What the heck. I hate hibbit and academy sports. Every time I go there they never have what I need. I went there today to hopefully get a belt, some hand chalk, and some athletic tape. They didn’t have jack.
I’m sure they had tape but I just got pissed and walked out when I saw they only had the crappy weight belts that are skinny at the buckle and fat at the back. Anyone else think these stores suck? I hate having to get what I need off the internet.
/Rant
I’ve noticed that ‘athletic stores’ aren’t concerned with stocking hardcore weightlifting gear because profitable markets on a local scale seem non-existent.
I mean, theres only one other guy at my gym that wraps his knees and there are only a handful of people who have their own belts.
What I’m saying is there doesn’t appear to be a demand on a local scale for weightlifting gear people like us need. I’m curious to hear the opinion of anyone that owns a sporting good store.
I have yet to find a store that stocks knee wraps. When I asked the guy in the fitness section at Dick’s if they carried wraps or if any other stores carried wraps, he told me my best bet would be to go to Walgreens and get some ace bandages. Bah. How he said this with a straight face I have yet to understand…
Yeah places like that specialize in softgoods (clothing/shoes) as compared to hardgoods (things you generally can’t wear, such as weightlifting equipment). Sometimes you can find a hole-in-the-wall sports store that will carry it, or they will know someone who does carry the stuff you need.
Also, check with your gym/fellow lifters to see if they know anywhere that carries what you need.
Agree.
I once asked for an olympic bar that was good for 1000+ static and the guy looked at me like I was insane. He called his boss on the radio and his boss was like “what? who needs that? I have to meet this guy that can bench a thousand pounds (sarcastic)”
I explained to the assosciate what static meant, and said thanks anyway.
their “weightlifting gear” is useless for anyone above average strength.
I once made the mistake of buying a neck harness from such a store to save a few bucks. The stitching started ripping before I got to 45lbs. total waste.
[quote]Big Aristotle wrote:
I’ve noticed that ‘athletic stores’ aren’t concerned with stocking hardcore weightlifting gear because profitable markets on a local scale seem non-existent.
I mean, theres only one other guy at my gym that wraps his knees and there are only a handful of people who have their own belts.
What I’m saying is there doesn’t appear to be a demand on a local scale for weightlifting gear people like us need. I’m curious to hear the opinion of anyone that owns a sporting good store.
I have yet to find a store that stocks knee wraps. When I asked the guy in the fitness section at Dick’s if they carried wraps or if any other stores carried wraps, he told me my best bet would be to go to Walgreens and get some ace bandages. Bah. How he said this with a straight face I have yet to understand…
[/quote]
only 2 people including yourself use a belt at your gym? every other guy at my gym has one. they use it when curling, when benching, when quarter squatting, when hamstring curling, with a fox, on a train.
[quote]miroku333 wrote:
Agree.
I once asked for an olympic bar that was good for 1000+ static and the guy looked at me like I was insane. He called his boss on the radio and his boss was like “what? who needs that? I have to meet this guy that can bench a thousand pounds (sarcastic)”
I explained to the assosciate what static meant, and said thanks anyway.
their “weightlifting gear” is useless for anyone above average strength.
I once made the mistake of buying a neck harness from such a store to save a few bucks. The stitching started ripping before I got to 45lbs. total waste.[/quote]
all i could think of after reading this was…
WHAT!? OVER 9,000?!
[quote]LiveFromThe781 wrote:
miroku333 wrote:
Agree.
I once asked for an olympic bar that was good for 1000+ static and the guy looked at me like I was insane. He called his boss on the radio and his boss was like “what? who needs that? I have to meet this guy that can bench a thousand pounds (sarcastic)”
I explained to the assosciate what static meant, and said thanks anyway.
their “weightlifting gear” is useless for anyone above average strength.
I once made the mistake of buying a neck harness from such a store to save a few bucks. The stitching started ripping before I got to 45lbs. total waste.
all i could think of after reading this was…
WHAT!? OVER 9,000?![/quote]
aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!
[quote]LiveFromThe781 wrote:
only 2 people including yourself use a belt at your gym? every other guy at my gym has one. they use it when curling, when benching, when quarter squatting, when hamstring curling, with a fox, on a train.[/quote]
When I said ‘handful,’ I meant less than 10 people. Damn commercial gyms…
Boys just order the good shit off the internet.
Its so much easier.
Scheel’s sporting goods has some real shitty wrist wraps, that’s were I got my first pair, they worked decently for a while, but as the weight got higher the support wasn’t enough. Also they have chalk.
No one at my gym uses belts either it’s like me and this little Chinese kid who wears it for every exercise. Not even the guy I saw yesterday doing 405lb quarter squats to a box with 2 45lb bumper plates stalked on top was using a belt, that was shocking.
When I first started looking for chalk I got looks like I’d asked for crack. In fact, that would be far easier to come by. People would say in hushed voices so no one would overhear and think they were collaborating, “most gyms don’t allow chalk. shhhhh.”
Now I have a dealer 
[quote]LiveFromThe781 wrote:
miroku333 wrote:
Agree.
I once asked for an olympic bar that was good for 1000+ static and the guy looked at me like I was insane. He called his boss on the radio and his boss was like “what? who needs that? I have to meet this guy that can bench a thousand pounds (sarcastic)”
I explained to the assosciate what static meant, and said thanks anyway.
their “weightlifting gear” is useless for anyone above average strength.
I once made the mistake of buying a neck harness from such a store to save a few bucks. The stitching started ripping before I got to 45lbs. total waste.
all i could think of after reading this was…
WHAT!? OVER 9,000?![/quote]
Haha yea, throw in vegetas voice and it made me chuckle
[quote]Westclock wrote:
Boys just order the good shit off the internet.
Its so much easier.[/quote]
Yeah, it sucks I have to do that though. I asked my mom to get me a belt from site and I found some hand chalk on ebay for 8 dollars a bar. I bet somebody could make a fortune selling good gear locally.
[quote]ouroboro_s wrote:
When I first started looking for chalk I got looks like I’d asked for crack. In fact, that would be far easier to come by. People would say in hushed voices so no one would overhear and think they were collaborating, “most gyms don’t allow chalk. shhhhh.”
Now I have a dealer :)[/quote]
Haha, let me get that connek! If it’s that good shit, I’ll give him 5 dollars an oz. LOL
Can’t help on the other gear but if you have any stores around you that sell oudoor, hiking, climbing stuff they usually carry carbonate of magnesia, gym/lifting chalk, for the rock climbers. Pay about $2.00 per 2 oz block at one near me.
I usually buy my chalk at academy. My other gear I usually order from Elite.
I got excited when I saw the new Academy commercial. The one where guys are running snakes on the bleachers, jumping on/over box jumps, and repping out in the free weight section of a gym.
I thought Academy was changing. Going to supply quality equipment for people interested in hard training. I even drove to the local Academy hoping to find a set box jumps.
But there were none. I asked the floor manager where were the box jumps from the commercial, were they on order, when would they arrive? He looked at me dumbfounded and said the commercial was only advertising the shoes. Buncha Bastards.
You complain about this stuff in America?? We have to order everything on-line from America and wait 2-3 weeks for it to arrive. If I was stupid enough to buy a block of chalk alone the postage would cost about $15. Our exchange rate is currently around 65c, so the $3 block of chalk and the postage and the currency conversion fees would come to about $30.
Quit ya bitchin’!
I’ve ordered another neck harness, we’ll see if this one holds up better than the everlast one did!
the one I ordered is from APT, I wanted one of those bright yellow ones from EFS but they were unavailable.
[quote]elano wrote:
Westclock wrote:
Boys just order the good shit off the internet.
Its so much easier.
Yeah, it sucks I have to do that though. I asked my mom to get me a belt from site and I found some hand chalk on ebay for 8 dollars a bar. I bet somebody could make a fortune selling good gear locally.
[/quote]
They do. The place is called Elitefts. 
After work the other day, I stopped Dick’s to get some Stickum. After wandering up and down every aisle that might have athletic tape and whatnot, I stopped to ask an employee. Three employees later, someone told me they stopped carrying it a while ago. Guess I’ll keep stealing it from everyone else.
If you are looking for straps, or wraps, or even (I think) belts - just go to prowriststraps.com
They make good shit.