im not a member of any gym (besides my own!) and before today ive only gone to a couple of gyms before way back when though…so i walk into this 24hr and i see the dumbbell rack and free weight section and then the machines and the cardio area…oh and i cant forget ABZ central! but what i didnt see were any squat racks!
it wasnt until i went looking for one that i found them tucked away…there was ONE power cage and one other squat rack…oh and a smith machine in between the two and one leg press also…i was pretty amazed by this…this lack of goodness!
it gets better…during my workout im watching to see if anyone will use the power cage…i notice one guy doing stretches in the power cage and another guy doing some sort of rack pull / deadlift on the squat rack…he didnt go all the way down, maybe just past the knees but he didnt really lockout either…so those were the only people i saw in that area the whole time…
there were plenty of guys benching and ladies running like you would assume…is this how it typically is all the time at these commercial gyms or was i just there at a bad time? sunday afternoon!?!
i have a friend who just started working at this one so i can get in free so i thought id go check it out…turned out to be an interesting time!
yeah, i recently moved to las vegas and the 24 here is weak as the f too. i dont ever see any ‘real’ lifters. i see regulars, but no one to talk to about supps. i live near a golds but can only make it in after hours for now so i’m stuck. 24 sucks, i prefer a ymca.
I’m a member of the powerhouse…its legit in there. But in many other gyms, people will be in line for the benches, and only use the squat rack for curling. I got to the commercial gym for more of the social aspect… LOL
I also have a complete setup in my basement w/ dbs, freeweights, machines…anything I could need.
Yeah, I just got a membership at Bally Total Fitness. Its EXACTLY how you described your gym Vland. I got over the Suck and do my own thing. They actually asked me to be a personal trainer. I think I may take them up on the offer, but I don’t know if I can put up with people that aren’t willing to put in the effort…
In my gym (I have free membership) you are not allowed to squat, lol. I asked why and they said that it’s a fitness studio and that they have no racks (only barbells) and that many gyus were hurting them selves trying to do squat. So be happy for what you’ve got! haha
Sometimes people do squat in the gym where I train. And sometimes I have to wait, sometimes I kick people out for curling in the squat rack…
Last time the squat rack was taken by someone who did a squat like movement. So I took the courtesy doing bent over barbell rows with a bench press barbell… The looked the same way at me when I look at someone doing curls in the squat rack.
So they have one power cage, another for squatting and a leg press? What else do YOU need?
Seems to me like the situation was perfect for you; all “the goodness” was generally empty and awaiting your use. I mean, I would be bitching if they were all taken…right.
Am I the only one who noticed that this guy watched these great devices from afar?
I go to 24Hour and we have one squat rack and one smith machine. They get used. And when heavy lifters aren’t using it I have seen some odd things, but it’s a crowded gym and that is some space.
They have squat racks and power cages. Who gives a shit if anyone else is using them at the moment?
While I consider environment to have much to do with success, on the average day I don’t exactly see tons of people my size and bigger. Either way I’ve still got to train the way I need to. My primary concern is whether they have what I alone need.
[quote]dday wrote:
Sounds like a perfect situation, squat rack and a cage no one uses? My gym doesn’t have a cage, maybe I should check out a 24.[/quote]
I love the 24 hour fitness in my area. It’s where WWF athletes train when they come to Houston, along with Evander Holyfield when he was fighting. That’s where I saw Idrise Ward-el the first time. On a good night there may be 3 or more people who look like they could compete as heavy weights at least. Complaining about who uses the squat rack is simply not something I would ever do.
In fact, many pro’s use the leg press and hack squat more than barbell squats so why rate how effective your gym is by whether people are actively squatting while you are looking at the squat rack?
When I travel to my Colorado office, I actually look forward to going to the 24hr Fitness there.
Why? Because they have a power rack, HS machines, DBs > 100, a hack squat machine, and a ton of other things my daily “Y” gym doesn’t have. Plus, there’s usually a couple big dudes hanging around, something else my gym doesn’t have.
I could do without the 40,000 screens and million decibal music, however.
The only 24 hour I’ve been in in a while was when I was teaching my ex dl and squat. There was only one squat rack and one cage but they were both free, so no biggie.
[quote]BradTGIF wrote:
The only 24 hour I’ve been in in a while was when I was teaching my ex dl and squat. There was only one squat rack and one cage but they were both free, so no biggie.
Acres of cardio and ab crunchers though. Sad.[/quote]
Those cardio machines keep more clueless people away from the weights. I see nothing wrong with them.
If anything, I think they should make a separate closed off room just for cardio and flat screen tvs. That way we can act like they aren’t even there.
[quote]Professor X wrote:
If anything, I think they should make a separate closed off room just for cardio and flat screen tvs. That way we can act like they aren’t even there.[/quote]
LOL!
My gym has some old ass equipment, we have a cybex hacksquat machine that I swear is like 10-15 years old. Real hard on the knees. Our squat rack is so flimzy, they put a 10lb plate under the frame on each side to keep it from wobbling. I saw a guy squatting over 500 lbs and he told me he doesn’t dare put on more weight, cause the cage might not hold it. Yet we have some big guys in there mostly 200+ and sum pushing 230+.
I’m joining a different gym down the street that big guys frequent to, with more equipment to help meet my goals. Everything looks old school, no bs just like it should be.
