Question for men!

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  • AngelGabriel28
    AngelGabriel28 Posts: 278
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    i have only seen 1 girl squat i my gym, and 5 men squat. although i have seen hundreds on the bench... is this what your getting at? :-)
  • GorillaNJ
    GorillaNJ Posts: 4,051 Member
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    I am glad they stay away from the squat rack and deadlifts... hard enough to get in there at my gym in the afternoons. Let the bros stick with doing their curls
  • bokodasu
    bokodasu Posts: 629 Member
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    Haven't noticed that so much - the thing I see much more often is men loading up the bar with ridiculous weights and then doing quarter squats. It's an ego thing. There's only one guy at the gym that I see and think, wow, that is a well-executed squat (and he is no newbie).

    Fully 50% of the women I see regularly do them with good form, but, um, that's only 2 women, so really - I think squatting is just a thing that doesn't come naturally to adults if they didn't learn how as kids first.
  • 1985Andy
    1985Andy Posts: 161 Member
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    Squats definitely feel awkward for me!
  • BarbellApprentice
    BarbellApprentice Posts: 486 Member
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    I am pretty new to squats and deads, so not moving much weight (ego check) and the form needs work...but I love them.
  • FrnkLft
    FrnkLft Posts: 1,821 Member
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    Well when you say awkward I think you mean that the "pose" you take is awkward, not that the movement itself feels awkward.

    Yeah, at first squating and deadlifting felt a bit wierd curving my *kitten* out like that, but if you workout in a gym that has serious lifters in it, you realize pretty quick that it's a non-starter. I don't even think about it anymore, and it's the only safe way to do it. That said, I don't get the deadlifts, that exercise is fun as hell and you can move some real weight. It's probably the "manliest" lift in my opinion.


    The only time it's awkward now is when I'm talking to another guy about form, and you mention sticking your butt out/curving your back. It's just kinda wierd to talk about, but I just mention it and move on. It's actually the most important part of form and lifting safely, keeping a neutral spine is no joke.

    I get it, completely, but they need to get over it because it's really a non-issue and they're missing out on some great lifts.
    I'll admit that when I first saw an adduction/abduction machine I was a little bit wigged out. But I got over it. :tongue:

    Oh man this! lol I'm sitting there trying to thigh-master some heavy weight looking like a dumbass lol But then I think about how it might improve my squat, and the thought passes! :drinker:
  • FrnkLft
    FrnkLft Posts: 1,821 Member
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    Edit.
  • maillemaker
    maillemaker Posts: 1,253 Member
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    I don't do situps/crunches/ab work at the gym, either. Too embarrassing.
  • ctooch99
    ctooch99 Posts: 459 Member
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    Personally, I don't know about the embarrassment factor - I just find those exercises ineffective for my personal goals as a male. I play hockey and I try to keep active so my legs are already fairly muscular. Squatting to me is just overkill - it puts a massive strain on you back and your legs and takes a lot of recovery time. I prefer to do Wall Squats with my own body weight and train my legs with Plyometric exercises. Keeps 'em lean, strong and ready to go! And no concerns about how I look doing them!
  • FrnkLft
    FrnkLft Posts: 1,821 Member
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    I don't do situps/crunches/ab work at the gym, either. Too embarrassing.

    Oh dude, I might have a solution for you here... standing cable crunches. Takes a few tries to get the form down, but it beats the crap out of all the other ab exercises. You could also try stability ball crunches, but again, the cable crunches are awesome.
    Personally, I don't know about the embarrassment factor - I just find those exercises ineffective for my personal goals as a male. I play hockey and I try to keep active so my legs are already fairly muscular. Squatting to me is just overkill - it puts a massive strain on you back and your legs and takes a lot of recovery time. I prefer to do Wall Squats with my own body weight and train my legs with Plyometric exercises. Keeps 'em lean, strong and ready to go! And no concerns about how I look doing them!

    No doubt it strains your back because you're loading it, but don't you get checked and knocked down constantly playing hockey? Are you sure you're using good form and not going too heavy too fast? I know plenty of hockey players who squat and it has improved their game.
  • ctooch99
    ctooch99 Posts: 459 Member
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    I am 46 now, so my years of heavy squatting are behind me (pardon the pun). When I was in my 20s - yeah, I squatted regularly and made some gains. I find them to be more damaging then good now. Wall squats and Plyo do the job for me now.
  • iplayoutside19
    iplayoutside19 Posts: 2,304 Member
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    Since when is shirking away from the most difficult exercise manly? (Or shirking away from the most difficult things in life in general?)

    Man up, and do your squats and deadlifts!
  • rainbowbow
    rainbowbow Posts: 7,490 Member
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    Thanks for the replies! Haha, I meant specifically I was making these men do these certain lifts and they all complained that the *kitten* out, neutral spine position was "uncomfortable" "unnatural" or "awkward" feeling. They were totally cool with leg press or "other" exercises, but anything with this position was like pulling teeth.

    I wonder if it's their ego or if it's simply our culture....

    To those who have never seen the men being forced to deadlift or squat with the awkward "I'll just drop my shoulders, look down, and bend awkwardly so i don't have to stick my butt out"; then cheers!
  • cingle87
    cingle87 Posts: 717 Member
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    Deadlifts for me are the best exercise in my routine, I love nothing more that picking up that heavy arsed barbell and completing my sets. Now squats on the other hands are the oposite, I do them for I just don't like the range of motion or the position you end up in correct form.

    Squats the necessary evil!
  • j6o4
    j6o4 Posts: 871 Member
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    Men tend to have tighter hamstrings than women, so they have more difficulty sticking their butt out on squats, deadlifts, bent-over rows, etc. Maybe that's what you're noticing.

    ^This, my squats and deadlifts suffer if im to tight. I have to properly stretch out and warm up before doing them.
  • KANGOOJUMPS
    KANGOOJUMPS Posts: 6,472 Member
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    um,,,,
    never ever heard of that before.
  • maillemaker
    maillemaker Posts: 1,253 Member
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    Oh dude, I might have a solution for you here... standing cable crunches. Takes a few tries to get the form down, but it beats the crap out of all the other ab exercises.

    Awesome! My gym has one of those machines - I use it for tricep pulldowns. Thanks for the tip!
  • JNick77
    JNick77 Posts: 3,783 Member
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    So I've worked out with a few untrained/newbie lifters (all men) and I've noticed a pattern...


    Why is it men (sorry if this is a broad assumption) feel uncomfortable doing squats, dead lifts, good mornings, etc.? It's like they all have said it feels unnatural to stick their butt out or perform exercises in these seemingly compromising positions.

    Is it simply normal to feel awkward in these positions initially? Or is it because men generally lift "manly" (chest, abs, biceps)?

    Also, anyone notice this as well? Or maybe you were one of these men?

    In my opinion it's just that training legs when done right is hard work and most "men" don't like to work that hard. That's the honest truth. It's a little weird but I've actually been complimented in the gym by other men no less about how hard I work my legs.

    Not gonna' lie though, there is one exercise that I feel awkward doing because it looks like you're having sex with the barbell and that's the Glute Bridge. A little awkward but I'll find a quiet low-traffic area of the weight room to do it as to not draw weird stares. LOL

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