Avoid eye contact! I have to remember that.
Alright, here’s another back from the dead reply:
Not only is gym etiquette long gone, I’m beginning to think being in the gym saps the general social skills of some “special” individuals altogether!
A few years ago I was training after work at an Anytime Fitness near my home. It isn’t a very big facility, so I liked having the place mostly to myself around 10:30-12 midnight. ANyway, I was doing heavy, one-arm dumbbell curls on the preacher bench, nearing the end of my set, grunting, hissing, frothing at the mouth (you know, using that other long-vanished-from-the-gym attribute called “effort”) when the ONLY other person in the gym – some kid in his early 20’s – walks up to me and asks, “are you using this bench?” I ignore him trying to focus on what I’m doing and pushing through to burn-out, hoping he will get the message and STFU for a few seconds until I am done. Nope! He asks, even louder the second time, if I am using some flat bench it was painfully obvious I was NOT using. Without looking at him, I just shook my head and managed some kind of growl and he walked away. In hindsight, I wish I had dropped the 50-pounder I was using and asked him if he was unable to see I was in the middle of a set, lifting a heavy load, and CONCENTRATING. I would have also asked him if he realized distracting someone under those circumstances can cause INJURY to that person.
I mean, this isn’t even a gym thing! Would you walk up on four guys moving a piano and ask for restaurant recommendations? WTF has happened to common sense?
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Here’s one from yesterday. Out of town for work and went to an anytime I’ve been to before. Small spot but not generally crowded. The previous day, while getting my access key, on my way out the guy walking in did that sweat wipe/ab showoff move with the lower part of his tee shirt. He wasn’t sweating and I’m sure this guy probly does this ab flash all day long but whatever. So next night I go in to do my workout and I notice out of the corner of my eye this dude is in there now working out but completely shirtless. The gym wasnt empty there were about ten or so people lifting including one female who looked pretty uncomfortable. It was also unstaffed. But here’s the kicker there was also another random dude in the back of the gym completely shirtless using the cables. Lol wtf!!
One guy takes off his top and before you know it, there’s oil and wrestling involved. It’s a slippery slope.
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Nine years! Must have really pissed you off, lol.
Your post made my day.
there’s two guys at my gym that are a complete riot.
one is a black dude powerlifter with a fro and shades on. yes, he fucking wears dark shades to the gym, inside the gym. he wears all black spandex pants, long spandex sleeve shirt, and black high top lifting shoes. it is fucking amazing, he’s in there doing one arm lifts (what are those called?) and all this other weird shit. I fucking love that guy.
another one is a big fat dude going balled, he wears a bandana, and tank tops with his hairy back and shoulders totally exposed. he also rocks a pencil beard, and he’s white as can be. it is hilariousssssss.
yeah, those two dudes man. total characters.
No clue haha. Can you describe them any better?
I think he means unilateral exercises, like one arm bench, one arm OHP, single arm rows, etc.
it seems to be some type of strongman lifts or something. he’ll do one handed lifts from the ground into an ohp, and hold it there.
he does all this while wearing shades mind you. it is incredible stuff.
OK. Snatch would be my guess then…?
Dishevelled oldish guy, probably in his 60s. First time I encountered him he was doing curls on the Preacher curl stand right next to the power racks. Totally reeked of urine.
Next time I see him someone has mercifully given him a gym-branded t-shirt. So no more urine smell thankfully. He only trains arms. For biceps he works the rack of fixed barbells doing a little curling, rocking motion with an exceptionally small range of motion. Then he works triceps by loading the entire pressdown machine rack (he props a foot up on the side of the machine for leverage), and then doing negatives.
Strangest dude in my gym back in the 90’s was my training partner ‘Herb’. Herb is a short guy of African descent with a decent amount of muscle mass. (Think John Regis - UK sprinter from the 90’s).
He would wear a full black and bright yellow spandex all in one. I
Tights on the legs and the skinniest strap vest you have seen. He was loud and I mean LOUD. He used to shout things at me before my set like ‘I’m the bumble bee and I’m gonna sting you man’
If he was people sitting on equipment he would shout “look at em man, they’re thinking about their DINNER, no one want to train they just wanna think about DINNER!!”
The gym was quite upper class and expensive but it was the only good one in our town. In the change rooms he would say ‘50 pound a month for TV’s and hairdryers man, that’s what I’m paying for TVs and hairdryers !”
It was hilarious, people would literally move off equipment if they saw him coming !!
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right, it’s like some type of snatch but with 1 arm and with dumbbells.
That would be a one armed dumbell snatch.
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what’s the one where you get up off the floor doing that? he does that as well.
That’s a Turkish Get Up.
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Damn bro, for somebody who’s so obsessed with the gym, there everyday, you never seen a fucking Turkish Get Up? What the hell do you do at the gym?
Also, there’s nothing “strange” about doing one arm dumbbell/kettlebell snatches or Turkish Get Ups. But everything looks weird when you don’t even lift.
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I’ve seen em, never bothered to find out what it’s about or what it is called because I don’t care for it.
I go to a commercial gym so when a guy comes in looking like a ninja and wearing shades while doing Turkish Get Ups it is weird… geez, shoot me. my bad.
Obsessed means what to you? I go to the gym, I know all the major movements and proper work out techniques and pyramids but I don’t go researching every single type of exercise in existence.
I play the guitar since like 15, but I couldn’t tell you every single scale or musical theory, does that mean I’m not ‘obsessed’ enough?
I’m already overloaded with content and pointless information, I pick and choose what I want to know. But again thanks for making this about me by getting personal.
I no longer lift at a public gym, but when I did there were certainly some characters. There was this older guy that wore cut off blue jean shorts with boots and tall socks, sleeveless shirts and suspenders. His mother dropped him off. I never heard him speak a single word to anyone. Even if you addressed him. He only used dumbbells and lifted with a painfully slow tempo and light weights. The dude was buff as hell!
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I guess the big question is, how have you been loading up 3 plates on a barbell the past couple of years?
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