On The Frontline: Observations From Working In A Gym

[Hazzard]

Thought this might be kinda fun. I'm currently working in a hardcore, weight focused gym whilst I save up for a personal training course and progress with a fitness career. It's not glamorous or exciting, but it lets me train for free (well, I get paid to essentially!) and observe as well as help others train. Which is where this thread comes in: from the comfort of behind my reception desk I get to watch and observe people train, in the non-perverted way of course. Big, sweaty men aren't for me. I think this should be a thread both for my observations as well as what shenanigans all you guys see going on in your local iron house.

Mostly in regards to the bad and funny, obviously.

I shall start with a brief story of my attempt at a 235kg squat after hitting 230:

"Failed my last attempt, which I definitely think was a combination of both the mental and physical. The guys I have spotting me for the first and second lift were awesome and encouraging, one was an older guy who gave me a bit of advice and whatnot, which was awesome. Loved it. Because they left the gym owner who I'm friends with and who was being cinematography guy for the lifts got the only two guys who were in the gym at the time to come over and spot. One of them started banging on about how much he used to squat (ten plates - without a spot, wahay!), which was entirely bollocks ("I only do around 100 now cause I don't do that any more...") and I found the whole thing really distracting, not the right atmosphere to be launching into a potential PB - I want encouragement, shouting, shouted encouragement. So yeah, I lifted the weight from the rack and it just felt... yeah, this isn't going to happen. And yeah, I failed, big time."

He comes into the gym every few days and it's like he moves around in slow motion, never really working hard or anything. You never squatted 220 in your life mate. I just heard him say to another guy that "I work hard in the gym so I don't lose this size" or words to that effect. Dude, you're not big. At all. I can bench your squat. Not sure I've ever seen you dead.

It's not so much the lifts that people do that annoy me, it's the attitude.

So yeah, rant over, but I shall try and update this thread periodically!

[Mr.Silverback]

will update with you later, as I lease out a gym for my personal training company...lol

[LtL]

Nice. Tell stories about the regular "Deadlift like a muppet" day that the members of our gym seem to have without telling us.

LtL

[5kgLifter]

I am not a muppet, I am not a muppet, I am not a...


Haha, not sure what kind of antics I will see at the gym but I know the last time I went there for the induction, the one female that was there could not take her eyes off me and in the leaflet they hand out on etiquette, it hints that women are the worst at the gym, for stare-downs and such.

[Hazzard]

Originally Posted by Mr.Silverback

will update with you later, as I lease out a gym for my personal training company...lol

Awesome, can't wait to hear what you have to say.

Originally Posted by LtL

Nice. Tell stories about the regular "Deadlift like a muppet" day that the members of our gym seem to have without telling us.

LtL

Oh God, the amount of people I see deadlifting with worse form than my Mum could do is bloody horrendous. There are kids that mooooove.... reeeeally.... slooooowly.... because "time under tension, gonna get me hench right?!". Good luck with that.

But that reminds of the amount of people that just don't warm-up properly. I'm not expecting someone to go and do a bunch of cardio before they train, but to start on a 60kg bench, then 100kg, then 140kg and they wonder why they can only get a dodgy 140 followed up two upright rowed reps...

Originally Posted by 5kgLifter

I am not a muppet, I am not a muppet, I am not a...


Haha, not sure what kind of antics I will see at the gym but I know the last time I went there for the induction, the one female that was there could not take her eyes off me and in the leaflet they hand out on etiquette, it hints that women are the worst at the gym, for stare-downs and such.

Hot.

[5kgLifter]

Originally Posted by Hazzard

Hot.

LOL...she was doing abs curls and incline press-ups circuit-style, using the smith machine for the incline press-ups; so, I was saved the intro to that particular piece of machinery.

[BendtheBar]

One of them started banging on about how much he used to squat (ten plates - without a spot, wahay!), which was entirely bollocks ("I only do around 100 now cause I don't do that any more...")

[Hazzard]

In the middle of training my friend, but I just had to write in here saying that the same guy I talk about in my OP was talking to this other guy (another douche, we'll call him the Taximan) saying how hammer curls work both your tricep AND your bicep. Who knew!?

[BendtheBar]

Originally Posted by Hazzard

In the middle of training my friend, but I just had to write in here saying that the same guy I talk about in my OP was talking to this other guy (another douche, we'll call him the Taximan) saying how hammer curls work both your tricep AND your bicep. Who knew!?

That's awesome. I heard a rumor that the brachialis had left the biceps faction and was now part of the triceps territories.

[LtL]

Is that the same taximan who thinks that deodorant is in the same group as the easter bunny and santa claus, ie: he doesn't believe in it????

LtL