My new gym is having an anniversary thingy where they are offering a free 30 minute personal training consult… from personal trainers whom all look like they need a personal trainer.
I confess I’m thinking I should take them up on the offer and offer them a personal training session 
Does anyone remember the article about the guy who had his mom gift him personal training sessions and he was a huge known powerlifter?
He made the 19 year old kid load his weights and help put on his squat suit. I can’t remember his name, but he used to write articles here I think.
I remember that, but can’t think who wrote it.
I think personal training is one of just a few areas where it is perfectly acceptable to judge the book by the cover.
Lack of physical fitness really calls into question your ability to teach it.
Exception: Powerlifters coaching powerlifters.
I agree with this statement, but I also think that we are not the target market for these trainers. There are lots of untrained people coming from an extremely low base who just need someone to take them through a routine and tell them they are doing a great job and are working hard. I dont think they judge these trainers as harshly as we would.
To be totally honest, I’ve had 20+ people approach me in the last year asking for gym advice. Both on and off the forums (more off than on).
I don’t even talk training to people unless they bring it up first 
Sometimes I half-assed think that if I eat food fast enough the calories won’t count
I fully believe that if I only grab a couple of handfuls of M&Ms every once in a while, then that is in some way less calories than eating a bagful in one sitting.
That was a Dave Tate article with Jim Wendler, but the story itself was just a story. It was made up to tell a point. “Timmy The personal trainer” was a recurring character that showed up in other eliftefts stories, similar to what Paul Kelso has in “Powerlifting Basics Texas Style”
Here’s the story
And a follow up adventure
He also featured in a story about benching.
I confess that I shared the movie “Fathead” with my dad last week, and he’s decided to completely overhaul and revamp his nutrition as a result of that…and in no way was that my intention. And now I have to hold back from being a TOTAL overbearing nutrition nerd with him now, haha. I’m really excited about that!
Perfect.
Thank you! It had been so long it was fuzzy - but I remembered the gyst of it.
I LOVE those classics. Cut my teeth on them. Learned plenty of bad lessons, sure, but a lot of good ones as well.
I really think talking on mobile phones should be banned in the gym. Now confession, I take my phone into the gym, I have it on silent and dont take calls but it has my program on it and I use the note pad to record the sets like I used to with my old training journal.
Last night whilst I am squatting, a guy, lets call him Richard, actually lets call him Dick! Takes the squat rack next to mine and sets up an SSB bar to squat. As he is walking around getting the bar he wants (doing this directly in front of me, 2 meters away while I am unracking the bar, like he couldn’t wait 35 seconds for my 4 reps) I can hear him talking. At first I think he is just a little crazy like me and talking himself into squatting tonight. But no he is on the phone talking with one of those instant wanker ear attachments. He continues his phone conversation through his warm up set, adding weights, second warm up, adds more weights you get the picture. Now this wasn’t a listen to the wife and occasionally say, yep, aha, sure, maybe kind of conversation. This was a full conversation with him going to long monologues about some incoherent bollocks. Like seriously dude, either fk off outside and have your conversation or shut up and let me squat in peace.
I can’t wait to complete my home gym build for similar reasons.
I think I’ve complained about this on here before, but I’ll never forget the time some douche bag came into the gym I was going to and talked loudly on the phone to his buddy in painstaking detail about his bedroom activities the prior night
Absolutely 0 complaints about my current gym in Shanghai.
I basically get it to myself for the first 20min or so in the morning then a friendly morning crowd of 5 ppl come in. There’s a freakishly big Russian dude that comes 4 days a week and gives me movie recommendations
I have trained at home on my own and in many gyms over the time. I really like the gym I am in now. The vibe is very positive and it is generally a place where people come to work hard. There are no mirrors and the staff and members dont take any bullshit. It is just occasionally you get some idiots who have no spacial awareness or respect for others.
maybe he was trying to impress you 
Does he look like Zangief?
To be honest, I am a total gym-rat. I love the people, even the dickheads (some I have become close to), I love the vibe and the energy. These are my people.
That being said, I also have walked in and out of the gym without saying a word to anybody. Just a smile and nod now and then, then back to the grind.
I have also “known” some people for a long time, some even 20 years or so, and still don’t know their names and we only nod to each other, but they are also people that I would refer to as gym-friends.
That being said, once the “pandemic” shut down my onliest outlet, I had to put together a garage gym.
At first, I was depressed, missing my crew and the feeling of energy. But then I decided to embrace this change. Instead of looking for outside forces to help carry me along, I took a page from Dorian Yates, and became a gym-monk.
Now, I walk into the gym, not with a smile, but a feeling of determination. I am in total control of the music, and never have to wait for a machine. It’s not smooth, transitioning from one setup to another, but when I get frustrated, I just consider myself fortunate to have what I have.
This whole “gym-monk” is both good and bad. Now I find I am less sociable outside of the gym, and don’t tolerate fools like I used to, however I am probably in better shape than I would be if I had to load up in the truck, head to the gym, wait for equipment, drive home, shower etc…
Anyway, here’s my ever-growing obsession.
This makes me really happy.
I just saw a 60+ year old man do the equivalent of a 40 in box jump…….
