[quote]Mitchnasty wrote:
I walk around campus with headphones in and I am generally more aware of my surroundings than those without them. I agree that they most likely exacerbate peoples unawareness, but they probably don’t cause it by itself.[/quote]
I would say this x1,000.
People have become oblivious to their surrounding due to technology. Next time your in a mall or similarly crowded place try to make eye contact with people. In my experience you can’t get 5 people in a row to look you in the eyes.
[quote]Mitchnasty wrote:
I walk around campus with headphones in and I am generally more aware of my surroundings than those without them. I agree that they most likely exacerbate peoples unawareness, but they probably don’t cause it by itself.[/quote]
I would say this x1,000.
People have become oblivious to their surrounding due to technology. Next time your in a mall or similarly crowded place try to make eye contact with people. In my experience you can’t get 5 people in a row to look you in the eyes. [/quote]
[quote]JLone wrote:
People have become oblivious to their surrounding due to technology. Next time your in a mall or similarly crowded place try to make eye contact with people. In my experience you can’t get 5 people in a row to look you in the eyes. [/quote]
This is more of the fact that looking people in the eye is typically considered direct and confrontational, isn’t it?
[quote]ThePitbull86 wrote:
Never seen a breathing apparatus on a bench, but this issue is by far the most common I see and it makes me want to beat someone to death with a barbell. My personal favorite I’ve seen so far was a guy using both of our squat racks in our gym to superset… WRIST CURLS [/quote]
One of the biggest guys in my gym does curls in the squat rack. So far I have seen zero people attempt to call him out on it. [/quote]
Agreed. I had a teammate doing barbell curls with 225 lbs and you had to be downright stupid to consider calling him out. Sure he had a little bit of a swing to his technique, but moving that much weight while curling was just awesome to witness. [/quote]
It’s a little different with 225 but doing like 65 lbs in one of only 2 racks in a gym with people waiting to use the racks for lifts that actually require the rack to do safely or at all is a different ball game. I know, I know where do you draw the line for whats good enough to use the rack for curls and what’s not but again if you’re in a gym with limited equipment have some consideration for the other people and move on if you could just use a curl bar. I feel guilty when I take up one of our racks for Deadlifts but there are only 2 oly bars too so that’s the only option.
[quote]JLone wrote:
People have become oblivious to their surrounding due to technology. Next time your in a mall or similarly crowded place try to make eye contact with people. In my experience you can’t get 5 people in a row to look you in the eyes. [/quote]
This is more of the fact that looking people in the eye is typically considered direct and confrontational, isn’t it?[/quote]
Just like everything else, ‘it depends’.
With girls, it works wonders because even if it’s fake, it screams confidence / self-assureness(word?). Obv, if you’re creeping, it’s not confident, its just creepy.
With guys, at least in the areas I was raised in, eastern europe, anything longer than 2-3s is an open invitation to duke it out, without a doubt.
[quote]JLone wrote:
People have become oblivious to their surrounding due to technology. Next time your in a mall or similarly crowded place try to make eye contact with people. In my experience you can’t get 5 people in a row to look you in the eyes. [/quote]
This is more of the fact that looking people in the eye is typically considered direct and confrontational, isn’t it?[/quote]
anything longer than 2-3s is an open invitation to duke it out, without a doubt.[/quote]
Or you could smile and say hello/have a nice day. If they are outside of conversational distance you could nod your head to signify a non-verbal greeting.
I wouldn’t worry about fighting anyone despite what has been said. If your in a bar and alcohol is flowing people might be looking for a fight but in broad daylight only a psychopath would pick a fight with a random stranger that says hello.
I don’t think headphones are a problem in most cases. I’ve actually turned around and gone back home to grab my headphones if I’ve forgotten them. I think context is key though. If you’re in a squat rack, on a bench, or in the middle of using equipment in one place, plug the ear buds in. If you’re doing farmers walks, tire flips, any sort of loaded carry, basically anything where you’re moving around the gym, then take the buds out. This seems like common sense to me.
As to the idiots at the gym who do weird stuff like taking plates off equipment being used or bumping into people who they shouldn’t be near… that’s just dumb people, not headphone wearing people.
As to the curls in the squat rack: my gym has straight and ez curl bars preloaded up to 110. If you’re using more weight than that, by all means use a rack. If you’re using 110 or less, you’re being a dick. Same goes for the people who use the rack to hold the bar between deadlift or bent over row sets. I’ve explained this to so many people at the gym. There’s no reason to ‘rack’ the bar between sets of rows. Just leave it on the ground, and let someone actually use the rack if the gym is crowded.
[quote]ThePitbull86 wrote:
Never seen a breathing apparatus on a bench, but this issue is by far the most common I see and it makes me want to beat someone to death with a barbell. My personal favorite I’ve seen so far was a guy using both of our squat racks in our gym to superset… WRIST CURLS [/quote]
One of the biggest guys in my gym does curls in the squat rack. So far I have seen zero people attempt to call him out on it. [/quote]
Agreed. I had a teammate doing barbell curls with 225 lbs and you had to be downright stupid to consider calling him out. Sure he had a little bit of a swing to his technique, but moving that much weight while curling was just awesome to witness. [/quote]
It’s a little different with 225 but doing like 65 lbs in one of only 2 racks in a gym with people waiting to use the racks for lifts that actually require the rack to do safely or at all is a different ball game. I know, I know where do you draw the line for whats good enough to use the rack for curls and what’s not but again if you’re in a gym with limited equipment have some consideration for the other people and move on if you could just use a curl bar. I feel guilty when I take up one of our racks for Deadlifts but there are only 2 oly bars too so that’s the only option.[/quote]
I would probably be more pissed the gym only had 2 racks, but I see your point.
[quote]flipcollar wrote:
Same goes for the people who use the rack to hold the bar between deadlift or bent over row sets. I’ve explained this to so many people at the gym. There’s no reason to ‘rack’ the bar between sets of rows. Just leave it on the ground, and let someone actually use the rack if the gym is crowded.[/quote]
I went to the gym on Monday and saw people squatting in all of the squat racks. I watched for a while and one opened up while I wasn’t paying attention. A woman takes the rack and starts doing either rdls or stiff-leg deads, I’m not sure which, in front of the rack. I waited a bit more, largely since that rack is literally just a rack and has none of the safety pins. But then I got tired of waiting and asked her if I could use the rack.
Her response… astounded me. She actually sneered and said ok. It was awkward. I felt like the bad guy for asking someone to move away from a piece of equipment that they’re not using.
[quote]chillain wrote:
I’m terribly confused by the recent trend of Beats headphones in the gym.
But I guess if you’re not sweating, then no harm done.
[/quote]
My thoughts exactly. I can’t justify spending more than $20 on gym ear buds that I’ll fuck up within a month or two, I don’t get how people spend $200+ on headphones they wear to the gym.
As far as headphones making people oblivious, while there is something to be said about being aware of your surroundings, if you are at a “health club” and not a “hardcore” gym, you can’t expect people to stay out of your path if you are doing shit no one else does like walking around carrying weights, unless there is a designated area for such things.
This includes the jackasses who run laps up and down the stairs - go somewhere else for that shit or expect to run around me.
[quote]chillain wrote:
I’m terribly confused by the recent trend of Beats headphones in the gym.
But I guess if you’re not sweating, then no harm done.
[/quote]
My thoughts exactly. I can’t justify spending more than $20 on gym ear buds that I’ll fuck up within a month or two, I don’t get how people spend $200+ on headphones they wear to the gym.
[/quote]
I’m somewhere in the middle on this. I think the giant beats headphones are ridiculous and impractical, but I also don’t like most earbuds. My solution has been bluetooth wireless earbuds. They run about 150 bucks, but they’ve been a dream for me. I hate fucking with a wire, because the buds are likely to get pulled out when doing things like cleans. I also don’t like moving the wire from front to back, inside and outside the shirt depending on the exercise. The wireless buds are small and unobtrusive, but with the convenience the beats wireless monstrosities present. Mine are made by Denon.
I would probably be more pissed the gym only had 2 racks, but I see your point. [/quote]
That is more or less the case, most of the time it’s not a problem but lately we’ve been getting more guys in there that do the big 3 lifts so it’s becoming an issue. At the same time I’m encouraged to see more people embracing this style of training, maybe it will encourage the gym to get more racks, bars, and plates.
In my gym they are almost a necessity, to drown out the tired old 80s light rock music that was already tired and old the first time I lived through them. A middle aged woman is in charge of radio station selection.
[quote]seekonk wrote:
In my gym they are almost a necessity, to drown out the tired old 80s light rock music that was already tired and old the first time I lived through them. A middle aged woman is in charge of radio station selection. [/quote]
You get 80’s light rock? That’s awesome compared to the Rock/Rap for Jesus combo we have. Makes me shudder a little just thinking about it. I was once listening thinking they were playing an Eminem song and as the lyrics played out I realized it was a Christian rapper with the beat of The Way I Am as the backdrop.
[quote]chillain wrote:
I’m terribly confused by the recent trend of Beats headphones in the gym.
But I guess if you’re not sweating, then no harm done.
[/quote]
My thoughts exactly. I can’t justify spending more than $20 on gym ear buds that I’ll fuck up within a month or two, I don’t get how people spend $200+ on headphones they wear to the gym.
[/quote]
I’m somewhere in the middle on this. I think the giant beats headphones are ridiculous and impractical, but I also don’t like most earbuds. My solution has been bluetooth wireless earbuds. They run about 150 bucks, but they’ve been a dream for me. I hate fucking with a wire, because the buds are likely to get pulled out when doing things like cleans. I also don’t like moving the wire from front to back, inside and outside the shirt depending on the exercise. The wireless buds are small and unobtrusive, but with the convenience the beats wireless monstrosities present. Mine are made by Denon.[/quote]
Your avatar picture must have been taken before you purchased the Denon’s.
[quote]bdocksaints75 wrote:
Sometimes I would keep my headphones in even if nothing was on just so no one would stop and talk to me.[/quote]
I tried this a few times and I swear to god more people would try to talk to me with headphones in than if I just skip them. [/quote]
I think it’s because you can hear them and your giving off some sort of body language, I dunno. I also did the same thing in an airport once and someone was trying to talk to me and I kept ignoring them only then to realize my headphone jack wasn’t plugged in and was hanging out of my pocket.