This one’s a little long, but bear with it:
I was struck as to where to post this. I was going to add it to the “Overheard in the Gym” thread, but this doesn’t really qualify, plus T-Nation input would be helpful.
Yesterday in my gym, I saw a new sign over the dumbell-lined wall that read “If you can’t set them down, don’t pick them up”. Now at first, I took a little umbrage to this, as on occasion, with very few people in the free-weight area at 2pm, and even fewer those I trust to spot me properly, I have had to dump a 120 after a flat DB set to failure. Add to this the fact that the gym staff is mostly (and at the time I go, 100%) female, and the buffest of these, by her own admission to me, cannot pick up a 95 lb. dumbell.
Other than that, I am pretty careful. If it’s not pinning me to a bench or about to tear my GH joint out, I set dumbells down gently with minimum fanfare.
Anyway, about 15 minutes into my workout (and seeing this sign; there’s a point here), this guy who looks to be in his late 30’s-early 40’s decides he’s also doing dumbell bench and grabs a pair of 40’s. Now I’m the last person to disparage anyone’s poundages, but as soon as he starts his set, “UUUUUAAAAGGHHHH!” from the first rep on. Queue me rolling eyes, sighing, shaking head, etc.
I should also note that he was doing some fruity movement where he starts out with a pronated grip and ends with a neutral grip at the top of each rep. If this is some great chest builder that I am unaware of, please let me know; I’ve only seen leotard-clad gymbos and metrosexual men do this particular exercise.
Anyway, this guy’s annoying screaming I could live with, but what caught me off guard is, when he finished his set with the dumbells locked out, he rolls up to a sitting position and proceeds to drop the 40’s from sitting shoulder height, roughly equivalent to standing waist height. As I’m walking past him to grab a drink from my water bottle I was thinking “WHAT A FUCKIN’ CANDYASS!!” so loud, I thought for sure he could hear me. I went back to finish my workout and saw him do the same thing with the 50’s.
Now, as has been discussed in the “Gym Etiquette” thread, and which the good professor made a concise point about, is that one should not “bitch out” and run to gym management for every little thing that upsets you about another gym-goers behavior. This is something I am in complete agreement with, but considering this retard is needlessly damaging 30+ year old dumbells and the gym staff will not even get up to investigate the noise, let alone confront him on it even though I know damn well they can hear these things crash to the ground from the front desk where one of the female staffers is reading a magazine, should I not say something to this jackass?
Now I have not used either set of the mentioned poundages of dumbells in recent memory, but fuck, I know a lot of other people do, and I may just want to do one-arm preachers or something one of these days.
It’s treatment like this that make these weights all bent, loose, and rattly in the first place and frankly, I don’t want to have to pay the price when this idiot finally breaks one and then I’ll have to get a huge ration of shit from the staff next time I have to dump something heavy for a legitimate reason, as we all know that no distinction will be made between the two.
On the other hand, as has also been mentioned in the Gym Etiquette thread in the context of waiting for squat rack curlers to finish before doing squats is that none of us own the place or any of the equipment in it.
So, do you say what you feel is right even though it really isn’t your place, let alone your job to do so? Or do you force the staff’s hand into doing their job, thereby pissing them off and assuring that you will be under a microscope from here on out?
Suggestions, similar stories, etc. are all appreciated.