What Are Your Gym/Fitness/Routine Moans?

[ORD]

TheJimi said:

Yep, most commercial gym "PTs" are glorified gym bros.

Yep. In the commercial gym I used back in london, the PTs were all, without exception, ego lifters and douche bags. Not a single solid squat amongst them, let alone the ability to teach anyone else technique.

[V8mate]

Possibly a better fit for the 'things that annoy you beyond reason' thread than simply a gym moan, but for some reason people who do a set (sometimes several!) of bench press with an empty bar to 'warm up' annoy me so much.

I don't care whether it's the right thing to do, best practice, or even essential to optimise lifting... I will continue to want to take a dumbbell to your head.

[RTB]

V8mate said:

Possibly a better fit for the 'things that annoy you beyond reason' thread than simply a gym moan, but for some reason people who do a set (sometimes several!) of bench press with an empty bar to 'warm up' annoy me so much.

I don't care whether it's the right thing to do, best practice, or even essential to optimise lifting... I will continue to want to take a dumbbell to your head.

Sorry...

[V8mate]

RTB said:

V8mate said:

Possibly a better fit for the 'things that annoy you beyond reason' thread than simply a gym moan, but for some reason people who do a set (sometimes several!) of bench press with an empty bar to 'warm up' annoy me so much.

I don't care whether it's the right thing to do, best practice, or even essential to optimise lifting... I will continue to want to take a dumbbell to your head.

Sorry...

[johnwilliams77]

V8mate said:

Possibly a better fit for the 'things that annoy you beyond reason' thread than simply a gym moan, but for some reason people who do a set (sometimes several!) of bench press with an empty bar to 'warm up' annoy me so much.

I don't care whether it's the right thing to do, best practice, or even essential to optimise lifting... I will continue to want to take a dumbbell to your head.

I will often do one of these sets
I’m glad it annoys you. It speaks volumes about your mindset.

[V8mate]

johnwilliams77 said:

I will often do one of these sets
I’m glad it annoys you. It speaks volumes about your mindset.

Oooh. Get you, Mr Cod Psychologist.

What does it say about me then?

[lemmingjames]

V8mate said:

Oooh. Get you, Mr Cod Psychologist.

What does it say about me then?

Fat and weak and have no idea on how to lift

[V8mate]

lemmingjames said:

V8mate said:

Oooh. Get you, Mr Cod Psychologist.

What does it say about me then?

Fat and weak and have no idea on how to lift

Hmmn. Don't sound much like mindset to me.

[popeyewhite]

V8mate said:

johnwilliams77 said:

I will often do one of these sets
I’m glad it annoys you. It speaks volumes about your mindset.

Oooh. Get you, Mr Cod Psychologist.

What does it say about me then?

It says you're quite rightly irritated by people who lift a bar that's far too light to stimulate any physiological reaction that might be considered a warmup?

Always puzzled me as well. Actually T Nation provide this gem - it's to avoid "sucky" sets.

"The longer you take to warm-up on your initial movement, the better your working sets will feel, and starting with the empty bar to see how your body is feeling on that day will tell you a lot early on. Get to the point where you can tell, just by using the empty bar, whether the training session is going to be on point, average, or sucky."

[V8mate]

popeyewhite said:

V8mate said:

johnwilliams77 said:

I will often do one of these sets
I’m glad it annoys you. It speaks volumes about your mindset.

Oooh. Get you, Mr Cod Psychologist.

What does it say about me then?

It says you're quite rightly irritated by people who lift a bar that's far too light to stimulate any physiological reaction that might be considered a warmup?

Always puzzled me as well. Actually T Nation provide this gem - it's to avoid "sucky" sets.

"The longer you take to warm-up on your initial movement, the better your working sets will feel, and starting with the empty bar to see how your body is feeling on that day will tell you a lot early on. Get to the point where you can tell, just by using the empty bar, whether the training session is going to be on point, average, or sucky."

Yep. I don't need internet psychologists to tell me why it bugs me; I know full well, as it's a trait which applies to everything I do in life: I hate waste.

I hate wasting time; I hate wasting effort; and I despair at those who do.

As I said in my OP, before the keyboard warriors came on the attack, I don't care if I'm wrong, because all I see is waste.

Ahead of every lifting session I ensure my body is 'warm' and flexed, with 10 mins on a cross-trainer at a reasonably high resistance level. Everything is pushed and pulled; heart rate is raised.

Then, for every lift I do, I'll kick off with a 'warm-up' set of c.60% of my full training weight. I do that, mainly, because I've noticed that my body doesn't 'get' a new exercise first time, especially when I've just come off a previous one. It needs one set to learn that we're going to do something different. But it seems pointless doing that set with no real resistance.

[popeyewhite]

60% is OK for a few reps if it's preceeded by 2ish sets of 5/8 @40% then 50%. Anyway that's what warms me up. Everyone's different of course. Not convinced lifting an empty bar serves any purpose at all though.

Strong Lifts:
https://startingstrength.com/training/warmup

[joshcowin]

Every bench session I will do 1 set with an empty bar, I use it to reinforce (mental queue) my position on the bench and my bar path.

It takes 15 seconds, I would imagine most in the gym don't even realise I do it!

My next set is at 60kg and i progress from there!

[Zippee]

I'm on the opposite side of this. I'll start with my usual weights and number of sets, my final set will then be bar only until exhaustion.
I guess, o question for the more seasoned gym bods - is that worth doing?

[RTB]

Zippee said:

I'm on the opposite side of this. I'll start with my usual weights and number of sets, my final set will then be bar only until exhaustion.
I guess, o question for the more seasoned gym bods - is that worth doing?

Lifting very light weights to exhaustion will certainly help you're cardio vascular system and increase muscle endurance. If that's what you want then it's worth doing. If you're looking to build strength and size then it's probably counter productive.

[Challo]

Greshamst said:

My current moan is that I’m really struggling to find a good PT, or one that is right for me.

Every PT I’ve come across so far seems to either dumb everything down so they can easily apply it to everyone, or just isn’t that clued up.

I’m just looking for someone who can help me on my form and help me lift heavier, but also has a good understanding of nutrition.

Just got back from a taster session at a small private gym where the guy ignored all the areas I wanted to focus on, and wanted to charge me £300 a month to follow his set, basic routine that would be the same every session... I want to do deadlifts and squats... he said ‘that’s not part of the programme’. So not a good match.

I’ve got quite into tracking food and learning about macro ratios, understanding BMR and calorie deficit/surplus. But I want a trainer who also understands this and can tell me how to switch up my nutrition to match different phases of training.

So far, I can’t find anyone suitable.

Where are you based?

[hyphen]

V8mate said:

Yep. I don't need internet psychologists to tell me why it bugs me; I know full well, as it's a trait which applies to everything I do in life: I hate waste.

I hate wasting time; I hate wasting effort; and I despair at those who do.

So do I, travelling and queueing around at a gym is wasted time so I bought a power rack for home...

I despair at you

[Greshamst]

Challo said:

Where are you based?

Hertfordshire/ London

[joshcowin]

Greshamst said:

My current moan is that I’m really struggling to find a good PT, or one that is right for me.

Every PT I’ve come across so far seems to either dumb everything down so they can easily apply it to everyone, or just isn’t that clued up.

I’m just looking for someone who can help me on my form and help me lift heavier, but also has a good understanding of nutrition.

Just got back from a taster session at a small private gym where the guy ignored all the areas I wanted to focus on, and wanted to charge me £300 a month to follow his set, basic routine that would be the same every session... I want to do deadlifts and squats... he said ‘that’s not part of the programme’. So not a good match.

I’ve got quite into tracking food and learning about macro ratios, understanding BMR and calorie deficit/surplus. But I want a trainer who also understands this and can tell me how to switch up my nutrition to match different phases of training.

So far, I can’t find anyone suitable.

Guessing your in the London area?

go on insta and look at these, may be more up your street?

tmcycles
jameshollingshead (kings gym croydon)
trainedbyjp

[lemmingjames]

Greshamst said:

Hertfordshire/ London

Andy Marshall @ Villain Strength (based South Herts)
The Farm
Commando Temple

[TheJimi]

Phil Learney?