So yesterday I joined the student rec center at the D1 university where I’m beginning my medical residency. The weight room isn’t bad, as it has 3 power racks and 5 benches, dumbells up to 120, and lots of adjustable benches. And hot chicks galore. I mean EVERYWHERE, and the best part is 99% of them are 20-21sh.
Anyhow, I’d be a very average guy in a hardcore gym. Here I think I was the strongest guy there, easily. The place was packed with gym weenies working on their arms and hogging the Cybex machines. It truly was funny how everyone was staring at me as I did sets of 3 with 80 pounds on the dumbell snatch. Then I moved to the power rack and the stares intensified as I went all the way down with 315 on the squats for a few sets of 5. LOL
Seriously, I was laughing my ass off the whole way home. These guys were looking at me like I was the incredible hulk or something. It really opened my eyes as to how most people “workout”, if you can even call it that.
[quote]Joe84 wrote:
Ya it’s cool for a bit but it’s not much motivation in the long run, being around a bunch of weaklings. [/quote]
I always like being around people who motivate me.
The OP is interesting though, in that at my school I see a lot of guys doing higher numbers like that, although there are lots of people ‘working out’ too.
It is funny just how skinny the average guy is (or skinny fat).
Today I had some random jive talking emo telling me I had big ‘guns’. I’m not even that big. Most people seem to be emaciated and act like you are some sort of freak if you actually do some sort of physical excersize.
Same experience when I started training at the school where I did my MBA. It makes you laugh for sure.
Having said that, it DOES get old real quick. At least it did for me, tough to stay motivated in that kind of environment but that’s just me. Now I drive a fair bit to train and a place with platforms, boxes, sleds and an indoor pitch.
Difference though is that I’m at a tiny, rich, DII school full of Paris Hilton wannabes and little rich bastards. Some of the shit I have seen at the rec would make your head explode.
I saw guys playing catch with a med ball while sitting on swiss balls; one guy inevitably started to fall and took an 8lber right in the face. Another great one was a guy propping his video iPod on the J hooks of a power rack so he could watch a show and do curls at the same time. Stunning…
[quote]Joe84 wrote:
Ya it’s cool for a bit but it’s not much motivation in the long run, being around a bunch of weaklings. [/quote]
Specially if they go home with the 21 year old hot chick that they were on the treadmill running next to, while your tossing 80lb dumbbells in the air.
after a while you can become more like those guys than you think … they can inject you the idea that you have reached the superman level and that can actually make you stagnate - be satisfied with you current results and fool you into not trying to get better.
be careful, their life style is addictive. being lazy, drunk and having those chicks around could be misleading.
“Ultimate Ego Boost”???
Your starting to sound like those “weenies” and you will soon become one of them.
UNLESS
you bring a friend along that lifts more than you or starting lifting around/with the power lifting team(if they have one).
jeez, give the guy a break, he said it was nice, not that he was addicted to it.
I’ve gotten stronger in gyms where I was already the strongest one and I’ve gotten stronger in gyms where I was the weakest one. It’s not rocket science, bust your butt and you’ll get stronger no matter who’s around you
80lb DB in each hand for the Snatch or one hand? That would be pretty f0cking heavy for 2x DB 80lb Snatch!
I’m motivated as I train to put up bigger Oly numbers. Most gyms guys are not the guys wanting to put massive numbers up. They are wanting to get massive but avoiding all leg work or really half assing it and never get anywhere…
[quote]KBCThird wrote:
jeez, give the guy a break, he said it was nice, not that he was addicted to it.
I’ve gotten stronger in gyms where I was already the strongest one and I’ve gotten stronger in gyms where I was the weakest one. It’s not rocket science, bust your butt and you’ll get stronger no matter who’s around you[/quote]
Agreed.
While comparing yourself with the average guy in the gym isn’t a good idea, I don’t see any harm in noticing that you are far above what would be considered average with regard to strength and muscle mass.
If you have come a long way or at least made a decent amount of progress, why not take a second and appreciate what you have already achieved? It doesn’t rule out that you have ambitious goals for the future.
There is a lot to learn when training with the best and it is a great source of motivation. If someone becomes complacent, though, just because he happens to be the best at something in a given environment, I don’t think he has what it takes to make much progress in the first place.
[quote]subdivision wrote:
Joe84 wrote:
Ya it’s cool for a bit but it’s not much motivation in the long run, being around a bunch of weaklings.
I always like being around people who motivate me.
[/quote]
I agree as my gym is full of weenies. No one squats more than 220lbs. I have had a dislocated knee cap that required extensive knee surgery 3 months ago and am back squatting 300lbs after serious rehab.
So for motivation I just go through some warm up sprint drills along side a 15 year old 400 metre runner. She wants to make the Olympics and is so dedicated, hard working and focused it is refreshing.
[quote]sledge2 wrote:
Another great one was a guy propping his video iPod on the J hooks of a power rack so he could watch a show and do curls at the same time.[/quote]
[quote]KBCThird wrote:
jeez, give the guy a break, he said it was nice, not that he was addicted to it.
I’ve gotten stronger in gyms where I was already the strongest one and I’ve gotten stronger in gyms where I was the weakest one. It’s not rocket science, bust your butt and you’ll get stronger no matter who’s around you[/quote]
Yeah, but it’s harder to stay motivated nonetheless. I’ve been at the same uni gym since I started lifting as a frosh in college. I used to make myself think the big guys were laughing at me; made me get angry, great motivation to get stronger.
Now, I know nobody’s laughing at me because I’m stronger than most of them on everything but bench (a couple exceptions). It makes it hard to drive yourself the extra mile. Especially if you’ve never had a training partner.
[quote]Airtruth wrote:
Joe84 wrote:
Ya it’s cool for a bit but it’s not much motivation in the long run, being around a bunch of weaklings.
Specially if they go home with the 21 year old hot chick that they were on the treadmill running next to, while your tossing 80lb dumbbells in the air.[/quote]
F*ck 'em. I personally am not at the gym to pick up chicks. I’ve got the other 22 hours of the day to do that.
