my gym just outlawed deadlifts!

[BattleBear]

Back-story: I am in my masters program in college. I go to the school gym because as long as you are a full time student you get to use the gym limitlessly. So I've been lifting at this gym for months now. Working out has become my stress relief and deadlifts are my anger management. Today, IN THE MIDDLE OF MY SET,a student worker comes up and tells me some bs about the floor getting messed up and management doesn't want people to deadlift anymore. I asked if I could keep doing it if i bought my own bumper pads so the weights never touched the ground and he STILL said no.

So I reracked my weights, didn't even finish the rest of my work out and just went to my car on the verge of tears. I feel like someone just told me my dog got hit by a car (not dead, just hit).

What the crap am I supposed to do?!? I need my gorram lifts!

It's worth mentioning that I'm happy if rent and utilities get paid every month, so I simply don't have money for an expensive gym membership.

Mostly, I just needed to vent to people who would actually understand how I feel about being told that I can never deadlift at that the only gym I have access to.

[Meteoric]

Oof, that's terrible.

 

Block pulls or rack pulls make a decent substitute, they get around the floor-damage problem, and best of all they don't even have "deadlift" in the name, so if someone tries to tell you that deadlifting isn't allowed, you can just feign ignorance. "This isn't a deadlift, it's a rack pull!"

 

Unorthodox solution: get some other lifters to pitch in, buy or make a platform, and give it to the gym.

[fitnessgurl]

Back-story: I am in my masters program in college. I go to the school gym because as long as you are a full time student you get to use the gym limitlessly. So I've been lifting at this gym for months now. Working out has become my stress relief and deadlifts are my anger management. Today, IN THE MIDDLE OF MY SET,a student worker comes up and tells me some bs about the floor getting messed up and management doesn't want people to deadlift anymore. I asked if I could keep doing it if i bought my own bumper pads so the weights never touched the ground and he STILL said no.

So I reracked my weights, didn't even finish the rest of my work out and just went to my car on the verge of tears. I feel like someone just told me my dog got hit by a car (not dead, just hit).

What the crap am I supposed to do?!? I need my gorram lifts!

It's worth mentioning that I'm happy if rent and utilities get paid every month, so I simply don't have money for an expensive gym membership.

Mostly, I just needed to vent to people who would actually understand how I feel about being told that I can never deadlift at that the only gym I have access to.

Aww, I'm sorry. That really stinks.

[ladymorella]

That really sucks. Can you go to whoever manages the gym above the student workers to see if a solution can be arranged?

[Bullroarer Took]

That blows

[sashi]

That really sucks. Can you go to whoever manages the gym above the student workers to see if a solution can be arranged?

 

^^This^^  Especially if you were willing to bring in bumper pads. 

[BattleBear]

Thanks, guys! I want to go talk to management about it, but it's going to take some courage. Y'all just gave me the little push I needed to nut up and go talk to him. The worst he can say is no.

[Emerald_Dragonfly]

Maybe take some research with you about the health and fitness benefits of the DL?

[wildross]

Sounds like what they don't want is people dropping loaded bars.  That's a different beast.  Be sure you ask what their real issue is so you can make an intelligent request.

[BattleBear]

I know I can't stay at this gym forever, they just don't have what I need. They don't allow "Olympic lifts" like jerks, snatch, and now deadlifts. I graduate in 5 months and at that time I think I will be able to afford to go to a better place. One semester just doesn't seem like it's worth the trouble, but then again that's 5 months without some very important lifts. If they turn me down I'm just going to have to break the rules for a while

[Br0din]

Thanks, guys! I want to go talk to management about it, but it's going to take some courage. Y'all just gave me the little push I needed to nut up and go talk to him. The worst he can say is no.

 

I did this when I had a similar problem.  Turns out it was 1 dude acting on his own and not with management.  I hope you have the same luck.  IF not, make them stop you every time.  Ok, that may not be the best technique but it can be effective.

[jfreaksho]

Ask if they can spend the money on a platform.  People get to lift, floors stay intact.

 

Also, it might be just that one guy being an idiot.

[BattleBear]

Ok, I did it. Well, I didn't speak to a manager directly, because they aren't there in the early mornings. But I talked to a different worker (who also lifts) and asked about it. This rule was put in place 3 years ago, and I only just now learned about it because I went at a time that I don't normally go and a manager was there. 

 

I pitched my idea and El Flunky said he would relay it to his manager and he thought it was a good idea, too. He also told me if I came to the gym super early (which I almost always do) then none of the workers are going to stop me from doing deadlifts because they just don't care. 

 

Yay! victory! Let's break some rules!

[BattleBear]

[wildross]

If a tree falls in the forest, does it make a sound?

If a barbell gets deadlifted and there is no manager there, is it wrong?

[Papa Raf C]

Romanian deadlifts?

[Br0din]

[ladymorella]

Ok, I did it. Well, I didn't speak to a manager directly, because they aren't there in the early mornings. But I talked to a different worker (who also lifts) and asked about it. This rule was put in place 3 years ago, and I only just now learned about it because I went at a time that I don't normally go and a manager was there. 

 

I pitched my idea and El Flunky said he would relay it to his manager and he thought it was a good idea, too. He also told me if I came to the gym super early (which I almost always do) then none of the workers are going to stop me from doing deadlifts because they just don't care. 

 

Yay! victory! Let's break some rules!

Nice! They said the concern was about the floor. So respect the floor. I think gyms go to all the machines, because all the liability is lower from people injuring themselves and equipment or property being broken. It's one of those a few bad apples thing.