Joined a new gym last night. Hilarious

[pdubya3]

Another baseball one...

[KangaJoo]

Never seen ego lifting at this level before. Was squatting yesterday when a trainee and trainer come over to the squat rack next to mine. After a few minutes I look over and see the trainee who probably weighs about 50 lbs more than me but who clearly has been following a terrible program struggling to 1/2 squat 225 for a set of 5. After I finished my second set, the trainer points at my bar and whispers something into his trainee's ear that makes him smile nervously. He then loads up the bar to 295, 10 lbs more than what I was doing (I know, I'm a noob still), and his trainee proceeds to attempt a single 1/4 squat but misses it and straight up falls forward into the hooks. The trainer then had him wait about 3 minutes before attempting it again and this time he was able to hit something between a 1/4 and 1/8th squat with his trainer dry humping/spotting him. Should also mention the trainer looks and trains like he's on a lot of steroids.

[Budgie Smuggler]

Unfortunately, this is pretty standard for my gym (posted by the owner)

Instagram

[Kiril]

Unfortunately, this is pretty standard for my gym (posted by the owner)

Instagram

He really looks like a dedicated trainee. Though, I don't really know what he's training.

[Kyle Stevens]

Over Christmas Break I had to lift in a hole in the wall Black Iron gym in Rockford, IL. Watched some 5'10 170lb kid doing 700lb zercher squats for 1 rep and then absolutely dropping the bar on the pins. This place had 3 decent bars in the whole joint and he was using one of them, asked him politely if he could try not to drop them and explained how the bar will/is bending. He said "these are like deadlifts...you can't just set them down easy."

Seemed like a nice kid, just very VERY misguided. He asked me some questions about my lifts and program and i referred him to SS. I can deal with a lot of silly BS, but when it starts damaging equipment and they don't care I have a big problem.

[Adam Skillin]

some 5'10 170lb kid doing 700lb zercher squats

I'm going to guess this isn't meant literally?

[invisibleman]

Over Christmas Break I had to lift in a hole in the wall Black Iron gym in Rockford, IL. Watched some 5'10 170lb kid doing 700lb zercher squats for 1 rep and then absolutely dropping the bar on the pins. This place had 3 decent bars in the whole joint and he was using one of them, asked him politely if he could try not to drop them and explained how the bar will/is bending. He said "these are like deadlifts...you can't just set them down easy."

Seemed like a nice kid, just very VERY misguided. He asked me some questions about my lifts and program and i referred him to SS. I can deal with a lot of silly BS, but when it starts damaging equipment and they don't care I have a big problem.

Any chance you'd share the name of the place? My in-laws live in Rockford and I had to use guest passes at their spa/gym over Christmas. It was fantastic but full of old people and we used all the guest passes last visit. I think it's like $15/day without them.

I'd love to find a black iron place to escape my MIL and all the kids for a bit.

[Kyle Stevens]

I'm going to guess this isn't meant literally?

No. Literally. It wasn't pretty to watch, thought the kid was going to kill himself every rep.

[Kyle Stevens]

Any chance you'd share the name of the place? My in-laws live in Rockford and I had to use guest passes at their spa/gym over Christmas. It was fantastic but full of old people and we used all the guest passes last visit. I think it's like $15/day without them.

I'd love to find a black iron place to escape my MIL and all the kids for a bit.

Place is called the "Asylum" in Machesney Park. Not a bad place, not sure what the price is as my future brother in law paid for me before I had a chance.

[Brodie Butland]

No. Literally. It wasn't pretty to watch, thought the kid was going to kill himself every rep.

I think Skillin's point is, if this kid is literally Zercher squatting 700 lbs at a 170 lbs bodyweight (even if not pretty), then it's a bit arrogant to call him "misguided" and argue that he needs to adopt Starting Strength.

To put that in perspective, the highest back squat in the entire 2017 Starting Strength Fall Classic was 305 kg (671 lbs). And that dude was in the 242 lbs class.