My Training Scares the Customers?

Off Topic
21

[quote]detazathoth wrote:
Alright, I started serious lifting last September. I began at 128 lbs, and now I’m at 150 lbs, and still continue to bulk. My bench is 165, deadlift is 225, and squat is 255. Not bad, but nothing to write home about.

However, today I was told that I can’t do my regular strength training program at this Gold’s Gym that I go to because I scare the customers/make them stare at me. WTF I was so pissed and still am. It’s not like I’m some weight lifting freak. But c’mon. [/quote]

I somehow don’t believe you. you’re not big and not very strong. Maybe you’re a weirdo or something?

It can’t be your training.

22

[quote]Professor X wrote:
jp_dubya wrote:
This isn’t a true post is it really?

It can’t be. Some 150lbs guy gets told he is scaring the other lifters and he thinks it isn’t because he is training like a dumbass? This can’t possibly be real.[/quote]

Well I’m sorry I brought this up. I do mind my own business and don’t grunt or whatever. I know proper gym etiquette. I do use good form, I’m not a dumbass about form. But yeah I’ll just shut up now, and won’t post anything unless it’s not a pathetic story like this one. My bad.

23

IDK man. For example, I’m almost certain I’m the only that does deadlifts there, I could be wrong though. It’s a bizzare gym, and I plan to change gyms.

24

Anyway, I pretty much am embrassessed right now about this topic/posts. Can we kill this topic?

25

Sometimes gyms are weird like that. It isn’t the case with mine though. I’m squatting and deadlifting over 300 and it sure seems people are laughing at me instead of being scared!

Try a new gym and see if the attitude is different. More than likely it will be.

26

Dude, put your shirt back on when you train. Scary.

27

[quote]Doug Adams wrote:
Sometimes gyms are weird like that. It isn’t the case with mine though. I’m squatting and deadlifting over 300 and it sure seems people are laughing at me instead of being scared!

Try a new gym and see if the attitude is different. More than likely it will be.[/quote]

I wish I was at your gym. But I think I lost all faith in commercial gyms.

28

Ummmmmm…

This doesn’t sound like the general attitude of most “Golds”.

Even though they are individual Franchises, they are pretty open to serious training, WITHIN LIMITS! (no spitting, dropping weights, not wearing shoes and shirts, etc.)

Anyway…

Mufasa

29

[quote]detazathoth wrote:
Doug Adams wrote:
Sometimes gyms are weird like that. It isn’t the case with mine though. I’m squatting and deadlifting over 300 and it sure seems people are laughing at me instead of being scared!

Try a new gym and see if the attitude is different. More than likely it will be.

I wish I was at your gym. But I think I lost all faith in commercial gyms.[/quote]

Actually this is also a Gold’s (and sometimes I go to a Powerhouse).

30

Now I’m thinking it’s cause of the town I live in too. If anyone knows the town Andover in Massachusetts, I think they know what I mean.

31

I could be wrong, but I have a hard time believing we’re getting the whole story here. What gym is going to turn away business because someone is… uh… lifting weights.

32

[quote]Tiribulus wrote:
I could be wrong, but I have a hard time believing we’re getting the whole story here. What gym is going to turn away business because someone is… uh… lifting weights.[/quote]

Honest to God, that’s all there is to the story. One of the reasons why I wanted to share this story was cause of how low my numbers are, and yet I was told not to well, lift weights. It’s just that weird.

33

[quote]detazathoth wrote:

I wish I was at your gym. But I think I lost all faith in commercial gyms.[/quote]

Try checking with management to see if there is a schedule.

If the only people who are working out when you are there are old ladies, you might be there at the wrong time.

Ask them when the power lifters are there, and show up then.

34

[quote]SkyzykS wrote:
detazathoth wrote:

I wish I was at your gym. But I think I lost all faith in commercial gyms.

Try checking with management to see if there is a schedule.

If the only people who are working out when you are there are old ladies, you might be there at the wrong time.

Ask them when the power lifters are there, and show up then.[/quote]

All the other hours on their schedule consist of spinning classes, “power aerobics”, muscle tone classes, yoga, and intense cardio. Somthing tells me the powerlifters are left out here.

It’s a small Gold’s as well. One regular bench, one olympic bar, smith squat machine, barbells up to 80 lbs, and dumbells up to 100 lbs. It’s not much of a free weight section.

35

your tone has completely changed since the start of this post. You sound downright depressed man.

Yes, your lifts suck, but you’re workin on em and making progress, thats more than a lot of people here. And yeah, your a twig, but 130-150 since september shows that you’re on the right track.

We’ve all been there. Some just can’t admit it

36

[quote]detazathoth wrote:
SkyzykS wrote:
detazathoth wrote:

I wish I was at your gym. But I think I lost all faith in commercial gyms.

Try checking with management to see if there is a schedule.

If the only people who are working out when you are there are old ladies, you might be there at the wrong time.

Ask them when the power lifters are there, and show up then.

All the other hours on their schedule consist of spinning classes, “power aerobics”, muscle tone classes, yoga, and intense cardio. Somthing tells me the powerlifters are left out here.

It’s a small Gold’s as well. One regular bench, one olympic bar, smith squat machine, barbells up to 80 lbs, and dumbells up to 100 lbs. It’s not much of a free weight section.

[/quote]

The only thing throwing people off is your size and the weights you lift. I only do cardio at the Gold’s I have a membership at, but considering the looks I got this morning (bordering on “what is someone like HIM doing here”), it isn’t far fetched that it does happen.

Most of the people who train there are old people and middle aged housewives. The rest are guys who look like they just left the couch for the first time today. Anyone with any significant muscle mass on them is going to stand out, especially if you walk in there during “prime time cardio hours” like early in the morning or right after work.

I do any real lifting at a much more run down facility. I have had one guy complain at the Gold’s (during one leg day) that I had taken all of the plates from his area and he thought I was doing it on purpose so he couldn’t lift weights. He must have weighed all of 140lbs.

I doubt that anyone lifting what you do is going to stand out unless they MAKE themselves stand out. That puts the focus on what YOU are doing.

37

What a luxury it is to train at home. I use to train with/at Mike Katz’s World Gym but had to leave when it morphed into a fitness center. However, that is what the public wanted and it made sense business-wise for him to do that.

38

[quote]Professor X wrote:
detazathoth wrote:
SkyzykS wrote:
detazathoth wrote:

I wish I was at your gym. But I think I lost all faith in commercial gyms.

Try checking with management to see if there is a schedule.

If the only people who are working out when you are there are old ladies, you might be there at the wrong time.

Ask them when the power lifters are there, and show up then.

All the other hours on their schedule consist of spinning classes, “power aerobics”, muscle tone classes, yoga, and intense cardio. Somthing tells me the powerlifters are left out here.

It’s a small Gold’s as well. One regular bench, one olympic bar, smith squat machine, barbells up to 80 lbs, and dumbells up to 100 lbs. It’s not much of a free weight section.

The only thing throwing people off is your size and the weights you lift. I only do cardio at the Gold’s I have a membership at, but considering the looks I got this morning (bordering on “what is someone like HIM doing here”), it isn’t far fetched that it does happen.

Most of the people who train there are old people and middle aged housewives. The rest are guys who look like they just left the couch for the first time today. Anyone with any significant muscle mass on them is going to stand out, especially if you walk in there during “prime time cardio hours” like early in the morning or right after work.

I do any real lifting at a much more run down facility. I have had one guy complain at the Gold’s (during one leg day) that I had taken all of the plates from his area and he thought I was doing it on purpose so he couldn’t lift weights. He must have weighed all of 140lbs.

I doubt that anyone lifting what you do is going to stand out unless they MAKE themselves stand out. That puts the focus on what YOU are doing.[/quote]

I’m not trying to show off or anything, what do I have to prove in front of overweight elderly women who shouldn’t wear spandex when do their cardio? To the guy that posted above the Prof. Thanks for advice, I’m not depressed, just embrassessed.

I love T-Nation, and doing what it takes to bulk up, but I don’t want to come off as an ass that’s trying to sound all “tuff” and badass. I just want to clear that up.

39

[quote]Professor X wrote:
detazathoth wrote:
SkyzykS wrote:
detazathoth wrote:

I wish I was at your gym. But I think I lost all faith in commercial gyms.

Try checking with management to see if there is a schedule.

If the only people who are working out when you are there are old ladies, you might be there at the wrong time.

Ask them when the power lifters are there, and show up then.

All the other hours on their schedule consist of spinning classes, “power aerobics”, muscle tone classes, yoga, and intense cardio. Somthing tells me the powerlifters are left out here.

It’s a small Gold’s as well. One regular bench, one olympic bar, smith squat machine, barbells up to 80 lbs, and dumbells up to 100 lbs. It’s not much of a free weight section.

The only thing throwing people off is your size and the weights you lift. I only do cardio at the Gold’s I have a membership at, but considering the looks I got this morning (bordering on “what is someone like HIM doing here”), it isn’t far fetched that it does happen.

Most of the people who train there are old people and middle aged housewives. The rest are guys who look like they just left the couch for the first time today. Anyone with any significant muscle mass on them is going to stand out, especially if you walk in there during “prime time cardio hours” like early in the morning or right after work.

I do any real lifting at a much more run down facility. I have had one guy complain at the Gold’s (during one leg day) that I had taken all of the plates from his area and he thought I was doing it on purpose so he couldn’t lift weights. He must have weighed all of 140lbs.

I doubt that anyone lifting what you do is going to stand out unless they MAKE themselves stand out. That puts the focus on what YOU are doing.[/quote]

Damn. Looks like Golds may have fallen victim to the Mangina pandemic.

Thats unfortunate.

40

[quote]detazathoth wrote:

I love T-Nation, and doing what it takes to bulk up, but I don’t want to come off as an ass that’s trying to sound all “tuff” and badass. I just want to clear that up.[/quote]

…and you have cleared that up. But you did start a discussion and where that discussion heads is largely out of control of the thread starter. I don’t think you are trying to be “tuff”, but I do think you were probably overzealous in your training actions and that alone is what lead anyone to say something.

Dropping the weights real loud or making an effort to be noticed in the current world of “fitness family centers” is going to do nothing but draw negative attention. That is why I quit doing any real lifting at places like that and can only hope I can continue to find ‘real’ places to lift in the future.

You will find that many of those “fitness people” are more likely to speak up when you are actually lifting much more than they can and are more developed than they are or what they think they can achieve. Most of it is jealousy unless you are specifically doing something obnoxious.