This old head was at the gym. He was eeking out a few chin ups with bad form. I overhear him talking and he says being able to bench press 400 pounds is nothing, and the real way to be strong is to do some chins and pushups. To paraphrase him. And I think to myself WTF? I find that many guys say that because they cant do that kind of weight, so they dont want to feel weaker than the guy that can bench 400 or deadlift 600. I can personally witness that doing some pushups, like 75 or 100 and chinups is infinetly easier than trying to bench 400 pounds FOR ONE REP. I hate when people say nonsense about bodyweight exercises outdoing lifting with iron simply because they cant do alot of weight.
This one has a surprise ending. The “old head” of the tale was HH and Clip was actually having a conversation with himself in the mirror.
lol!
[quote]roybot wrote:
This one has a surprise ending. The “old head” of the tale was HH and Clip was actually having a conversation with himself in the mirror.[/quote]
As I read the OP, these were my exact thoughts, Roy.
LOL!!!
I asked this guy to spot me on the bench one time. After I finished my set, he asked me why I don’t dumbbell bench (which I do, in addition). He then proceeded to lecture me on how barbell benching “isn’t real strength.” I’m still not sure what that means, but I’m fairly certain I can bench more than him.
Sort of related, but how many times have you guys been benching and some scrawny dude comes up and says "Nice bench, but my dad/brother/cousin/friend/friend’s dad/friend’s dad’s friend can bench 600 for reps? Happens to me atleast every other chest day.
It’s funny. I certainly don’t bench or squat in the upper-echelon range in my gym, but I’ve never seen anyone deadlift nearly as much as I can and I’m the only one who I’ve ever seen perform standing overhead bb presses or cleans and snatches of any kind.
And yet, I’ve never had anyone come up to me and make one single comment about anything I do in there. No one’s ever said “why do you overhead press? It’s bad for your shoulders?” or “You can deadlift 475 with no straps? My brother can deadlift 480 with no straps.” or “Gee what is that funny-looking movement where you seem to kind of ‘snatch’ the barbell over your head in one movement? It looks really dangerous.”
Seriously. What kind of gym do you guys work out at where you’re constantly being challenged by those around you? Maybe there’s something about you guys that invites these sorts of comments.
[quote]bcingu wrote:
I asked this guy to spot me on the bench one time. After I finished my set, he asked me why I don’t dumbbell bench (which I do, in addition). He then proceeded to lecture me on how barbell benching “isn’t real strength.” I’m still not sure what that means, but I’m fairly certain I can bench more than him.[/quote]
You’re full of shit. No complete stranger has ever come up to you in a gym and outright questioned your lifting methodology.
[quote]overstand wrote:
Sort of related, but how many times have you guys been benching and some scrawny dude comes up and says "Nice bench, but my dad/brother/cousin/friend/friend’s dad/friend’s dad’s friend can bench 600 for reps? Happens to me atleast every other chest day.[/quote]
It’s happened to me about the same amount of times it’s happened to you. Never.
[quote]DBCooper wrote:
Seriously. What kind of gym do you guys work out at where you’re constantly being challenged by those around you? Maybe there’s something about you guys that invites these sorts of comments.[/quote]
Insecurity leads to mental fights and these “dreamed up” situations.
I actually have those myself sometimes, like, how I would react if someone would challenge my methods or weight (I have a very, very weak bench press), but it has never happened and I’m confident that it will never happen. If people approach me to talk about my form or so on, they do it from a very polite position and with the honest desire to help me…and their tips and help are deeply appreciated.
[quote]Edevus wrote:
[quote]DBCooper wrote:
Seriously. What kind of gym do you guys work out at where you’re constantly being challenged by those around you? Maybe there’s something about you guys that invites these sorts of comments.[/quote]
Insecurity leads to mental fights and these “dreamed up” situations.
I actually have those myself sometimes, like, how I would react if someone would challenge my methods or weight (I have a very, very weak bench press), but it has never happened and I’m confident that it will never happen. If people approach me to talk about my form or so on, they do it from a very polite position and with the honest desire to help me…and their tips and help are deeply appreciated.
EDIT : I want to add two factors, age and culture. I’m sure that if I was back in a Spanish gym with plenty of young kids around, my opinion would differ. [/quote]
Maybe I just seem completely unapproachable at the gym. I don’t storm around the place or scowl at everyone, I only bring headphones about half the time, I don’t throw shit around or scream.
I do wonder how I would react if someone said something about my squat, which is by far the weakest of the main lifts for me (245lb ass-to-grass front squat with a clean-grip as opposed to a 475lb deadlift with no straps or belt. WTF?!?!?!?). I think I would just look at them for a second and then go back to what I was doing because, really, the opinion of someone stupid enough to question what I’m doing when they know nothing about my goals or my past lifting history doesn’t warrant any attention from me. I mean, this is a gym where I am literally the ONLY PERSON who I have ever seen foam roll any part of their body, ever.
But no one’s ever going to say anything about my weak-ass squat because I have never seen most of the people in there who are about the same size as me but bench more do ANY sort of lower-body work aside from a random set or two on the leg press with a few plates on either side.
[quote]DBCooper wrote:
It’s funny. I certainly don’t bench or squat in the upper-echelon range in my gym, but I’ve never seen anyone deadlift nearly as much as I can and I’m the only one who I’ve ever seen perform standing overhead bb presses or cleans and snatches of any kind.
And yet, I’ve never had anyone come up to me and make one single comment about anything I do in there. No one’s ever said “why do you overhead press? It’s bad for your shoulders?” or “You can deadlift 475 with no straps? My brother can deadlift 480 with no straps.” or “Gee what is that funny-looking movement where you seem to kind of ‘snatch’ the barbell over your head in one movement? It looks really dangerous.”
Seriously. What kind of gym do you guys work out at where you’re constantly being challenged by those around you? Maybe there’s something about you guys that invites these sorts of comments.[/quote]
He didnt say it to me, he was talking to someone else and i overheard it.
[quote]bcingu wrote:
I asked this guy to spot me on the bench one time. After I finished my set, he asked me why I don’t dumbbell bench (which I do, in addition). He then proceeded to lecture me on how barbell benching “isn’t real strength.” I’m still not sure what that means, but I’m fairly certain I can bench more than him.[/quote]
And you notice the ones that always say that are the ones that cant bench shit. I bet you he wouldn’t be saying that if he was benching 400 or 500 pounds.
[quote]clip11 wrote:
[quote]DBCooper wrote:
It’s funny. I certainly don’t bench or squat in the upper-echelon range in my gym, but I’ve never seen anyone deadlift nearly as much as I can and I’m the only one who I’ve ever seen perform standing overhead bb presses or cleans and snatches of any kind.
And yet, I’ve never had anyone come up to me and make one single comment about anything I do in there. No one’s ever said “why do you overhead press? It’s bad for your shoulders?” or “You can deadlift 475 with no straps? My brother can deadlift 480 with no straps.” or “Gee what is that funny-looking movement where you seem to kind of ‘snatch’ the barbell over your head in one movement? It looks really dangerous.”
Seriously. What kind of gym do you guys work out at where you’re constantly being challenged by those around you? Maybe there’s something about you guys that invites these sorts of comments.[/quote]
He didnt say it to me, he was talking to someone else and i overheard it.[/quote]
So is HeadHunter your alter ego or is Clip11 your alter ego? Who is the real you?
[quote]DBCooper wrote:
[quote]overstand wrote:
Sort of related, but how many times have you guys been benching and some scrawny dude comes up and says "Nice bench, but my dad/brother/cousin/friend/friend’s dad/friend’s dad’s friend can bench 600 for reps? Happens to me atleast every other chest day.[/quote]
It’s happened to me about the same amount of times it’s happened to you. Never.[/quote]
It happens.
Coop, i’ve been in many a gym since the late 80’s and you’d be astounded by what people will say for no seemingly good reason.
Many guys will think that just because you’re in the same place as they are, that you’re not really a “stranger” and feel like they can say whatever they want.
[quote]imhungry wrote:
[quote]DBCooper wrote:
[quote]overstand wrote:
Sort of related, but how many times have you guys been benching and some scrawny dude comes up and says "Nice bench, but my dad/brother/cousin/friend/friend’s dad/friend’s dad’s friend can bench 600 for reps? Happens to me atleast every other chest day.[/quote]
It’s happened to me about the same amount of times it’s happened to you. Never.[/quote]
It happens.
Coop, i’ve been in many a gym since the late 80’s and you’d be astounded by what people will say for no seemingly good reason.
Many guys will think that just because you’re in the same place as they are, that you’re not really a “stranger” and feel like they can say whatever they want.[/quote]
Really? Jesus Christ, you’d think a guy like me would realize that there are some real monsters out there. I guess this sort of scenario is just so foreign to me that I have discounted the possibility that it actually happens.
[quote]DBCooper wrote:
[quote]overstand wrote:
Sort of related, but how many times have you guys been benching and some scrawny dude comes up and says "Nice bench, but my dad/brother/cousin/friend/friend’s dad/friend’s dad’s friend can bench 600 for reps? Happens to me atleast every other chest day.[/quote]
It’s happened to me about the same amount of times it’s happened to you. Never.[/quote]
It’s never really happened to me with bench, but I hear this bullshit with squat all the time. Every single person in the gym is seemingly one degree of separation from a 600-lb squatter, or worse, IS a 600-lb squatter. A friend of mine claimed a 585 squat when he was playing football in high school, while the other guy with him was willing to chop it down to 500 for a “full squat.” Mind you, the first guy doesn’t squat and in no reality was ever capable of 585, while the second guy struggles with 315 for reps and doesn’t even squat parallel.
You think I’m making that up? I’m not saying every guy that I talk to is trying to show me up, but there is definitely a bunch of these guys.
Could be because I work out at a college gym and there are a shitload of retarded kids running around, but I’ve gotten it back home from older guys too. Usually they tell me how much they used to lift when they were younger and before they got injured or quit playing D1 football. There’s ALOT of D1 football players at the gyms I go to, must be a mecca or something lol. Unfortunately they all got injured and now they look like shit.
I have had a trainer ask me how long I have been training for. I told him “for a while.” He then told me a I looked pretty good. One guy told me a squat a lot also. That is pretty much the only conversation I have had about my lifting. I never hear people talking shit. They probably do, but I never hear it. Then again, I have only been at a commercial gym for 6 months.
I think DB brings a spectacular point. I’ve been going to my gym for a few years now (moved back in the area) and have only received positive critique or genuine inquiry from guys I see on almost a daily basis, but I’ve NEVER even overheard anyone say anything retarded like has been mentioned in this thread.
Even when I lifted at the Strom in Columbia, SC (University of South Carolina’s student fitness center) I never overheard the bros say shit about anything I had to say.
With THAT being said, I’ve witnessed some pretty special people following some pretty special ideas in the pursuit of hawt abz. But, hey, whatever, let em.