Gym & Misc Irritating people/things that annoy you in the gym II

[Ned_Flanders]

I'd say compliance would be a rarity in most gyms. We had a trainer at my old gym get in huge amounts of trouble (and got the sack) because a customer was trying to use a plate loaded machine that had 40kgs loaded above her head height. The trainer was nearby and could see her trying to remove the plates but didn't help, she grabbed one tried to pull it off ended up badly injuring her shoulder.

Like most industries until something bad happens and they get in trouble most places won't change

PT contracts (every one that I've seen) include expectations for gym floor work and behaviour.

This is changing

Councils who are outsourcing management of their gyms/leisure centres are beginning to demand ohs certitication. Its still in its infancy, but as you said, its one major injury at a council owned gym from being mandatory

 

[DemonTim]

This is changing

Councils who are outsourcing management of their gyms/leisure centres are beginning to demand ohs certitication. Its still in its infancy, but as you said, its one major injury at a council owned gym from being mandatory

And indemnity forms generally mean absolute * all in most cases, any lawyer worth the cash can easily get around them
They're mainly to scare people off action

 

[Ned_Flanders]

And indemnity forms generally mean absolute **** all in most cases, any lawyer worth the cash can easily get around them
They're mainly to scare people off action

100% i actually had to tell one customer that, and suggested they need to have a long chat with their legal counsel (he was convinced they were bulletproof)

 

[phantom13]

Realizing the rules and standards can be litigious, surely if you cant lift something confidently in a gym it should be on you to know that.

On the irritating issues dude last night in the free/core area had a mat, bosu ball and fitball thing going on, had them all spread out taking up enough room for about 4 people, no one has any consideration for others in a gym these days.

Also this is one from last year and I realise its super judgemental of me, but there are three dudes that I see at the gym all the time, they all do "heavy" weight workouts and literally never do leg day (we all know the tracksuit pant brigade). I realised one workout last year not one of them can do an unassisted chin up... These guys come in and bench pretty heavy weight, shoulder press etc. and theyre reasonably big dudes but cant do a chin up, that staggered me. If you are going to wear straps and do a body builders workout at the gym you need to be able to do a chin up IMO. Seems to be a focus on isolation exercises that they cant translate into a chain exercise but man... I was floored.

 

[WakeUpPies]

Guy managed to turn the only seated cable row machine in the gym into some form of lying bicep curl station. People getting creative with biceps these days.

 

[DemonTim]

Realizing the rules and standards can be litigious, surely if you cant lift something confidently in a gym it should be on you to know that.

On the irritating issues dude last night in the free/core area had a mat, bosu ball and fitball thing going on, had them all spread out taking up enough room for about 4 people, no one has any consideration for others in a gym these days.

Also this is one from last year and I realise its super judgemental of me, but there are three dudes that I see at the gym all the time, they all do "heavy" weight workouts and literally never do leg day (we all know the tracksuit pant brigade). I realised one workout last year not one of them can do an unassisted chin up... These guys come in and bench pretty heavy weight, shoulder press etc. and theyre reasonably big dudes but cant do a chin up, that staggered me. If you are going to wear straps and do a body builders workout at the gym you need to be able to do a chin up IMO. Seems to be a focus on isolation exercises that they cant translate into a chain exercise but man... I was floored.

If you were going out of your way to lift something that you shouldn't and staff were around telling you not to, sure you'd probably struggle, but if you're trying to move something that shouldn't be there, so you can safely use a piece of equipment, while a staff member watches, no hope for the gym they're cooked

On the chin ups, plenty of guys who lift huge can't do them, very common, are the big as in weight wise?

Guy managed to turn the only seated cable row machine in the gym into some form of lying bicep curl station. People getting creative with biceps these days.

Haha I've seen this at my old gym. But they had 6 cable rows

 

[phantom13]

If you were going out of your way to lift something that you shouldn't and staff were around telling you not to, sure you'd probably struggle, but if you're trying to move something that shouldn't be there, so you can safely use a piece of equipment, while a staff member watches, no hope for the gym they're cooked

On the chin ups, plenty of guys who lift huge can't do them, very common, are the big as in weight wise?


Haha I've seen this at my old gym. But they had 6 cable rows

Yeh agreed on the safe lifting thing. Im also not coming at this from a legal POV at all, just a common sense thing, if you cant unrack 20kgs weights, don't.

There not huge weight wise but they are big enough, probably 80kgs at around 5'9-5'10 they look like they spend a lot of time at the gym in the upper body, they bench around the 100kg. I know its not that out of the ordinary I just think its crazy, theyre not body builders by any stretch personally (and im sure they don't give a rats what I think) doing chin ups and push ups would be my first goal at a gym if I was starting from nothing.

 

[saj_21]

Yeh agreed on the safe lifting thing. Im also not coming at this from a legal POV at all, just a common sense thing, if you cant unrack 20kgs weights, don't.

There not huge weight wise but they are big enough, probably 80kgs at around 5'9-5'10 they look like they spend a lot of time at the gym in the upper body, they bench around the 100kg. I know its not that out of the ordinary I just think its crazy, theyre not body builders by any stretch personally (and im sure they don't give a rats what I think) doing chin ups and push ups would be my first goal at a gym if I was starting from nothing.

Do they not do pull ups or have you actually seen them attempt pull ups and physically not be able to do one?

Everyone has different goals.....for me during last footy season I was working towards a 140kg bench press, not once did I do a push up in those 4 months. And I'm sure others with a smaller bench could out do me in push ups.

I will add though, a bloke who goes to the gym should be able to push ups and pull ups with out much trouble. In fact most be in herbal should be able to just as a standard health and fitness

 

[DemonTim]

Yeh agreed on the safe lifting thing. Im also not coming at this from a legal POV at all, just a common sense thing, if you cant unrack 20kgs weights, don't.

There not huge weight wise but they are big enough, probably 80kgs at around 5'9-5'10 they look like they spend a lot of time at the gym in the upper body, they bench around the 100kg. I know its not that out of the ordinary I just think its crazy, theyre not body builders by any stretch personally (and im sure they don't give a rats what I think) doing chin ups and push ups would be my first goal at a gym if I was starting from nothing.

Chin ups definitely was a goal of mine (still struggle) but push ups wasn't always wanted to bench 100kg haha

 

[phantom13]

Do they not do pull ups or have you actually seen them attempt pull ups and physically not be able to do one?

Everyone has different goals.....for me during last footy season I was working towards a 140kg bench press, not once did I do a push up in those 4 months. And I'm sure others with a smaller bench could out do me in push ups.

I will add though, a bloke who goes to the gym should be able to push ups and pull ups with out much trouble. In fact most be in herbal should be able to just as a standard health and fitness

Watched them try to do unassisted (they were doing sets of assisted) and they could not get one chin to bar, seemed to be a chain movement they just cant do, each stage of it would be fine but linking the movement together just doesn't work for them.

Completely agree, im sure they could care less what I think and what my goals are I was just staggered, just seems like the sort of thing people who go to a gym regularly can do.

 

[phantom13]

Chin ups definitely was a goal of mine (still struggle) but push ups wasn't always wanted to bench 100kg haha

I remember hitting the 100kg bench and realising I could only muster about 20 push ups (down on 100 at peak), its a brutal day realising you cant have it all.

All my stuff is based around multiple movements with weight, weighted chins, push ups, dips etc. I can do a tonne of weighted push ups but my bench is probably awful haha.

But ONE chin up just seems staggering to me.

 

[PoppedCorn]

I'd be lucky to do 5 push ups and can only get out 2 underhand pull ups

 

[Aeglos]

On the topic of push ups vs bench press
In the time my bench has gone up 30kg, the number of push ups I can do in one go has halved lol (admittedly I've also gained 10kg body weight in that time but the number of chin ups I can do has remained fairly steady at about a dozen or +30kg for 2-3)

Guy managed to turn the only seated cable row machine in the gym into some form of lying bicep curl station. People getting creative with biceps these days.

 

[phantom13]

On the topic of push ups vs bench press
In the time my bench has gone up 30kg, the number of push ups I can do in one go has halved lol (admittedly I've also gained 10kg body weight in that time but the number of chin ups I can do has remained fairly steady at about a dozen or +30kg for 2-3)

I can do 80 straight push ups and about 30 with a 20kg weight on my back, id be amazed if I can bench more than 70kgs. For whatever reason you cant have it both ways. I used to be able to bench 100kgs, probably would have been doing 15-20 normal push ups at most. Same as lat pulldown, I can do 25 odd overhand chins now but my lat pulldown is average, when it was higher I would do 5-10 chins at most.

 

[Aeglos]

I can do 80 straight push ups and about 30 with a 20kg weight on my back, id be amazed if I can bench more than 70kgs. For whatever reason you cant have it both ways. I used to be able to bench 100kgs, probably would have been doing 15-20 normal push ups at most. Same as lat pulldown, I can do 25 odd overhand chins now but my lat pulldown is average, when it was higher I would do 5-10 chins at most.

IMO there's little carryover from open (bench press) to closed chain (push ups) exercises and visa versa.
And I say this because I know a bunch of guys whose 1rm went up as did there reps with a set number eg 60kg so it's clearly not just a strength endurance thing otherwise the push ups/dips would increase in number as well (which they don't seem to)

 

[WakeUpPies]

LOL yep 50 seconds in that's the one.

 

[Aeglos]

Not necessarily in the gym par se; but internet fitness gurus who have become so either because of athletic achievements or a loud voice
Example - saw a post this morning by a well known US powerlifting who has long been an advocate for vertical shins in the squat (which I disagree with, but it's fair enough he believes that)
However, in this mornings post he was trying to talk up how important ankle dorsi flexion is for squatting and that you should be able to achieve thirty degrees (and of course at the same time talking up his own methods which he sells in the form of workshops etc). I may have flunked physics in VCE but even I know to squat with vertical shins you don't actually need any dorsi flexion, let alone thirty degrees lol

 

[HirdyLannister]

So what's the best way to improve with overhand chin ups? I just figured if I can lat pull my weight I should be about to chin up weight.

 

[phantom13]

So what's the best way to improve with overhand chin ups? I just figured if I can lat pull my weight I should be about to chin up weight.

Do more chin ups it would seem, certainly helped me.

 

[Aeglos]

So what's the best way to improve with overhand chin ups? I just figured if I can lat pull my weight I should be about to chin up weight.

The US army has done a few studies on improving chin up numbers (from being able to do at least one) - general consensus was the more, more often, you could do the better and how you accomplished that didn't really matter

If you can't do one yet then eccentrics and isometrics for your standard bodybuilding set and rep schemes

 

[DemonTim]

I think I can sum up most of my complaints root cause:
s**t PTs
Early 20s blokes who train in groups and think no one notices that they're on the juice

 

[go you pups]

Blokes who train with their missus and do exactly the same routine/program together, particularly fairly fit/capable/big guys who are like a foot taller than them.


Like seriously, your gym goals should be different to your missus' I just don't get it.


I seen a married couple (in their late 40s/early 50s) train together yesterday morning for example. Their core training was the same, but their strength/cardio was different, I don't mind that as it seems they know what is best for them, but guys just making their girls follow them around the gym I don't see the full benefit in for the chick.

 

[Aeglos]

That's being fairly presumptuous ^

 

[DemonTim]

Blokes who train with their missus and do exactly the same routine/program together, particularly fairly fit/capable/big guys who are like a foot taller than them.


Like seriously, your gym goals should be different to your missus' I just don't get it.


I seen a married couple (in their late 40s/early 50s) train together yesterday morning for example. Their core training was the same, but their strength/cardio was different, I don't mind that as it seems they know what is best for them, but guys just making their girls follow them around the gym I don't see the full benefit in for the chick.

I train with my missus. I do the program I put together for her to assist her with motivation, plus our core and cardio are the same.

 

[go you pups]

I train with my missus. I do the program I put together for her to assist her with motivation, plus our core and cardio are the same.

All comes down to motivation, body types/fitness status and goals I guess. As you said she needs motivation then fair enough.


But seeing say a 6 foot 2 90-100kg guy train with a 5 foot 5 50kg chick makes me wonder if it's the best thing in regards to their fitness doing the same routine (albeit different weights)