So even though I TRY not to offer unsolicited advice at the gym, earlier tonight I saw this kid just piling on weight at the incline bench, and moving it MAYBE 3 inches ROM. Once he had finished “benching” 185 lbs (he weighed POSSIBLY 110 lbs himself, swimming in his hooded sweatshirt), I caught his eye and in my usual gym-friendly manner advised him that that particular part of the motion would stress much more of his delts and triceps than his chest, and that if he brought the bar all the way down, he would indeed be hitting his pecs. While I spoke, he had this shit-eating grin on his face. Then he simply said “Thanks, but I like how I look” and continued about his business.
Honestly, that was quite possibly the last type of answer I would have ever expected. Some kids genuinely appreciate helpful advice, others yes you to death and go back to what they were doing, but suck a cocky and disrespectful attitude just left me dumbfounded. I know I’m not Dorian Yates in appearance here, hulking around the free weight area, but it’s not like I was being an ass about it.
Just had to vent a bit. I was actually laughing afterward because I was just dumbfounded by his response.
[quote]The Mighty Stu wrote:
So even though I TRY not to offer unsolicited advice at the gym, earlier tonight I saw this kid just piling on weight at the incline bench, and moving it MAYBE 3 inches ROM. Once he had finished “benching” 185 lbs (he weighed POSSIBLY 110 lbs himself, swimming in his hooded sweatshirt), I caught his eye and in my usual gym-friendly manner advised him that that particular part of the motion would stress much more of his delts and triceps than his chest, and that if he brought the bar all the way down, he would indeed be hitting his pecs. While I spoke, he had this shit-eating grin on his face. Then he simply said “Thanks, but I like how I look” and continued about his business.
Honestly, that was quite possibly the last type of answer I would have ever expected. Some kids genuinely appreciate helpful advice, others yes you to death and go back to what they were doing, but suck a cocky and disrespectful attitude just left me dumbfounded. I know I’m not Dorian Yates in appearance here, hulking around the free weight area, but it’s not like I was being an ass about it.
Just had to vent a bit. I was actually laughing afterward because I was just dumbfounded by his response.
S[/quote]
Next time you see him using like 20lb DB’s and ninja them when hes not looking and tell him
“I think that chick over there took them”.
I see a lot of light weight and very very small range of motion in my gym too, and these are the kind of guys decked out in all the newest gear like Nike compression T shirts and they have gloves, straps wraps and belts, and between sets they will stare at themselves in the mirrors.
I think they see themselves as just coming in to “maintain” the wonderful body that they think they already have.
Maybe he just likes the way he looks and doesn’t want to develop his chest anymore. There’s no need to be intolerant about it, just let him be how he wants to be. Just because he doesn’t aspire to have the body of a body builder doesn’t make him cocky and disrespectful, he just has different goals to you.
I joined a commercial gym in Jan to compliment my home gym training (you know, so I had access to dumbbells etc). I see so much shit I can’t really bare it. I usually never give advice in the gym or interrupt anyone, but I saw this young kid trying to deadlift and he looked like a herniated vertebrae waiting to happen so I HAD to stop him and offer some advice which he was sincerely grateful for and he comes over to say hello and thank me every time he sees me now, which is cool.
The WORST thing about this shit, is that the ‘gym instructors’ will only ever ask people to put plates away or not drop weights, if they see someone deadlifting like ‘deiselweasel’ (haha - who remembers that guy?) they’ll just walk past…
I understand if some people don’t appreciate unsolicited advice, and as a high school teacher, I do expect a certain level of stupidity (as much as it pains me to admit this), but this was so ridiculous, it was just shocking and comical at the same time. All I could do was turn to a buddy of mine in bewilderment only to find him hysterical laughing at the interaction.
[quote]JLD2k3 wrote:
I’m surprised nobody has mentioned Stu’s unfortunate typo.[/quote]
YES! I know, I saw it after I wrote the post, but was just too tired last night to edit it. I assume everyone on here just expects a bunch of typos in my posts by now, and I’d hate to let everyone down
Why would anyone give advice today unless asked? You could spend the entire day trying to correct people.
I had one guy using the high row hammer strength machine by not sitting in it, but standing in front of it and yanking the handles down. I couldn’t give a shit if he rips his spinal cord out. I walked over and said, “I’m working in with you” and he moved on. I am more worried about him breaking one of my favorite pieces of equipment in the gym…not his dumbass.
[quote]The Mighty Stu wrote:
So even though I TRY not to offer unsolicited advice at the gym, earlier tonight I saw this kid just piling on weight at the incline bench, and moving it MAYBE 3 inches ROM. Once he had finished “benching” 185 lbs (he weighed POSSIBLY 110 lbs himself, swimming in his hooded sweatshirt), I caught his eye and in my usual gym-friendly manner advised him that that particular part of the motion would stress much more of his delts and triceps than his chest, and that if he brought the bar all the way down, he would indeed be hitting his pecs. While I spoke, he had this shit-eating grin on his face. Then he simply said “Thanks, but I like how I look” and continued about his business.
Honestly, that was quite possibly the last type of answer I would have ever expected. Some kids genuinely appreciate helpful advice, others yes you to death and go back to what they were doing, but suck a cocky and disrespectful attitude just left me dumbfounded. I know I’m not Dorian Yates in appearance here, hulking around the free weight area, but it’s not like I was being an ass about it.
Just had to vent a bit. I was actually laughing afterward because I was just dumbfounded by his response.
S[/quote]
The fact is, thats how people are in general. I would have said, well, its not about how you look and being pleased with that, but the way your doing this lift. Incline presses are a chest exercise. They are not meant to be a primary exercise for shoulders or tris. If you want to work shoulders or tris, then do specific exercises for them.
We all know why he was lifting the way he was. If he actually did the lift properly, he’d be lifting 100lbs not 185. He was exercising his ego. Yet not realizing how stupid he looks.
This seems to be a new trend in the gym. I saw this last week, guy was in the hammar strength incline press and was bringing the weight not even half way down. I don’t understand why guys do this. Is it all in the attempt to lift more weight and to look stronger?
