting on a squat rack and one of the trainers came up to me and said "we have more on the other side of that wall that usually aren't occupied, if you want to go over there!" Excited, I walked around the wall to the other side... only to see that there were no actual squat racks, only smith machines :grumble: I snuck back over to the squat racks later when the trainer wasn't looking!

    Good for you! I see that you're a female. I think that your episode and mine were/are at least partially due to the fact that of being a female. In my case, I'm fairly short. I doubt the guy would have approached my husband and led him eagerly to the Smith machine.
  • Showcase_Brodown
    Showcase_Brodown Posts: 919 Member
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    Ugh, sounds like a terrible idea. Truly bad.
  • tigersword
    tigersword Posts: 8,059 Member
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    The 'Smith' machine could be better for you though since you're just starting out and you even mentioned that the bar itself is heavy (45lbs) so I personally think you should go that route until you achieve perfect form and your ideal weight, he did mean well and being a weight lifter myself I wouldn't have said anything mean/offensive towards him at all, just simply 'thanks for the tip!' And then keep doing what I was doing. I have that happen more often than people would think and most of the time they are great tips!!

    Congrats on taking the next step, changing up your routine will end in results!!
    Deadlifting in a smith machine is a terrible idea. The range of movement that the machine allows is totally wrong for pretty much any lift, but it's really bad for deadlifting, not even getting into the fact that I doubt the machine allows the bar to drop low enough to be in the proper starting position. The OP can start with a lighter bar, a much better idea than the Smith machine.
  • LaurenAOK
    LaurenAOK Posts: 2,475 Member
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    Haha that's funny! A similar thing happened to me one of my first times at the gym. I was waiting on a squat rack and one of the trainers came up to me and said "we have more on the other side of that wall that usually aren't occupied, if you want to go over there!" Excited, I walked around the wall to the other side... only to see that there were no actual squat racks, only smith machines :grumble: I snuck back over to the squat racks later when the trainer wasn't looking!

    Good for you! I see that you're a female. I think that your episode and mine were/are at least partially due to the fact that of being a female. In my case, I'm fairly short. I doubt the guy would have approached my husband and led him eagerly to the Smith machine.

    Yeah, I'm pretty sure that has something to do with it! I'm petite as well and definitely didn't look like I belonged with all the bros lifting heavy, haha. At least we both knew the smith machines weren't a good option!
  • sexymuffintop
    sexymuffintop Posts: 636
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    The thought of trying to deadlift with the smith machine just hurts my brain.
  • ladyark
    ladyark Posts: 1,101 Member
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    I use the smith machine for ALOT of exercises. Its especially good if you are starting out and you want to learn and keep good form. Plus if you dont have a spotter its a good thing to use.

    I do push ups, pull ups, donkey kicks, squats, deadlifts, lunges. rows chest press, tricep presses in the smith machine. Plus you can add weights safely.

    Dont discount it.
  • ttippie2000
    ttippie2000 Posts: 412 Member
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    Well, the Smith machine will take away several things from your deadlift: 1) development of stabilization muscles, 2) awareness of the proper mechanics, aka, the 'groove' and what it feels like, 3) it may even force you into bad habits. I'm sure that guy meant well, but he didn't seem to know enough to know that he was a beginner with some misconceptions.

    I would encourage you to find a personal trainer who can help you translate what you learned on video into real-time work in the gym. The deadlift is a rather technical lift. Done properly, the deadlift will help your posture, strengthen your core muscles and even help rehab a back injury. Done incorrectly it can be an injury waiting to happen.
  • DavPul
    DavPul Posts: 61,406 Member
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    But what happened on the way to the gym?
  • DopeItUp
    DopeItUp Posts: 18,771 Member
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    I use the smith machine for ALOT of exercises. Its especially good if you are starting out and you want to learn and keep good form. Plus if you dont have a spotter its a good thing to use.

    I do push ups, pull ups, donkey kicks, squats, deadlifts, lunges. rows chest press, tricep presses in the smith machine. Plus you can add weights safely.

    Dont discount it.

    Yikes. It does the opposite of teaching good form. It's the worst thing to use for any beginner. Especially a deadlift, what's the point of using a smith machine? There's no danger involved in deadlifting, it's not like you can drop the weight on yourself. There is absolutely zero reason to use a smith machine for deadlifting (or just about any other exercise, honestly). A bar and some weights is all you need.
  • DavPul
    DavPul Posts: 61,406 Member
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    I use the smith machine for ALOT of exercises. Its especially good if you are starting out and you want to learn and keep good form. Plus if you dont have a spotter its a good thing to use.

    I do push ups, pull ups, donkey kicks, squats, deadlifts, lunges. rows chest press, tricep presses in the smith machine. Plus you can add weights safely.

    Dont discount it.

    DO discount it. Seriously. It's the opposite of good form because in most exercises your body doesn't move the bar in a single plane. So instead the bar moving naturally your fold your body into the straight up and down motion and add stress to joints that you do not want. There are a handful of movements an advanced lifter might use it for that involve very short ranges of motion.

    But for most people....AVOID
  • _Waffle_
    _Waffle_ Posts: 13,049 Member
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    Something Funny Happened on the Way to the Gym

    We're still waiting for that story. I'm dying to know what happened on the way there. Why would you tease us like that and never tell us?
  • LaurenAOK
    LaurenAOK Posts: 2,475 Member
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    I use the smith machine for ALOT of exercises. Its especially good if you are starting out and you want to learn and keep good form. Plus if you dont have a spotter its a good thing to use.

    I do push ups, pull ups, donkey kicks, squats, deadlifts, lunges. rows chest press, tricep presses in the smith machine. Plus you can add weights safely.

    Dont discount it.

    Feel free to keep using it, but there actually ARE a lot of valid reasons to avoid the Smith machine. Check out these articles if you're interested in learning more.

    http://www.2buildmusclefast.com/2011/02/smith-machines-good-or-bad.html
    http://www.menshealth.com/mhlists/avoid_lifting_injuries/The_Smith_Machine.php
    http://www.changing-bodies.com/blog/2010/12/3-reasons-why-the-smith-machine-sucks

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