Oddballs in the gym!
Discussion
Whilst reading the 'Gym Etiquette' thread a couple of the posts got me thinking about oddballs* in the gym and I honestly think I can come up with possibly the best candicate of this.
A few years back I used to train at a gym called 'Total Fitness' in Oldham (An old hardcore gym not the big chain that exists) Anyway like most gyms this used to have a mixture of people, kids wanting to emulate Dorian Yates, Fat puddings wanting to lose a bit but mostly meathead doorman types, but one guy used to really stand out.
This bloke used to frequent the gym was quite frankly the strangest fecker i've seen but due to his size no one laughed or even sniggered at him.
He was one of the biggest blokes i've ever seen and quite possibly one of the strongest, but i have never seen anyone present themselves in the gym quite like him.
He used to wear the tightest black vest ever and shiny spandex skin tight leggings and on occasions ankle warmers that wouldn't have looked out of place on Flashdance, He finished this attire off with pink footwear.
He wore eye makeup that Bet Lynch would have been proud of and had painted black fingernails, He had no eyebrows, instead they were painted on as little dots and he had dreadlocks, when you heard him speak you would almost expect a very feminate camp voice to come out but instead he had a very deep broad northern accent, it was just very very bizzare seeing this man mountain wear this stuff and parade around with make up on in the gym and then go and bench 400 pounds.
Talk about turning heads.
So has anyone else got any tales of oddballs* in the gym?
A few years back I used to train at a gym called 'Total Fitness' in Oldham (An old hardcore gym not the big chain that exists) Anyway like most gyms this used to have a mixture of people, kids wanting to emulate Dorian Yates, Fat puddings wanting to lose a bit but mostly meathead doorman types, but one guy used to really stand out.
This bloke used to frequent the gym was quite frankly the strangest fecker i've seen but due to his size no one laughed or even sniggered at him.
He was one of the biggest blokes i've ever seen and quite possibly one of the strongest, but i have never seen anyone present themselves in the gym quite like him.
He used to wear the tightest black vest ever and shiny spandex skin tight leggings and on occasions ankle warmers that wouldn't have looked out of place on Flashdance, He finished this attire off with pink footwear.
He wore eye makeup that Bet Lynch would have been proud of and had painted black fingernails, He had no eyebrows, instead they were painted on as little dots and he had dreadlocks, when you heard him speak you would almost expect a very feminate camp voice to come out but instead he had a very deep broad northern accent, it was just very very bizzare seeing this man mountain wear this stuff and parade around with make up on in the gym and then go and bench 400 pounds.
Talk about turning heads.
So has anyone else got any tales of oddballs* in the gym?
- Disclaimer: This guy had two Porsche's so very well may come on here, if you read this i honestly dont mean 'your an oddball, it was a generalization and i am very sorry.
We have the usual enormous 'roiders with chicken legs.
Also the guy who spends so much time on the sunbed he is mahogany coloured.
The young guys, growing bumfluff moustaches, trying to show off how much they can lift to their mates by throwing weights up with the worst form ever (think bicep curls where all the movement is in the back, hardly any arm movement whatsoever).
All the 'resolutioners' have given up already after joining up in January.
I guess nobody stands out in particular, just the usual 'Gym Characters' seen everywhere!
Also the guy who spends so much time on the sunbed he is mahogany coloured.
The young guys, growing bumfluff moustaches, trying to show off how much they can lift to their mates by throwing weights up with the worst form ever (think bicep curls where all the movement is in the back, hardly any arm movement whatsoever).
All the 'resolutioners' have given up already after joining up in January.
I guess nobody stands out in particular, just the usual 'Gym Characters' seen everywhere!
A gym I used to go to had the usual bunch of posers and oldies keeping fit.
One poser used to do full on stretches in the male only sauna. I don't think he was making a pass at me but he certainly wasn't shy, lets put it that way.
Another one was the old girl who must have been 75 at the least. She wore bright coloured leotards, usually with leggings underneath. They were very high cut ones which were cut well above her hip bones. I VIVIDLY remember being present one day. She hadn't got the black leggings on but still wore the high cut leotard. The sight of a pensioners crotch area with a bright pink and very small crutch area is still etched deep into my psyche. At least she kept it tidy down there.
Another gym had the usual posing trainers around the place. One day, one particularly cocky guy was showing a pretty girl around, when he accidentally stepped onto the end of a fast running treadmill. His legs went right from under him and he collapsed onto the treadmill which then sent him off at high speed into the trainers desk. Everyone just pissed themselves lauhghing including the rest of the staff. It certainly took him down a peg or two for a few weeks.
One poser used to do full on stretches in the male only sauna. I don't think he was making a pass at me but he certainly wasn't shy, lets put it that way.
Another one was the old girl who must have been 75 at the least. She wore bright coloured leotards, usually with leggings underneath. They were very high cut ones which were cut well above her hip bones. I VIVIDLY remember being present one day. She hadn't got the black leggings on but still wore the high cut leotard. The sight of a pensioners crotch area with a bright pink and very small crutch area is still etched deep into my psyche. At least she kept it tidy down there.
Another gym had the usual posing trainers around the place. One day, one particularly cocky guy was showing a pretty girl around, when he accidentally stepped onto the end of a fast running treadmill. His legs went right from under him and he collapsed onto the treadmill which then sent him off at high speed into the trainers desk. Everyone just pissed themselves lauhghing including the rest of the staff. It certainly took him down a peg or two for a few weeks.
Ordinary_Chap said:
Don't sit on the fence there buddy!
I HATE range of motion gimps more than anything - I dont care if it's old granny on the cross skier thing moving the footplates through a full 20mm each way or the roid retard doing bicep curls or chins and never getting within half a mile of straightening his arm out. I hate them.Second place is the tools who go the other way and do lat pulldowns so the bar ends up in their lap.
Yesterday - woman (mid 40's) on smith machine doing bench press (hasnt she got washing up to do?) her range of motion is from locked out at the top to, oh...about an inch down from there. Having done 10 reps she locks out and rests!!!! then checks her watch, holding the bar with one locked out arm, before doing set 2!!!! After 20 reps the bar may have done a total distance equivalent to a normal humans single rep.
Tiggsy said:
Ordinary_Chap said:
Don't sit on the fence there buddy!
I HATE range of motion gimps more than anything - I dont care if it's old granny on the cross skier thing moving the footplates through a full 20mm each way or the roid retard doing bicep curls or chins and never getting within half a mile of straightening his arm out. I hate them.Second place is the tools who go the other way and do lat pulldowns so the bar ends up in their lap.
Yesterday - woman (mid 40's) on smith machine doing bench press (hasnt she got washing up to do?) her range of motion is from locked out at the top to, oh...about an inch down from there. Having done 10 reps she locks out and rests!!!! then checks her watch, holding the bar with one locked out arm, before doing set 2!!!! After 20 reps the bar may have done a total distance equivalent to a normal humans single rep.
Tiggsy said:
Ordinary_Chap said:
Don't sit on the fence there buddy!
I HATE range of motion gimps more than anything Tiggsy said:
Second place is the tools who go the other way and do lat pulldowns so the bar ends up in their lap.
It's the opposite that bugs me. The lat pulldown that is really a back pulldown. You know, swingfrom their hips to pull down more than they can lift and still don't take it far enough down. SignalGruen said:
+1. I remember a couple of months ago some smallish dude load up the Smith machine with around 130Kg to do some squats. I thought, blimey this guy is strong for his size. He then proceeded to squeeze out around 4/5 reps of something I'd describe as 1/4 squats.
There is a guy in my gym who does this except with even more. The best thing is his technique also relies on pushing back. Imagine walking down a wall keeping your shoulders on it. Thats part of his squat technique. I have broached it with a few people why they dont go down low. Apparently they all have bad knees. I can't be assed to tell them that lifting lighter and lower is probably better than a heavy rep with no movement, what happens if they twist? Their screwed. Just nod and agree. If they can't see why what they said is silly they will never get it. Just number chasing.
People probably think i'm a berk in the gym. Everyones a bit judgemental of other people. Form is my big bugbear though, that and the idiots who squeeze past me or worse go under the bar when I'm push pressing or doing a clean and jerk free standing.
Pickled Piper said:
Is that what causes that bizarre bodyshape? i often wondered how some of the lads ended up that way.pp
There are a LOT of guys like that, who will always wear REALLY baggy tracksuit bottoms to hide the puny legs!! Kinda funny to see and looks totally out of proportion.
When I used to do weights in the gym at work (I just run outside now) the people who really bugged me were as follows:
- Women (generally) who start doing bicep curls right about your head while using a bench. Even if they are using 2kg I don't fancy that in my face!
- Contractors (generally the Indian IT guys!) who wear the same kit every day. It just goes back in the bag at the end of a season!
- The guys that leave all the heaviest dumbbells in the way of everyone else the night before
- 8 stone women who somehow make the same impact on the running machine as a flat footed 20 stone bloke!
Also I'd love to know how anyone gets any meaningful cardio done while reading a magazine!
- Women (generally) who start doing bicep curls right about your head while using a bench. Even if they are using 2kg I don't fancy that in my face!
- Contractors (generally the Indian IT guys!) who wear the same kit every day. It just goes back in the bag at the end of a season!
- The guys that leave all the heaviest dumbbells in the way of everyone else the night before
- 8 stone women who somehow make the same impact on the running machine as a flat footed 20 stone bloke!
Also I'd love to know how anyone gets any meaningful cardio done while reading a magazine!
m444ttb said:
When I used to do weights in the gym at work (I just run outside now) the people who really bugged me were as follows:
- Women (generally) who start doing bicep curls right about your head while using a bench. Even if they are using 2kg I don't fancy that in my face!
- Contractors (generally the Indian IT guys!) who wear the same kit every day. It just goes back in the bag at the end of a season!
- The guys that leave all the heaviest dumbbells in the way of everyone else the night before
- 8 stone women who somehow make the same impact on the running machine as a flat footed 20 stone bloke!
Also I'd love to know how anyone gets any meaningful cardio done while reading a magazine!
You sound a little angry!- Women (generally) who start doing bicep curls right about your head while using a bench. Even if they are using 2kg I don't fancy that in my face!
- Contractors (generally the Indian IT guys!) who wear the same kit every day. It just goes back in the bag at the end of a season!
- The guys that leave all the heaviest dumbbells in the way of everyone else the night before
- 8 stone women who somehow make the same impact on the running machine as a flat footed 20 stone bloke!
Also I'd love to know how anyone gets any meaningful cardio done while reading a magazine!
Also you should look up SSCV re the low intensity cardio.
Otto said:
Well, it's more to do with the type of guy who starts pumping himself full of steroids is more concerned with how he LOOKS than actual strength, health etc.
To be fair......there are only really two reasons to work out - get laid (while young) and not die (when older) These are basic requirements for survival, "be strong" isn't (not since the woolly mammoth pissed off). Whether looking roid'd gets you laid is another matter....but they are actually more on track to meet their base needs than the guy squatting 2 X body weight! (unless a dinosaur attacks)
Tiggsy said:
Otto said:
Well, it's more to do with the type of guy who starts pumping himself full of steroids is more concerned with how he LOOKS than actual strength, health etc.
To be fair......there are only really two reasons to work out - get laid (while young) and not die (when older) These are basic requirements for survival, "be strong" isn't (not since the woolly mammoth pissed off). Whether looking roid'd gets you laid is another matter....but they are actually more on track to meet their base needs than the guy squatting 2 X body weight! (unless a dinosaur attacks)
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