[quote]Waylander wrote:
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.[/quote]
That doesn’t make any sense though. Lets say your right and he doesn’t want to develop his chest anymore, why do the incline press then? Why not just do some laterals or his arms. If you don’t want to get a bigger chest, the incline press is the last exercises you should be doing. And there is no way on earth, a skinny kid isn’t in the gym to get bigger. Just no way.
[quote]Waylander wrote:
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.[/quote]
I have given unsolicited advice once when someone looked like they were about to kill themselves.
This teenage girl was about to use a squat machine and didn’t bother to look at the 10 plates that were stacked on it. Had she hit the release on the machine, it would’ve crushed her.
I see plenty of guys rounding their back while deadlifting and even rowing and I never say anything.
[quote]buddaboy wrote:
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…[/quote]
Probably because the “gym instructors” don’t know any better…
[quote]Waylander wrote:
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.[/quote]
That doesn’t make any sense though. Lets say your right and he doesn’t want to develop his chest anymore, why do the incline press then? Why not just do some laterals or his arms. If you don’t want to get a bigger chest, the incline press is the last exercises you should be doing. And there is no way on earth, a skinny kid isn’t in the gym to get bigger. Just no way. [/quote]
A skinny kid lifting beyond their abilities is in the gym to make a splash by showing off their physical prowess in front of everyone (just like people will turn up with all the lifting paraphernalia known to made because in their heads it gives the impression of experience and knowledge: "Wow! That guy has FIVE lifting belts and is dressed head to toe in Nike - he must really know his shit).
They’re training for other people and the ego lifting comes from a belief that they are the focus of attention. In the kid’s own headspace he was the big noise, and Stu’s advice/ correction was a threat to his attempt to make himself ‘one to watch’ in the gym, hence the nonsensical reply: “Thanks, but I like the way I look (I’m only here to show y’all how strong I am)”.
It’s a tough one. Any guy who has muscle building goals SHOULD respect someone who has clearly put the time in though, it’s a different matter when the skinny/obese guy is tossing out advice to anyone and everyone.
I tend not to say anything but am happy to go into detail if asked. I’m only tempted most of the time if it looks like they might die mid-set… if it was always for sloppy form I could just stand next to the squat rack all day and watch variations from “quarter to half squat” over and over.
I guess I’m lucky, one of the trainers at my gym usually watches me squat and calls me out if i don’t hit depth lol. (admittedly some of them aren’t up to much)
[quote]Agressive Napkin wrote:
I don’t get it. He smiled and said “I like the way I look,” after someone gave him advice he didn’t ask for. Ya was a douche.
Who cares what he’s doing as long as he’s not hurting anybody?[/quote]
Have to agree. You sort of have to accept that if you go out and give advice people don’t ask for, someone is not going to want it. It doesn’t make that person bad in any way because of it.
In fact, I would say that given most people would truly need one on one counseling, a screaming personal trainer and a nutrition class to actually get on the right track, even wasting the time to correct one small aspect of all that confusion is an exercise in futility.
I generally agree with that statement with regardless to almost everything in life, especially politics, but i think the OP was just trying to be friendly and help, you know the way ppl used to act towards one another.
I generally agree with that statement with regardless to almost everything in life, especially politics, but i think the OP was just trying to be friendly and help, you know the way ppl used to act towards one another.[/quote]
The thing is, most of us in the gym for a while already know to avoid this. It wasn’t the fact that this was a kid either. His age had nothing to do with it.
Walking up to someone in the gym and giving advice means that person now has to openly admit they were doing something wrong. This is a slap to the pride of the guy who was already self conscious to start with.
The ONLY times you may get away with that is if you are EXTREMELY developed or extremely well known. I doubt that kid would respond the same to Phil Heath…but who knows.
People ask me for advice. I don’t go give it unless approach first…or sometimes if I’m working in a set with someone on a machine and they seem open to it. I have many times gotten someone to train with a way heavier weight than they thought they could move just by motivating them and pushing them.
I already know that defensive attitude is out there…and the ones with it the most are the ones either extremely new or the type who probably won’t be training long anyway.
Walking up to someone in the gym and giving advice means that person now has to openly admit they were doing something wrong. This is a slap to the pride of the guy who was already self conscious to start with.
[/quote]
[quote]anonym wrote:
ITT: meatheads mad about skinny people being happy with their appearance.
Discuss.[/quote]
People need to realise that building muscle isn’t the be all and end all when it comes to life. If this kid is happy with his body, then you shouldn’t try to push your own body issues onto him. This site does sometimes remind me of a pro-anorexia site, except the opposite extreme.
I have a lot of respect for a skinny person who is comfortable and confident in their own body and i find it funny a lot of people are pissed off that this kid is happy being skinny.
[quote]anonym wrote:
ITT: meatheads mad about skinny people being happy with their appearance.
Discuss.[/quote]
People need to realise that building muscle isn’t the be all and end all when it comes to life. If this kid is happy with his body, then you shouldn’t try to push your own body issues onto him. This site does sometimes remind me of a pro-anorexia site, except the opposite extreme.
I have a lot of respect for a skinny person who is comfortable and confident in their own body and i find it funny a lot of people are pissed off that this kid is happy being skinny.[/quote]
… SRS? So informing someone of a form issue on an exercise counts as pushing the BBing lifestyle on them?
[quote]buddaboy wrote:
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…[/quote]
Probably because the “gym instructors” don’t know any better…[/quote]
true, I’ve never seen one deadlift, or squat any deeper than several inches above parallel.
[quote]Agressive Napkin wrote:
I don’t get it. He smiled and said “I like the way I look,” after someone gave him advice he didn’t ask for. Ya was a douche.
Who cares what he’s doing as long as he’s not hurting anybody?[/quote]
Have to agree. You sort of have to accept that if you go out and give advice people don’t ask for, someone is not going to want it. It doesn’t make that person bad in any way because of it.
In fact, I would say that given most people would truly need one on one counseling, a screaming personal trainer and a nutrition class to actually get on the right track, even wasting the time to correct one small aspect of all that confusion is an exercise in futility.
Once again…save the equipment.
Forget the people.
[/quote]
I agree here, most of the idiots in the gym don’t want and or won’t accept advice, and this is VERY frustrating for the people who do know better. It is, however a real shame because it discourages newbies who would love to workout with and learn from someone like TMS of Prof X, I know I would be way ahead of where I am now if I’d had advanced and knowledgeable people people supporting me in the gym. Also, young skinny kids will be intimidated to approach ask someone like X for advice, again this is a shame as he is a knowledgeable guy who (based on his post here) has had enough of trying to help idiots out in the gym.
[quote]roybot wrote:
This thread has taken a turn for the bizarre…Who said anything about forcing the kid to get bigger than he wanted to be? [/quote]
Fishdog questioned why the kid would even be in the gym in the first place if he was happy with how he looked.
Others assumed he was either a dick or trying to protect his fragile ego in the face of perceived criticism.
Perhaps the kid simply assumed that a guy who looks like a bodybuilder giving him advice on “hitting his pecs” was trying to show him a way to make them grow more?
Is that completely unreasonable for a kid to jump to that conclusion?