Is it just me or is the dedicated lifter being pushed aside in the weight room /studio for a new breed of wannabee athlete. These supposed “athletes” infiltrate gyms, congregate at the fountains and continually tighten and re tighten their new workout gloves that mind you never actually touch any weights.
Are other people being victimized by gyms removing squat racks, benches and dumbbells over 100lbs in favor of pretty biceps machines, extra bosu balls, and large mat areas meant for stretching but are mainly used to take naps between non-existent sets and reps… I workout in Ontario and would love to find a traditional gym focusing on LIFTING and SWEATING and EFFORT not shiny new machines that appear to belong in a museum behind a velvety rope.
The straw that broke the proverbial camels back occurred today when my gym hosted a themed event for new members to co-mingle at said fountains and napping areas. Post workout drinks and snacks included cappuccinos, espressos apple juice, white bagels with sugary jam and peanut butter. WHAT IS GOING ON???
Just my daily Rant…
Thanks my first post would love to hear any fellow lifters encounters with the unmotivated and ways to avoid them.
Saying you’re ‘victimized by your gym’ makes you sound like a bitch.
I don’t care about what other people choose to do with their time while I’m at the gym. I put my hat and headphones on and go to work.
In my experience, the people that come to the gym and do stupid shit last for two months tops and then disappear. Getting worked up and stressed out over fools at your gym is a waste of your time. And you can expect to find dozens of these types at any commercial gym these days so you might as well get used to it.
Letting outsiders influence your progress is weak.
Last month, my gym had a complimentary buffet catered by a greasy Italian restaurant, so i know what you’re talking about. It’s ridiculous and completely hypocritical on the gym’s part.
i do understand what the op is trying to get across. at my local gym it is serious about training etc. but i c these wanna b fa**ots that come in with 4 of there mates and *uck around using each machine for a minimum of 20min, they also use this 20 minutes primaraly to chat about guys they rooted on the weekend lol.
ok well i dont eves drop but thats what you would think they would be talking about. then they come and talk to you after your finished training as if they know you and tell you how hard they have been training and how much strength gains theyre making.
then when i think back to when they were training and not a bede of sweat will drip, not a sign of angst on there face, not one bulging vein on there whole body, not nearly training to failure… this infuriates me and makes me want to spear one of those pussy teenebobber f*ck stains with an olympic bar(spartan style) through the chest, then tell them next time go to the aerobics class, which is made for sissy’s, and spit on there face.
a conclusion to this is whenever you see 4 or 5 scrawny cum drinking f*cks, spear them in the face with an olympic bar…
Can’t you just ignore them? You know, crank the ipod up and just not pay any attention to them. If they are taking up space at something you need, just ask how many sets do they have left. If there is a lot left, tell, don’t ask, them you will be working in with them.
I know it pisses you off, but the gym is there to make money not to provide you with a great place to train. Think about it this way. A gym doesn’t truly want meat heads. It intimidates potential customers. They don’t really want you to show up. You wear out the equipment.
Once you realize that, you will be fine. The clientele you are talking about is in constant flux. If you are lucky, you will find 5 maybe 10 people that actually have a clue.
Yes, gyms earn money by selling memberships (space) to people who will not use it. If they sold space only to people who showed up consistently to work out, they’d have to charge thousands of dollars a month.
So the constant influx of people who don’t know what they’re doing pay your way.
[quote]hoosegow wrote:
Can’t you just ignore them? You know, crank the ipod up and just not pay any attention to them. If they are taking up space at something you need, just ask how many sets do they have left. If there is a lot left, tell, don’t ask, them you will be working in with them.
I know it pisses you off, but the gym is there to make money not to provide you with a great place to train. Think about it this way. A gym doesn’t truly want meat heads. It intimidates potential customers. They don’t really want you to show up. You wear out the equipment. Once you realize that, you will be fine. The clientele you are talking about is in constant flux. If you are lucky, you will find 5 maybe 10 people that actually have a clue.[/quote]
Good post. Turn up the headphones - Use the toolbags as motivation to bust your ass harder. Better yet - keep your shit focused on your workout and don’t worry about them. Unless you’re lifting at Westside, I doubt you’re ever really going to find that TRUE hardcore gym you want.
I really could give a damn less about who’s in the gym doing what - as long as it doesn’t directly affect my workout or the exercise selection that I have chosen for the day. I generally try to keep my head down and thoughts on what’s coming next.
[quote]SSC wrote:
hoosegow wrote:
Can’t you just ignore them? You know, crank the ipod up and just not pay any attention to them. If they are taking up space at something you need, just ask how many sets do they have left. If there is a lot left, tell, don’t ask, them you will be working in with them.
I know it pisses you off, but the gym is there to make money not to provide you with a great place to train. Think about it this way. A gym doesn’t truly want meat heads. It intimidates potential customers. They don’t really want you to show up. You wear out the equipment. Once you realize that, you will be fine. The clientele you are talking about is in constant flux. If you are lucky, you will find 5 maybe 10 people that actually have a clue.
Good post. Turn up the headphones - Use the toolbags as motivation to bust your ass harder. Better yet - keep your shit focused on your workout and don’t worry about them. Unless you’re lifting at Westside, I doubt you’re ever really going to find that TRUE hardcore gym you want.
I really could give a damn less about who’s in the gym doing what - as long as it doesn’t directly affect my workout or the exercise selection that I have chosen for the day. I generally try to keep my head down and thoughts on what’s coming next.[/quote]
i honestly dont mind people that come in and train by themselves and even if they dont know what theyr doing i dont really care. its just people who bring 4 mates along and hog machines etc etc etc. and its not like i dont understand marketing and sales, these people pay one off visit or 3 month trial memberships, and you compare that to people who pay $600 a year… every year. then times that by about 500. not only do gyms need people to be addicted to training so they pay there loyal membership each year but the gym needs people that are getting results to suck these people in. and what gyms hope for is that these 3monthers do turn into gym junkie’s, and then pay there membership every year.
so im guessing no one is with me on spearing anyone spartan style… what a shame
What gym are you at? I just moved to Goodlife. It is overflowing with idiots but at the same time, they have tons of great equipment. It’s the first one I’ve been at that has 3 racks.
[quote]-Tiberius- wrote:
Why would they get rid of squat racks if they are trying to be athletes?[/quote]
These wannabees don’t get to me and you are all right the brim is pulled low the Ipod is cranked loud to ignore these clowns. However the gym scene is making a change towards low impact low effort means of making unmotivated, overweight or gutless people feel good about mediocrity. Mediocrity in the gym is disgusting if your not trying to improve yourself your wasting your time and my space.
My gym, though I’m not certain as to it’s square footage, is huge. We have one, count 'em, one squat rack. However, it is typically empty so that’s a plus. Here is part of their creed…
“…there is no pressure or intimidation. There are no hardcore lifters or prima donnas…”
They also have a cardio cinema, a movie theatre packed with cardio machines, I’m not kidding. My employer pays for our memberships so it ain’t all that bad, especially the womenz.
[quote]EmilyQ wrote:
Yes, gyms earn money by selling memberships (space) to people who will not use it. If they sold space only to people who showed up consistently to work out, they’d have to charge thousands of dollars a month.
So the constant influx of people who don’t know what they’re doing pay your way.[/quote]
Exactly. I for one am perfectly happy that my membership is voluntarily subsidized by these people.
I pay $20 per month and use the gym regularly. Not only do I use the equipment, but I shower there 4-6 times a week as well. If everyone used the facilities as much as some of us here, the gym would be overflowing and probably more expensive.
I’m sure there must be loads of people who pay membership fees but never show up.
So, I am personally thankful for every person that shows up once or twice.
Where in Ontario are you? I know several good gyms there.
Gyms are a business. Housewives and corporate guys who workout 2-3x a week on the elliptical, drink a kale/banana/faggleberry smoothie afterwards and introduce a bunch of friends who want to “tone up their bye-bye arms” pay the bills more than the gorilla in Zubaz pants hammering out deadlifts and generating chalk dust in the power-rack.
Heavy lifters/bodybuilders are a subculture. You can’t expect every gym to cater to them.
For the life of me, though, I don’t know whats so bad about Goodlife/24 Hour Fitness/etc. I’ve never had a bad experience at one. They’re clean, most of the weight equipment is unused, and despite some of the posts I’ve seen here nobody has kicked me out for squatting.