[quote]ElbowStrike wrote:
What makes me laugh are the skinny college boys not grunting, but SCREAMING while benching one plate per side.
“LIGHT WEIGHT! LIGHT WEIGHT!”[/quote]
Hey have you been hanging out in my gym? That’s me! I love to get the "Light weight babyyyyy"s happening.
I’m lucky that all my weights are the rubber ones, and they’re the same both ways, so it doesn’t matter which way I put it on. I do have to have the same set up on both sides of the bar though, and if I’m using the handle discs then I line them up.
It feels good to succumb to OCD.
And I flex in the mirrors whenever and wherever I want to and I don’t care who sees me. But I never did it back when I had no muscles, I was too embaraased. But now I don’t look half bad doing a flex, especially when I’ve got the pump on so why not? I draw the line at removing clothing for said flexing however. That’s a bit much.
[quote]Hanley wrote:
TrainerinDC wrote:
Professor X wrote:
Every plate is supposed to face the same way. That’s a rule. You don’t break it. Bad stuff happens if you break it.
Correct. This isn’t wierd, or funny. Its old school. You won’t find too many long time lifters that don’t do this.
Every powerlifter I know breaks that rule.
The first plate on the bar ALWAYS faces inwards. Even if it’s only a 5kg plate for curls or somethng. And the rest face outwards.
Weird as it seems, this is how it happens in competition and I can’t lift with them any other way!
[/quote]
Exactly, that’s how I load mine everytime.
To the original topic, when I really wanna check a muscle I just flex it, no point trying to be subtle, everyone’s there to try to look better and I’m past the point where I’ve got absolutely nothing to show.
It’s not spectacular, but I like checking out certain parts with a pump, screw whatever other people think.
I’ve gotta have brand symmetry and also the writing facing outwards. always. even during a leg press.
Nothing cracks me up more in the gym than the guys loading up a bar with 3 plates a side and do 1/8 sissy squats. Not saying that i can do that much weight. but nonetheless pathetic.
I stack all the plates so the lip is facing inwards. I’m not sure if it really makes a difference, it’s just the way I was taught. I took weight training in high school and my coach insisted we load plates this way. It stuck with me and I still do it.
[quote]medevac wrote:
One of my training buddies years ago used to do two of (to me) the strangest things:
First, he would do a set of arms, then walk over to the mirror and flex his biceps. The first time I thought he was joking, but then I realized he wasn’t. It was bad enough that his physique was shit but even odder was that he would walk to within a couple on inches of the mirror. I’m not sure if he was blind or felt he needed closer inspection.
The second strange thing was when he loaded plates on any move. These were old-school metal plates that had the lip on them to you could pick them up. He had to have ALL the lips of each plate either all facing into the bar or away from the bar. It didn’t matter which as long as they were all similar.
It was bad enough that we would change one plate as a joke, and when he would complete the set and figure out that the middle plate was facing the wrong way, would then exclaim “I knew something didn’t feel right that set”.
[quote]C-Bonics wrote:
I’ve gotta have brand symmetry and also the writing facing outwards. always. even during a leg press.
Nothing cracks me up more in the gym than the guys loading up a bar with 3 plates a side and do 1/8 sissy squats. Not saying that i can do that much weight. but nonetheless pathetic.[/quote]
True newbies are identified as being the fools who have loaded the bar so there is a small 25lbs plate on first and then a larger plate afterwards (or even worse, loading the bar with 6 10lbs plates as if they didn’t realize they made them bigger than that). It is tons of fun when I have to remove everything on the bar to get rid of the quarter someone tossed on first.
[quote]TrainerinDC wrote:
Professor X wrote:
Every plate is supposed to face the same way. That’s a rule. You don’t break it. Bad stuff happens if you break it.
Correct. This isn’t wierd, or funny. Its old school. You won’t find too many long time lifters that don’t do this. [/quote]
All plates the same brand, style, and direction (smooth side out) all the time.
[quote]TrainerinDC wrote:
medevac wrote:
The second strange thing was when he loaded plates on any move. These were old-school metal plates that had the lip on them to you could pick them up. He had to have ALL the lips of each plate either all facing into the bar or away from the bar. It didn’t matter which as long as they were all similar.
I do this. We have old school iron plates with a lip. Every lip on every plate had to be facing the same direction. Either in or out, but must be the same. Pins must be in an up position. You will find a lot of OCD lifters in this world. But I don’t flex non-existant muscles. I do love looking at my pumped up traps however. None of the other muscles, just traps.[/quote]
[quote]Sxio wrote:
…But now I don’t look half bad doing a flex, especially when I’ve got the pump on so why not? I draw the line at removing clothing for said flexing however. That’s a bit much. [/quote]
I take off my shorts to look at my striated glutes but I won’t go beyond that.
[quote]Professor X wrote:
C-Bonics wrote:
I’ve gotta have brand symmetry and also the writing facing outwards. always. even during a leg press.
Nothing cracks me up more in the gym than the guys loading up a bar with 3 plates a side and do 1/8 sissy squats. Not saying that i can do that much weight. but nonetheless pathetic.
True newbies are identified as being the fools who have loaded the bar so there is a small 25lbs plate on first and then a larger plate afterwards (or even worse, loading the bar with 6 10lbs plates as if they didn’t realize they made them bigger than that). It is tons of fun when I have to remove everything on the bar to get rid of the quarter someone tossed on first.[/quote]
People at my gym put the little baby 2.5 pounds on first. I have no idea why. Thankfully they don’t leave too much weight on the bar for me to strip off so I can load it properly.
I always put the letters on the first place facing inwards, then the rest out. This is how I was taught by some powerlifters and I stuck to it… Unless im doing seated calfs… then its a plate, with a 2.5lbs spacer in the middle so I dont crush my fingers because im an idiot.
What makes me laugh is the dudes wearing tight ass shirts, in the gym. These guys are weeners.
[quote]TrainerinDC wrote:
medevac wrote:
The second strange thing was when he loaded plates on any move. These were old-school metal plates that had the lip on them to you could pick them up. He had to have ALL the lips of each plate either all facing into the bar or away from the bar. It didn’t matter which as long as they were all similar.
I do this. We have old school iron plates with a lip. Every lip on every plate had to be facing the same direction. Either in or out, but must be the same. Pins must be in an up position. You will find a lot of OCD lifters in this world. But I don’t flex non-existant muscles. I do love looking at my pumped up traps however. None of the other muscles, just traps.[/quote]
At my gym we have two types of 45 plats. One is black and the other is silver.
No matter what Im doing I have to have the same order of plates (2 black, one silver, etc., on BOTH sides in the same order), and they all have to be facing in. It fucks with my head if they dont look the same before a lift.
What about the dudes that gel their hair and wear matching outfits to the gym?
What about the dudes that gel their hair and wear matching outfits to the gym?[/quote]
I saw this once in my lifetime.
Luckily, I was 19, strong as a bull and a cocky young asshole, so I yelled “WONDER TWIN POWERS – ACTIVATE!!!” The whole gym, mostly hardcore guys, laughed at them.
They weren’t all that amused, but fake laughed (as though I were laughing with them) and kind of ducked away into a corner to train.
I worked out in a gym on a military base that no shit had 6 different types of metal plates. Some were the same brand, but different designs. The lack of gymetry (excellent word) drove me nuts. Hunting down matching pairs was a bitch when the plates would be scattered around. Nothing looks worse than a bar loaded with different diameter 45lb plates.
I spent a good hour one day hauling plates around so that the weights were all paired up by brand and design and roughly by weight. It turned out to accidentally be a great workout and satisfied my OCD. Of course my Marines went in later that day and mixed everything up again. It became a form of punishment to organize the weight room for the C.O.
I’m glad to hear I’m “normal” when it comes to loading the bar! I refuse to put different brands of plates on the bar and never have the writing facing outward.