Joined a new gym last night. Hilarious

[Les Hahn]

Nah. I don't like big cities.

You up in this place? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alert,_Nunavut

[Corrie]

You up in this place? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alert,_Nunavut

I'd imagine the strip clubs there would be pretty lame.

[Les Hahn]

I'd imagine the strip clubs there would be pretty lame.

:-)

[cutlet#]

You up in this place? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alert,_Nunavut

Nah. I like lots of snow.

[cph]

Went to a new gym today...

First of all, they have a "Max Rack" which is basically a Smith machine that also allows horizontal movement. The nice thing about it is there are hooks on both sides, so you can use it with a barbell. The hilarious part is that there are illustrations of the various exercises you can do with it, and the diagram for the "front squat" shows a guy squatting with a barbell on his back. Some idiot was paid to make that label.

There were a couple of characters. One was a younger guy wearing flip flops and jeans rolled to mid-calf going around doing a machine circuit. The best one was an older guy, probably about 50, in jeans and a polo shirt. I first saw him sitting sideways at the curl machine. Instead of using it to curl, he was pushing down on the counterweight. I thought maybe he was just bored waiting for someone, but then he went over to the lat pulldown station and turned it into basically a negative squat, hanging from the handles with his arms straight and just using his body weight to pull down the bar. Once again I thought he was just screwing around, but then he actually changed the weight on the stack. Bizarre.

[PaulBeech]

A new trainer was teaching his client to throw the bar today! He was showing him crossfit noob level cleans and snatches but told him to let go of the bar halfway up and just let it crash to the ground. It was like knives being shoved into my eyes.

[Les Hahn]

Nah. I like lots of snow.

Hmmm.

Went to a new gym today...

First of all, they have a "Max Rack" which is basically a Smith machine that also allows horizontal movement. The nice thing about it is there are hooks on both sides, so you can use it with a barbell. The hilarious part is that there are illustrations of the various exercises you can do with it, and the diagram for the "front squat" shows a guy squatting with a barbell on his back. Some idiot was paid to make that label.

There were a couple of characters. One was a younger guy wearing flip flops and jeans rolled to mid-calf going around doing a machine circuit. The best one was an older guy, probably about 50, in jeans and a polo shirt. I first saw him sitting sideways at the curl machine. Instead of using it to curl, he was pushing down on the counterweight. I thought maybe he was just bored waiting for someone, but then he went over to the lat pulldown station and turned it into basically a negative squat, hanging from the handles with his arms straight and just using his body weight to pull down the bar. Once again I thought he was just screwing around, but then he actually changed the weight on the stack. Bizarre.

The first gym I went to had a max rack. This one older guy just loaded 4 plates on each side (not sure if that is really 405) and attempted to do a squat. He just folded over taco style before he even squatted the weight. There was a huge crash on the pins, and he crawled out and just walked away.

[Corrie]

What's the point of a smith machine with horizontal movement anyways? That seems like a lot of equipment just to give you more or less the same effect as a free standing barbell, no? It removes the one benefit of a smith machine (can't fall over or get way out of position, I guess) and removes the benefit of a barbell (infinite uses in any plane or position).

[IlPrincipeBrutto]

He was showing him crossfit noob level cleans and snatches but told him to let go of the bar halfway up and just let it crash to the ground.

Apologies for being rather dumb, but the point of this 'exercise' is...or rather, would be?

IPB

[Sean Herbison]

the point of this 'exercise' is...or rather, would be?

Probably some mutated high-pull.