Today I saw a guy in the squat rack doing dumbbell curls.
to remedy that just grab the empty olympic bar and smack him out of the rack with it!
there is no excuse for that at all. just ask him nicely to move for the sake of all that is good and sanct.
I’ve seen trainers in my gym having their clients curl in the squat rack. The one time I had to wait to use it. After they were done, I told the trainer “you know, that is a mortal sin.” He smiled at me, having no idea what I meant.
See GET THE F*CK OUTTA THE SQUAT RACK! for a discussion of this topic, including a graphical representation of how you should handle this situation!
Stand really close behind him. If he gets suspicious just say ‘hey man that’s a heavy weight i’ll spot you’
If he says no thanks just ignore him.
Then when he reaches the zenith of his curl, grab the bar with both hands and choke him the fuck out!
yeah i saw a guy doing upright rows when i wanted to squat, i jus informed him that i actually needed to use the rack and in all fairness he did move,
but i don’t understand the need for anyone to do aything in the rack other squat, barbell shrugs etc etc
I benched in a power rack this morning. Then I did bent rows in it. But if anyone needed to squat, I’d move.
My laugh for the morning was this pack of highschoolers. One of them had like a 10lb dumbell and was doing wrist curls. I don’t think he weighed over 100lbs. Wrist curls. LOL.
Aww Warhorse that was painful…
I too used to do wrist curls in high school before I was properly educated. It was supposedly in our program to help bat speed.
I’m used to seeing people curl with the barbell in the squat rack, it’s something I’ve learned to live with, but this guy got dumbbells from one side of the floor, walked about 100ft to the other side, took the bar off the squat rack, and started doing dumbbell curls inside it. I thought it was one of you playing on a joke on me, I’ve never seen that. My guess is that he heard about curling in the squat rack, and he even managed to do the wrong thing the wrong way.
I go to a 24hour fitness and see that all the time.
A few weeks ago I asked this guy if I could work in with him. Once he finished curling I just loaded the bar and started squating. Dude just got all confused and walked away.
I don’t find it a problem at all to curl on the squat rack. Do what is convenient, there’s no need to “deadlift” the weight up, as DJS said in the post that was linked to earlier, if you don’t want to (granted the weight you curl is much less than a deadlift weight, so the lift to curling position is by no means rigorous). If I see an empty gym with three open squat racks and a man is doing curls on one of them I don’t care at all. He finds that to be the best way to get his sets in, and it seems to me like a great way to curl. I don’t really curl on squat racks mainly because I like the EZ-Curl bar. If someone needs to squat, then the person curling should definitely move.
It’s like in the subway–if you are a 30 year old healthy male going down one stop it is fine to sit in the handicapped spots (as noted by the sign), but full priority should always be given to the handicapped or elderly. I feel it makes you more of a “pussy” to blatently do something prove your manhood, instead of doing something comfortable that does not comprimise your results. If I take the elevator up one floor, great. It’s trivial whether I take the stairs or not, but if I like the elevator I will take it. Some would say it’s “manly” to take the stairs, but it doesn’t matter, do whatever as long as it doesn’t comprimise something more important.
I don’t care if people curl on the squat rack, just as long as they know that squatting must be done on the rack, while curling can be done anywhere and they grant preference to squatters.
The problem isn’t the curling in the squat rack per se. The problem is the “I was here first” attitude so many squat rack curlers cop when someone needs to use the rack to perform exercises that cannot be done safely (or at all) anywhere else in the gym. Curl wherever the fuck you want, but be prepared to move graciously when someone else needs to use the rack for its intended purpose.
But this guy was curling in the squat rack with dumbbells. Dumbbells!! He’d do his curls, set them on the ground, lean on the rack, then knock another 7 sets. A barbell, ok, you can rack it in a squat rack, but dumbbells. Dumbells!!
LOL at the curling in the squat rack…
You guys (and gals) all know that 95% of gym goers are not hardcore or informed enough to know that certain racks are for certain exercises…
Unless the guy is taking up space doing pussy bicep curls and squashing your squat time let him go ahead and do his thing…
You’ve got better things to worry about than belittle the ignorant dude; spend the time doing an alternate exercise if you can. Focus on yourself.
They recently put those ab thingys that you tuck your elbows into on the squat rack! Before this, it was hardly ever used (besides me). I could take a nap in there, and it wouldn’t bother anyone!
The other day I let someone work in with me - I did aquats, he did abs.
The bottom line is that you can curl anywhere in the gym. You can only squat in the squat rack.
The problem is that you guys are ignorant, just like I used to be. Having lived in a beach town (with one squat rack) I now know the truth. Allow me to enlighten you…
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The squat rack is meant for safety and protection, true. BUT it’s for protection from the big guys in the gym! Bigger guys can be intimidating, and the strong steel cage provides a sense of security while performing bi curls.
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The rack can be used as a measure of how far back to lean during bi curls. If your upper body becomes parallel to the safety Barrs, you know you’re almost there.
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The squat rack also gives us the “Oh yeah, I’m bad!” attitude, because usually only the big badass guys use them for heavy weights (in magazines of course).
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The term “squat rack” is a misnomer, as it is NOT actually meant for squatting! It gets its name from the inventor; Johnny Squatinsky who was an avid biceps curler (and self proclaimed badass).
For those 5% of you who train legs, remember to use the leg press and leg extension machine -they’re safer and easier anyway!
I hope you have learned from the beach town workout logic, I know I certainly have!
Cheers!
It’s just a courtesy thing. Some people are new in the gym and just don’t know any better. You see the same thing when you go skiing, dumb ass knuckle draggers laying like seals in the most unsafe place you can find, right where they can’t be seen from above. They should know better but they don’t. Spraying 'em down with snow or bopping them with your poles (called jabbers by Texans) is an effective teaching tool.
The other day I was squatting in the power cage because the squat rack was being used when I got started. Some power lifters came in and the first thing I did was ask if they were going to need the power cage. They were doing deadlifts that day so I didn’t move until it was time to do my C&P and bent over rows but I would have if they’d have needed it. It’s not rocket surgery to be civil and courteous. Unless you’re a skier and some motherfucker on a snowboard it making a pop up target out of himself, then courtesy goes out the window. What the fuck are they going to do? Catch you? Not on those kiddie toys.
Just kidding about the knuckledraggers, BTW. Please don’t shit your knickers over it.
At least these jokers are lifting some weights in the power rack. My pet peeve is people who use the power rack area to stretch, yak on their cell phone while lounging in front of the rack, do wimp pushups on the pins, and exercise with those stretchy bands (and I don’t mean Jump Stretch bands). One time while I was resting between sets of box squats, some woman walked over and was eyeing my bar. I pointed at the bar and barked, “Box! Weights!” She told me I didn’t have to be so nasty about it. I should have asked her if she wanted to work in.
Dude 1: “What’re ya doing today?”
Dude 2: “Bench and curls”
Dude 1: “Oooh…you’re doing full body workouts now!”
If ya ain’t working Bis, ya ain’t one of the guys!