Overheard in the gym - Share!

[summer child]

Really good article on sumo vs conventional

Thanks, I will read into this when I get the time. 

  I'm tempted to put some sumos into my program later on anyways.

[Trewest]

Gym goer doing skull crushers with a 45 lbs dumbbell: "Is your head in your workout or in your ass. Because your form is saying your head is up your ass...."

 

That was me, yesterday. Ugh bad headspace day. Form suffered as a result. I'm lucky I didn't hurt myself. *shakes head*

[Eleanorsbee]

I am waiting for someone to come along and say;

 

"actually head in ass skull crushers is actually a thing .... people do it to put more emphasis on the glutes first, then triceps "

[Trewest]

I am waiting for someone to come along and say;

 

"actually head in ass skull crushers is actually a thing .... people do it to put more emphasis on the glutes first, then triceps "

 

*applause* Thank you for that mental image. I can now picture someone trying to do that while teetering on a Swiss ball....

[Obitim]

Today: Dude in my gym squatting like a boss. Two plates on each side. Suddenly the whole bar starts to cant over, everything destabilises (and not in the "functional training" way) as he hits the bottom. He'd forgotten to use clips, and the new barbells are still slightly slippery and one side the plates had shifted almost off the bar!...that dude was me lol.

 

Also, saw a guy using doing cable flies with one hand and talking on his phone with the other, for about 40min! 

 

As long as he swapped half way through then it;s all good surely!

[insanity]

As long as he swapped half way through then it;s all good surely!

Or he's just balancing out his homebased workout....

[summer child]

Yesterday I saw curlbros in their late 40s. They curled some, sat around talking shit, curled some more and did some chest stuff. While I managed to squat, bench and dl in the same period of time.

[Obitim]

Yesterday I saw curlbros in their late 40s. They did curled some, sat around talking shit, curled some more and did some chest stuff. While I managed to squat, bench and dl in the same period of time.

 

But what about hitting the arms from 16 different angles for MAZZIVE GAINZ??

[insanity]

Darwin award winner?

 

Notice at 4 plates, he struggles to lift it. Then decides to add more...

 

[summer child]

Darwin award winner?

 

Notice at 4 plates, he struggles to lift it. Then decides to add more...

 

I guess he wasn't in the proper mental state, since he thinks it is ''all in the head'' ^^,

     My old powerlifting mentor actually lifted 326kg(718lbp), but it was with a shirt.

 

[SevenofSeven]

So if a shirt's assisted, what is he calling all the dudes hanging off the bar? Beside the "people" who Assissted him from having his chest stowed in? I don't get it?

[Sam Ashen]

Darwin award winner?

 

I did not see him do anything that qualifies for the Darwin Award.

[Trewest]

Saw a curl bro in the squat rack today, and just ignored him to do my own thing. I'm doing 40 lbs over head pulls, 4 sets of 10 reps as part of a super set. When I take my rest minute I notice him doing the same move. Cool. But I notice he's really struggling and has bad form. Next set I see he's gone down in weight, smart. And then I notice: he'd tried to go with the 45 lbs weight and couldn't. He dropped down to 30 lbs and had no problem. I might be wrong but i do think he was trying to lift heavier than me on purpose.

[insanity]

I did not see him do anything that qualifies for the Darwin Award.

My apologies... I was thinking future, but forgot to put "Future" in front. Guess that's what happens when you watch the vid and post at the same time. :-)

[Cat in the rack]

Yesterday I was in the gym at one of the cages (racks with a bench, pull up bar and platform for deadlifts etc) doing my normal workout, and I see one of the gym's personal trainers with a client in one of the other cages. Two things I always notice with the personal trainers: 1) they have less knowledge about lifting than somebody with access to google should ever have, and 2) they feel way too entitled to use as much equipment as is physically possible.

 

Here's what I saw the trainer having the guy do, and it's worth pointing out it was fairly busy at the time, there was a small line for the cages:

1) Step-ups using a pair of dumbbells onto a step that had been moved onto the platform.

2) Superset with seated shoulder press using a bar with a 2.5 on either side using the rack.

3) Superset with walking lunge with a different pair of dumbbells across most of the gym floor.

4) Superset with machine shoulder press.

5) Superset with hammer curls using a different different pair of dumbbells.

6) About 5 minutes rest before repeating.

 

So there was about 10 minutes before any one exercise would be repeated, meaning most of the equipment was going unused for a long time. So this guy was using the platform for step-ups for literally no reason, the rack and an olympic bar for very light weight when the guy had a spotter who could've easily used one of the preweighted barbells somewhere else, a ton of floor space (the trainers love to do walking lunges fucking everywhere), 3 separate pairs of dumbbells, a shoulder press machine (urgh) after free weight shoulder presses (even more urgh), and a lot of oxygen that could've gone to someone else (kidding).

 

I hate seeing the personal trainers doing ridiculous programs with people who are new to fitness, especially with all the terrible advice I always overhear them giving people.

[Obitim]

 

I guess he wasn't in the proper mental state, since he thinks it is ''all in the head'' ^^,

     My old powerlifting mentor actually lifted 326kg(718lbp), but it was with a shirt.

 

 

 

No bare chest no record...sorry bro

[Obitim]

Yesterday I was in the gym at one of the cages (racks with a bench, pull up bar and platform for deadlifts etc) doing my normal workout, and I see one of the gym's personal trainers with a client in one of the other cages. Two things I always notice with the personal trainers: 1) they have less knowledge about lifting than somebody with access to google should ever have, and 2) they feel way too entitled to use as much equipment as is physically possible.

 

Here's what I saw the trainer having the guy do, and it's worth pointing out it was fairly busy at the time, there was a small line for the cages:

1) Step-ups using a pair of dumbbells onto a step that had been moved onto the platform.

2) Superset with seated shoulder press using a bar with a 2.5 on either side using the rack.

3) Superset with walking lunge with a different pair of dumbbells across most of the gym floor.

4) Superset with machine shoulder press.

5) Superset with hammer curls using a different different pair of dumbbells.

6) About 5 minutes rest before repeating.

 

So there was about 10 minutes before any one exercise would be repeated, meaning most of the equipment was going unused for a long time. So this guy was using the platform for step-ups for literally no reason, the rack and an olympic bar for very light weight when the guy had a spotter who could've easily used one of the preweighted barbells somewhere else, a ton of floor space (the trainers love to do walking lunges fucking everywhere), 3 separate pairs of dumbbells, a shoulder press machine (urgh) after free weight shoulder presses (even more urgh), and a lot of oxygen that could've gone to someone else (kidding).

 

I hate seeing the personal trainers doing ridiculous programs with people who are new to fitness, especially with all the terrible advice I always overhear them giving people.

 

I have a theory that they do this to:

A) make the client feel that they'll never remember all the exercises so will need to keep paying for sessions

if they had the client doing basic lifts then why would the client keep coming back and paying them money?

 

However, there are some PT's who are good, but your story smacks of a lack of consideration for gym users and of the PT having the attitude, ,y client is paying me, no one else is here so I'm going to do what I want (much as my story of the PT having her client do step ups literally in front of the only power rack in the gym)

[Cat in the rack]

I have a theory that they do this to:

A) make the client feel that they'll never remember all the exercises so will need to keep paying for sessions

if they had the client doing basic lifts then why would the client keep coming back and paying them money?

 

However, there are some PT's who are good, but your story smacks of a lack of consideration for gym users and of the PT having the attitude, ,y client is paying me, no one else is here so I'm going to do what I want (much as my story of the PT having her client do step ups literally in front of the only power rack in the gym)

 

That makes a lot of sense, if a trainer just had the guy doing the 5 or so major lifts and some basic bodyweight exercises then they'd probably figure why the hell am I still paying when I can come in and do this by myself. I was confused as to the face for a second, before I realised what it was supposed to be

 

The PTs at my gym work for the actual gym, so I think they figure they're entitled to use the equipment more so than everyone else. They always do that annoying thing where they take one of the big bumper plates and put it on the equipment they want to use; come on people, this is a gym, not a playground, the law of dibs does not apply here. I get it, they have an hour or so where they have to give their client a session, but if they're going to use up some of the most important equipment in the gym then at least FRICKING USE IT. Don't take a cage just because you can, when the weight is that light the trainer is perfectly able to spot the client without the rack there, and there are plenty of people who need the cage for their entire workout (ie me).

[Trewest]

What have you people done to me?

 

I'm doing my shake off/stretch/cool down and happen to spot someone doing 'squats'. And I had to resist the urge to grumble 'ass to grass'. Seriously. I was doing the dinky squat myself a couple of months ago and was oddly proud of my not full range movements. Yes I know better now, and yes I appreciate that the change is doing my back end a WORLD of good. But not everyone is at that stage of learning yet.

 

I still had to fight the urge to do proper squats next to him in the hopes that he would see the error of his ways.

[SpecialSundae]

Not everyone has to go "ass to grass". Unless you know what his goals are, or you're friends, I'd keep your thoughts to yourself.

[Cat in the rack]

Nah, everyone in the gym loves it when you give them advice without them needing to ask, it shows that you care and in no way makes you seem like an ass.

[Cat in the rack]

Whilst I'd never give advice to someone without asking unless I genuinely thought they were going to break something, few things boost my ego as much as somebody asking for advice, though it has only happened four or five times

[SpecialSundae]

I'm always a little iffy of giving people advice. I will always remind them that I'm not a qualified expert before saying anything.

 

Unless it's "stop skipping leg day, dude, your quads are smaller than mine".

[Obitim]

I was asked by the guys in my work place how I lost so much weight and got fit today...it was a good day!

 

In other news, was in the local globo gym yesterday (nearest one to work and I work full 12 hour days) and saw a couple of girls doing barbell squats...which was ace, although partial motion and using a towel as a pad did ruin the effect a bit for me...that and they didn't look like they were enjoying themselves at all

[Obitim]

'Seen in the Forum':

 

Some fool who double posted