Overheard in the gym - Share!

[Br0din]

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

 

DB's force more of your stabilizers to work in order to make the lift, thus making it harder to lift similar weight as a bar.

 

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?

 

An arched back allows you to engage your lats and back more in the lift allowing you to lift more.

[Cat in the rack]

An arched back allows you to engage your lats and back more in the lift allowing you to lift more.

Ah fair enough, so lifting your ass up just allows you to arch your back more I guess?

[SpecialSundae]

Ah fair enough, so lifting your ass up just allows you to arch your back more I guess?

 

It's more that it sometimes happens with leg drive. Flying way in the air isn't ideal but if he's not competing then it hardly matters.

[insanity]

I see what you did there. I think.

Ya... was a cheap shot but I had to take it...

[Dleffe]

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?

 

As far as Ive noticed, ass in the air means you don't have full tension, this means you lose some strength. It sounds strange but when I engage every muscle from my hands down to my calves I can lift more and with better form. At least after a training or 2 to get used to real full tension. The hyper arch gets used to shorten the distance you need to move the weigth in competition sometimes though.

 

 

Now for an amusing story about a asshole in the gym (yeah I mean me). I'd been doing a couple months of bodyweigth only training (mainly cause handstand push-ups and pistol squats look  cool ) which really let me lean out. Couple months after I'd gone back to powerlifting a girl (a cute cardiobunny) comes up to me and says "I thought you looked better when you where leaner", before my oxygendeprived mind could make the connection I responded with "Well I think you'd look better if you lifted heavy"... well she never talked to me after that.

[Squidwina]

Hey, at least he wasn't the Sheik of the Shake Weight.

 

 

All my Finance friends & I call ourselves "CFO of ..."

 

I've sometimes described my job as "CEO of Saving PDFs in Folders."

[summer child]

As far as Ive noticed, ass in the air means you don't have full tension, this means you lose some strength. It sounds strange but when I engage every muscle from my hands down to my calves I can lift more and with better form. At least after a training or 2 to get used to real full tension. The hyper arch gets used to shorten the distance you need to move the weigth in competition sometimes though.

 

 

Hyper arch you say?

http://youtu.be/Ko4XMW4EBG0

[insanity]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n7ChqqhcBww

[Cat in the rack]

Say what you will, but I'll bet his teeth muscles are on fire

[jfreaksho]

A lot of the old-timey strongmen used to do jaw strength tricks.  Tearing/bending quarters, picking up heavy weights, picking up a table... Kinda useless, but impressive nonetheless:

http://legendarystrength.com/feats-of-strength/teeth-and-jaw-feats/

[Eleanorsbee]

A lot of the old-timey strongmen used to do jaw strength tricks.  Tearing/bending quarters, picking up heavy weights, picking up a table...

 

this slowly phased out in the 1980's when they invented the chewy protein bars that tasted like Ass and you needed a 56" jaw to be able to get through

 

of course today, protein bars are more like regular chocolate bars, so the old school training ideas like picking a table up are coming back in to fashion

 

Thinking about it, Squatting died out a lot in the 1980s ... probably wasnt needed due to trying to get rid of said protein bar in the gym toilet the next day

[Gainsdalf the Whey]

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?

 

It has to do with leg drive. If your feet are farther back and you really engage the leg drive to create full body tension, the ass can come off the bench. Mine does if my feet are too far back, but I'm lifting more than I do without the leg drive, and am in a stronger position when it happens. In my fed (USAPL) it's illegal for the ass to come off the bench, so it's something I'm working on fixing. There are feds where it's ok, and people do it as the higher the ribcage is off the bench, the more it turns into a decline bench sort of movement, which we are naturally stronger in. There's also a shorter ROM.

 

I suspect the reason we're stronger in that direction is that the "chest push" movement as far as evolution goes is for climbing obstacles, like we do when climbing a fence or pulling ourselves up on something then pressing our weight upward. It's a downward press more than a straight out one, so the muscles are really evolved to be strongest in that direction. vs the straight out like the bench press. The bigger arch you can get, the closer the bench press is to that movement.

[Cat in the rack]

I'd like to start this post with one phrase that shall be the recurring theme throughout: fuck the harlequins.

The harlequins are the rugby team here in surrey, and people that use the gym all share a quiet hatred of them, I say quiet, because nobody's going to loudly show hatred to a group of giant rugby players. 4, sometimes 5 days a week they have the entire free weights area reserved for 2-3 hours at a time, heck, today they have it from 9-11.30 and then again at 2-4. They're reserve this area so that they can do 3 things: use the dumbbells that are so heavy nobody else uses them anyway, use 3 of the 6 racks/platforms at most, and wonder aimlessly from shoulder press machine to leg press machine to machine to machine to machine.

If they were to reserve half of the racks/platforms, a couple of benches, some of the heavier dumbbells, and the machines they "needed", they could stay for 6 hours straight without bothering anyone provided it wasn't at peak times. Alternatively, if they had a specific time-sensitive routine, they could be in and out in an hour, maybe an hour and a half. But instead they take all of it, use a fraction of it, and spend 10-20 minutes at a time talking by the water fountain.

But none of that bugs me as much as this little nugget: the head guy (captain? I don't know rugby terminology) and maybe one or two others show up 10 minutes before to let everyone in the free weights section know they need to leave soon (I've been mid-set on squat or bench press and had them start asking me if I would be done soon and getting irritable when I continued with my exercise with the intention of the answering them when I finished that particular set). Then, over the next few reserved hours other rugby players show up as and when they please for an hour or so at a time. If you're reserving the whole area I'd assume you'd need it, that you'd have some big circuit or particular routine that your players do as part of their training. They literally reserve it for 3 hours just so that they won't have to wait to use any equipment, regardless of whether they actually need to.

Anyway, rant over, have a good day everyone

[Damaramu]

It has to do with leg drive. If your feet are farther back and you really engage the leg drive to create full body tension, the ass can come off the bench. Mine does if my feet are too far back, but I'm lifting more than I do without the leg drive, and am in a stronger position when it happens. In my fed (USAPL) it's illegal for the ass to come off the bench, so it's something I'm working on fixing. There are feds where it's ok, and people do it as the higher the ribcage is off the bench, the more it turns into a decline bench sort of movement, which we are naturally stronger in. There's also a shorter ROM.

 

I suspect the reason we're stronger in that direction is that the "chest push" movement as far as evolution goes is for climbing obstacles, like we do when climbing a fence or pulling ourselves up on something then pressing our weight upward. It's a downward press more than a straight out one, so the muscles are really evolved to be strongest in that direction. vs the straight out like the bench press. The bigger arch you can get, the closer the bench press is to that movement.

 

 

Yeah they don't allow it in the local fed I've always competed in either. I'm kind of a flat bencher though, so i've never really had that problem. I could probably be stronger if I learn to engage my leg drive more but I'm doing okay being a flat bencher right now.

[Mark D]

I'd like to start this post with one phrase that shall be the recurring theme throughout: fuck the harlequins.

The harlequins are the rugby team here in surrey, and people that use the gym all share a quiet hatred of them, I say quiet, because nobody's going to loudly show hatred to a group of giant rugby players. 4, sometimes 5 days a week they have the entire free weights area reserved for 2-3 hours at a time, heck, today they have it from 9-11.30 and then again at 2-4. They're reserve this area so that they can do 3 things: use the dumbbells that are so heavy nobody else uses them anyway, use 3 of the 6 racks/platforms at most, and wonder aimlessly from shoulder press machine to leg press machine to machine to machine to machine.

If they were to reserve half of the racks/platforms, a couple of benches, some of the heavier dumbbells, and the machines they "needed", they could stay for 6 hours straight without bothering anyone provided it wasn't at peak times. Alternatively, if they had a specific time-sensitive routine, they could be in and out in an hour, maybe an hour and a half. But instead they take all of it, use a fraction of it, and spend 10-20 minutes at a time talking by the water fountain.

But none of that bugs me as much as this little nugget: the head guy (captain? I don't know rugby terminology) and maybe one or two others show up 10 minutes before to let everyone in the free weights section know they need to leave soon (I've been mid-set on squat or bench press and had them start asking me if I would be done soon and getting irritable when I continued with my exercise with the intention of the answering them when I finished that particular set). Then, over the next few reserved hours other rugby players show up as and when they please for an hour or so at a time. If you're reserving the whole area I'd assume you'd need it, that you'd have some big circuit or particular routine that your players do as part of their training. They literally reserve it for 3 hours just so that they won't have to wait to use any equipment, regardless of whether they actually need to.

Anyway, rant over, have a good day everyone

 

Wait, they can reserve the free weights area and kick out other paying customers?  The management of the gym allows this?

 

Time for you, and the other inconvenienced customers, to find a new gym AND make sure you tell the management WHY.

[Cat in the rack]

Wait, they can reserve the free weights area and kick out other paying customers?  The management of the gym allows this?

 

Time for you, and the other inconvenienced customers, to find a new gym AND make sure you tell the management WHY.

It's their official gym so yeah, it's something of a pain but I work around it, it's the same reason the swimming team can reserve the lanes. There are three reasons I won't be switching gyms: the facilities are great, it's about four times cheaper because of the student membership, and it's right outside my front door.

[Oramac]

EDIT: nevermind 

[Mark D]

 

Every boy should date ONE girl who makes him wonder if he's gonna wake up the next morning

 

 

No.  Because no.

 

Trust me on this one.

 

It's like Jeff Foxworthy said about women who like "dangerous" guys, with the genders reversed.  (Paraphrasing here)  You marry a dangerous guy, you're gonna end up on an episode of "Cops" in a trailer park, wearing a tube top and yelling "Lock his ass up!"

[Mark D]

Maybe mine wasn't as crazy as yours [but I seriously doubt it]

 

Or maybe I'm just older and have seen the results of getting involved with crazy women at both first and second hand.

 

I went on a first date with a woman once who spent our entire date telling me what she did to the cars of guys who dumped her.  Sugar in gas tank, slashed tires, m-80's under the wipers (to blow in the windshield) on a rainy day, dog crap rubbed on the manifold and sardine juice dumped into the air intake.  I was very glad she didn't know what kind of car I drove and only knew my first name and phone number.  We never had a second date.

 

As a buddy of mine says (slightly cleaned up), don't stick it in the crazy, the screwing you get won't be worth the screwing you take.

[Oramac]

Maybe mine wasn't as crazy as yours [but I seriously doubt it]

 

Well, there's Crazy, and then there's Crazy.  The first one is awesome.  The second one puts sugar in your gas tank.  

 

I would say a guy needs to at least date a girl that falls into the first category, but not the second.  

[Silo]

Many of these crazy people seem to end up being accountants later on in life. I have had several coworkers who have left me speechless at the lunch table as they've detailed stories similar to Mark D's above. It seems like you'd have to be a bit crazy to admit that you'd done all of that so I've tended to believe them.

[Oramac]

Many of these crazy people seem to end up being accountants later on in life. I have had several coworkers who have left me speechless at the lunch table as they've detailed stories similar to Mark D's above. It seems like you'd have to be a bit crazy to admit that you'd done all of that so I've tended to believe them.

 

Hmm.......I know a lot of accountants......

[Eleanorsbee]

 dog crap rubbed on the manifold .

 

I know you use this as a negative ..... but a woman that is willing to pick up dog crap ..... AND knows where the manifold is and what it does (or at least knows it gets hot) .... I am telling you, she is a keeper !!!!

[Oramac]

I know you use this as a negative ..... but a woman that is willing to pick up dog crap ..... AND knows where the manifold is and what it does (or at least knows it gets hot) .... I am telling you, she is a keeper !!!!

 

I'd be more impressed if she could help fix the car instead of destroying it.  (though being a mechanic I do know a lot of great non-destructive car pranks!)

[Mark D]

I know you use this as a negative ..... but a woman that is willing to pick up dog crap ..... AND knows where the manifold is and what it does (or at least knows it gets hot) .... I am telling you, she is a keeper !!!!

 

Sorry, there's "keeper" because she has skills/talents/qualities you admire and want to have around, and there's "keeper" because you're afraid to kick her butt to the curb because she might sneak in one night and castrate you in your sleep.