yeah those know-it-alls are a real strain on us that do.
A confession:
I was one of the guys hitting on astdjm’s girlfriend. 
The most bizarre instance of a clueless know it all happened to me about 15 years ago. This guy who was in one of my lectures, and who I knew to be an idiot, had been training for about 5 years, but looked like he’d just started out. And he was always dispensing advice to everyone.
One day I was doing pull downs and he says “NO! Not like that! Lean this way. It works your shoulders more.”
I said that I was doing the exercise for my back, not my shoulders. He said “Don’t be silly. There are no muscles in your back.”
I kid you not.
I wor at a gym and has done so for 5years.
My philosophy has always been to respect the women as much as possible.
All men should respect the fact that:
1 they mey be there only to train!
2 respect their personal space. Many people come to unwind mentally at the gym and focus on themselves. Leave them alone.
3 respect the fact that stareing at a woman is demeaning behavior.
I never ever hit on a customer in the gym. a few times I responded to their very obvious come-ons. But never during a personal training session or a program session (as a fitness instructor).
I value professionalism and integrity over an easy lay.
I would love to see the day where mutual respect and self respect is valued higher than an easy lay.
I know I have missed out on plenty of opputunities because of my maybe overly respectfull behavior. But my dignity and selfrespect take a higher priority -just as it should be!
I know I’m swimming against the current here but I felt compelled to say something for those know-it-alls. Dumb people do exists and can end up in any social categoris in life, know-it-alls being certainly one of them…
BUT…
There are certainly some of them that are CSCS trainers or Kinesiologists or even biomechanic scholars that actually know what they’re talking about and that actually only want to help you. And some bodybuilders really do need help, even if they’d been lifting weights (throwing could be also used to describe the action)for 20 years.
Muscle size and time spent in the gym since day one doesn’t always equate in expertise as far as cinesiology and exercice physiology goes…I’m sure TC can agree to with me here. so hear out the skinny guy trying to tip you on going easy on the full squat. May be he’s just hitting on you, or my be he’s just trying to prevent you from having to walk the rest of your life with an orthopedic knee strap.
Im a trainer…and I usually dont say much too anyone unless they are about ready to kill themselves…like throw their back out, injure their shoulders with high risk exercises… etc. But in trainer’s defense I could spend the whole day going around my gym showing people what they are doing wrong…but i dont…most of the time its middle aged men trying too much weight and swinging weights with momentum, wearing a weight belt on every exercise…and wondering why they have a bad back?? Some guy doing pelvic thrusts on the floor?? Some guy doing decline sit ups as fast as he can without hitting his rectus abdominus one bit? I say stuff because at our gym its a liability and our job to correct people if they are at risk for injury…or offer an alternative safer exercise. I agree I had people come up to me and say stuff when I was working out here off the clock, most of the time its what you doing there partner? People are confused when they actually see someone doing an exercise correctly. I have yet to use my job to hit on a girl…I have a fiance and I dont need that.
Nicky_Boy24,
Yes, that could be true but i think that a CSCS or “biomechanic scholar” would hava the good sense not to try to advise between sets or say some of the stupid things that have been mentioned in this thread.
As for the Orthopedic knee strap thing, My knees feal better after heavy squats and I can tell the difference if I don’t squat for a while.
Just my two cents
La’
Redsol1
OK, I just have to post about trainers.
My girlfriend started paying for a trainer at her gym so that she could get an extra kick in the butt to work harder (we workout at different gyms). The first trainer she got didn’t understand about her back problems but was very knowledgeable about lifting.
She gets another one and this guy understands about different injuries and how to workout without causing more pain. However, he hits on all the women he trains. My GF tells him she isn’t interested and is in a relationship and he nods his head as if understanding.
So five hours later he is calling her (she works out in the evening) and asking her out once again. This kept up until she talked to the manager about him.
But here is the funny part. She is sitting at a coffee shop one day when some guy starts talking to her about general stuff. She notices the ring on his finger and he even mentions his wife. Somehow, they got around to talking about gyms and this guy mentions that his frat brother is a trainer at her gym. Mentions his name which turns out to be the guy she complained about. Then, he asks her out even though he is wearing a ring and talked about his wife.
6foot6,
I can appreciate your situation, but the problem is that every person has their own definition of what constitutes a “dangerous exercise.” Many trainers feel that the Olympic lifts, which use momentum, are dangerous. Are Olympic lifts allowed in your gym? Serious question, not trying to flame.
Olympic lifts are only dangerous if you are not taught to preform them correctly. On a side note in general Olympic lifts are going to give you more bang for your buck in the pursuit of looking good nekkid!
[quote]tonymoore wrote:
The most bizarre instance of a clueless know it all happened to me about 15 years ago. This guy who was in one of my lectures, and who I knew to be an idiot, had been training for about 5 years, but looked like he’d just started out. And he was always dispensing advice to everyone.
One day I was doing pull downs and he says “NO! Not like that! Lean this way. It works your shoulders more.”
I said that I was doing the exercise for my back, not my shoulders. He said “Don’t be silly. There are no muscles in your back.”
I kid you not.[/quote]
There was a girl in one of my PE classes that didn’t know that the back of the legs had muscle, I wonder if they’re related
I love how one of the personal trainer’s at the gym looks like he hasn’t touched a weight in his life. He’s got a skinny build other then fat-ass beer belly. And what also kills me is that their is a bulletin board with before/after pictures of various athletes, mostly hockey players, that are signed praising him. After looking at all the before/after pictures about 2 of the 40 actually look better…the rest have made very low or even no progress. It just kills me how someone can have themselves trained by someone who isn’t even in shape themselves.
On a positive note, when I was in college, I was finally beginning my recovery from a severe case of Gym-Dorkitis I had developed over the years (you may read my confession in the “Silly Gym People” thread). But I was serious and it must have showed, because there was this guy who was obviously a “real” bodybuilder, who it turns out had competed regionally, who started helping me out a lot (no, he was married you sickos) and showing me things about form and developing strength and when we were in the gym at the same time we’d often work out together. Needless to say, I felt pretty cool and inspired that this guy was willing to help out a “skinny bastard” like me, and I really learned a lot from his help and advice!
Fortunately some individuals do this, i for one. If anyone in the gym, no matter of build or knowledge base, asks me a question or for advice i will offer to him/her whatever knowledge i have in their area of interest.
One day I was doing pull downs and he says “NO! Not like that! Lean this way. It works your shoulders more.”
I said that I was doing the exercise for my back, not my shoulders. He said “Don’t be silly. There are no muscles in your back.”
I kid you not.
There was a girl in one of my PE classes that didn’t know that the back of the legs had muscle, I wonder if they’re related
[/quote]
I’m sure their physiques were similar. Come to think about it this guy might have been right. He certainly looked like he had no muscles in HIS back.
Just to play devil’s advocate for a second…giving advice to folks that know what they’re doing or using your “Trainer” position to hit on women is annoying and deserves a smack BUT, if one happens to have a reasonable amount of experience lifting and sees someone making basic mistakes(a newbie perhaps), isn’t a quick tip justified?
[quote]Winger11 wrote:
Just to play devil’s advocate for a second…giving advice to folks that know what they’re doing or using your “Trainer” position to hit on women is annoying and deserves a smack BUT, if one happens to have a reasonable amount of experience lifting and sees someone making basic mistakes(a newbie perhaps), isn’t a quick tip justified?[/quote]
I think the problem is that a lot of “trainers” automatically think of themselves as smarter and experience(read: not all, but a lot).
I do a lot of exercises that may seem odd, to say the least, to the average gym go-er or personal trainer. Heck, most people don’t even know what a good morning is. I don’t mind questions(usually), but I do not want people “correcting” me or giving me advice.
Just my thoughts.
I am the Fitness Manager for a major gym in California. If there is any state that has trainers that are full of themselves, its Cali.
Everyones points are very valid. The “typical” male trainer does use the chance to hit on a lady, I am guilty of that in my earlier years. But there is validity to the fact that trainers are there to “ASSIST” people. Lets face it, save for a few people in the WORLD, no gym trainer is an expert and should not be telling people that their way is THE WAY.
I am very fortunate to work with a group of trainers that are interested in the benefit of the clients and not their ego. I always interject with, “Have you tried this variation?” It lets them know that I am there to help and nothing more.
The worst line I have over heard used on a female trainee at the gym... "Why don't you make your cardio interesting and run with me sometime?" The gym saying this, was wearing an oversized tank top and tigh-a$$ bike shorts. Not a good combo, even in 1986!!
– TMG –
I am entertained by being asked to ‘spot’ on bench or squat by this one particular guy at the gym. First time he asked me to spot his bench, he snapped at me because I was not helping him up on every rep. I told him I won’t help up the bar unless he is gonna crack his sternum. He had to earn every rep of his “max”. I told him I was not gonna curl his max, it would make him look bad. lol.
I’ve been there. One time this kid who was way smaller than me had 225 on the bar for bench asked for a spot. I was doing around 235 max at the time and thought there was no way this could be his max, but I asked him if he wanted a lift off and how many he was shooting for. His answer: 4 or 5! I was thinking this ought to be interesting. I gave him the lift off he lowered it to his chest and began pressing his first rep. It went an inch off his chest before it stopped moving. I then helped him just enough to keep the bar barely moving the whole way up and we racked the weight. He then kept the same weight on for the next set and asked someone else for a spot