Why no legs/squatting in commercial gyms?

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  • JoRocka
    JoRocka Posts: 17,525 Member
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    I do squats once a week and not very heavy along with five other leg exercises, my legs are out of proportion to my upper body and I could give a sh1t what other than one woman thinks about the way I look. I ride a bike 400+ miles a month, extremely limber, long time martial arts/ gymnastics and could put my foot in some ones chin really freaking quick.. So to the people who verbally comment on other people's legs in public- be careful you never know when you might set someone off and get your butt kicked

    Wait. Did you just (kind of) threaten people for making comments about something in which you'd already claimed to not care what other people think about anyway?

    singing "isn't it ironic"
  • _incogNEATo_
    _incogNEATo_ Posts: 4,543 Member
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    JoRocka wrote: »
    I do squats once a week and not very heavy along with five other leg exercises, my legs are out of proportion to my upper body and I could give a sh1t what other than one woman thinks about the way I look. I ride a bike 400+ miles a month, extremely limber, long time martial arts/ gymnastics and could put my foot in some ones chin really freaking quick.. So to the people who verbally comment on other people's legs in public- be careful you never know when you might set someone off and get your butt kicked

    Wait. Did you just (kind of) threaten people for making comments about something in which you'd already claimed to not care what other people think about anyway?

    singing "isn't it ironic"

    "don't you think?"
  • stealthq
    stealthq Posts: 4,298 Member
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    Where I go, of the people who are not there for rehab, I'd say about half of the people squatting get adequate depth. I don't see much difference between the men and the women in that regard.

    We've got a pretty clear split between athletes and other people who have clearly been lifting for quite a while and know what they're doing, and people who are really new to it and don't appear to have done any research on the subject. Then there's a few like me who aren't as flexible/coordinated as the long-term folks, but we know what we're supposed to be doing and are trying to get as close as possible. Some days it's a little hit or miss. :sweat_smile:
  • JoRocka
    JoRocka Posts: 17,525 Member
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    JoRocka wrote: »
    I do squats once a week and not very heavy along with five other leg exercises, my legs are out of proportion to my upper body and I could give a sh1t what other than one woman thinks about the way I look. I ride a bike 400+ miles a month, extremely limber, long time martial arts/ gymnastics and could put my foot in some ones chin really freaking quick.. So to the people who verbally comment on other people's legs in public- be careful you never know when you might set someone off and get your butt kicked

    Wait. Did you just (kind of) threaten people for making comments about something in which you'd already claimed to not care what other people think about anyway?

    singing "isn't it ironic"

    "don't you think?"

    "it's like raaaaiiiiaaaaaeeeennnnnnnnnn on your weddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddding day"
  • colors_fade
    colors_fade Posts: 464 Member
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    Packerjohn wrote: »

    If you don't want to do squats or deadlifts, that is fine. But for the average person, those would be the top 2 exercises to spend time on if one is looking for the maximum return.

    This.

  • _incogNEATo_
    _incogNEATo_ Posts: 4,543 Member
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    JoRocka wrote: »
    JoRocka wrote: »
    I do squats once a week and not very heavy along with five other leg exercises, my legs are out of proportion to my upper body and I could give a sh1t what other than one woman thinks about the way I look. I ride a bike 400+ miles a month, extremely limber, long time martial arts/ gymnastics and could put my foot in some ones chin really freaking quick.. So to the people who verbally comment on other people's legs in public- be careful you never know when you might set someone off and get your butt kicked

    Wait. Did you just (kind of) threaten people for making comments about something in which you'd already claimed to not care what other people think about anyway?

    singing "isn't it ironic"

    "don't you think?"

    "it's like raaaaiiiiaaaaaeeeennnnnnnnnn on your weddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddding day"

    It is really getting close to gif time in here.
  • missomgitsica
    missomgitsica Posts: 496 Member
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    I think the bigger question is why do you care?
  • colors_fade
    colors_fade Posts: 464 Member
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    zaxx1953 wrote: »
    Coming from an athletic background I was introduced to lifting/gym work from a functional POV but still loved the way I ended up looking aesthetically (big and powerful) as a teen. I always worked lower and upper body, and end up with a fairly balanced physique.

    I guess everyone hears about guys in commercial gyms who only curl/bench, etc. etc., but the reality is actually worse than I ever thought.

    Virtually NO MEN in commercial gyms squat to decent depth. You have the most effective exercise on the planet and no men seem remotely interested in even trying it. Furthermore, a lot of men- not all- basically just totally ignore their whole lower body...

    Why is that?

    It's a vanity thing for a lot of guys, I think. I mean, I don't personally "get" it, but I see it all the time.

    We have a lot of great powerlifters at my gym, and I love that about the place. Guys who know how to lift, who squat and deadlift, and squat to depth.

    But there are those guys who come in, never touch the squat rack, and spend all day on the dumbbells getting "pumped" up from the waist up. They have the same routine, every time I'm in there. Never see them squat.

    I remember having a conversation with one of those guys one time. Me and a couple other guys, we were giving him *kitten* about it because his bench press max was way more than his squat max. He said he didn't care. He just wanted to look huge up top.

    Like I said... I don't get it.

    And yeah, sometimes you see the guys who don't squat to depth either. I don't understand that much either.

    I really think it's all about vanity.
  • colors_fade
    colors_fade Posts: 464 Member
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    Packerjohn wrote: »
    Which is fine, saves the equipment power racks for me.

    That's the way I feel.

    We have two squat racks and two deadlift platforms. Something is always open for me to lift. I like that.

    Curl boys can have their dumbbells all they want.

  • JoRocka
    JoRocka Posts: 17,525 Member
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    I really think it's all about vanity.

    and while I'm not against some pure vanity motivation- seriously- half the reason I work out is because I love looking great!! But what I don't understand is why they think it doesn't help. To me an unbalanced body isn't attractive. and having a front only body isn't attractive. whole package.
  • yopeeps025
    yopeeps025 Posts: 8,680 Member
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    zaxx1953 wrote: »
    Coming from an athletic background I was introduced to lifting/gym work from a functional POV but still loved the way I ended up looking aesthetically (big and powerful) as a teen. I always worked lower and upper body, and end up with a fairly balanced physique.

    I guess everyone hears about guys in commercial gyms who only curl/bench, etc. etc., but the reality is actually worse than I ever thought.

    Virtually NO MEN in commercial gyms squat to decent depth. You have the most effective exercise on the planet and no men seem remotely interested in even trying it. Furthermore, a lot of men- not all- basically just totally ignore their whole lower body...

    Why is that?

    It's a vanity thing for a lot of guys, I think. I mean, I don't personally "get" it, but I see it all the time.

    We have a lot of great powerlifters at my gym, and I love that about the place. Guys who know how to lift, who squat and deadlift, and squat to depth.

    But there are those guys who come in, never touch the squat rack, and spend all day on the dumbbells getting "pumped" up from the waist up. They have the same routine, every time I'm in there. Never see them squat.

    I remember having a conversation with one of those guys one time. Me and a couple other guys, we were giving him *kitten* about it because his bench press max was way more than his squat max. He said he didn't care. He just wanted to look huge up top.

    Like I said... I don't get it.

    And yeah, sometimes you see the guys who don't squat to depth either. I don't understand that much either.

    I really think it's all about vanity.

    Some men like that wedge look.
  • Michael190lbs
    Michael190lbs Posts: 1,510 Member
    edited May 2015
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    I do squats once a week and not very heavy along with five other leg exercises, my legs are out of proportion to my upper body and I could give a sh1t what other than one woman thinks about the way I look. I ride a bike 400+ miles a month, extremely limber, long time martial arts/ gymnastics and could put my foot in some ones chin really freaking quick.. So to the people who verbally comment on other people's legs in public- be careful you never know when you might set someone off and get your butt kicked

    Wait. Did you just (kind of) threaten people for making comments about something in which you'd already claimed to not care what other people think about anyway?

    Nope I could careless what people think but I'm not against smacking someone for VERBALLY saying something to my face especially if its to bully me.. Its the irish german red head temper.

  • _incogNEATo_
    _incogNEATo_ Posts: 4,543 Member
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    I do squats once a week and not very heavy along with five other leg exercises, my legs are out of proportion to my upper body and I could give a sh1t what other than one woman thinks about the way I look. I ride a bike 400+ miles a month, extremely limber, long time martial arts/ gymnastics and could put my foot in some ones chin really freaking quick.. So to the people who verbally comment on other people's legs in public- be careful you never know when you might set someone off and get your butt kicked

    Wait. Did you just (kind of) threaten people for making comments about something in which you'd already claimed to not care what other people think about anyway?

    Nope I could careless what people think but I'm not against smacking someone for VERBALLY saying something to my face especially if its to bully me.. Its the irish german red head temper.

    If you'd just squat, you wouldn't have that problem to begin with.
  • T1DCarnivoreRunner
    T1DCarnivoreRunner Posts: 11,502 Member
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    http://www.dpmclimbing.com/articles/view/one-workout-every
    yopeeps025 wrote: »
    I'm pretty new to weight lifting, but my small community gym has some guys that squat and others who do not.

    Personally I don't squat or work legs because I have made a plan that strengthens the muscles I need to strengthen with a particular activity in mind. Sometime down the road my goals may change and I might work on strengthening legs at that time. Maybe your goals are different than mine, and your goals require you to squat. Great for you! That doesn't explain why I should squat, though.

    Ok so what if I told you that squats and deadlifts can overall make you stronger. Would you want to add that to your goals?

    Not right now. At some point, I might be interested in overall strength. For now, I'm focusing on a few specific muscles.

    Do you mind telling what your training is focused around and what you're training specifically for. What is your goal?

    I am trying to get in shape for rock climbing. My shoulders are my weakest area and I need to improve upper body strength to be able to pull myself upward and to hold for longer times.

    These are the types of exercises that I'm trying to start with: http://www.dpmclimbing.com/articles/view/one-workout-every-climber-should-do
  • yopeeps025
    yopeeps025 Posts: 8,680 Member
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    http://www.dpmclimbing.com/articles/view/one-workout-every
    yopeeps025 wrote: »
    I'm pretty new to weight lifting, but my small community gym has some guys that squat and others who do not.

    Personally I don't squat or work legs because I have made a plan that strengthens the muscles I need to strengthen with a particular activity in mind. Sometime down the road my goals may change and I might work on strengthening legs at that time. Maybe your goals are different than mine, and your goals require you to squat. Great for you! That doesn't explain why I should squat, though.

    Ok so what if I told you that squats and deadlifts can overall make you stronger. Would you want to add that to your goals?

    Not right now. At some point, I might be interested in overall strength. For now, I'm focusing on a few specific muscles.

    Do you mind telling what your training is focused around and what you're training specifically for. What is your goal?

    I am trying to get in shape for rock climbing. My shoulders are my weakest area and I need to improve upper body strength to be able to pull myself upward and to hold for longer times.

    These are the types of exercises that I'm trying to start with: http://www.dpmclimbing.com/articles/view/one-workout-every-climber-should-do

    OK so again squat will improve overall strength which includes upper body. So why do you not want to squat?

  • _incogNEATo_
    _incogNEATo_ Posts: 4,543 Member
    edited May 2015
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    http://www.dpmclimbing.com/articles/view/one-workout-every
    yopeeps025 wrote: »
    I'm pretty new to weight lifting, but my small community gym has some guys that squat and others who do not.

    Personally I don't squat or work legs because I have made a plan that strengthens the muscles I need to strengthen with a particular activity in mind. Sometime down the road my goals may change and I might work on strengthening legs at that time. Maybe your goals are different than mine, and your goals require you to squat. Great for you! That doesn't explain why I should squat, though.

    Ok so what if I told you that squats and deadlifts can overall make you stronger. Would you want to add that to your goals?

    Not right now. At some point, I might be interested in overall strength. For now, I'm focusing on a few specific muscles.

    Do you mind telling what your training is focused around and what you're training specifically for. What is your goal?

    I am trying to get in shape for rock climbing. My shoulders are my weakest area and I need to improve upper body strength to be able to pull myself upward and to hold for longer times.

    These are the types of exercises that I'm trying to start with: http://www.dpmclimbing.com/articles/view/one-workout-every-climber-should-do

    I can see smaller legs being of benefit for rock climbing. That was what I figured you would be training for if leg strength was of no benefit whatsoever. Actually, mass gained from squats could be counterproductive since you would be adding extra weight to carry with your upper body.

    ETA: However, squats could improve overall balance which would be useful.
  • LolBroScience
    LolBroScience Posts: 4,537 Member
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    Depends on the gym... When I used to go to Xsport fitness, very few people would squat (let alone to depth or below). I go to a more hardcore/athletic gym now and it's flipped around now more so.

    I would say most avoid it because it's a difficult lift, as are deadlifts. Most people don't want difficult.
  • T1DCarnivoreRunner
    T1DCarnivoreRunner Posts: 11,502 Member
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    yopeeps025 wrote: »
    http://www.dpmclimbing.com/articles/view/one-workout-every
    yopeeps025 wrote: »
    I'm pretty new to weight lifting, but my small community gym has some guys that squat and others who do not.

    Personally I don't squat or work legs because I have made a plan that strengthens the muscles I need to strengthen with a particular activity in mind. Sometime down the road my goals may change and I might work on strengthening legs at that time. Maybe your goals are different than mine, and your goals require you to squat. Great for you! That doesn't explain why I should squat, though.

    Ok so what if I told you that squats and deadlifts can overall make you stronger. Would you want to add that to your goals?

    Not right now. At some point, I might be interested in overall strength. For now, I'm focusing on a few specific muscles.

    Do you mind telling what your training is focused around and what you're training specifically for. What is your goal?

    I am trying to get in shape for rock climbing. My shoulders are my weakest area and I need to improve upper body strength to be able to pull myself upward and to hold for longer times.

    These are the types of exercises that I'm trying to start with: http://www.dpmclimbing.com/articles/view/one-workout-every-climber-should-do

    OK so again squat will improve overall strength which includes upper body. So why do you not want to squat?

    It just isn't targeted enough. Again, there are a lot of things that I can do that would be good for me, but I can't do all of them... so I do what I believe will give me the best "payback" (i.e. benefits:resources ratio is highest).
  • Michael190lbs
    Michael190lbs Posts: 1,510 Member
    edited May 2015
    Options
    I do squats once a week and not very heavy along with five other leg exercises, my legs are out of proportion to my upper body and I could give a sh1t what other than one woman thinks about the way I look. I ride a bike 400+ miles a month, extremely limber, long time martial arts/ gymnastics and could put my foot in some ones chin really freaking quick.. So to the people who verbally comment on other people's legs in public- be careful you never know when you might set someone off and get your butt kicked

    Wait. Did you just (kind of) threaten people for making comments about something in which you'd already claimed to not care what other people think about anyway?

    Nope I could careless what people think but I'm not against smacking someone for VERBALLY saying something to my face especially if its to bully me.. Its the irish german red head temper.

    If you'd just squat, you wouldn't have that problem to begin with.

    Now that is funny I have to squat (which I already do) to stop a potential negative remark-- No I prefer to just pound on the person..