Reply With QuoteFelt pretty good today after a lighter Wednesday and was ready to crush it. Life had other plans. Background info is there is this group of mostly super lean, super jacked guys who have started coming together in a large group of 5-10 every Friday doing open gym and doing stupid shit, stupidly, in a way that's very disruptive to the rest of the gym space but isn't technically against any rules (well, mostly, some of it is but largely not. Also, not that my gym has ever given a shit about creating a proper respectful culture or teaching its members gym etiquette, which as a prerequisite would require that our own coaches know and observe gym etiquette. And spoiler alert: many of them don't. Anyway). They usually do endless touch-n-go deadlifts at 315, superset with some 135 push presses and assault bike sprints. They do this in the strength area off the big racks, where other people are ostensibly trying to actually strength train, even though there is approximately another 4000 sq ft of more open space, built up platforms so they can drop their DLs, and squat stands to set up for the push presses, where they'd have more space and not be in anyone's way. They're strong and jacked by accident so they can do lots of rounds and reps, but their form is atrocious and whenever they speak about training, it's clear they have no idea what they're talking about. I have a short video of one of them trying to use the chains - simply thrown over the end of the bar too high to ever collect on the floor at all, and not secured, so the chains on one side of the barbell fell off as soon as it was unracked. They also drop their bars on a part of the gym where dropping isn't permitted, because the floor is not built to absorb it, I told them about this last time and they were doing it again today till I told them again.
Today, one of them finished his workout with lots of 225 quarter squats. ANYWAY. So these guys come in today while I'm warming up my bench and set up right behind me. I do my first two sets of 405, ignoring them. On the third set, just as I unracked, one of the guys saunters into the tiny space between the end of my barbell and the wall to get some plates for his very important workout, then saunters back out during the set.
It is no exaggeration to say that 1-2 inches of him not paying attention to exactly where his body was in space, or just misjudging it, and I could have been very seriously hurt with 405 on the bar. These guys have given me every reason not to trust that they're capable of paying attention to anything except taking pictures of each other's ripped abs shirtless while at the gym.
It wasn't like he wandered into a gray area. He didn't walk to the rack next door. There is literally 1-2 inches of extra clearance between the end of the bar and the wall, once you insert a person, and he couldn't wait ~10 seconds to do it.
In case it is not obvious, I am still pissed about this almost 12 hours later. Gets better though.
After I finish benching, I take the bar to the outside of the rack to press because the racks are too short to press inside of if you're over 5'8" or so. I had done all my warmups: 45, 95, 135, 175, and 205. I loaded 225, went over to the water fountain to refill my bottle and went over to fill out some of my physical training log notebook, and when I get back, one of them had set up a bar to DL on literally right where I was pressing. In the several thousand square feet of empty gym space, he went and put his barbell in the one and only space where I needed, where I had been lifting for the past few minutes and 2 feet away from the spot inside the rack I had been benching on since before he got there. Anyway, I told him to move and he did, but Jesus H Christ.
These guys are all personal trainers and/or group fitness teachers at some of the areas highest end, most expensive local gyms and boutique studios. One is a chiropractor. I am just in awe at the depths of their lack of knowledge, and lack of self awareness about their lack of knowledge. Dunning Kruger is running rampant.
How can people possibly this stupid, inconsiderate, entitled, stupid, selfish, shortsighted, and stupid?
When this gym opened nearly 4 years ago and I signed on to lead the strength program, I knew I'd see some things in there on the crossfit side I didn't agree with, some things I wouldn't like, even some things I thought were dumb. But it was going to be crossit. I was prepared for that, I girded myself up in preparation.
What I never thought I'd have to see and deal with again, but what it turns out that I have to see and deal with nearly every day, is sharing space in close proximity to not only the expected stupidity on the crossfit side, but the same kind and level of stupidity that you'll see and get in every two-bit, fitness model run, beast genetic freak who became a personal trainer run bootcamp program. And share in such close proximity, that I nearly get decapitated by it.
This has all been true for a while now, except the last part. This takes things to a whole new level of frustration.
Oh, but I still trained.
Bench - 3" belt
405x2,2,3 @9
Notes: Plan was 2,2,2+ till @9 / leave one in the tank. I wanted 4, I could've gotten 4, except I got distracted by shithead walking so close to my bar that I could feel the breeze, and it threw me off. Still, 2,2,3 at 405 ain't bad. Also forgot wraps on the first set, but I just started using them on bench anyway so NBD.
405 sets on IG with bonus near death idiocy scene!
Press - 4" belt + wraps
225x5x5 @7-8
Notes: These moved REALLY well, and did so primarily on rage.
Snatch Grip DL - Wide-ish stance, 1.5" mats
405x7x2
Notes: Have to use the wide stance for knees.
Leg Press
90x8, 140x8x3
Notes: Just added a 25 to each side. Still super easy obviously.
Assistancey Stuff
Hammer Strength Plate Loaded High to Low Row
160/side x8
180/side x8x3
135/side x 15
Machine Reverse Flyes
2x12
Standing EZ Curl French Press
2x10 - not sure how much empty bar weighs here, but the curves are weird and hurt my wrists so I'll need to do these with my bar at Solace or else just do other tricep stuff at the globo.
Originally Posted by Michael Wolf
