Read this.
[quote]tedro wrote:
Tex Ag wrote:
I agree with if you can pick it up, you can put it down idea. And yeah, it came from working in a gym. I think the idea of setting the weight down gently (newborn style) was hyperbole. If this is what you are getting defensive over, well, it is over blown. Setting the weights down with control is far more reasonable goal.
One flat bench, if you can press it up on your last rep, bring your hands close with the DBs inline with your body, and lower them with kinda bent arm so the DBs land on your thighs and you are sitting up. Then you can set them to the side.
On decline, if it is heavy you are going to drop them, but you are close to the ground.
tedro, you are bigger than me but I can handle the 120s so I imagine you could as well.
If you can manage to set the weights on your thighs while lying on your back, and then do a complete situp, then you are not lifting near heavy enough. At 172 lbs., I have a very difficult time believing that you can do this with 120 lbs. in each hand.
Question though: for those who do drop them, what do you do when you cannot complete the rep? Do you bring the DB down towards your chest and lay it off or do you just drop the weight?
Concentric failure has no effect. If I can’t complete the rep, I can still lower the weight down to my body under control. Then it is just a matter of turning them inline, and dropping them so that they land flat on their ends.
[/quote]
I can handle up to 125 on my power blocks like that. They don’t go any higher so I"ve never tried more. I just do different exercises with a br. I weigh 200 lbs at 5’7" btw. I don’t buy that you’re not lifting heavy enough stuff. There’s also the thing called spotters. I’ve had guys hand me one dumbell while lying on the flat bench. I get one dumbell in position, lay back, and let my spotter hand me the other. I do the reps, when done, he takes on while I hold the other on the chest and sit up.
guys, you’re all wrong, Prof. X is always right 
you’re not doing 150s like he said, 125 lb DBs are for wimps
sorry X, I had to, you make a lot of good point, and I can see your side on this, but you never seem to see other people’s views on a subject, kind of close minded actually.
I only have enough dumbell weight to bench with one at a time(the screwy on kind), but if i had to drop them i would set up over the dirt so it didnt break.
Hmmm, i think this isn’t really contributing, more of a lateral move.
I would imagine that the wear and tear if people only dropped them from chest level is pretty negligable. But when you get asshats dropping them from 2’ or ihgher it gets bad
Lol. Power Blocks.
[quote]Fulmen wrote:
Lol. Power Blocks. [/quote]
what’s wrong with PBs? they’re great for those that have a home gym.
The amusing thing here is that I am certain that Planet Fitness does not bar dropping weights for the reason of maintaining their weight set, but rather for keeping certain people comfortable lifting weights without being intimidated by “lunks.”
To those here that really believe lowering a weight is the same as picking it up–I suggest you actually try to do a bench press with dumbells and then report back to us.
And as for the gym being unhappy with people dropping weights, so what? Replacing weights from time to time should be an operating cost worked into my membership fee. I’m not saying that I will be careless with the equipment, but honestly here, if I am pushing myself to the limit at the gym (which is what a gym is for, isn’t it?) there will be times when I have to get rough with the weights. Big deal. Buy a few new weights when they start to break. It’s a cost of running a gym.
I also agree though that only certain people should actually be dropping weights (Prof X, go right ahead with those 150 pounders). I usually use 60s or 70s and if I have to “roughly” lower the weight (some would call this dropping) and I only drop it from a foot off the floor, is that really dropping it? I doubt that will have a significant detrimental effect on the weight’s durability.
[quote]Professor X wrote:
tom63 wrote:
You don’t have to drop dumbells. I have power blocks and would break the crap out of them very quickly if I dropped them from bench level. I just do the thigh stand and sit up thing.
People always treat other’s stuff a lot worse than their stuff.
The most expensive set of Powerblocks goes up to only 130lbs, and that’s if you expand them. Again, I wonder how many people who actually lift heavy weights and are actually making a lot of progress are placing weights on the floor that gently.
Again, no one is talking about drop kicking some weights or tossing them from a height of 3 stories up.
[/quote]
Like Ronnie Coleman style. “Watch out Mitch” hahaah
Wow: Planet fitness - YouTube
and more wow: Don't Grunt in Planet Fitness! - YouTube
[quote]JGrex1 wrote:
To those here that really believe lowering a weight is the same as picking it up–I suggest you actually try to do a bench press with dumbells and then report back to us.
And as for the gym being unhappy with people dropping weights, so what? Replacing weights from time to time should be an operating cost worked into my membership fee. I’m not saying that I will be careless with the equipment, but honestly here, if I am pushing myself to the limit at the gym (which is what a gym is for, isn’t it?) there will be times when I have to get rough with the weights. Big deal. Buy a few new weights when they start to break. It’s a cost of running a gym.
I also agree though that only certain people should actually be dropping weights (Prof X, go right ahead with those 150 pounders). I usually use 60s or 70s and if I have to “roughly” lower the weight (some would call this dropping) and I only drop it from a foot off the floor, is that really dropping it? I doubt that will have a significant detrimental effect on the weight’s durability.
[/quote]
I am sure I have picked up more DBs than you in your 1.5 years experience.
The idea that you should be allowed to break equipment is entirely selfish and immature. Consider this, do you want your workouts to be limited because there a DBs missing? If not, quit doing stuff that leads to breaking them. And yes, dropping DBs, especially at an angle which is common, does do damage to the DBs. This has been explained earlier in the thread. There is always going to be some wear and tear, but that is different than abusive behavior.
I am sure those who are against dropping weights understand it is going to happen every once and awhile. But if you are doing under 100 lbs that should be extremely rare. Control your weight.
I use a spotter when I go heavy on DBs and stop when the spotter has to help with a lift–so I stop with straight arms. It takes very little effort to turn my wrists do the DBs are parallel and let them fall towards my thighs which lifts my torso up. Give it a try and see just how difficult it is. I cannot see how this is not safer for your shoulders than the other method. If you use a spotter, make sure they are not leaning over you when you pop up.
When I travel, every now and again I have to go to gyms like this. It makes you thankful for the “old school” gyms (places where if you even mention the words “elliptical machine” or “bosu ball”…theres a chance you might get your ass kicked).
Its always a bad sign when you walk in the door and see that the ratio of machines/cardio equipment to free weights is about 2 to 1, or worse.
Oops…I think I just set off the lunk alarm.
[quote]Hussayn wrote:
Wow: Planet fitness - YouTube
and more wow: Don't Grunt in Planet Fitness! - YouTube
[/quote]
WTF??!!
EDIT: It seems that planet fitness markets mainly to out of shape people that want to get into shape. However, instead of helping their customers reach their goals planet fitness preys on their insecurities.
I know that every time I’ve seen someone bigger, stronger, or in better shape than me I’ve used that as motivation.
The “judgment free zone” is like a farce. Almost all of the bigger guys that I’ve seen or trained around mind their own business in the gym and do not judge beginners.
[quote]Ujjay wrote:
Read this.[/quote]
This is one of the most well-written things I have ever read in my life. This article basically puts all of our [T-Nation’s] thoughts into really elegant and poetic paragraph form, all the while keeping the balls and pissed-offedness in the context. Brilliant.
Also, here’s a quote from one of the comments about the article from a member that I thought was great:
“In a society that rewards physical and intellectual mediocrity, the shitty majority is determined to ruin everything. They’ve taken our schools and government. Now they want our fucking gyms? Horrible. We can all stuff garbage down our throats, do a couple sets of lazy curls, use the Butt Blaster for 15 minutes, and then whine about genetics and societal ideals.”
-dizzle
between this and the Masculinity Coalition and the controversey surrounding it im seriously thinking there needs to be some type of testosterone fuled revolution to save us from this de-evolution. everyone needs to do their part in “manning the fuck up”. i love how people try to talk shit because i drink a gallon of milk at work. its always by someone is out of shape. im tired of these soy-boy estrogenic fucks. im tired of feminist twats. you are not man, you are not human.
Luckily I hang around football players and my school gym has 8 power racks and 8 boxes for olympic lifts. All programs used in weight training class have to have bench, squat, and clean.
And i loved how they used the multi-lift machine as the name for the smith machine and the guy thinking he was very strong for squatting 500 pounds on the smith machine, even his demonstration was not even close to parallel. Although, that was gay how he got kicked out.
[quote]LiveFromThe781 wrote:
between this and the Masculinity Coalition and the controversey surrounding it im seriously thinking there needs to be some type of testosterone fuled revolution to save us from this de-evolution. everyone needs to do their part in “manning the fuck up”. i love how people try to talk shit because i drink a gallon of milk at work. its always by someone is out of shape. im tired of these soy-boy estrogenic fucks. im tired of feminist twats. you are not man, you are not human.[/quote]
Just bide your time. Once you’re doing it long enough and you’re big and strong enough, they won’t say anything.
[quote]kingdpt wrote:
Hussayn wrote:
Wow: Planet fitness - YouTube
and more wow: Don't Grunt in Planet Fitness! - YouTube
WTF??!!
EDIT: It seems that planet fitness markets mainly to out of shape people that want to get into shape. However, instead of helping their customers reach their goals planet fitness preys on their insecurities.
I know that every time I’ve seen someone bigger, stronger, or in better shape than me I’ve used that as motivation.
The “judgment free zone” is like a farce. Almost all of the bigger guys that I’ve seen or trained around mind their own business in the gym and do not judge beginners.[/quote]
True, like I even notice beginners. I’ll help someone struggling or point out a technique flaw in a helpful manner. I’ve never had a problem because I’m a chiropractor and I can go with the be safe angle and I’m usually a lot stronger than them.
I’m always polite to anyone in the gym since they might mean future business for me. I think it’s the out of shape crowd that needs their ego stroked that came up with this stupid idea.
Do you think I worry about what someone thinks of me while lifting? No. But every woman that talks to me about going to the gym whines about how uncomfortable and self conscious they’ll be.
Of course they’re never self conscious when they’re blowing down Krispy Kremes. I think most are just plain lazy.
[quote]Tex Ag wrote:
JGrex1 wrote:
To those here that really believe lowering a weight is the same as picking it up–I suggest you actually try to do a bench press with dumbells and then report back to us.
And as for the gym being unhappy with people dropping weights, so what? Replacing weights from time to time should be an operating cost worked into my membership fee. I’m not saying that I will be careless with the equipment, but honestly here, if I am pushing myself to the limit at the gym (which is what a gym is for, isn’t it?) there will be times when I have to get rough with the weights. Big deal. Buy a few new weights when they start to break. It’s a cost of running a gym.
I also agree though that only certain people should actually be dropping weights (Prof X, go right ahead with those 150 pounders). I usually use 60s or 70s and if I have to “roughly” lower the weight (some would call this dropping) and I only drop it from a foot off the floor, is that really dropping it? I doubt that will have a significant detrimental effect on the weight’s durability.
I am sure I have picked up more DBs than you in your 1.5 years experience.
The idea that you should be allowed to break equipment is entirely selfish and immature. Consider this, do you want your workouts to be limited because there a DBs missing? If not, quit doing stuff that leads to breaking them. And yes, dropping DBs, especially at an angle which is common, does do damage to the DBs. This has been explained earlier in the thread. There is always going to be some wear and tear, but that is different than abusive behavior.
I am sure those who are against dropping weights understand it is going to happen every once and awhile. But if you are doing under 100 lbs that should be extremely rare. Control your weight.
I use a spotter when I go heavy on DBs and stop when the spotter has to help with a lift–so I stop with straight arms. It takes very little effort to turn my wrists do the DBs are parallel and let them fall towards my thighs which lifts my torso up. Give it a try and see just how difficult it is. I cannot see how this is not safer for your shoulders than the other method. If you use a spotter, make sure they are not leaning over you when you pop up.
[/quote]
Exactly. Just by pure physics, 100 lb+ dumbells will take more abuse by being dropped than 25 pounders. It’s not like the handle is 3-4 times thicker.
[quote]jehovasfitness wrote:
guys, you’re all wrong, Prof. X is always right
you’re not doing 150s like he said, 125 lb DBs are for wimps
sorry X, I had to, you make a lot of good point, and I can see your side on this, but you never seem to see other people’s views on a subject, kind of close minded actually.
[/quote]
The difference is guys lifting at a gym and owning a gym or in my case over 20,000.00 of equipment bought in the last 15 years. I be plenty pissed if some clown was dropping my dumbells. Of course he would never lift with me again or buy me some new stuff.
And there was a great point made about spotters. If you are so concerned about your shoulder health, you should be using spotters. Flaring out wide on dumbell benches is a great way to lose control and beat the shit out of your shoulders. a spotter can save a disaster.
And they can help you get the weight in position. And help you after your set is done. Without dropping stuff.