General Gym Observations

[Dmunnee]

Can't believe we haven't started this thread yet.....


50 y/o woman in jeans doing bicep curls (about 1/2 the ROM), looked at me carrying a 50lb DB as if it was a car.

Also (from my log), note to women who are 6 months+ pregnant:  stair stepper + shaking your butt + wearing only a sports bra for a top may have been ok SIX MONTHS AGO!

Saw an older guy using the smith machine for squats literally going down 1/4 of the way.  I squatted next to him, we both started at 135.  Four sets later, I did 275, he was still on 135.  He looked over at me, looked at the weight, immediately racked up and left looking like I killed his cat.  What you got people?

[Big Tex]

Wow 50 years old huh? Guess she didn't want to quit. Now the pregnant woman, I understand she wants to work out, BUT she's carrying a baby and yeah I can only imagine the scene...oh boy, now the old man stroy...that was just plain funny XD

I have a couple being out here. Had a couple of contractors go to the bench press area, put like 6x45lbs plates on the bar. They were all ready to spot this guy, and we're all expecting him to bench this massive load. As this "special" moment is happening, THEY lift the bar off the rack for him, THEY helped lower the bar down, and THEY lifted it back up, all while the one guy is grunting/screaming as it goes up. Jumps off the bench yelling, cheering all that crazy bull. He didn't lift shit.

Had a older lady in the gym yesterday do nothing but seated concentration curls, and occasional side laterals...I was in the gym for a good hour...THAT'S ALL SHE DID!

Oh it's funny when I'm in the gym because I actually try and put out. I get noticed for it, and going through one of my Hulk Effect moods on a Leg Day, pretty much scared everyone away from the leg machines because I was lifting a shit ton of weight on one machine, switching quickly over to another, and one guy hurried off one and asked if I needed more weight on the machine XD wow...

List is endless, especially dealing with the soliders out here....no disrespect to any currently serving Army Soliders, or retired Army Soliders, but these guys out here are plain dumb.

[IOWA.PharmD]

Kids in bro tanks and Vibrams allllll damn day!

[Naomi Most]

They just have no idea what they're doing. The annoying thing isn't that they're there, but that there's almost nothing you can do to help them, other than to set a better example.

[Luis S.]

Haha i loving this topic. I have tons of stories, probably too many.

I live in miami, Florida and just about every woman over the age of 35 goes out and gets some sort of plastic surgery done. Thats all fine and dandy till they decide to come to the gym in booty shorts/underwear and bikini tops with a mesh shirt over. Then they go over to the "butt machine" as i call it and spend at least thirty minutes there. Then they go over to the dumbells and grab a 5lb and spend another 30 mins doing that in every provocative pose they know. Normally i wouldnt mind lol, but they usually have a crowd following them which makes it very hard to get a workout it when theres a bunch of people taking up all the machines just to get a closer look.

[Kris1501]

Guys using the squat rack for barbell curls... Worst part? They "load up" the Olympic bar with 10 lbs each side! I mean seriously.. WTF?

[Naomi Most]

Guys using the squat rack for barbell curls... Worst part? They "load up" the Olympic bar with 10 lbs each side! I mean seriously.. WTF?

I do not get it. I'm a relative NOOB in the gym and even I understand that you do not bro-curl in the squat rack -- particularly when the weight you're using can be obtained using one of the preloaded barbells.

It's just so stupid, it boggles my mind.

This looks like a great solution, which I will be proposing to my gym.

[stumprrp]

Fortunatly i lift in a pretty hardcore mostly men gym with the exception of a few idiot kids who feel the need to yell and scream doing curls and cable flys.  There are also some very ignorant powerlifters who think myself and my crew are cheaters who are just fat take drugs and wear a bench shirt.  In response we simply invite them to bench on a sunday and none ever show up.  They all think its easy holding 4,5,600 plus pounds at lockout nevermind actually pressing the bar.

[Dmunnee]

Saw a personal trainer failing miserably to convey to a member that since he was so fat his gut was hitting the front of the elliptical machine, and that he may want to consider an alternative exercise. How do you not see that you can't even fit on a machine?  Honestly...

[Big Tex]

Saw a personal trainer failing miserably to convey to a member that since he was so fat his gut was hitting the front of the elliptical machine, and that he may want to consider an alternative exercise. How do you not see that you can't even fit on a machine?  Honestly...

That's just wrong.

[cytotoad]

Saw a personal trainer failing miserably to convey to a member that since he was so fat his gut was hitting the front of the elliptical machine, and that he may want to consider an alternative exercise. How do you not see that you can't even fit on a machine?  Honestly...

That's just wrong.

I used to be one of those people. I couldn't fit on the seated calf raise machine. My belly got in the way. I just kept working at it and now I can use that piece of equipment. I'm still very large but it's not stopping me. The people I work out with and one of the other trainers at the gym always find an alternative for me if I need a modification. Thankfully I'm more than willing to listen to them. And it is paying great dividends. But I digress...

I get annoyed with the old ladies who take over your machine in the middle of your sets. I have my notebook and water etc right there and I'm resting between sets (usually waking around) and they just move right in ... don't even ask if you are done.  No etiquette.

[Big Tex]

Saw a personal trainer failing miserably to convey to a member that since he was so fat his gut was hitting the front of the elliptical machine, and that he may want to consider an alternative exercise. How do you not see that you can't even fit on a machine?  Honestly...

That's just wrong.

I used to be one of those people. I couldn't fit on the seated calf raise machine. My belly got in the way. I just kept working at it and now I can use that piece of equipment. I'm still very large but it's not stopping me. The people I work out with and one of the other trainers at the gym always find an alternative for me if I need a modification. Thankfully I'm more than willing to listen to them. And it is paying great dividends. But I digress...

I get annoyed with the old ladies who take over your machine in the middle of your sets. I have my notebook and water etc right there and I'm resting between sets (usually waking around) and they just move right in ... don't even ask if you are done.  No etiquette.

When I said "that's just wrong" I was meaning it towards the trainer. Because honestly if I was up there like that, I'd feel really embarassed. A personal trainer shouldn't "haze" someone like that. Again that's why it's wrong.

Now cytotoad, I'm really happy that you came a long way from where you started! It is really awesome that you kept at it and didn't give up =D The old lady thing...yeah that happens here too an these are kids...

[cytotoad]

No worries Tex, I was just commenting. And when it was me I was embarassed.

[bako71]

My two cents... and a rant....I don't get the leg lifts that women do on the stair stepper or when the walk up it sideways does it really do anything??? Every Wed. there is a group of three girls who litterally spend and entire workout doing walking lunges down the length of the gym and the finisher, I'm not sure I understand but they use the assisted pull up machine to do a leg press down thing.....

The big thing that drives me crazy is watching trainers who don't know shit.  I see so many timesone particular trainer put a out of shape, beginner woman on a smith machine to do squats then take her to the leg press followed by walking lunges with 20 lbs followed by step ups on a bench with a 25 lb weight.  This woman can't even do a bodyweight squat, hip raise, bodyweight lunge or a pushup and in my opinion has no business on an assisted machine until a body weight movements can be performed correctly and easlily!   I feel bad for these people who put their trust in trainers and this is what they get.  Shame on the gym owners who hire them and more importantly don't observe them!

[ibobland08]

I still really don't understand why people need personal trainers.  When I was a teenager I was overweight, but when I got to college I lost weight then I put on a lot of muscle and I have never used a trainer in my whole life.  I don't know, when I went to the gym, it just seemed like common sense what to do.