Unsolicited advice at the gym

I would say no because you don't know anything about their training goals or why they're doing things in a certain way. I often might do things that look odd at the gym but it's because I'm targetting particular muscles whilst sometimes having to adapt to the equipment that I have (if you load up the leg curl machine to more than your bodyweight it works great as a bench for back extensions)

Momepro wrote: »

The only times I really ever give unsolicited advice at the gym is when a person looks really lost and confused. And then I ask first, "Excuse me, would you like a little help, or are you just thinking about something else?" Generally they laugh and say "yes please", or "no thanks, just mentally cursing my boss, haha."

Geez I WISH you were at my gym. I'm still new and sometimes just get confused and awkward and feel stupid lol.

giantrobot_powerlifting wrote: »

I wish everyone would just settle the *kitten* down when it comes to gym advice. Give it, or don't. Accept it or don't. Chances are, if I see you in the gym and we start talking form, programming, or nutrition, there is a good bet I am going to know way more than you do. Do I really care if you accept the advice I give? No, go ruin yourself. Have at it. Be my guest.

Sometimes its nice to be friendly in the gym and talk shop, which is why I am happy I either train at home, or at a facility for other powerlifters where we know that the free exchange of information (coaching each other up) can only make us stronger.

What does "kitten" mean in this discussion?

Never mind, I just figured it out. MFP's profanity filter.

I wouldn't offer unsolicited advice. It would make most people feel more foolish I think. Generally speaking from what I see most gym goers I see are a lot more switched on and knowledgeable than when I started training in the 90s.

That said there are always some people you just wish you could "help".

There's a guy I see every morning. This is his complete routine everyday at 5am:

1. He swings two dumbells like he's a town crier all body movement almost no biceps,
2. Next he holds two dumbbells in front of his chin and does this weird movement where he contracts his shoulders so they end up by his ears,
3. He climbs into the inverted sit-up station and just moves his head up and down (no crunch at all)
4. He climbs on a stationary bike and reads a newspaper while slow turning his legs.

I've no idea what his goals are or his background is but for all his dedication getting his *kitten* out of bed every morning I wish he'd do himself a favour!

Hawaiian_Iceberg wrote: »

I wouldn't offer unsolicited advice. It would make most people feel more foolish I think. Generally speaking from what I see most gym goers I see are a lot more switched on and knowledgeable than when I started training in the 90s.

That said there are always some people you just wish you could "help".

There's a guy I see every morning. This is his complete routine everyday at 5am:

1. He swings two dumbells like he's a town crier all body movement almost no biceps,
2. Next he holds two dumbbells in front of his chin and does this weird movement where he contracts his shoulders so they end up by his ears,
3. He climbs into the inverted sit-up station and just moves his head up and down (no crunch at all)
4. He climbs on a stationary bike and reads a newspaper while slow turning his legs.

I've no idea what his goals are or his background is but for all his dedication getting his *kitten* out of bed every morning I wish he'd do himself a favour!

You just described 90% of the patrons at my gym.

I gave unsolicited advice recently. A guy was squatting next to me and was looking at his feet during the movement. Almost fell over. I mentioned that he might be a little more stable if he tried looking straight instead of down. He tried it and thanked me.

I think we could start a whole thread on "unusual" techniques and exercises we see in the gym.

I wouldn't offer advice unless people ask; learning from your own mistakes is a far better lesson and more well received than unsolicited advise, unless they are putting their lives at risk.

Sadly, in an increasingly litigious society I'd be wary of offering advice unless you are qualified AND have insurance in place. I realise that that goes against what I said above but it is something to bear in mind.

JaydedMiss wrote: »

does it count as advice when i saw a girl repeatedly struggling to find out how to lift the bench so i showed her how lol. She kept spinning the knob off vs pulling the knob poor girl would then sit down and do weird thigns with the bench to try and play it off lol she looked so uncomfortable

This does not count. I’ve always appreciated it when someone would come help me out when I couldn’t figure out how to adjust something.

Other than that, I prefer to be unsolicited and I treat people the same! I’ll just think it to myself (unless someone is clearly going to injure themselves, and then I would get a trainer or something).

If I want advice, I'll ask the people who work there for advice. If they give me advice that is substandard, or seems off, I also go to forums, Google, watch Youtube videos. I don't go to the gym to be bothered, and I don't like bothering other people. I like to help by example. Like if I see a girl struggling to keep up in our HIIT class, I don't go over and point it out, I'll maybe flash her a friendly smile and modify the workout so she can see there are other ways to do it.