Overheard in the gym - Share!

[Corbab]

We got some surprise snow last night, so the girls lacrosse team was in the gym today while I was working out. I walled myself off with barbells, but I did hear this from the coach:

"Go for the 5s or the 8s, nothing more than 10. You don't want to put too much strain on your knees." They were doing some strange hybrid lunge/curl/press back and forth through the weight room. Meanwhile, I was doing lunges with a 45 pound plate, which I almost dropped on my foot trying not to laugh.

What sort of ridiculous stuff have you overheard that might be a little...misguided.

[Gainsdalf the Whey]

I heard a woman telling another to step forward out of the squat rack and to only go halfway down because it was safer than what they saw me doing.

[ebm1224]

Two guys comparing who had the bigger biceps in the mirror. After a couple minutes some guy wad like "are you still using the squat rack?"

[161803398874989]

Actually, there are quite a bit of movements that put excessive strain on the knees, so you can't load them much. One of those movements is an improperly performed squat.

[Timmy M]

Actually, there are quite a bit of movements that put excessive strain on the knees, so you can't load them much. One of those movements is an improperly performed squat.

this, the amount of times i see people do really bad squat form makes me cringe, probably only about 10-20% of the people i've seen squat do it anything like right (people tend to be better at deadlifts, but i still see some frigging awful form)

[aj_rock]

Guy actually asked me for squat advice while I was at the gym today...

So I critique his form. Not going low enough.

"But, but... isn't that bad for your knees?"

*headslap*

[chairohkey]

After squating 300 for 17 straight reps some random bro comes up to me and says, "You could've got more if you didn't go so deep." I was too out of breath to respond.

[ETFnerd]

voices heard in my head:

"don't get a boner in my spandex... please... nooooooo!!!!!"

"why do i gotta fart when that hottie just got on the treadmill next to mine..."

"it's ok to fart... only dudes around me..."

"cool, that hot chick's walked by my treadmill for the 17th time... i still got it..."

"d*mn, that dude's walked by my treadmill for the 17th time... move on dude... nothin' here for you..."

"d*mn i look just like brad pitt in Troy... *flex biceps*"

[ebm1224]

oh, i've got one! well, it's more something i saw someone do once that i couldn't figure out...and i kept thinking about it for like 3 days. this woman picked up a pair of like 5 lb dumbells, raised her arms like a T and walked down the aisle and back. now, i've seen people walk up and down the aisle (usually doing lunges) and i've seen people do the T arm raising (lateral raises i belive?)...but never at the same time...it was...odd.

[ETFnerd]

i know that exercise... it's called twalking i think...

[Gainsdalf the Whey]

voices heard in my head:

"don't get a boner in my spandex... please... nooooooo!!!!!"

"why do i gotta fart when that hottie just got on the treadmill next to mine..."

"it's ok to fart... only dudes around me..."

"cool, that hot chick's walked by my treadmill for the 17th time... i still got it..."

"d*mn, that dude's walked by my treadmill for the 17th time... move on dude... nothin' here for you..."

"d*mn i look just like brad pitt in Troy... *flex biceps*"

You're too much dude. My father in law is looking at me funny as I giggle at my phone.

[ZenGwen]

I don't have any particularly funny quotes, but I do have two gym stereotypes who there are tons of in my gym...

First off, there's a group of three or four curlbros who always come in together, in vests, do curls together in front of the mirror, chat together with major overuse of the word "bro". (In Scotland? Seriously?) They each keep two or three sets of dumbbells in front of them for the whole time, glare at me if I ask whether I could have one of the sets for my dumbbell benches while they're not using it, then eventually put them back in the wrong order. The racks have numbers on them for a reason, folks. Then they hit the bench press, put on around 50-60 kilos and make noises like "nnnggghhhhUUUUUUHHHHH" while they press it, with their "spotter" practically lifting half of it for them. It sounds like they're orgasming. Not quietly, either. It's ridiculous. I've found that Saturday morning is the absolute best time to go to avoid these guys - I assume this is because they're all too hung over.

Then you also have a lot of young professional ladies who go before work, like I do. I get a lot of 'looks' from this group (my peers I suppose), I assume because I lift weights and then go change into my office clothes with Doc Martens and blue hair. But, they get a lot of 'looks' from me, for doing cardio with magazines and dangly jewelry, then chatting in the changing room about how maybe they should do Pilates so they can get stronger without building muscle (???) or maybe they should do the Spinning class instead because the guy who runs that one is cuter.

Sigh. I miss my old gym.

[Timmy M]

gotta love the curlbros ZenGwen at least they stay away from the squat rack unfortunately they take up space which would be much better put to use for doing heavy sets of deadlifts and one handed snatches

[signalguy]

I have a regular at my office gym who "motivates" himself by swearing like a sailor while on the treadmill. Calls himself a fat f#%ker and a wide variety of names that makes even me blush. It doesn't help that he grunts non-stop while running too.

[scott82962]

Most of the club trainers are really knowledgeable and despite the client's condition design good workouts. But this one guy - "I don't recommend free weights for beginners", "use the smith machine for squats and benches - it's safer", "don't go too low to avoid injury", "light weight and lots of reps", etc. He's the classic misinformed boob. I can't imagine the amount of wasted effort that has occurred as direct result of his training.

[Waldo]

Guy actually asked me for squat advice while I was at the gym today...

So I critique his form. Not going low enough.

"But, but... isn't that bad for your knees?"

*headslap*

....being someone with "bad" knees, and having a built in strain-o-meter, parallel squats have always hurt more than deep squats. Stopping at parallel instead of motioning through to deeper (and vice versa on the way up) would seem to be worse. From a mechanical POV the maximum moment in the knees occurs at perfectly parallel.

I don't really have much to add to this thread though. I don't do the gym thing, haven't stepped foot in one of those places since the 90's.

[Sloth the Enduring]

I haven't overheard anything, but I always shake my head at the people who take the elevator up one floor to go hit the cardio machines.

[tonyfoto]

I haven't overheard anything, but I always shake my head at the people who take the elevator up one floor to go hit the cardio machines.

Why in the world is there an elevator anyway? haha

Why does every gym have those "bros" that just sit around the free weights clacking like hens about sports, women, and beer? Our gym has a bestro connected to it. It's the ideal spot for socializing and staying out of the way of those who actually want to use the free weights.

[andygates]

> Why in the world is there an elevator anyway? haha

Well, there's all the people who are not your usual gymheads. Think accessibility, and the usefulness of some of that gear for rehab after injury, or surgery, or for the elderly, or the very very out of shape. And that's just off the top of my head.

And now back to the mockery

[weirdquark]

I don't have any particularly funny quotes, but I do have two gym stereotypes who there are tons of in my gym...

First off, there's a group of three or four curlbros who always come in together, in vests, do curls together in front of the mirror, chat together with major overuse of the word "bro".

The two times I went to an actual gym the other people in the weight room included various people, mostly women, coming in with one of the trainers who mostly did high rep work on the cable machines for five or ten minutes before leaving again. Guys doing various kinds of bench press. And the guys who I overheard very seriously having a discussion proposing that they hand off one of the pre-weighted barbells so one of them could rest while the other did his sets. Or something like that; I was trying not to pay attention because I didn't want to laugh.

No one but me used the squat rack unless you count the one guy who set up a bar in front of it to do deadlifts. (He was the only other person who was doing something besides using the machines or bench pressing while I was there.)

[ebm1224]

the elevator thing makes me laugh. they have to have it for ADA compliance but it does seem a bit silly when people use it who clearly don't need to. the gym at my university was 4 stories with the locker rooms on the first floor and the classrooms (for step, kickboxing, etc) on the 3rd floor. i'd often be running late for a class there and would think for like 2 seconds about taking the elevator to avoid being late. i think i only did it once because i needed the 10 seconds in the elevator to put my shoes on but people used it quite frequently which never made much sense to me.

in a related note, i did fall one time going up the steps there...kinda embarassing. maybe i should have taken the elevator that day.

[tonyfoto]

oh.. duh. haha..

What a silly question. I guess I was just picturing my gym that has a cardio studio on the first and 2nd floor.

[wildross]

I haven't overheard anything, but I always shake my head at the people who take the elevator up one floor to go hit the cardio machines.

I like the ones who circle the parking lot to get a space closer to the door.

ladywildross, who has some physical disabilities, appreciates the elevator...

[Hammlin]

Re: the elevator At my gym I've seen people in wheelchairs use it to get to the machines and what not.

[nicknack]

I overheard a trainer talking about her client who showed up for his session one week with calf implants. Apparently he felt he wasn't progressing quickly enough and grew impatient.