Thought I'd share how I ended up at my gym... And why I'm still there...
Names omitted to protect my ability to squat on a regular basis.
First, about me. Bad doctor's appt in January. I was basically Fat Phil in BBP - 245#, 32%BF, hyperlipidemia and type 2 diabetes. At least I didn't have high blood pressure.
So, I looked at my "history" with fitness. Never been an athelete, sucked at every athletic endeavor I've undertaken in my life. I'm what Rip calls a "motor moron". The only times in my life I was ever able to get in better shape was when the gym was nearby - REALLY nearby, like under half a mile. In each of these cases, I never had a trainer or coach, I just basically showed up, and mostly used the weight machines, along with a little bit of the cardio machines, but I naturally gravitated to the weight machines. It helped, and in each case, I got in better shape for awhile until I quit.
So, I figured I'd just follow the same plan - find the closest gym to my house, and use whatever they had. They're a gym, they should be able to get people fit, because that's what gyms are for.
The closest gym, about 1/3 mile away, is a boxing gym. Not thrilled about that, but I went anyway. Nice folks, lots of cardio-boxing and "bootcamp" classes, and they have a gym with machines and cardio equipment (didn't notice or care about the free weights at the time). So, I figured that I could take the classes and/or do the same thing I did many years ago. Paid for six months in advance.
I took the boxing classes nearly every day (averaging 6 days/week) and started using the weight machines a little... But, there was something seriously wrong with these weight machines (beyond the fact they were weight machines)...
Even as weak as I was, I could max out out the machines for 10-20 reps. And I'm about Rip's "Category 1" strength level. I didn't know anything about strength training, but even I figured out that I couldn't get strong that way, and I wasn't deluded enough to think that I was strong because I could set the machine to "11". That's right, 11 - no units. Like volume on an amplifier, 'cuz 11 has to be louder than 10.
I asked the owner, who explained they were designed for endurance training, and I should do sets of 50. I sensed that was bullshit, so I moved to the dumbbells. A few months later, with research, I discovered those machines are designed for children. KL Youth Fitness Circuit | HOIST Fitness. That explains why I needed a crowbar to wedge my fat 5'10" ass into the leg press machine.
Dumbbells went up to 50#. Once I could bench/row those (which didn't take long), I was in the same boat - there was nothing there I could use to strength train.
There was only one machine left - the squat rack and barbell, which almost nobody uses. And, which I had no idea how to use.
This was about 4 months in. I'd lost 40lbs, mostly from the cardio-boxing classes. Everyone said I was doing great. They were wrong. I felt like total crap all the time, had three overuse injuries, and just felt OLD - arthritic, sore, living off Ibuprofen and a low-calorie diet. I felt way worse than when I started. Cholesterol had improved, but blood sugar had not.
So, I took two weeks off - didn't workout, but I kept on my diet, and partially healed.
I fed the brain - I started reading and eventually found Starting Strength. It wasn't the first lifting book I read, but it was the one I was most attracted to, mainly because I only had to learn four lifts, and as a motor moron, learning fewer exercises is attractive. I (foolishly) figured that would be easy, and the book focused on practical rather than aesthetics. Not the most well-written book out there (it's a slog), but once you get past the writing style, the knowledge and logic you dig out of it is nearly flawless. And, I'm in it for blood sugar, not abs (though biceps would be nice if they happen to appear).
I told the owner that I was going to learn to press, bench, squat, and deadlift, and if they had resources to help me it would be appreciated. I got crickets in response - evidently, she knew none of her trainers could do the job.
So then I was off to the races. Despite the fact I still have horrible form and haven't started a successful LP (have a failed one behind me), in the next four months, I lost another 30lb, and I feel WAY better. No new injuries. Recovery is part of the program, so now I intermittently beat myself up instead of constantly beating myself up, which is a huge improvement! I don't take cardio-boxing classes anymore except to troll the trainers (I sometimes jump in for a few minutes and take them at Tai Chi speed as active rest between sets - keeps the shoulders from cooling down, and if they say "10 burpees", I do, well, no burpees - maybe some slow, unweighted squats, or not).
Now, the question is, why am I still there? Well...
- It's still 1/3 a mile away from my house.
- It has a squat rack that is almost always available when I need it with no wait.
- I can't build a home rig - My condo has ceilings too low for the press, and my condo association won't let me use my garage.
Also, it actually worked out and I owe the gym a thank-you. If they had "useful" weight machines or dumbbells over 50#, I would have just used them. If I hadn't prepaid 6 months, I would have jumped to another gym. Without these in place, I wouldn't have sought out the barbell or found SS. So, the screwed up gym actually did me a huge favor, and I plan on going for awhile, even though my 6mo contract is over. I'll stay until I can deadlift 320lb for five (that's all the plates they have...). Once I can use all the plates, I figure I need to find a new gym... Or ask the owner to buy more plates... I'm not buying plates for her.
-->Adam