Gym Idiots !

[old] SimonB · Post by **[old] SimonB** » December 21st, 2004, 1:50 pm

That's an amusing story Byron. I have to admit I do thing with my wife, but this time on a mountain bike I guess it's the devil in all of us, including the folks that go to the gym.

[old] Thomas · Post by **[old] Thomas** » December 21st, 2004, 11:57 pm

I try to erg at the gym about once a week and sometimes it is more often. One of my goals in rowing at the gym is to create interest. Not to many people row at my gym, so I get on there and train to advertise in some way. My goal is to introduce one friend a month to the rowing machine to create interest. The session is usually 8 x 500 meters with 3 mintues or so of rest. The interval session allows them to see how I row, for me to see how they row, and to critique them while they row. The interval session also allows for them not to get discouraged. I am always drenched in sweat after any session I do. I haven't had anyone confront me in a negative manner, but instead I have sensed a sense of respect for working so hard. It would be apparent for anyone just looking at me that I was at the gym to work. I usually lift weights as well. I remember this one f+&$in' gang-banger who was real loud both in his macho mannerisms and in his abrupt vocaliness. The piece of sh*t loads the bar with 225 pounds (100 kilos) for bench press, walks around acknowledging his other loser f&%*in' gang-banger friends, sits on the bench for about 30-seconds, stands back up, and takes off two of the 45-pound plates. Then, someone asked him if he wanted a spot to which he replied, "Nah." His sits back down for about 30 seconds, stands up, and walks off. What a piece of crap. I told my friend, who I was working out with at that moment, that I really wanted to tell macho boy (the dirt-bag was about 27 years old), "Hey, I saw what you did . . . and yeah, sitting on the bench doesn't count as having done the weight." This guy is the same type of person who shows no one any courtesy by making it a point to walk as close as possible to them when they are moving weight, doing pull-ups, rowing, or whatever. I had another macho gang-banger type brush my right arm while I was doing cable rows. He walked between me and a stationary bench just because the macho male women-breasted gang-banger piece of sh*t just wanted to. These type of incidents occur about once every six months, which is not too often, but often enough that I can remember the details. The problem with going to the gym is that guys who are there to impress women are not really lifting to impress women but are instead inadvertently lifting to fend off the other males. Something I read along time ago is that when guys go to the gym, they lift muscle groups like arms because it is the most visible muscle group to other males when they should be lifting chest and legs which is more appreciated by women, so goes the article. Also, the type of group at the gym is sometimes dictated by the personality of the hour be it early in the morning, in the afternoon, after 5 PM, or after 10 PM.

[old] neilb · Post by **[old] neilb** » December 22nd, 2004, 7:41 am

Jus, Great thread and a light hearted way to start the holiday break. I trained weights quite a lot with a guy who was a serious powerlifter and he was also a personal trainer who actually knew what he was talking about. He freely acknowledged that whilst he could lift heavier than me my cv capability just blew him away. He could not stand the guys you refer to and his words of wisdom were; 1. The guy with massive arms and tracksuits bottoms on - he got "chickens legs" 2. There is always someone who is stronger/fitter/faster but no one can better perfect technique. 3. It is no good trying to tell the jerks where they are going wrong! 4. You are here to train for and compete against yourself. Concentrate on what you are doing and ignore others. 5. The old styl gyms are the best. The problem I find is that the people with crap technique distract me as they clank the chain against the monitor, the slide or even both! The solution - row your own race and leave them wondering how it is that you can be rowing 500m twice as fast whilst moving half as quickly.

[old] jamesg · Post by **[old] jamesg** » December 22nd, 2004, 9:40 am

At least people who go to gyms have to do something.. but what about the crowd round a pool? I saw a Japanese warm up for ½h, then when he went in, he sank. And those that wear shades (sunglasses) while swimming? Or swim a length and take a rest? They're better than those that don't seem to notice there's water in there.. Let's be clear about this - the tough nuts like us that can swim a mile or row a 10k before breakfast are few and far between. There's no obligation these days to chase your dinner all day across the savannah, pampa, bush or veldt. Which brings me to the point, what do we do it for, who are the wise guys? There's a lot at stake and any attempt is a good one - and the light is best seen sooner rather than later. A friend of mine age 48 in the uk played a game of soccer last Saturday, type married vs bachelors, branch office vs central. During the game he died of a heart attack.

[old] jus gray · Post by **[old] jus gray** » December 22nd, 2004, 10:04 am

Thanks neilb. Sorry to hear about your friend jamesg, brings back the old song by Ronan Keating - "Living each day as if it`s your last, dancing all night and having a blast." All the best everyone.

[old] johnnybike · Post by **[old] johnnybike** » December 22nd, 2004, 11:42 am

</div><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td class='genmed'>QUOTE (DIESEL @ Dec 20 2004, 02:32 PM)</td></tr><tr><td class='quote'>the people who erg with their palms facing up because it works their "biceps".  </td></tr></table> Alright, I'll fall for it. Does holding the handle palms up not work a different set of muscles than those worked when holding the handle palm down? From your comment I suspect not, but to the unitiated like me it certainly feels different. Maybe because I only ever do it when warming down John

[old] DIESEL · Post by **[old] DIESEL** » December 22nd, 2004, 12:01 pm

Thomas - about your 'gangbanger' friends.. if one of them steps to you - seriously stop what you are doing and call them out. A stern "Hey!" works wonders. Stand up to that punk. You'll soon notice no one will mess with you again in the gym. I did that to this one guy who walked right behind me as I was in the middle of a 455 lb. deadlift. And he was with a "trainer" - I literally dropped the weight (which of course was very, very loud) and screamed at both them. "What the fuck is the matter with you? - can't you see I'm working? You never, EVER do that !" The gym just stopped for a moment with the sound of the weights crashing and my outburst. They were so embarassed, that dude actively avoided me for a good 3 months after that. Don't be afraid to show your "pimp hand" as the slang goes - you'll be respected for it - and people will stay out of your way when you work out. About most people I see at the gym: I don't know why most go. I secretly suspect that most people don't really like to work out.... it's more an obligation, yet another chore on their 'to do' list for the day. The absolute lack of PASSION with which most people approach their training - I find rather pathetic. I mean - seriously, if you don't like it, why are you doing it? This is why you see so much of the crap you see in gyms. I also suspect that with a lot of the guys it's a way for people to work out their insecurities... I also notice that most people are afraid to work hard - this is why people that are super fit looking are so rare. This is why you see the meatheads with the big chest and big arms but no back and chicken legs - why? Squats hurt. Deadlifts hurt. Bent-over rows hurt. Pull-ups hurt. Clean and Jerks hurt. Bench Press and Curls are a joke compared to those exercises. This is why the ergs collect dust. why? of course, when done correctly - rowing HURTS. But to me, it's an exquisite pain - the pain of me pushing my boundaries - expanding my body's capacity to push beyond some limit, pushing my mind beyond some limit I didn't think I could break. Setting goals and smashing them. This kind of mental discipline and toughness carries over into many other aspects of our lives. I get the impression most people at my gym think I'm nuts. I joined that gym for the sole reason that it's one of the few gyms down here in Miami with an erg. I don't really talk to people there - I go, do my business and leave. But I do get the impression that I get mad respect - even from the meatheads - why? because I'm bigger than most of them - and they know that I bring it harder than most of them. I'm pretty sure of this because when I walk by I get the stares - like when you get a bunch of male dogs together and they are checking each other out to see who is the "alpha" dog... because I am the walking embodiment of negating that bullshit tenet that if you do too much cardio you'll lose all your muscle mass. I've even had many of them step to the erg, only to talk a mean game and never touch the machine again. To the people on this forum - I have a lot of respect for you all, old-school rowers and newbies alike - for we and others like us in the other sports, are a special breed. We actually love what we do. What other reason is there for us to undertake this illogical madness we call rowing? peace, D

[old] DIESEL · Post by **[old] DIESEL** » December 22nd, 2004, 12:15 pm

<table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td class='genmed'>QUOTE </td></tr><tr><td class='quote'>Does holding the handle palms up not work a different set of muscles than those worked when holding the handle palm down? </td></tr></table> Ask yourself this. Can you row that way on the water? Probably not. You shouldn't encourage bad technique on an erg - you don't want your body's "nervous system" to learn bad coordination - it only hinders your development as a rower. Here's another way to look at it: Would you walk with your feet pointed out all the time? Hell it really works your groin! But you wouldn't because it messes with your normal gait and it's INEFFICIENT. What drives me nuts about that - is that it's created by people who jump on the erg with no clue for technique and invented it with some bodybuilding idea in mind. However, the rationale behind it is completely wrong and shows more their complete and utter ignorance at how the body works. What really makes me laugh is that most of the people I see prescribing this form of "rowing" are PERSONAL TRAINERS. As you can see I have very little respect for most trainers, as I think most of them are not only incompetent, but usually don't even practice what they preach. I think this is the byproduct of an industry that has no clear standards on what a "trainer" should or shouldn't know. Bottom line any "trainer" can get gains out of a fat housewife who hasn't exercised in 20 years. The real test of a trainer, IMHO, is to take a trained athlete and make him/her even better. 98% of personal trainers out there are incapable of this. But back to the point, if you want to work your biceps just go do some barbell curls or close-grip chin ups - your arms will get a much better workout that way. Or even better WORK YOUR BACK AND TRICEPS WITH HEAVY COMPOUND MOVEMENTS - this is the secret to having sleeve-busting "pythons" (if that's your thing, of course... )

[old] gw1 · Post by **[old] gw1** » December 22nd, 2004, 12:20 pm

Not to threadjack, but Diesel do you row on the water as well as your C2 and lifting? GW

[old] SimonB · Post by **[old] SimonB** » December 22nd, 2004, 12:32 pm

<table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td class='genmed'>QUOTE </td></tr><tr><td class='quote'>expanding my body's capacity to push beyond some limit, pushing my mind beyond some limit I didn't think I could break. Setting goals and smashing them. This kind of mental discipline and toughness carries over into many other aspects of our lives.  </td></tr></table> Absolutely agree Diesel. The mental toughness required to row long and hard is something that I rarely see mentioned on this board. It's something that does affect your attitude to life in many ways. I have found that people who do 'real' excercise are mentally tougher than most of the people who do not. Or maybe its the other way around, those who are mentally tough, migrate to hard excercise.

[old] DIESEL · Post by **[old] DIESEL** » December 22nd, 2004, 12:44 pm

<table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td class='genmed'>QUOTE </td></tr><tr><td class='quote'>Not to threadjack, but Diesel do you row on the water as well as your C2 and lifting? </td></tr></table> I used to before I went to law school. At the moment, no. Only because I live in the 'burbs and far from the clubs down here. but moreso because I am still in the process of developing fitness and losing some of this extra muscle weight. I plan to get back out on the water in the spring. BTW, I am using your program. Dwayne was breaking it down for me. Just got through weeks 1 and 2 You are an evil, sadistic man!! (and I mean that in the sweetest possible way!) The fact that we do these sorts of things to ourselves just goes to show you crazy we really are. As long as I have you your attention Gary, do you taper off after the 16th week or do you just go right back into another 16 week cycle...? cheers, D

[old] gw1 · Post by **[old] gw1** » December 22nd, 2004, 1:22 pm

Diesel, [/QUOTE] Thanks for the kind words, hope you are getting good results! [QUOTE] I've had alot of knee ops from rugby and cycle my training in accordance with major surfboat races. I'll do very minimal C2 during off season, mostly strapless @ 20spm either 500, 1000 or 2000m intervals. I generally try have one major peak per year, personally i don't believe that you can sustain true maximum performance for more than a few weeks after such an effort period. Your body and mind need to repair, rebuild and start the longer process of "training up" any weaknesses that you feel limited your last PB attempt or race results. Diesel with this being said, and not knowing your age, you maybe able to start a new cycle within 8-10 weeks of finishing your current 16 weeks. I'd be happy to talk with you re your progess and any other questions you may have, e-mail me off the forum if you like. The reason for bringing up the on water rowing is that you seem to have the right attitude to be a surfboat rower and the lifeguards in Ft Laurderdale are looking for a few rowers for their surfboat crew. Let me know if you're interested. GW

[old] Kudos · Post by **[old] Kudos** » December 22nd, 2004, 2:31 pm

Hey diesal, Nice to see a fellow hard lifter around the rowing world. I usually catch a lot of flack for it. I was beginning to think I was the only one. Most only do some pathtic circuits becasue their coach makes them. I hate those type of rowers. Speaking of deads, don't know if you have ever done them, Deadlift Shrugs. You might have a little trouble with 455 on the bar, but knock it down a bit and you should be good. I do them at a little quicker pace (w/less weight) than regular deads, but it sets your back/traps on fire. I also like super setting chest and back togethor, arnold style. Watch out though, it's a doozy. Dumbbell Flat Bench into Wide Chins, makes me feel ill, as well as Incline Barbell Press into T-Bar. The whole workout makes me feel ill. If you want it, let me know and I'll send it over. You sound like a fellow masochist.

[old] DIESEL · Post by **[old] DIESEL** » December 22nd, 2004, 2:48 pm

<table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td class='genmed'>QUOTE </td></tr><tr><td class='quote'>Speaking of deads, don't know if you have ever done them, Deadlift Shrugs. You might have a little trouble with 455 on the bar, but knock it down a bit and you should be good. I do them at a little quicker pace (w/less weight) than regular deads, but it sets your back/traps on fire. </td></tr></table> Yeah, I've done those before - but I like to do rack pulls too - which is basically the same thing, except you are pulling the bar at an elevated position. You can go heavier and you can adjust the pins on the power rack to work on where you are weakest in the lift. I put the pins on the lowest rung of the power rack so the bar is a few inches off the ground. That allows you to go heavier than you go in normal deads and really crush the traps. I can understand your logic in going lighter to work on explosiveness, but I think you have to throw in some heavy work as well - the traps are geared for high loads - they,like calves and forearms, have to be crushed into submission to stimulate growth <table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td class='genmed'>QUOTE </td></tr><tr><td class='quote'> I also like super setting chest and back togethor, arnold style. Watch out though, it's a doozy.  </td></tr></table> It's awesome for conditioning though, isn't it? <table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td class='genmed'>QUOTE </td></tr><tr><td class='quote'>Nice to see a fellow hard lifter around the rowing world. I usually catch a lot of flack for it. I was beginning to think I was the only one. Most only do some pathtic circuits becasue their coach makes them. I hate those type of rowers. </td></tr></table> Now, I can't bring myself to bring myself to hate rowers. You have to like someone who willing submits themself to this sport. There is nothing except personal reward that you get out of it. That counts for something in my book. It's just that I think most coaches are still stuck in some outdated thinking, that's all. Top-end strength and power is just handy to have, period. You'd rather have it than not have it, IMHO. There are more of us "meathead oarsmen" out there than you think.. just on this board alone, you can count Dwayne, Gary (gw1), myself, you, and some others who train hard with weights... even Dwayne can attest that a lot of elite-level oarsmen are starting to hit the weights hard.. so maybe the powers that be are coming around to our way of thinking... <table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td class='genmed'>QUOTE </td></tr><tr><td class='quote'>You sound like a fellow masochist. </td></tr></table> Definitely! I'm always up for new and novel ways to torture myself ! Send the routine over. PM me and we'll set it up. peace, D

[old] jus gray · Post by **[old] jus gray** » December 22nd, 2004, 3:44 pm

</div><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td class='genmed'>QUOTE (DIESEL @ Dec 22 2004, 11:01 AM)</td></tr><tr><td class='quote'> Thomas - about your 'gangbanger' friends.. if one of them steps to you - seriously stop what you are doing and call them out. A stern "Hey!" works wonders. Stand up to that punk. You'll soon notice no one will mess with you again in the gym. I did that to this one guy who walked right behind me as I was in the middle of a 455 lb. deadlift. And he was with a "trainer" - I literally dropped the weight (which of course was very, very loud) and screamed at both them. "What the fuck is the matter with you? - can't you see I'm working? You never, EVER do that !" The gym just stopped for a moment with the sound of the weights crashing and my outburst. They were so embarassed, that dude actively avoided me for a good 3 months after that. Don't be afraid to show your "pimp hand" as the slang goes - you'll be respected for it - and people will stay out of your way when you work out. About most people I see at the gym: I don't know why most go. I secretly suspect that most people don't really like to work out.... it's more an obligation, yet another chore on their 'to do' list for the day. The absolute lack of PASSION with which most people approach their training - I find rather pathetic. I mean - seriously, if you don't like it, why are you doing it? This is why you see so much of the crap you see in gyms. I also suspect that with a lot of the guys it's a way for people to work out their insecurities... I also notice that most people are afraid to work hard - this is why people that are super fit looking are so rare. This is why you see the meatheads with the big chest and big arms but no back and chicken legs - why? Squats hurt. Deadlifts hurt. Bent-over rows hurt. Pull-ups hurt. Clean and Jerks hurt. Bench Press and Curls are a joke compared to those exercises. This is why the ergs collect dust. why? of course, when done correctly - rowing HURTS. But to me, it's an exquisite pain - the pain of me pushing my boundaries - expanding my body's capacity to push beyond some limit, pushing my mind beyond some limit I didn't think I could break. Setting goals and smashing them. This kind of mental discipline and toughness carries over into many other aspects of our lives. I get the impression most people at my gym think I'm nuts. I joined that gym for the sole reason that it's one of the few gyms down here in Miami with an erg. I don't really talk to people there - I go, do my business and leave. But I do get the impression that I get mad respect - even from the meatheads - why? because I'm bigger than most of them - and they know that I bring it harder than most of them. I'm pretty sure of this because when I walk by I get the stares - like when you get a bunch of male dogs together and they are checking each other out to see who is the "alpha" dog... because I am the walking embodiment of negating that bullshit tenet that if you do too much cardio you'll lose all your muscle mass. I've even had many of them step to the erg, only to talk a mean game and never touch the machine again. To the people on this forum - I have a lot of respect for you all, old-school rowers and newbies alike - for we and others like us in the other sports, are a special breed. We actually love what we do. What other reason is there for us to undertake this illogical madness we call rowing? peace, D  </td></tr></table> DIESEL it`s a shame there aint more of you (us) out there in the gyms, fu*king awesome mate big respect for anyone who steps up to the line and is willing to do what you have to because if we didn`t do this to these people life would be unbearable in gyms and in life in general. I stepped up to a big guy in the gym one day when I was using HIS deadlift bar, things could of gone bad for me but I was willing to have a go, in the end this big guy and myself became gym friends because he couldn`t get his head around someone half his size willing to have a go when most bigger guys avoided him like the plague and allowed him free run of the gym. Moral of the story is "it`s not the size of the dog in the fight but the size of the fight in the dog" All the best.

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