What Are Your Gym/Fitness/Routine Moans?

[lemmingjames]

Warming up on the bench press last night, starting nice and light doing throat/chin presses to stretch out my dodgy shoulder and warm it up so starting at 2.5 each side.

Girl 'training' in the squat rack next to me comes over and asks if i need the 2.5's anymore as im using the 5kg plates,
Me: er yeah but ill be done with them shortly
Girl: how long is shortly
Me: Couple of minutes (its warm up, i dont need a minutes rest between sets)
Girl: ok, ill look for some others

Do my set, get up to put the 2.5's on and shes nicked one and returned with a rubber coated one for me to use instead, which for the OCD's amongst us liking equal looking ones. Didnt tell me it was for me as such, gave a quick nod to it and that was it.

The gym has 3 power racks and one has a raised platform on, unfortunately the platform is near a high traffic area so you get dip sts deciding to walk on it as your working out.

Anyway, said girl, during peak time, sits at the end of the platform stretching out, would do a quick dead lift set then stretch out/play on phone for another 10 mins. Completely blocked out the rack by doing nothing but looked like she was.

I'd understand if she was going for a PB, but the reps and speed she was going at when working out would say no.

[popeyewhite]

Oh just go and ask for her number.

[ORD]

How hard it is to find anyone with a bloody clue about lifting.

I have an issue with my squat - I have lost confidence with it because of a technical flaw that I have developed and am not able to address without help. So I am looking around for someone who can help and it is very hard to find someone who is likely to know how to coach a squat (beyond saying "Put the bar on your back and go up and down").

[gregs656]

ORD said:

How hard it is to find anyone with a bloody clue about lifting.

I have an issue with my squat - I have lost confidence with it because of a technical flaw that I have developed and am not able to address without help. So I am looking around for someone who can help and it is very hard to find someone who is likely to know how to coach a squat (beyond saying "Put the bar on your back and go up and down").

How is reddit for this kind of lifting? If you can find a quality subreddit and put some videos up, you might get some useful advice.

I only say this as the BWF reddit has some very knowledgeable people (authors, record holders, ex gymnasts, coaches, all sorts) who give their advice freely.

[V8mate]

gregs656 said:

ORD said:

How hard it is to find anyone with a bloody clue about lifting.

I have an issue with my squat - I have lost confidence with it because of a technical flaw that I have developed and am not able to address without help. So I am looking around for someone who can help and it is very hard to find someone who is likely to know how to coach a squat (beyond saying "Put the bar on your back and go up and down").

How is reddit for this kind of lifting? If you can find a quality subreddit and put some videos up, you might get some useful advice.

I only say this as the BWF reddit has some very knowledgeable people (authors, record holders, ex gymnasts, coaches, all sorts) who give their advice freely.

Online help is great, but there's nothing like being touched in the gym (oo'er missus)

So often, in the past, my PT would move my posture by what felt like a matter of a few millimetres, and I would go from >shrug< to 'oh yeah, now I feel it!'

[ashleyman]

ORD said:

How hard it is to find anyone with a bloody clue about lifting.

I have an issue with my squat - I have lost confidence with it because of a technical flaw that I have developed and am not able to address without help. So I am looking around for someone who can help and it is very hard to find someone who is likely to know how to coach a squat (beyond saying "Put the bar on your back and go up and down").

Had the same with my deadlift. Over the past few weeks I’ve been observing the trainers doing their coaching or working out themselves and then booked a session with the one who seemed like he knew what he was doing. Went very well and am now back to deadlifting after a super long break.

[jgtv]

gregs656 said:

How is reddit for this kind of lifting? If you can find a quality subreddit and put some videos up, you might get some useful advice.

I only say this as the BWF reddit has some very knowledgeable people (authors, record holders, ex gymnasts, coaches, all sorts) who give their advice freely.

No idea about reddit, but there is some very good advice and some very helpful people on T-Nation.

[ORD]

Reddit is excellent. World class, in fact. But there’s only so much you can do with advice on videos. I’ve done that and got excellent help but I need someone actually there. Thanks, guys.

[TheJimi]

Phil Learney?

[ambuletz]

my moan is we have 6 pairs of 10kg weights across the entire gym area. today 4 pairs were used solely by 3 knobeads doing bench press during peak time. they could've easily been more respectful and used of the 15, 20 or 25g weights instead, once they reached their heavier sets.. but nooooo

also not much of a moan but there was the girl from previous occasions (she hog lots of plates for the entire hour, despite not using them for most of it), lifting next to me, it was hard not to look. amazing body and pretty, and she was squatting, deadlifting about 70kg+ and then doing hip thrusts of about 90kg.which imo is great for someone petite.

[RTB]

ambuletz said:

my moan is we have 6 pairs of 10kg weights across the entire gym area. today 4 pairs were used solely by 3 knobeads

We had the drop-set knob-head brigade in yesterday. They take every useful dumbell on the rack and then leave them strewn around the place when they've finished. A lot of grunting and shouted encouragement just to add to the generally dickery.

[ORD]

My experience of commercial gyms is that there are 2-3 impressive female lifters to every impressive male lifter.

[TheJimi]

ORD said:

My experience of commercial gyms is that there are 2-3 impressive female lifters to every impressive male lifter.

I agree.

Wait, that's about the second time I've agreed with you recently

[didelydoo]

From the people I coach- I find the females are more consistent, and work harder than the males, generally.

[ORD]

didelydoo said:

From the people I coach- I find the females are more consistent, and work harder than the males, generally.

It’s probably a good example of the effects of self-selection. Fewer women will get into lifting accidentally and without some dedication, whereas lots of men assume that they SHOULD lift but then don’t like it much.

[ambuletz]

ORD said:

didelydoo said:

From the people I coach- I find the females are more consistent, and work harder than the males, generally.

It’s probably a good example of the effects of self-selection. Fewer women will get into lifting accidentally and without some dedication, whereas lots of men assume that they SHOULD lift but then don’t like it much.

seems logical. the average woman who wants to get into fitness tends to think 'ohh no, i dont want to lift weights, i dont want to be muscular and look like a man' in reference to those 1kg pink things they hold in their hands when doing aerobics guided by Mr motivator.

[TheJimi]

...and what *WAS* in that fking pouch?!

[Smitters]

Anti-kudos to the lady in my gym who was decked out in her Southwest Powerlifting Association t-shirt and therefore should absolutely know better, but still insisted on dragging her bag and jacket through the gym from station to station, dumping it off to one side and in the way of the next station, or worse, hanging the jacket off the plate rack. FFFS.

And this at a gym where the men have three pegs and a short bench in a tiny changing room and the ladies have a massive long room with mirrors, hairdryers and space to swing several cats and maybe even a dog.

[gregs656]

Not really a moan but I am considering changing gyms to a big chain - they're cheaper (not massively) with corporate membership and they have more locations.

I am a bit fed up of the lack of dip belts and a decent pull up bar in my gym.

Downside is if I switch I will lose access to a proper pool at the gym, however there is a free to use 25m pool not far from my house so that isn't such a problem.

[joshcowin]

gregs656 said:

Not really a moan but I am considering changing gyms to a big chain - they're cheaper (not massively) with corporate membership and they have more locations.

I am a bit fed up of the lack of dip belts and a decent pull up bar in my gym.

Downside is if I switch I will lose access to a proper pool at the gym, however there is a free to use 25m pool not far from my house so that isn't such a problem.

What gym chain are you looking at? Some on here will be able to help!