Overheard in the gym - Share!

[matty_mcfly]

Ah!  In that case maybe I do need to tweak!

Yea, I've never drawn blood with conventional pulls, but sometimes I do smack my knees with sumo, which is just a good reminder that my knees aren't out enough

[Nubbins McGee]

BREAK BREAK BREAK

 

Alight guys and gals--- Ways to tell if someone is flirting anytime, anywhere: 

 

• If the person you are talking to is making lots of eye contact and is smiling, it's probably flirting.  Unless you're at a job interview.  Even then, it still might be.
• If the person says something like "I'm going to go get a glass of wine, would you like one too?" It's probably flirting
• If someone you don't know well offers you something in a way that's weirdly out of context-- for instance you say "Oh! You're reading that book! I want to read that book.  How is it?"  If, in response they offer it to you-- totally flirting.  
• If someone says something strangely boastful that makes you wonder "where did that come from?"  Probably flirting, unless that person is just an arrogant jerk.
• If someone says something self deprecating in an oddly humorous way: Flirting
• If someone comments positively on any part of your anatomy-- that's a flirt
• If a stranger starts talking to you out of the blue and doesn't want you to buy something or take a survey-- very good chance it's flirting.  
• If someone you know offers you something out of the blue like "Hey, I just got tickets to your favorite band and my mom is having elective open heart surgery that night, so I thought maybe you might want to come since she can't."   That's flirting.
• If there is a lot of innuendo and double entendres in a one on one discussion probably flirting.  
  • Exception #1: Adolescent males who are just being gross and anyone who responds to all statements with "That's what she said!"
  • Exception #2: Gross adolescent males and "That's what she said!" statements might still be flirting.
• If you are female and a male asks you more than three questions in a row about you or how you feel about something, he's flirting.

Slightly tongue-in-cheek list aside, flirting happens all the time.  There isn't a switch that necessarily gets flipped where it suddenly becomes this thing that has a life of it's own.  I am personally a shameless flirt.  I'll flirt with the girl checking out my groceries in front of my wife just to make her smile.  My wife, to her great credit, knows that I'm not trying to bang the cashier and that it is in my nature to keep my charm honed at all times.  

 

That's because there is innocent flirting and flirting with intent for sexy times and though the former can be a gauge to see if it's worth putting effort into the latter, the two can be mutually exclusive.  I mentioned a few posts back about the guy who flirts with our receptionist, right?  Guess what?  I flirt with her too.  

 

The difference is, he wants a date.  I know he does.  I have zero intention of hooking up.  So why do I flirt and how am I flirting?  This is all part of the social interaction that some people naturally "get", some don't, and some (like me) work very hard at educating themselves on.  

 

I'm not flirting because I want a peek up her skirt, I flirt to make her feel good about herself and about me.  

 

There are a couple of factors at play here:  One, when it comes to job security and advancement it has been proven that it is more important to be liked than it is to be exceptional--or even competent-- at your job.  Whether you (or I) like it or not, that's just a fact.  So it behooves me to play the game that other people are playing even if my nature makes me oblivious to it.  Meh... more likely not oblivious, just can't be chapped to care.  

 

The other reason is that I need things from her from time to time and I don't want her to begrudge giving them to me.  True story: I had to get a contract printed and manually signed one day and I also had to go out of the office.  Our printer wasn't printing for me, so I sent it to her and asked her if she'd troubleshoot the damn thing while I was gone and try to print my contract.  When I came back, she had taken care of everything.  If I hadn't established a relationship with her, asked nicely, and had her in a position where she wanted to help me, she could have either said no, or worse, done it and talked about what a dick I am behind my back, which could undermine me in the office.

 

So how do I flirt with her?  Like I said, it's innocent stuff.  I ask her how her weekend was.  I remember when she had to go home the day before because her kid was sick, so I ask how he's feeling.  I know she likes wine, so I mention when I've had some.  It's all about establishing a bond.  

 

I noticed our recruiter had dyed her hair.  "Is your hair darker?" I ask.  When she affirmed what my own eyes could see, I said "I really like it." 

 

That's flirting people.  it's happening all the time.  Roll with it.  Have fun with it.  Be interested in what someone else is doing.  Just don't make them think it's "sexy time" flirting when it's just "bonding with someone" flirting.   That's rude.

[Cat in the rack]

Pro-tip: never in a job interview ask if they're flirting with you

[Artinum]

I think I tend to flirt even harder when it's the same sex. That or I'm just much more confident (hence increasing the effectiveness).

And this immediately makes me think of this...

((Removed by moderator))

[Trewest]

BREAK BREAK BREAK

 

That's flirting people.  it's happening all the time.  Roll with it.  Have fun with it.  Be interested in what someone else is doing.  Just don't make them think it's "sexy time" flirting when it's just "bonding with someone" flirting.   That's rude.

 

 

Huh... I do like 99% of that naturally anyways. To me it's being friendly and aware, but I guess I can see how others would see it as flirting. Thank you for breaking it down. *more consciously aware now*

[Sam Ashen]

Pro-tip: never in a job interview ask if they're flirting with you

 

Who knows?  Maybe you score more than just the job!

[Obitim]

Yea, I've never drawn blood with conventional pulls, but sometimes I do smack my knees with sumo, which is just a good reminder that my knees aren't out enough

 

It was an old injury, and now not healing, I'll try and keep my pull an inch or 2 away from my legs...

[Suited hippy]

Dude, Date rape is not a joke. 

[Oramac]

Huh... I do like 99% of that naturally anyways. To me it's being friendly and aware, but I guess I can see how others would see it as flirting. Thank you for breaking it down. *more consciously aware now*

 

Same here.  I'll just naturally be kind to people.  I don't ever think anything of it.  I guess I don't even notice when I'm flirting!  

 

Also, I saw this picture a while back and it now seems strangely applicable.  

[Squidwina]

So at the gym the other day, there was a lightly loaded bar in the squat rack with a guy standing there.

 

"Are you squatting?"
"No, but I'm using this."

 

So I go to the power rack, where there was another lightly loaded barbell.

 

"I'm using that too."
"Are you squatting in either of them?"
"No."
"Well, could I work in?"
[really annoyed and exasperated look] "I guess."

 

So I started to unload the plates on the bar in the squat rack and he walked away...to do incline presses.

 

I watched him for a while.  It turns out that he had commandeered the only squat rack and the only power rack to do a circuit of curls, overhead presses, and incline presses, with really long rest breaks in between each one.    I was actually completely done with my sets by the time he got back to the squat rack!  And he didn't want to let me work in.

 

Who does he think he is, the Sultan of the Weight Room?

 

 

 

...there's not a lot of cowboys in NJ.

 

Did you know that we have an actual rodeo in NJ?  (Okay it's south Jersey, but still.) I only discovered this when I was shopping for a pair of cowboy boots.  I'm definitely going to check it out once they re-open for the summer.

[Sam Ashen]

^^So how is Alison?

[Trewest]

Same here.  I'll just naturally be kind to people.  I don't ever think anything of it.  I guess I don't even notice when I'm flirting!  

 

Also, I saw this picture a while back and it now seems strangely applicable.

Yes that, exactly that. Now I am wondering if somehow my general friendliness had led the guy from work on.

[Trewest]

There's a TV in the gym at work; generally is set to sports, politics or poker. Today I had the place to myself for a bit and I put on gusto; a food channel (I like watching those kinds of shows). The show was about wedding cakes and I went about my workout. A few guys came in and started to give me playful crap about the TV. But they all went oddly silent as I did my bench presses. I finished my reps and spotted them all watching me haul 2 45 lbs dumbbells for my bench press.

Go ahead and give me crap guys; me and my cake TV are gonna go on with my personal best of a 90 lbs press. I know it's not much compared to you all, but it made me happy.

[Sam Ashen]

Go ahead and give me crap guys; me and my cake TV are gonna go on with my personal best of a 90 lbs press. I know it's not much compared to you all, but it made me happy.

 

I don't do dumbell bench press very often.  I know two 45 pound dumbells are harder to bench press than a 90 pound bar.  There are more directions you have to stabilize and therefore lose energy.  I am not going to sneeze at bench pressing two 45 pound dumbells.

[Suited hippy]

I had been pressing with a bar for a couple months now, and made some progress going from 135 to 150lbs so I was feeling confident in my press. On Wednesday all the benches were full, and I only had about 20 minutes till I had to head out so I went to using dumbbells. Last time I used them I was on 50lbs, and figured since I had added 15lbs onto my bar bench that I would be fine to up the weight to 2- 55lbs...

 

Getting into position, in a packed gym, get them up, bring down on the first rep- OH GOD IT'S TOO MUCH! Left side just keeps going down til it rolls off my side. Sit up with the other dumbbell and see a bunch of dudes just shaking their heads at me. 

 

move back to the 50lbs for the rest of my sets. 

[Trewest]

I figured dumbbells were pretty much the same as the bar. ... There's only one bar at the gym but not many people use the heavier dumbbells so i just grab those instead.

Cool to know that the dumbbells add a degree of difficulty

[insanity]

I figured dumbbells were pretty much the same as the bar. ... There's only one bar at the gym but not many people use the heavier dumbbells so i just grab those instead.

Cool to know that the dumbbells add a degree of difficulty

Ya.. I did the same thing hippy did and dropped a dumbell on my shoulder. Now I wait for the bar...

[Barfly]

Why oblivious?

I see what you did there. I think.

[Obitim]

So at the gym the other day, there was a lightly loaded bar in the squat rack with a guy standing there.

 

"Are you squatting?"

"No, but I'm using this."

 

So I go to the power rack, where there was another lightly loaded barbell.

 

"I'm using that too."

"Are you squatting in either of them?"

"No."

"Well, could I work in?"

[really annoyed and exasperated look] "I guess."

 

So I started to unload the plates on the bar in the squat rack and he walked away...to do incline presses.

 

I watched him for a while.  It turns out that he had commandeered the only squat rack and the only power rack to do a circuit of curls, overhead presses, and incline presses, with really long rest breaks in between each one.    I was actually completely done with my sets by the time he got back to the squat rack!  And he didn't want to let me work in.

 

Who does he think he is, the Sultan of the Weight Room?

 

 

 

 

Did you know that we have an actual rodeo in NJ?  (Okay it's south Jersey, but still.) I only discovered this when I was shopping for a pair of cowboy boots.  I'm definitely going to check it out once they re-open for the summer.

 

I think I;d like to be the Sultan of the weight room...or maybe a Sultan of Swing

[Sam Ashen]

I think I;d like to be the Sultan of the weight room...or maybe a Sultan of Swing

 

Sultan of Curls in the Squat Rack?

[Obitim]

Pasha of the Partial Squat?

[Cat in the rack]

Monarch of machine exercises

[Obitim]

Caliph of the Curl Bros

[Cat in the rack]

I saw an odd sight in the gym yesterday, someone was on a bench preparing to do a total of 100kg. I thought, he sure doesn't look big enough to bench 100kg. As he barely got out a couple of reps his ass was so high in the air he may as well have been doing glute bridges. What's the reason for that in bench press? I get that cheat curls and whatnot make it easier to "lift" heavier weight, but is there any benefit to an ass high in the air?

[IslandGirl_Becks]

I saw an odd sight in the gym yesterday, someone was on a bench preparing to do a total of 100kg. I thought, he sure doesn't look big enough to bench 100kg. As he barely got out a couple of reps his ass was so high in the air he may as well have been doing glute bridges. What's the reason for that in bench press? I get that cheat curls and whatnot make it easier to "lift" heavier weight, but is there any benefit to an ass high in the air?

 

Skip (my old coach) would have been screaming something about ENGAGE YOUR ABS AND GET YOUR ASS DOWN