Hello everyone. I had a little incident down at the gym that I work out at tonight, and I’m pretty steamed. Today was chest/tris, I train alone so I always bench in one of the power racks. Best spotter I ever had. Anyway these two guys come down…one is a really nice guy that I kind of know and the other is the local “meathead” that everyone hates. Guy is on juice but he’s so clueless about form and whatnot you can’t even tell. Anyway I’m conversing briefly with the guy I know and the meathead comes up and says,“How much longer you gonna be using the rack?” I told him about ten minutes, and he said,“TEN MINUTES?” Can’t you do that somewhere else? What’s wrong with that bench over there?" pointing to an empty bench. Now when I arrived at the gym there were no olympic benches available anyway, but that’s beside the point.
He then said, “We want to do legs and it would be kinda nice if you moved.” Now I’ve seen this idiot’s version of training legs…loading up the bar with 5 plates on the squat and goes down literally about 3-4 inches. I was pretty irritated, but I politely said OK and the other guy helped me move my weights to the free bench. As my workout went on, I got madder and madder. I am generally a very peaceful person who HATES conflict. The guy is a lot bigger than me, and regardless of what would’ve happened I would’ve been thrown out of the gym for good if something broke out. Now I understand that it’s pretty lame to be using a rack for something like curls or whatever, but I really don’t feel I was in the wrong? Should I have stood up for myself? What are your thoughts? Thanks for listening.
Don’t sweat it. Thats the kinda thing that would piss me off too but, if you stop and look at the situation for what it is, the meathead is stupid and everyone that was there knows it. Next time I would tell hime to go warm up or practice his technique in the mirror. Finish your workout when your ready!
You were also wrong. 10 mins for pressing (or anything) is way too much. 3 sets = 4-5 mins max. I can do a whole 5x5 in 6 mins. You go to a public gym, don’t hog the equipment.
NO ACTUALLY… 10 min is pretty accurate. 5x5 in 6 min, you’re joking right? What do you rest? 10 sec. between sets. Do ya think resting between sets would be a good idea. To original ‘poster’… the meathead guy at the gym… his name wasn’t Greg, was it?
Fuck that! I know I hate when I want to do squats and there is a guy doing curls onthe rack, but he was there first, and who the hell am I to encroch upon his workout. So I do some stretched and wait. Next time tell that asshole that he can wait until you are done.
Greg, c’mon buddy. You don’t even know his training regimine, how many sets he was doing, or anything at all about the workout. Who in the hell ever said that you shouldn’t take more than six minutes on one piece of equipment? Good on ya if you can do 5X5 in six minutes, not everybody trains that way, especially not all the time.
Anyway, don't sweat it Teddy. It wasn't your fault that you needed the rack for a spotter, and it really wasn't all that inappropriate of him either to ask you to go to the bench if he needed to squat there, as long as he did it politely. It sounds like he didn't. But you were the better man by being cordial about the situation. A T-man would laugh it off...
what you should have done is been like “alright bro, i’ll let you have the rack, as long as you promise to do 2 full sets of below parralell squats [and had you and your friend watch and tell him when he was below parralel]. Don’t do any of that pussy shit that you normally do.” That’s what i would probably have said, depending on the circumstance.
I’m on your side!! funny thing is there was a thread on here not that long ago about people useing equipment too long or when people don’t think they need it and most of the people were on the side of “get them out of there”. me, I’m on your side, If I say 10min I MEAN 10 MIN. peace
When he asked what was wrong with the empty bench over there, you should have said…“I need to use the power rack because I don’t have a spotter…but you look strong…if you spot me, I’ll move over there to that bench.” And then when he looked at his friends as if to say, “is this guy fucking kidding me?”, you could have picked up a ten-pound plate and smacked him across the face with it. After that, you would have grabbed an Olympic bar and started jamming it down his throat while you wrapped the nearest cables around his neck and hung him from his nutsack on the pull-up bar.
Woah, sorry…your story got me pissed and since it seemed like you were taking the logical approach, I figured I would vent some steam for you.
I have to agree with Greg… I run a downtown gym and we have one power rack, one squat rack and several benches with suports. You’re asking to dominate the power rack in a method only one with a home gym can behave. The method of asking may have been less than desireable but i often ask guys to go curl elsewhere than my bench press, or shrug elsewhere. There’s only a few spots you can squat.
My I suggest that this technique you prefer to bench in, points to training when the gym is quieter ?
I also use the power rack for bench and fully agree that it is the best spotter. I bet TC would agree too after his pec tear…
The only thing you did wrong was move. By giving in to morons you only condition them to go on being morons. And if you are taking long rests between sets (as you should when using high intensity low rep schemes) it can take a while. When I do 5x5 I take a rack for 20 minutes.
Greg, you’re wrong. It’s that simple. What if Teddy KGB was doing GVT? What if he was extending rest periods (even with sets of 2 reps) for better neural recouperation? Take a look at how long some (successful) power lifters linger around some benches while doing pressing exercises, ages… Not having a go, just pointing this out. Cheers.
I usually offer to let someone work in with me. But yesterday, there was a dude doing curls in the power rack. Luckily, we have two cages. And Greg, some of us like to rest 2-3 minutes 'tween sets, depending on how many reps we do.
Thanks for your responses, guys. For what it’s worth, I am working in a rep range of 1-5. If there would’ve been a bench open when I got there, I would’ve likely used it and just asked for a spot. I am also the first one to ask if someone would like to work in if I see them waiting to use equipment so with all due respect, I don’t take too kindly to being called an equipment hog. The thing is…if this guy would’ve had a clue on training he would’ve stretched and warmed up, and by that time I would’ve been done; however, he just walks in and starts his “work sets.” I can’t wait for the day that he seriously injures himself. You also have to know this guy to fully appreciate the situation. I have heard him on numerous occasions claim down there that that is “his gym.” I really liked the post about the “parallel squat” challenge. I actually thought about that later.
That warming up prevents injuries is a myth that should have died long ago – with the release of that one study that showed athletes who warmed up prior to running actually had MORE injuries than athletes who did not. From an evolutionary perspective it does not make sense that humans would have to warm up before exerting themselves. End of story.
As for the topic of this thread, 10 minutes really IS too long. I try not to spend more than 5 minutes at any piece of equipment, unless I have the gym to myself. That said, if someone does come up and try to muscle you out of your equipment, you shouldn’t back down, that will only encourage their behavior. Just tell them to go fuck themselves. That’s what T-Man would do. Of course, he’s probably a lot bigger than you are.
my god dude, u left and moved!!!, nobody but nobody would ever make me move. If that meathead ask me to move, i would say, nah, i don’t think so. as long as ur working on that peice of equipment, its urs, not his,its urs till ur done with it. I also do alot of exercises in the powerrack. i do tons of benches, close grips and even military presses. You should have told him to go f"""ck himself. i do beleive in a pecking order in the gym, i beleive that smaller dudes should never ever ask a bigger guy, if hes almost done, hes done when hes done, period. but, i also don’t beleive a bigger guy should bully people either.
Warming up is a myth ??? Why don’t you try to applying little common sense. Walk into the gym and jump right in with a maximum effort. See what happens.
Was he wearing “clown pants”? I don’t want to offend anybody here, but those fat motherfuckers in clown pants are the real problem. The walk in, in two’s or three’s with their gallon jug of water. Trying to be intimidating to everyone.
One of lifes greater pleasures for me is when my leg day coincides with a clown. I’m not a big person 5’10 210, and I can really embarass the clowns when its time to squat. Wrapping they’re knees struggling to get 365, yelling, splashing water around between sets. Just set up next to them and embarrass them teddy - down with the clowns!
I heard that, Thrower. Not only clown pants, but he also wears one of those string tank-tops every time. Thing is, I know I could outsquat him, and I’m talking ass-to-grass w. a slow eccentric. He’s about 6’2, 220 or so and I’m a runt @ 5’7, 171 although that is 8 lbs. up since I started Massive Eating a couple weeks ago. That would absolutely just SHATTER his ego. Better yet, I would love to run into him on deadlift day. This guy irritates the shit out of me as well as many others down there. He’s always checking himself out in the mirror and he screams and groans on every set and then he literally throws weights down. His day is coming…thanks for the inspiration, people.