What Are Your Gym/Fitness/Routine Moans?

[ORD]

popeyewhite said:

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."

I cannot say I get a lot from the empty bar, to be honest. It doesn't help with technique because lifting something weighing 20kg is so very different from lifting something that resists more. I often do a squat set of 20 with the bar just to feel out the position before adding weight, but I don't find that bench pressing the bar does anything at all. I much prefer to do a few press ups and then start on the bench press with a set or two at 40, 50 or 60 kg.

[Strudul]

ORD said:

popeyewhite said:

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."

I cannot say I get a lot from the empty bar, to be honest. It doesn't help with technique because lifting something weighing 20kg is so very different from lifting something that resists more. I often do a squat set of 20 with the bar just to feel out the position before adding weight, but I don't find that bench pressing the bar does anything at all. I much prefer to do a few press ups and then start on the bench press with a set or two at 40, 50 or 60 kg.

Never bench just the bar - It's a waste of time.

1 muscle warmup set of 8-10 reps at 60-70% of working weight.
1 or 2 mental warmup "sets" of 1 rep at 80-90% of working weight.
3 sets of 4-6 reps at 100% of working weight.

Extra warmup sets just feels like I'm wasting time and energy.

[Halb]

I used to bench the empty bar as part of my warm up, it takes seconds, then 2-3 warm up sets, all performed as I'd perform my work sets.
over the years done various things, press-ups possibly, or parallal db squeeze press.

[Greshamst]

Thanks for the suggestions guys, will check them out.

In other news, the guy I said no thanks to wants me to give him £125 to cancel and cover the cost of a one hour walkthrough...

I’m ok thanks.

[TheJimi]

In terms of barbell bench pressing, I only do close-grip, but yeah, I do fire off a few reps with the empty bar.

Iirc Brian Shaw is a big advocate of starting with the empty bar.

[ambuletz]

I have always warmed up 1-2 high rep (15 or so) sets using the bar whenever I squat, bench, press, or OHP. the only thing i don;'t start from the bar is my deadlifts, which i start with a pair of 10kg or 15kg plates.

[dave_s13]

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.

Look up "next step nutrition" on Facebook. That guy is exactly who you need, strength and conditioning coach plus really clued up on nutrition Only catch being he is in Leeds and you probably aren't.

He might know someone near you though?

[Regiment]

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.

Definitely my current moan as well with me trying to find a good strength and conditioning coach in the East Midlands. Someone that will basically go through my squat, deadlift, bench and overhead press form and give me advice that i can take away. Some good trainers at my gym but they tend to either specialise in mma or be the generic gym fitness trainer that can't talk about form other than the obvious.

[lemmingjames]

join a strongman or powerlifter group on facebook and ask on there wheres good in the local area

[ashleyman]

Can anyone recommend a decent gym progress app?

I currently have notes in my phone that contain my set workouts. So I have a note for Monday which lists all my legs exercises reps, sets and current weights. Tuesday is back and lists all my exercises reps, sets and current weights etc...

I’m wondering if there’s an app that I can input all this into that’s easier to use and quicker to edit than notes. Perhaps something that can suggest extra exercises or whatever.

I was looking into mywellness as it works with Technogym equipment which my gym have but you can’t set up daily workouts which is annoying.

[smiffy180]

ashleyman said:

Can anyone recommend a decent gym progress app?

I currently have notes in my phone that contain my set workouts. So I have a note for Monday which lists all my legs exercises reps, sets and current weights. Tuesday is back and lists all my exercises reps, sets and current weights etc...

I’m wondering if there’s an app that I can input all this into that’s easier to use and quicker to edit than notes. Perhaps something that can suggest extra exercises or whatever.

I was looking into mywellness as it works with Technogym equipment which my gym have but you can’t set up daily workouts which is annoying.

FitNotes

[gregs656]

I use Strong at the moment. Like it.

[joshcowin]

I use rep count, it's free easy to use and you can email your workouts to yourself from the app.

[TheJimi]

ashleyman said:

Can anyone recommend a decent gym progress app?

I currently have notes in my phone that contain my set workouts. So I have a note for Monday which lists all my legs exercises reps, sets and current weights. Tuesday is back and lists all my exercises reps, sets and current weights etc...

I’m wondering if there’s an app that I can input all this into that’s easier to use and quicker to edit than notes. Perhaps something that can suggest extra exercises or whatever.

I was looking into mywellness as it works with Technogym equipment which my gym have but you can’t set up daily workouts which is annoying.

Notebook & pen.

I'm not being facetious either. Much easier and faster to edit on the fly.

[ashleyman]

Thanks guys, I'll look into those.

I did used to use pen & paper but I'd often forget my pen or loose it so ended up not tracking as much as I wanted too.

[joshcowin]

ashleyman said:

Thanks guys, I'll look into those.

I did used to use pen & paper but I'd often forget my pen or loose it so ended up not tracking as much as I wanted too.

Rep count is easy to use, and change the session as you go, you can also add notes to each exercise if you want. It will remember the weights you used last time you did each exercise and also show the notes, well worth trying out!

[Regiment]

lemmingjames said:

join a strongman or powerlifter group on facebook and ask on there wheres good in the local area

What an obvious statement, i wonder why i didn't think of that before...did as was requested, joined the UK Powerlifting group on Facebook, posted a message, i now have a power lifting coach and talking about power lifting competitions...

[ambuletz]

Slight moan today.

usual three eastern european lads in today with their own music system, playing their own music loud over the regular stuff that's played.

Also, I came in, was looking for one of the 6 olympic rack/mat things to do all my work on. saw one girl 'using' one.. she was standing around for 10minutes talking so i asked her (along with everyone else) if she's going to be long (i assumed she finished. She had just started. she grabs a pair of 25kgs, 15kgs and 10kgs and keeps it for the entire hour im there. for 40-50 or so minutes she's only using the 25kg plates to squat, then deadlift then do hip trusts using the 25kg plates. i see 6-7 people come up to her asking her if she's using the 10kg plates and she tells them all 'yes'. she only used it for 1 set at the end...yet she hogged them for the entire hour while i was there.

pretty selfish imo. every other guy there was asking people if they can use plates every now and then because of the shortage, some even use it for a set then give it back as a courtesy (even if the person isnt using them).

[ORD]

That's douche behaviour.

I would always say "I will need them in 10 minutes but am happy to share".

Most people would then not take them, strangely. I guess because they want to "own" the plates for their entire time in the gym.

[popeyewhite]

ORD said:

That's douche behaviour.

I would always say "I will need them in 10 minutes but am happy to share".

Most people would then not take them, strangely. I guess because they want to "own" the plates for their entire time in the gym.

I'm always surprised by the amount of people who, when asked, don't like the idea of sharing. "I've only got three sets left" etc.

To which I reply "Ah, great, well if you don't mind I'll do a set while you're resting between them then."

A year ago a guy shoulder barged me in the gym because I asked to share (the only) leg extension machine in the gym. When he flatly refused to budge off the seat for 10 minutes I stood staring at him until he finished. I think he called me something rhyming with 'cat', then five minutes later barged me. This resulted in a furious row to the astonishment of every other gym-goer and (shamefully) we had to be pulled apart. Not my finest moment!