Correcting someone in the gym?
Discussion
I often see bad form in the gym. Not just on weights either.
There was a chap at my old gym who did bench squats. But he dropped about 2 inches each time so just looked ridiculous.
I couldn't tell him he was doing it wrong. It's his body and his life.
Personally, if someone gave me advice I'd welcome it as long as it was delivered in a helpful way.
There was a chap at my old gym who did bench squats. But he dropped about 2 inches each time so just looked ridiculous.
I couldn't tell him he was doing it wrong. It's his body and his life.
Personally, if someone gave me advice I'd welcome it as long as it was delivered in a helpful way.
GMJ said:
Without seeing your shoulder it's difficult to tell but it's not an injuried it's mis-aligned. But this could very easily lead to an injury.
Chances are you sit at a desk all day or you drive a lot for work. This means you most likely have rounded shoulders so your shoulder joint is not in the correct position hence the click which most likely is a tendon.
Obviously, this isn't great when you start loading the shoulder joint with weight.
What I wrote above will, in time, help to sort the problem out.
It would be best to avoid pec and lat work because these will make the problem worse.
I probably should point out at this point that I do this for a living.
Thanks for the tips!Chances are you sit at a desk all day or you drive a lot for work. This means you most likely have rounded shoulders so your shoulder joint is not in the correct position hence the click which most likely is a tendon.
Obviously, this isn't great when you start loading the shoulder joint with weight.
What I wrote above will, in time, help to sort the problem out.
It would be best to avoid pec and lat work because these will make the problem worse.
I probably should point out at this point that I do this for a living.
It's not painful or anything serious like that, but when I move it around I can feel something clicking slightly. My shoulders have never been that good anyway
I started doing more on the rowing machine in the last couple of months, so hopefully keeping that up will help aswell!
Thanks again!
markcoznottz said:
People have always rolled thier shoulders doing shrugs in lifters gyms. Poor mans deadlift IMO anyway, might as well go straight for the big boy; olympic bar deads.
but warm up (don't do deads 1st just because you want to go as heavy as possible) and wear a belt, or end up f
king your back like I did at the end of last year.Needless to say that form is a must for deadlifts.
Regarding training traps, i've always used dumbbells for neck shrugs (heavy dumbbells, hold arms away from sides slightly and moved chin to chest and head back) which get my traps better than barbell shrugs. But we are not all made the same, so our muscles and stregth respond differently.
When I started going to the gym last year I was extremely grateful to anyone who took thier time to give me advice.
THere's a peculiar unfriendliness about gyms where men seem to me trying to out-macho one another and assume that it is taboo to acknowledge one another.
WHen you are new to it all, you get on with everything as best you can with zero knowledge - and basically put as much effort into everything you do. WIth hindsight 70% of the stuff you do is incorrect but unless you have a personal trainer or a helpful stranger you will continue to do it.
SO in short, definitely say something, albeit tactfully- I suspect your advice will be met with enthusiasm and gratitude. The only proviso is that you explain why they should do x and y as opposed to what they are doing.
THere's a peculiar unfriendliness about gyms where men seem to me trying to out-macho one another and assume that it is taboo to acknowledge one another.
WHen you are new to it all, you get on with everything as best you can with zero knowledge - and basically put as much effort into everything you do. WIth hindsight 70% of the stuff you do is incorrect but unless you have a personal trainer or a helpful stranger you will continue to do it.
SO in short, definitely say something, albeit tactfully- I suspect your advice will be met with enthusiasm and gratitude. The only proviso is that you explain why they should do x and y as opposed to what they are doing.
blindswelledrat said:
There's a peculiar unfriendliness about gyms where men seem to me trying to out-macho one another and assume that it is taboo to acknowledge one another.
I'm not sure that's entirely true. Most of the 'regulars' at my gym all talk to each other, often to the detriment of their workouts. I only go to the gym for one reason and anything else is an unwelcome distraction. That said, if someone asks me a question about why I'm doing what I'm doing, or asks me for a spot etc then I'll always take time to help. That's the way I've always been treated and I think that anything different would have caused me to lose interest a long time ago.Animal said:
blindswelledrat said:
There's a peculiar unfriendliness about gyms where men seem to me trying to out-macho one another and assume that it is taboo to acknowledge one another.
I'm not sure that's entirely true. Most of the 'regulars' at my gym all talk to each other, often to the detriment of their workouts. I only go to the gym for one reason and anything else is an unwelcome distraction. That said, if someone asks me a question about why I'm doing what I'm doing, or asks me for a spot etc then I'll always take time to help. That's the way I've always been treated and I think that anything different would have caused me to lose interest a long time ago.To a newcomer it feels almost cliquey and you feel like an outsider, probably because of what you have described.
markcoznottz said:
People have always rolled thier shoulders doing shrugs in lifters gyms. Poor mans deadlift IMO anyway, might as well go straight for the big boy; olympic bar deads.
I'm sorry but how can the shrug be a poor mans deadlift??!! The two exercises target different muscle groups.On the topic of the deadlift which in my mind one of the best functional exercise you can do. It's important to limit how far you lower the bar depending on how flexible your hamstrings are. Why? Because as you bend you knees the hamstrings will lengthen until they reach there limit of flexibility after that they're not going to lengthen any more. So if you continue to go lower the hamstrings will now pull on the hips, tipping them down, this in turn pulls on your lower back muscles. These lengthen and you lose the lumbar curve in your spine putting increased presure on the lumbar vertebra which could lead to lower back problems.
Obvioulsy, abdominal bracing is going to increase the support of the lumbar spine but ultimately it's the hamstrings that will determine the range of motion.
What I've described above can be easily seen by anybody just stand side on to a mirror and perform a deadlift and as you go lower and lower watch your bum. As it rotates down you've reach the end of your range of motion.
As I said at the start the deadlift is one of the best functional exercises you can do but your lumbar spine and its health and well being are more important.
Increase the flexibility in the hamstrings and build the weight up steadily.
I hope this helps anyone doing the dealift or thinking of doing it.
Edited by GMJ on Wednesday 4th August 10:48
Edited by GMJ on Wednesday 4th August 15:50
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