I was at the gym doing squats at the squat rack and this guy comes and in the middle of my set asks me how long will I take. I waited to finish my set before answering since I was putting a good amount of effort. The guy sits right in front of me and stares at me as I’m doing my set. When I was done with the set, I said I had one more set to go.
As I’m resting the guy looks exasperated and anxious - still sitting right in front of me staring at me. I didn’t let him rush me though. After finishing the last set, I said “I’m done”, and he looked like he was thinking “finally!”. I let him unload the bar since he had been such a dick to this point. I sat down nearby to rest and I saw him do bicep curls??? Yes, he frustratingly awaited a squat rack to open so he could do bicep curls, being a dick in the mean time, trying to rush the guy doing squats…what an idiot!
[quote]PimpBot5000 wrote:
I’m so sick of these types of characters who think it’s OK to curl in the squat rack, and I’m willing to bet most other T-Nationers feel the same way.
I was thinking someone should start a thread with stories of these clowns. Thoughts?[/quote]
Such a good idea, what would you name the thread though?
[quote]PimpBot5000 wrote:
I’m so sick of these types of characters who think it’s OK to curl in the squat rack, and I’m willing to bet most other T-Nationers feel the same way.
I was thinking someone should start a thread with stories of these clowns. Thoughts?[/quote]
While the curling thing is one issue, what gets me is the STARING. I get that a lot at the crap hole I’m training at. Some guy who looks like he’s never put forth any effort at all, but comes to the gym religiously, waiting magic to happen (in between socializing and making phone calls), will just position himself a few feet from where I’m training, and stare.
I always continue doing my best to not even gaze in his direction, usually doing my best to prolong how much time I actually need (checking my phone between sets, do a little stretching, look over my training notebook’s last few entries). If he has balls enough to come over and ask in an irritated tone how many sets I’ve got left, I just say “I’m gonna be a while”.
I would normally never go out of my way to be an ass, I’ve just had my fill at this NYSC of the severely limited equipment, combined with 99% of the members who have no common courtesy at all.
[quote]The Mighty Stu wrote:
While the curling thing is one issue, what gets me is the STARING. I get that a lot at the crap hole I’m training at. Some guy who looks like he’s never put forth any effort at all, but comes to the gym religiously, waiting magic to happen (in between socializing and making phone calls), will just position himself a few feet from where I’m training, and stare.
I always continue doing my best to not even gaze in his direction, usually doing my best to prolong how much time I actually need (checking my phone between sets, do a little stretching, look over my training notebook’s last few entries). If he has balls enough to come over and ask in an irritated tone how many sets I’ve got left, I just say “I’m gonna be a while”.
I would normally never go out of my way to be an ass, I’ve just had my fill at this NYSC of the severely limited equipment, combined with 99% of the members who have no common courtesy at all.
S[/quote]
I think the staring crap has to stop too. Have you asked him what he’s doing?
Once after a heavy set of squats I was leaning against the squat rack catching my breath. As I was a bit dazed after my heavy ass squats I was kind of just staring into the distance while the blood returned to my head. The direction I happened to be gazing into, just happen to be where a gym member was sitting on a bench looking at me, he was about 20 feet away. He gave me a “what are you staring at” look and did the whole looking behind himself in a sarcastic manner as to say “what are you looking at punk”.
Moral of the story; sometimes people stare. Dont judge.
And I would also like to add, I was bigger than him. Well he had a bigger chest and shoulders, but his legs were so skinny, that if you take everything into account… I was bigger.
I do the stare down. Most of the time at my gym it’s someone curling in the rack, or doing something else stupid in the only rack we have and I need to squat. So I’ll go plop my bag down right next to it, write a bit in my training log if needed, even start warming up right there and get chains/bands out if needed. Might come off as a dick but at the same time I simply do not care if it’s someone doing something stupid in the rack. If someone is squatting - legitimately squatting - I’ll hover elsewhere.
Bird - if you have to try and qualify on why you are bigger than someone because various bodyparts are bigger - and you’re not a competitive bodybuilder - than you’re simply doing it wrong. Get bigger all over and leave no doubt.
[quote]LiquidMercury wrote:
I do the stare down. Most of the time at my gym it’s someone curling in the rack, or doing something else stupid in the only rack we have and I need to squat. So I’ll go plop my bag down right next to it, write a bit in my training log if needed, even start warming up right there and get chains/bands out if needed. Might come off as a dick but at the same time I simply do not care if it’s someone doing something stupid in the rack. If someone is squatting - legitimately squatting - I’ll hover elsewhere.
Bird - if you have to try and qualify on why you are bigger than someone because various bodyparts are bigger - and you’re not a competitive bodybuilder - than you’re simply doing it wrong. Get bigger all over and leave no doubt.[/quote]
I use to do that with dumbass’s too. But I am about to buy a cage of my own so I will never have to step foot in another gym again. This is the best solution. Sick of germs and colds and everything else from lifting in gyms. I am so done with it all.
What I don’t understand is there is a rack of fixed weight barbells at the two gyms I go to, starting at 20lbs and up to 110 I think. Anybody who is curling in the rack only uses like 65-85lbs, it would be half alright if they were repping 135 like Matt Kroc, but even he picks it up off the floor out of the way.
And to what Stu said, I find it is always the little guys who have no respect. They never rack weights, loud mouthing in the gym cursing at each other. One little guy likes to come over to me and yell, “Are you done yet?”. The friendliest dudes in the gym I find are the big mother fuckers.
[quote]dirtman wrote:
I use to do that with dumbass’s too. But I am about to buy a cage of my own so I will never have to step foot in another gym again. This is the best solution. Sick of germs and colds and everything else from lifting in gyms. I am so done with it all.[/quote]
Lucky for me I only train at a commercial gym once or twice a week and all heavy work is done at a PL gym. Yay for monolifts.
[quote]LiquidMercury wrote:
Bird - if you have to try and qualify on why you are bigger than someone because various bodyparts are bigger - and you’re not a competitive bodybuilder - than you’re simply doing it wrong. Get bigger all over and leave no doubt.[/quote]
Sorry, but I just had to get that off my chest. This particular gym is in a country town where this one guy is always there when Im there. He is forever doing drop sets working his shoulders and chest, and endless numbers of bicep curls. Ive seen him sit on the hack squat machine once, and he had a very confused look to his face.
And Ive just ordered a cage and glute ham raise machine for my garage. Yay!
Seriously, come off as a bit aggressive when you are lifting around others. Not over bearing, but enough for people to know you mean business and are there for no bullshit (gets easier as you get bigger). Grunt a bit to psyche yourself up before a hard set, talk to yourself a bit, drop the bar into the J hooks, toss the plates to one end of the bar while you are loading up the other. In between your sets look around the gym making sure to grab people’s attention. Glance at them long enough for them to get uncomfortable but not long enough to piss them off. People will think you’re a crazy mofo.
Walk like you mean business and choose to speak only to those who everyone wants to be like. Here and there strike up a convo with someone else who doesn’t appear to have a circle and create your own little circles.
Started doing this the last few months with the new gym that opened up in some shit hole demographic suburb (read: show ponies galore). Don’t think I have ever had less nuisances in a gym despite the greater number of idiots with superiority complexes. The veterans have no issue approaching me and readily do so, while the rookies don’t speak unless spoken to.
[quote]StateOfPsychosis wrote:
The friendliest dudes in the gym I find are the big mother fuckers.[/quote]
Yep - because they have nothing to prove - the physique speaks for itself.
Unlike wannabe douchebags with shitty, pseudo-tough guy attitudes…
Thank God I have a home gym - that shit is irritating as hell. [/quote]
Maybe that’s directed at myself, not sure, either way I think to some extent if you’re in a commercial gym and constantly being interrupted to the point that it is affecting your training negatively; then having an attitude that may say “leave me the hell alone” isn’t just too terrible. I’m not even saying don’t help out when someone is genuinely interested - but at times you’ve got to simply exude a bit of an attitude to get your own stuff done.
[quote]Teledin wrote:
Seriously, come off as a bit aggressive when you are lifting around others. Not over bearing, but enough for people to know you mean business and are there for no bullshit (gets easier as you get bigger). Grunt a bit to psyche yourself up before a hard set, talk to yourself a bit, drop the bar into the J hooks, toss the plates to one end of the bar while you are loading up the other. In between your sets look around the gym making sure to grab people’s attention. Glance at them long enough for them to get uncomfortable but not long enough to piss them off. People will think you’re a crazy mofo.
Walk like you mean business and choose to speak only to those who everyone wants to be like. Here and there strike up a convo with someone else who doesn’t appear to have a circle and create your own little circles.
Started doing this the last few months with the new gym that opened up in some shit hole demographic suburb (read: show ponies galore). Don’t think I have ever had less nuisances in a gym despite the greater number of idiots with superiority complexes. The veterans have no issue approaching me and readily do so, while the rookies don’t speak unless spoken to.
[quote]StateOfPsychosis wrote:
The friendliest dudes in the gym I find are the big mother fuckers.[/quote]
Yep - because they have nothing to prove - the physique speaks for itself.
Unlike wannabe douchebags with shitty, pseudo-tough guy attitudes…
Thank God I have a home gym - that shit is irritating as hell. [/quote]
Maybe that’s directed at myself, not sure, either way I think to some extent if you’re in a commercial gym and constantly being interrupted to the point that it is affecting your training negatively; then having an attitude that may say “leave me the hell alone” isn’t just too terrible. I’m not even saying don’t help out when someone is genuinely interested - but at times you’ve got to simply exude a bit of an attitude to get your own stuff done.[/quote]
I just remember starting out when I was 16. I was on a military base in the gym and everyone was huge. I tried to find the least intimidating person to ask for help, as I knew absolutely nothing and weighed in at 170. Now being a few years older and looking at the 16 year old kids of today, it is amazing the arrogant attitude that radiates off them. I can tell when the bigger dudes do not want to be bothered and I rarely break communication silence due to the fact like you mentioned, I can tell they want to get shit done. The 14-18yr old guys don’t really care about anybody but themselves. It is amazing the blatant lack of respect for others.
[quote]StateOfPsychosis wrote:
The friendliest dudes in the gym I find are the big mother fuckers.[/quote]
Yep - because they have nothing to prove - the physique speaks for itself.
Unlike wannabe douchebags with shitty, pseudo-tough guy attitudes…
Thank God I have a home gym - that shit is irritating as hell. [/quote]
Maybe that’s directed at myself, not sure, either way I think to some extent if you’re in a commercial gym and constantly being interrupted to the point that it is affecting your training negatively; then having an attitude that may say “leave me the hell alone” isn’t just too terrible. I’m not even saying don’t help out when someone is genuinely interested - but at times you’ve got to simply exude a bit of an attitude to get your own stuff done.[/quote]
I just remember starting out when I was 16. I was on a military base in the gym and everyone was huge. I tried to find the least intimidating person to ask for help, as I knew absolutely nothing and weighed in at 170. Now being a few years older and looking at the 16 year old kids of today, it is amazing the arrogant attitude that radiates off them. I can tell when the bigger dudes do not want to be bothered and I rarely break communication silence due to the fact like you mentioned, I can tell they want to get shit done. The 14-18yr old guys don’t really care about anybody but themselves. It is amazing the blatant lack of respect for others.
[/quote]
I’ve found similar issues with older people as well unfortunately training at the commercial gym I train at 2-3 times a week. I’ll have a hoodie up, head phones in, hat low, and some older guy will usually try to stop me in the middle of a set to try and talk to me (not the same person just a general thing I’ve noticed). Usually the older person tends to feel as though they can simply give their input even when it’s not wanted and at inopportune times - i.e. in the middle of a set.
At least the younger guys tend to just walk around with their chests out, ILS, and occasionally wiping their face with their shirts so they can check out their abs. I can deal with that more so than the older guy who may feel the need to impart their wisdom (especially when they don’t look like they train) or feel the need to simply start using whatever piece of equipment I may have been on because they “need” it.
