Joined a new gym last night. Hilarious

[Dastardly]

If I recall, they show him injecting the synthol and describing it many times in the film. But not specifically calling it synthol.

[Michael Wolf]

Lifting at the gym today, and saw this skinny guy I worked in with on the bench press with last week (see here for details). The guy is about 5'11" I'd say, and I'd guess weights 135 soaking wet. Skinny as fuck.

Anyway, I'd given him some help with form and basic programming and told him to start eating at least 1.5, if not 2x what he currently eats. He seemed to take it to heart, and though I was skeptical he would implement everything I told him, I hoped he would at least change his form. I mean Jesus, a healthy 20-something year old man should be able to Bench Press more than 115x3, shouldn't he?!?

I go back to lift today, and see he's doing a session with one of the gym's trainers. Who's having him do things like twisting situps on the decline board while holding a 9lb bodybar. And then prone machine hamstring curls. Not a single compound barbell movement the entire workout. Meanwhile, I'm nearby, squatting up to 395 for 5 and then a 425 single - you'd have thought maybe he'd want to listen to the guy who's actually, you know, showing some actual aptitude for this stuff. Not that my lifts are impressive in the least, but they're more than any of the pussies in that gym lift. Ah well, can't win em all.

[Immortal_k]

Wolf, don't bother. You'll just be wasting your training time. I use to try to help random people throughout the gym if I see them doing bastardized, potentially dangerous, versions of compound lifts and I happen to be resting in-between sets, they never do listen; I've given up a while ago and couldn't give a rats ass. Unless I know the person beforehand, I won't exert any effort to help them.

[FatButWeak]

If I recall, they show him injecting the synthol and describing it many times in the film. But not specifically calling it synthol.

I saw the movie but I forget. I think they showed it but were talking about steroids during it, implying that it was steroids.

[Michael Wolf]

Wolf, don't bother. You'll just be wasting your training time. I use to try to help random people throughout the gym if I see them doing bastardized, potentially dangerous, versions of compound lifts and I happen to be resting in-between sets, they never do listen; I've given up a while ago and couldn't give a rats ass. Unless I know the person beforehand, I won't exert any effort to help them.

Oh don't worry. I don't go out of my way to do it. I never went out of my way to just go up to people, no matter how badly they're butchering something, and offer my opinion. But if a guy asks me for advice, I give it to him. I don't expect full compliance, or anything close. But when I see him completely disregard it, only 4 days later, to do stupid stuff with an unqualified buffoon, while I was squatting heavy enough to demonstrate that I might actually know what the hell I'm talking about, nearby and right where he could see me, I felt it was "Joined a new gym last night. Hilarious" thread worthy.

[Brodie Butland]

Lifting at the gym today, and saw this skinny guy I worked in with on the bench press with last week (see here for details). The guy is about 5'11" I'd say, and I'd guess weights 135 soaking wet. Skinny as fuck.

Anyway, I'd given him some help with form and basic programming and told him to start eating at least 1.5, if not 2x what he currently eats. He seemed to take it to heart, and though I was skeptical he would implement everything I told him, I hoped he would at least change his form. I mean Jesus, a healthy 20-something year old man should be able to Bench Press more than 115x3, shouldn't he?!?

I go back to lift today, and see he's doing a session with one of the gym's trainers. Who's having him do things like twisting situps on the decline board while holding a 9lb bodybar. And then prone machine hamstring curls. Not a single compound barbell movement the entire workout. Meanwhile, I'm nearby, squatting up to 395 for 5 and then a 425 single - you'd have thought maybe he'd want to listen to the guy who's actually, you know, showing some actual aptitude for this stuff. Not that my lifts are impressive in the least, but they're more than any of the pussies in that gym lift. Ah well, can't win em all.

I've often wondered why newbies gobble up all the silly bullshit rather than follow those who appear to know what they are doing, and can outlift the PTs hungover. I honestly believe the reason is because that SS is inherently hard, and people don't like hard. When you do a maximal set of squats or deadlifts, it looks fucking hard--but why do that when you can get the same results with 10 lbs. dumbbells and a BOSU ball???? Unfortunately, PTs continue the myth that squats and deadlifts are antiquated novelties by being unable to train them, or by falsely claiming that they are "bad for your knees and/or back," or by otherwise omitting them from programming.

On the plus side, people leaving me alone means I can get out of the gym in an hour. I guess there's a benefit to being the acolyte of tried and true training knowledge passed down for the last century, rather than the keeper of the latest fad.

[D.W.]

There is a difference between people who want to have the results and people who are willing to do what leads to the results. Heavy lifting is fucking scary and awkward for most people. Also a lot of people don't work out because they want to have this amount of strength or that special appearance. This is just what they say and probably think. People train because it is a social event, they want to meet new people in the gym or to live out aggression or more animal-like behaviour (grunting while benching 20lbs dumbbells..), they want to impress others or just want to wear special clothing, drink special workout shakes and do special exercises that let them appear knowledgeable. Going to the gym is some kind of weird madhouse-therapy-event for most people.

Also most people are not interested in how something beyond mediocre is achieved. They are all "Wow" about ones gains in strength and size, but refuse the methods to achieving it (consistent hard training, sleep, nutrition) as absurd behaviour. It's a bit like with a push up bra. Honestly, who the fuck wants to know how it is done, as long as it looks great?

[IlPrincipeBrutto]

I honestly believe the reason is because that SS is inherently hard

I think one of the major drawbacks of SS is that it is inherently very simple. Three movements per session, five movements in total, and that's it. We have been conditioned to think that only a certain level of complexity can bring results, especially big results, and SS is simply not complex enough to convince people.
On the other hand, a PT that whips out his fancy tablet and starts talking about core muscles, functional thingamagic and twelve different exercises in 45 minutes is closer to people's expectations, and hence easier to accept.

IPB

[laser]

There was a bro in sweat pants doing hammer curls in front of the mirror today. He was intensely admiring his guns as he lifted and very clearly had an erection.

[medsteele]

Not so much hilarious as kinda aggravating--

Show up at the gym just a few moments after another guy (local YMCA, sign in sheet with times). I walked in, needing the solitary power rack. Squats, presses, and deadlifts all require the rack (deadlifts because there's just nowhere else to do them).

Usually nobody touches the rack aside from the occasional barbell curl session. This guy apparently needed it for pullups (there are two dedicated pullup bars, both straight bars) and pushups. Not pushups requiring a grip on a low bar or anything, just regular fucking pushups that could be done literally anywhere else. We were the only people in the gym.

I semi-understand the need for barbell curls. Not fully, but see the reasoning. But for pushups?