Ok, so, I go to a small gym at my college. Fortunatatly I am usually basically alone, but my class schedule lately has meant that I’ve had to go to the gym when other people are there. And I’m about to lose my mind. Yesterday I went in and found the gym crowded with a bunch of damn idiots. I go in to deadlift and there is some idiot on the platform doing lateral raises. Well, as soon as he goes to put away his girly weights I get on the platform and start lifting, when this son of a bitch comes back and starts doing lateral raises right behind me on the platform. After letting the weight crash down after my final rep and turning around and growling I think he got the idea. The next thing I see blows my mind there is this idiot who is doing some sort of superset between two different lat pulldown machines! Why? Why? Why? At the same time there are three idiots squating on the smith machine. However, they are doing 1/8th squats with less weight then I use going rock bottom with real squats. The sad thing is I don’t use that much weight. All I can do is shake my head in wonder. The last thing that I could not believe was when I saw seven guys come in and start to work out on the same exercise. I saw them doing sets of curls but there were so damn many of them that it had to be five minutes between sets for any given member of this group. I also wondered how seven people can all have exactly equal strength. Each and every one was using the same weight. I can’t imagine any of them benifiting from that kind of workout and judging by their distinct lack of any muscularity I would say I’m correct. Whew. . . I’m glad I got that off my chest.
Welcome to the real world, where everyone sucks.
Zev: I agree. Everyone sucks… Some of us just do it better than others.
…sorry, couldn’t be helped…
Tell me about it.
On my leg day, yesterday, a pot bellied coach teaching a lifting class(think you just come and lift whenever you want) was talking to some students and after i completed a set of squats, he yells over from the other side of the room and says “hey were having a class here, go workout on the other side of the gym”(All the leg equipment was on the side of the room whre he was) After giving him a half ass glance I streched for about 10 minutes, until he finished talking some students.
I think I can beat that. How about the assholes who curl dumbells, or any other movement, right in front of the damn rack!!! What the fuck, grab the weight and get the hell out of my way!!!
striker2,
What college you go to? Your profile says Virginia. do you go to UVA or W&M?
I was in Chiliiwack, B.C. this past weeekend visiting and was forced to use a local gym. Nobody here answered my request for gyms in Chilliwack and after my experience, I know why- there really aren’t any. My girlfriend and I found this community center to lift in and the name pretty much told me what to expect, but it was actually far worse.
First off, I was planning to do some power pulls and snatch grip deads and headed for what looked to me to be a cage, but in actuallity was likely a rack to torture midgets on. I’m 6 foot 2 and I kept wacking my head on this stupid chin up contraption they had mounted on the front and back overhead supports. That’s not the worst of it- think about it, you’re deadlifting in a cage for god sakes (they had no free space and no extra bars) and some clown comes up and starts doing speed chins with 0.005 second negatives and his legs are flailing around and kicking you as you’re pulling and he’s struggling just to hang on.
That’s still not the worst of it, the same idiot that seems to travel gym to gym doing curls in the squat rack was doing curls in the cage- no shit! and he growled at me when I asked him when he’d be finished. I told him I was there to do deads and pulls and he just looked at me like he didn’t know what I was talking about. I asked him if he could do his curls elsewhere and he mumbled something unintelligble and continued to struggle to lift the bar with a 10 on each side.
I always find it funny when people load the bench and only go about 1/2 way down, or not even that, then act exhausted. Or what about the guys who load up the leg press all the way out, then do 4 inch presses? Whew, that’s some pretty impressive weight you’re pushin there, pal.
There is this guy at this place I used to lift who would look funny as hell. On the bench MACHINE, he would push the weight all the way out, then go down about 3 inches, and push back up. When told he was doing it wrong, he says “I know what I’m doing” in that condescending, I’m better than you, young man, voice.
I always enjoy watching guys ddoing partial reps. The average range on bench presses seems to be 3-6 inches sometimes I just want to walk over and shove the bar down until it touches his chest just to show him how it should be done. I most enjoy watching people doing partial reps on the leg curl machine. When they start by flinging their entire body into the machine and then let the weight coast about half way up then have it come crashing down. Damn, I can’t wait to get out of here.
Welcome to the real world, where everyones takes it in the ass…
If only I could describe what just one of the guys does for a workout in my gym.
Siscokid and I make fun of him all the time. I’ve never seen anyone flagrantly cheat on machine exercises in my life. And he does the exact same workout in the exact same order three times a week. He uses nothing but machines, and he cheats every single rep of every single exercise. You really have to see it in order to believe it and experience it.
And he’s only one of many dumbfucks I see on a regular basis. At least the other dumbfucks use free weights (for the most part).
I’ve learned to block out a lot of shit that goes on around me. I focus on my Renegade workouts and do my thing. Occassionally, I get looks, stares and questions about what I’m doing, but I’m the one getting results while they do whatever the hell it is they think they’re doing.
Funny stories on here so far.
Zev: he he heee Yeah, you know what I’m thinking…
What else ya got for me?
Lucky you live Hawaii is the slogan here. Which means at least one perk of living on Kauai is not dealing with too much assholes at the gym.
Yep everyone sucks go tp the YMCA at rush hour and see alot of people who suck.
My rant: People using the power racks and the immediate area for pushups, Swiss ball crunches, jumping rope, stretching, rubber band workouts (WTF!), medicine ball-on-a stick waving, step ups, and fucking wall squats! Obviously they have no idea what a power rack is for. I’m here to squat and deadlift. Get the fuck out of my space!
I used to get my gut tied in a knot over crap like this, now I just ignore the bastards. Keep your head down and your ear phones on and your mind about your work. All those people will just fade away…
Gotta agree with Phatman. You will be amazed how much wearing headphones can help drown out the “idots” and keep you focused on your workouts. Wearing them is paramount where I train. The music they play is soft classic rock for the most part, which I just cant get into. And on top of that, the people who train there are just lame. I think I am one of only 10 people under the age of 30 that workout there (I’m 26), and they look at me like I am an alien from planet “What the Fuck Is He Doing Deadlifts For?” Not to mention I will always have someone cut in on me when I am resting from a particular exercise. Is it just me, or does that 55 year old overweight heffer ALWAYS seem to jump in on the bicep curl machine right when your 90 second rest interval is up??? Please tell me that it doesn’t just happen to me? I swear I am cursed…haha. But like Phatman said, if you keep your head down, wear those headphones blarring some Rage Against The Machine, and have a somewhat “intimidating” look on your face, those old fogies who think lifting those 3 pound dumbbells in the squat rack is permissible…will learn to stear clear when you are training!!!
Stella,
I go to Mary Washington College, in fredericksburg, although I’m from charlottesville(UVA town:)).
What about you?
CGB,
There is nothing wrong with curling heavy in the squat rack. However, only certain people should be allowed this right. I am one of those people. If you are big enough, no one says anything to you. In order to train biceps in the squal rack you need to be able to go HEAVY. You have to be able to do at least six repetitions with the straight bar using 135 plus. Perfect form must be maintained until rep. 8. Then I also maintain that if someone can lift this heavy, with perfect form, they can be allowed the occasional cheat curl. Oh, in case any of you want to know, I have just cleared the 19 inch plateau on both arms. I even let my gym owner (who competes with me) measure my arm. It wouldn’t suprise me if they are 19 and one quarter. Therefore, if you train with the above method, you can obtain real size in the squat rack.
I totally agree that no one who cannot reach these prerequisites should be allowed in the rack. Try my technique. If there is some ass in your space, warm up with the exact amount he is using when going “heavy.” He will go away. For other instances, totally ignore other people. In my case, people began imitating my workouts. If you are hard enough, people will eventually begin to imitate you. But, if you are travelling, forget it. Just get the above mentioned earphones and ignore everyone.
But why dont you just lift your 135+ off the floor?