[quote]JMB wrote:
I wonder when I see some of the posts on this forum complaining about ‘stupid gym people’ describing guys who are ‘big gorillas’ or ‘some of the biggest guys in the gym’ and then making fun of them for using machines, the Smith machine, too many reps/sets, wrong exercises, etc etc.
If they’re big, especially if they’re bigger than you, doesn’t it make more sense that maybe your vast training knowledge isn’t all it’s cracked up to be?
JMB[/quote]
Good point. But you should know better. It is difficult to describe situations with words. And I am particularly pathetic at even simple prose.
I am in a crappy town in the desert in southern California. The norm here is steroids and big trucks for guys, coke and fake tits for girls. A bunch of clones. It’s a pathetic little subculture.
There are some “big guys” in the gym. They do not workout hard. They hardly workout. They are on the phone and talking to their “homies” more than anything. They put on muscle at phenomenal rates, and it has NOTHING to do with training. Then they lose muscle at a phenomenal rate. It’s scary to think how big they might be if they were even on a half decent program. They are a bunch of clueless kids.
And I’ll give credit where it’s due. The biggest, baddest guy in the gym is clean. What does he do? The same shit we do. Power cleans. Front squats. Pull ups. Dips. Etc. And he doesn’t act like a moron.
I’m 31, not 13. I am 6’2" and 225#s. I work my ass off and make pretty good progress. I know how it’s done, as I spent years doing it all wrong. My experience has given me the ability to recognize bullshit in the gym. And I will bet you a ginormous amount of cash that these “gym morons” will not look half as good or be nearly as healthy at 31 as I will be at 41.
Also, the Smith Machine still sucks. It has some utility, but in general there are much more effective ways to train. Until I see Waterbury, Poliquin, John, Staley, Thibaudeau, Cressey, Robertson, Shugart, et. al. suggesting and then showing scientific support for use of the Smith Machine, IT SUCKS. Who was this Smith guy anyway? Fucker.
Lastly, I have a suggestion. Next time any of you see a really big guy, go talk to him. Be cool about it and don’t talk to him during the middle of a set like a regular “gym moron”, but ask him a few things. Nutrition. Training. Rest. Supplementation. Volume. Intensity. Then draw your own conclusion.
BFG