Has anyone ever seen random gym goers actually hurt themselves from so-called “bad form”?
I’m not sure I have, at least if you’re talking about an actual injury and not just being banged up. I have seen a lot of shitty lifters once or twice but none day-in, day-out for months on end or longer.
Maybe we should switch up our game when offering unsolicited advice. Tell those kids about the REAL danger. If they keep it up, they’ll suck at lifting and never get anywhere with it.
Yes, I have been hurt many times haha
Such a great question! I’ve competed in 3 powerlifting meets and 12 strongman competitions. I’ve seen something like 300+ max effort deadlifts in person, with all sorts of awful, twisty form done. Never ONCE seen someone get hurt by it. Never even the very common torn bicep. And these are people trying their hardest to win a competition. But somehow, people are convinced that a 1 degree turn of the left foot on squat is all it takes to be crippled for life.
You shouldn’t give advice unsolicited EVER. The fact that you broached the subject with a phrase similar to ‘let me help you before you kill yourself’ is pretty much as bad as it gets as far as gym etiquette is concerned.
In the gym I train at, I give advice, and take advice, frequently. We’re a community of serious lifters, and we help each other out. Sometimes, I give advice to lifters who are new to a particular event they’re practicing. Recently, I saw someone training the log press and having issues. I’d never spoken to the guy before, but I saw he was struggling with technique, so in between sets, I struck up a conversation.
‘Hey man, I’m Charlie. You got a competition coming up?’
‘Yea, I’m competing in my first show in 4 weeks! This is my first time trying the log!’
‘Oh awesome! Log is one of my stronger events. I’ve been competing at a relatively high level for a few years now. I was in your weight class last year at the USS World Championship event. Do you mind if I give you a couple suggestions?’
If he had said no thanks, I would have wished him the best of luck and moved on. He ended up asking me a lot of questions on that and a couple other lifts, and was able to use the advice successfully in the show. To me, THIS is how you can help someone else. I love to help people. It’s why I post on here, and it’s why I give so much of my time to others at the gym as well. When you’re coming from a genuine place of wanting to help someone, you’re courteous about it, and you have the credentials to actually help, it’s always going to be better received.
You’re a random dude at the gym who told a stranger they suck at squatting. And you expected them to appreciate the sentiment. Wonder why that didn’t work out the way you wanted to.
If you don’t look like you train or can’t lift decent weights, you’re probably doing it wrong yourself. Don’t give me that “But I’ve read 1,000s of articles crap”. That means jackshit. Don’t give others advice.
If you look like you train, you’re probably going to be perceived to be on steroids so what you do won’t work for natties.
What’s the point?
I have an example from when I was a floor trainer, but its different since he asked staff (me) for a spot. Kid was squatting and not getting anywhere close to depth. Loaded it up more, asked for a spot, and got mad when I didn’t give him a lift off from the spot rack (literally “Lift me off the rack!”)
I told him he needs to lower the weight to a weight he can at least hit depth with and told him I’m not going to spot him if he can’t unrack it himself.
I’ve been tempted to tell kids at commercial gyms to stop moving their feet all over the place when they bench, but it’s not pressing enough.
On a side note, I laugh really loud when I hear kids fart during a lift. My wife was really embarrassed when I did this to some guy recently.
I’ve totally squeaked at the bottom of a squat once. My gf thought it was my shoes.
Somewhere on an alternate timeline this thread exists as “How to be a douche to someone without coming across as helpful”…
I think when you’re working at a place or you’ve been asked to assist in something stupid then the equation changes. You’re now opened up to liability issues (even if it’s for your employer and not you) so I think that’s a different scenario.
I think it’s titled ‘have you ever beta orbited a girl?’.
True, I also didnt want to hurt myself trying to “lift off” for a squat as if I were some human monolift
I actually believe this is a real thing… I actually experienced this once several years ago in a local gym.
My backup gym is weak as hell and most grown men squat/deadlift 185-225 at most. I know people are hatin on me, or assuming I can only lift so much because of my sleeves/wraps/straps/belt/headband
Don’t.
Just don’t help. Let them figure it out on their own.
Every time I’ve tried it’s usually met with a snicker. I recently tried to tell a young girl she did not need to do insane weight on the leg extension, I forget what she was doing but man I thought she was gonna snap her knee… she looked at me angrily lol
Ummm…
IPF approved?
Well my story is that a few years ago I decided to spend some time in I local gym. It was winter and I didn’t feel like dealing with the cold. I was benching and so was another guy on a bench next to me. I had just completed a high rep amrap set with a weight the guy on the bench next to me had done for a hard single. Next thing i know two guys walked up to the other guy and introduced themselves and started asking advice on bench. The only thing I could think of was they just assumed I was on gear. Mind you that a 225 bench was considered super heavy there and a 300 plus was unicorn territory.
Hard to establish yourself as an authority figure when you usually younger than them.
When I was starting out Ive had big guys randomly come up and fix my form/tell me my form is trash. I appreciated them doing this alot. I listen and try out the advice unless the dude who told me it looks like hes never worked out.
Absolutely makes sense. And full disclosure, many years ago I was one of those idiots who wanted to give advice and WASN’T qualified to do so. I just thought I was, because I’d read a whole lot, I worked hard, my own technique was good, I followed good programs, etc. The problem was, I hadn’t put in enough sweat equity yet. Did I look like I lifted? Yea, probably. Was I who I am today? Not even close. I was probably squatting like a 3 plate max at the time, benching less than 300, deadlifting less than 500, etc, Like, lifts that aren’t truly terrible, but at the same time are not particularly impressive. Those lifts won’t make you look like a monster.
But yea, my tips were MUCH less well received back then. And, like the OP, it frustrated me. Now I get it.