Nice surprise at the gym: resolutioners aren't in the weight room!

[Damzie]

So I've learned another great thing about lifting heavy things. Resolutioners aren't in the weight room. They are lined up for the treadmills and ellipticals. Maybe a few are doing some tricep kickbacks, but for the most part they are no where near the heavy things. This helps me in at least two ways: 1) they aren't in my way, and 2) I get to feel superior. Ok, I feel kind of bad about that second one.

Anyone else notice this at their gym? I have always worked out at home before, so this is a new revelation to me.

[bigm141414]

I love the new year crop! Not an unused threadmill or elliptical in the place! The free weights are always free and uncrowded which is fine with me. Although I may need to invest in headphones to drown out the chatter around the machines.

Edit: Also, bonus people watching, the new gym rat guys hitting on the barely clothed treadmill girls. Hilarious.....

[Grosby]

I noticed this! My gym is only really small, but only the "regulars" were in the weights area, all the rest were either on a treadmill or bike or at the assisted weights machines. I've heard about the phenomenon that is resolutioneers, but hadn't witnessed it myself.

[bigm141414]

I noticed this! My gym is only really small, but only the "regulars" were in the weights area, all the rest were either on a treadmill or bike or at the assisted weights machines. I've heard about the phenomenon that is resolutioneers, but hadn't witnessed it myself.

It'll die off by the time spring break rols around (March-ish time frame)

[Sloth the Enduring]

My Y has been hopping. Standing room only by the ellipticals, every weight machine in use, lots of guys bench pressing, no one squatting, no one deadlifting, but a whole bunch of guys in my way curling in front of the mirror.

[Gainsdalf the Whey]

Yep, our dozen treadmills were bumpin but only 4 guys and my wife in the weight room.

[Guest guest4729]

Yep. When I walked into Planet Fitness the other day their wall to wall treadmills, ellipticals, and bikes and stuff were basically filled. There were a few older guys using the machines and a few regulars who I see almost every time I go to the gym. Otherwise their small weight section has actually gained some popularity. It went from maybe one other person and myself to like 3-4 other people and myself. Not enough to REALLY get in my way, but enough to make me leave early because I grew tired of waiting for things. I only left like 5-10 minutes early but still managed to get a pretty good work out in. Not too bad.

[adampm]

I usually hide out and use the kinect and Your Shape Fitness Evolved all month, or at least the first couple weeks. After that most of the people that are left become new regulars

[Loren Wade]

Agh... makes me want a gym membership even more. Must... not... be... convinced...

[babycakes1970]

I usually hide out and use the kinect and Your Shape Fitness Evolved all month, or at least the first couple weeks. After that most of the people that are left become new regulars

I got the Your Shape Fitness Evolved (2009 version) on sale in November. I have used it four or five times. I am still learning the games and workouts.

[andygates]

Same over here: every elliptimonster full, most of the treadmills and bikes too, but the weights room is the usual suspects plus one new troupe of rugby girls in the squat rack.

[Oz.]

In my old gym, which i referred to as a health club not a gym, January to March was the reign of the 3 month wonders.

In my new gym, There is a completely separate free weights room, its huge bigger than the cardio area infact.

Sadly i am in the gym at 6-7am, there is usually only me a polish guy, and the security guard from the local supermarket.

Bliss. Its quiet, no waiting I love it. I hated Christmas period and delayed openings till 8am. Argh, busy gym. I am not a people person when it comes to crowds and queues.

Oz.

[Zorch]

In my gym, the people using the freeweights/barbells are pretty much the same group every week. New Years was only a minor exception - a couple of people I'd never seen before *curling in the squat rack*.

My gym is a little on the pricier side, but the people using the weights are generally fairly serious, and there are people on the staff knowledgeable enough to give useful coaching on form for squats and olympic lifts. For that it's definitely worth it. That and it's less than 2 miles from home for me.

[aj_rock]

I honestly haven't been to my gym since the New Year. Taking a couple rest weeks, and I really don't want to see my gym in an even worse bromania state than it already is >.>

[Gainsdalf the Whey]

I had one guy I've never seen before taking up the full cage squat rack to do pullups. I asked him to move over to the one that wasn't a full cage so that I could use the cage. If I see people waiting for him again, I'll say something. At least he used it for benching after 15 minutes of pullups.

[Guest guest4729]

I had one guy I've never seen before taking up the full cage squat rack to do pullups. I asked him to move over to the one that wasn't a full cage so that I could use the cage. If I see people waiting for him again, I'll say something. At least he used it for benching after 15 minutes of pullups.

If I was a more serious lifter that would make me furious. Do pullups elsewhere, not in a squat rack. That's just rude and annoying because clearly nobody WANTS to start conflicts.

[Guest Snake McClain]

Yup! i noticed this even before the new year rush. It has risen exponentially. Every elliptical taken up. every dumbell being used by curlers. no one Deadlifting. No one squatting. No one over head pressing NOT on a smith machine. Pretty funny. I literally just go in and laugh these days. I just laugh my ass off.

[Oz.]

I have only ever seen 2 people deadlift (probably the strongest two looking guys) and I don't think I can remember anyone squatting.

Seen a few people do push press, which is almost a press, plenty of benchers, zero barbell rows, one person do clean and press.

And this gym is renown in this area for having superior free weights, and barbells.. which it does. But no one does any heavy lifting except me and the bench press brigade.

Oz.

[Gainsdalf the Whey]

If I was a more serious lifter that would make me furious. Do pullups elsewhere, not in a squat rack. That's just rude and annoying because clearly nobody WANTS to start conflicts.

The worst part is that there is a pullup bar on the wall right outside the doorway into the room.

[sylph]

I'd have been more surprised if you'd said that all the resolutioners were in the weight room and the cardio area was deserted.

But hey, at least they got off their couches and are moving more. More power to 'em. Maybe this time next year, they'll be the ones making threads about the newbies!

[weirdquark]

If I was a more serious lifter that would make me furious. Do pullups elsewhere, not in a squat rack. That's just rude and annoying because clearly nobody WANTS to start conflicts.

I admit to having done pull-ups in the squat rack while I was at the gym near my parents, but in my defense, I was also using the squat rack for squats (I had done my warm-up sets and then realized I had forgotten to do pull-ups first so I did a few pull-ups before starting my work weight) and I couldn't actually reach the pull-up bar without climbing up the rack and standing on the safety bars because all of the pull-up holds were three feet above my head. I also used the cage to rack the bar when I did overhead press because I thought it might help if I didn't have to clean the bar up to my shoulders before each set. (I don't think that it did. Sigh.)

I felt kind of bad about this, but the only other people in the gym using free weights were using the dumbbells except for guys who were doing infinite bench press or passing a bar back and forth to do sets of curls. The only other person I saw near the squat rack was one guy who stole the bar in the cage to do deadlifts.

[Philociraptor]

The early evening is unbearable at the 24hr I go to. When the cardio machines are all taken (probably 60 or so of them) people spill over into the weight area. Luckily only the same few folks want to use the squat rack though. I'm gonna have to start going at 5 am again, at least for a few weeks.

[Oz.]

I admit to having done pull-ups in the squat rack while I was at the gym near my parents, but in my defense, I was also using the squat rack for squats (I had done my warm-up sets and then realized I had forgotten to do pull-ups first so I did a few pull-ups before starting my work weight) and I couldn't actually reach the pull-up bar without climbing up the rack and standing on the safety bars because all of the pull-up holds were three feet above my head. I also used the cage to rack the bar when I did overhead press because I thought it might help if I didn't have to clean the bar up to my shoulders before each set. (I don't think that it did. Sigh.)

I felt kind of bad about this, but the only other people in the gym using free weights were using the dumbbells except for guys who were doing infinite bench press or passing a bar back and forth to do sets of curls. The only other person I saw near the squat rack was one guy who stole the bar in the cage to do deadlifts.

Nothing wrong with using a rack for OHP. I do. Sod cleaning it up, ill be tired before i start!

Oz.

[sashi]

I don't think a lot of people like my gym. I haven't seen very many new people in (at least not when I'm there). It's kind of funny too, since my gym is also pretty inexpensive (which is why I don't really complain that we only have one squat rack or that the tiny square area to do deadlifts means I have to move the funky shaped bars and some boxes out of the way). Of course, it's probably because the resolutioners want one of the big shiny gyms.

[Guest guest4729]

I admit to having done pull-ups in the squat rack while I was at the gym near my parents, but in my defense, I was also using the squat rack for squats (I had done my warm-up sets and then realized I had forgotten to do pull-ups first so I did a few pull-ups before starting my work weight) and I couldn't actually reach the pull-up bar without climbing up the rack and standing on the safety bars because all of the pull-up holds were three feet above my head. I also used the cage to rack the bar when I did overhead press because I thought it might help if I didn't have to clean the bar up to my shoulders before each set. (I don't think that it did. Sigh.)

I felt kind of bad about this, but the only other people in the gym using free weights were using the dumbbells except for guys who were doing infinite bench press or passing a bar back and forth to do sets of curls. The only other person I saw near the squat rack was one guy who stole the bar in the cage to do deadlifts.

That's not that bad in comparison to someone who is using it JUST for pullups. In that person's case I would just suggest buying a pullup bar for home. In your gym I'd also say it's a non-issue if you're not getting in the way. Why the hell do they put the bars 3 feet above you? I feel like if I were there it would probably be 4-5 feet above me. Bahahaha.

P.S. - Can I please add that this morning when I went to the gym I scared away four men from the free weight section? They were in there showing off to each other but then when I walked in and didn't pick up a 5lb weight they all left and only one eventually returned. They basically stopped what they were doing to walk away. I was just doing weighted dumbbell squats and they were like "Oh, a chick? I should be going now..." and then they kinda walked back later when I was doing a bench press then went away again. (I only do bench presses because Planet Fitness only has Smith Machines...I don't trust them to do anything else besides just a bench press. No need to train my muscles the bad way, ya know?)