Are you guys/ladies ever asked for advice in the gym on how to do exercises ? I ask since lately I have been asked quite a few number of times re: the exercises I have been seen doing… (e.g., farmers walks, floor slides using arms AKA “C. Thibodeau’s shoulder glider”, walking cross pushups, C. Waterbury’s slide pushups, overhead squats, etc.
I do these when I need a kick in the ass and for their general endurance/hypertrophic qualities.
The runts think I am either a freak or a nut (big SMILE) but it’s not rocket science; I learned all this shit through this website ! Sorry to vent, but I just needed to get this off my chest; that you give people credible bases and sources of valuable info to start learning something and they don’t so much as give it a look. How can you not get judgemental when these same people look the same year in, year out, pushing the same poundages ?
NOW, THE FRUSTRATING PART: I tell people "Hey man, check out this website; it helped me get through some tough workouts, etc. and then I see them a few weeks later, still doing the same thing… it kills me… If knowledge is so powerful, 85% of the guys in my local YMCA are still chimps with a rock and a coconut… I don’t know maybe it’s time for a new gym…
I’m with TM on that boat. Most of my lifting takes place in my home gym(a.k.a my happy place).
However when I don’t want to deal with people at the gym, heaphones with loud/violent music playing usually works. Also don’t make eye contact for too long. BTW I’m not anti-social, I just go to the gym to lift weights. A few times I’ve had people who’ve seen me workout a few times ask me ?'s. Most of the time I answer and recomend this site. Typically, I can tell wether or not it’s worth really answering a person or just nicely blowing the off.
yeah, I get asked quite a bit, even though I am not the most impressive looking guy. I guess the “odd” exercises I do in CT’s CAD training (jump squats, depth jumps/push-ups, oly lifts, ballistic bench, etc.) make ppl think I know something or the other.
Whilst doing Good Mornings someone remarked, “OOOh Good Mornings, you don’t see them being done very often, quite a dangerous exercise that is.”
I just ignored the jerk.
I get some very funny looks when doing Dynamic Bench with bands. One person asked me what I was doing. I then went into Westside training methods including ME and dynamic, then included training with bands and chains. He wished he never asked.
I’ve given up trying to help people. There are guys at the gym who ask people of the same size and strength how to put weight on and how to “tone up”, that’s always an amusing one. To tone up you need to do low weights and high reps… hehehe
I’ve learned one thing: don’t ever try to explain the Westside protocol, becuase it’s just going to be a waste of time. If anybody inquires about the bands or anything I’m doing, I just say ‘I’m doing some speed work’ and leave it at that. Even that gets funny looks because most people have only heard that you should ‘control’ the weight, by which they take to mean go slow. They hear that I’m purposely going fast, and they think it’s crazy talk or something.
The funny thing is my squat and DL are higher than everybody but one other person in the gym, and at 180, I can bench along side most of the guys that are 230-250. Moreover, they’ve been the same strength since I started going there two years ago, and I’ve worked my way up from barely squatting 100 lbs. No I’m not kidding about that. I’ve added 120 lbs. to my squat since going Westside in June.
The only other guy there that is really stronger than me is another Westside follower, and he has totalled elite as a 198, 220, and 275, hitting 2000 lbs. as a 220. People see him doing rack lockouts with over 600 lbs. on the bar and they think he’s cheating because he’s not going down all the way. HAHA
Occassionally. For the most part, I think I look somewhat unapproachable (pissed off, staring off into space) that people don’t bother. When I use to work out with a partner, we’d get asked questions constantly. I think it’s the fact there was more then one of us made us look approachable.
That said, a lot of the people asking me questions were bigger then me, or stronger then me. Made no sense.
No, I cannot relate. People ask me advice, I am happy to give it. Happy to help them improve. I have seen people who asked me advice take it and use it, and you can see it working for them. In a small way, you make somebody?s gym experience a better one.
Besides you never know whom your going to meet so it’s actually kinda fun in my opinion. I never offer unsoliced advice, but I give it when asked.
At one point I had this 16-year-old kid who would ask me advise from time to time. I eventually took him under my wing and got him on my program. He loved it. He made some results and got stronger. He was a trooper too, I used to punish him but he gave it his all, and pulled some extra from that mysterious place sometimes. Bottom line he loved to go to the gym and I was part of the reason why. He still goes as far as I know, too. That was a very cool experience, all from being asked advice.
I doubt there is a line of people waiting to ask you advice. It really does not take that much time to talk to somebody, and typically you can tell them to hang on for a second while you do you next set. If it weren?t for me asking people advice I wouldn?t know half of what I know. Actually, one of my best friends in the world is some one I asked advice from 12 years ago.
Geez, people don?t make this world any colder then it is. You ain?t better that the person asking you advice and they ain?t better than you. Your workouts aren?t so important you can?t help a brother out. Being hounded is one thing, but somebody asking for a hand? Just fucking help ?em.
“I had this 16-year-old kid who would ask me advise from time to time. I eventually took him under my wing”
haha i’ve done the same thing with my neuro professors 14 yr old son. while i don’t really pound the shit out of him i have him doing the right exercises with perfect form (i make sure of this) and the kid loves it so far. he says he gets his name on a plaque a school if he can bench 200 lbs by the time he graduates middle school (8th grade) and he’ll do it no problem.
everyone else gets the same answer when asking for advice: “ohh, um…i take steroids so…”
No, I cannot relate. People ask me advice, I am happy to give it. Happy to help them improve. Cut rest of metrosexual tree hugging babble
pat, he wasn’t bitching about giving advice he’s bitching about people who ask, but never use it. I’m sure many of us are more than willing to give advice when asked but damn man if they’re gonna take the time to ask (and interupt my workout) then they should take the time to follow or read on the advice given.
I’m asked for advice quite often at my gym. I’m one of the bigger members and I work with /watch over a group of 4-5 other lifters. These are guys I’ve seen come in every single day and bust their ass. It started with advice, and an offer to work out with me/us for many of them. There were others who, when they heard what kind of workout we do or tried a session with us, gave it up. I don’t hold that against them either way. But there have also been many who’ve asked, and then I see them day in/day out doing the same damn shit that’s kept them in the same shape and at the same weight. These are the guys I won’t take time out for again.
I was trying to be polite. Let me put it in terms that all can understand. Quit being self righteous, overinflated full of yourself arrogant assholes. Working out good makes you nothing special. Fuckers.
I hope that was manly enough for you.
I train at 0700 when no nutcase in their right mind is training, I listen to music and wear head phones and a shirt that says “Shut the Fuck up and Train” with stuble and a look on my unshaven face like I just left home where my new $300k mail order bride ran off with my lesbian neighbour whose dog just pissed on my shoe and ate my last sirloin from the fridge …
so the answer is no - I don’t get asked for advice much.
Nicely put pat. It still doesn’t own up to the the fact that we’re not self-righteous to anyone asking advice. We just won’t waste our time with someone who’s asked for it before and did nothing with the advice we gave them. I’d suggest you try to reread the original post before showing your self-doubt thinking that in some way we all feel superior to these individuals. As I said, I don’t have a problem giving advice when asked. I have a problem when I give the advice, it isn’t followed or acted upon, and then I’m asked for advice again.
“As I said, I don’t have a problem giving advice when asked. I have a problem when I give the advice, it isn’t followed or acted upon, and then I’m asked for advice again.”
haktOne hits the nail on the head with that comment and that is at the crux of my statement; my condolences to all those that have misunderstood. Funny how misinterpreted and convoluted the original post can get when people impose their own self-doubts, misconceptions and do not read the full statement.
Haha cheating on your bicep curl. That’s pretty funny. I always make sure to wear my “T” Shirt on days when I do the odd looking stuff. Is it just me or do people look at you funny like your the devil with that shirt on? It’s so much fun
