Joined a new gym last night. Hilarious

[fnet]

These posts bring back memories of training at the YMCA. Its been a couple years since I've been there, so I apologize for veering slightly off topic but I have to share this story from my days there. This guy used to come in wearing jeans and a flannel shirt. He looked like a farmer (the gym was just outside Chicago). He was slightly older (mid-to-late 50's maybe). He was about 6' tall and weighed about 135 LBS. He wore jeans and a flannel shirt. He claimed he was once a "Strongman". He would set the pin at the bottom of the lat pull-down machine, using all the plates. Then he would get 3 or 4 guys to hold him down and proceed to do several reps, moving the bar no more than an inch or two. He'd do a couple sets of those and leave. At least he was a nice guy and actually one of the least annoying of the gym patrons.

[WatsupHannity]

About 6 weeks ago I was at an out-of-town Y that I sometimes went to when I was back in Ontario. I finished my second workset of lowbar squats, and walked over to the drinking fountain. I noticed an Indian man, about 60, and wearing a 2-inch lifting belt while sitting in the shoulder press machine, staring at me intently. As I walked closer, he said, in a pure Apu accent:

"Hello."
Me: ".....Hi."
Him: "How are you?"
Me: "....Fine..."
Him: "Can I ask you something?" (pure Apu accent remember)
Me: "OK...."
Him: "Why you don't lift properly?"

I was floored. I rolled my eyes and said, "I am" and quickly walked away.

[simonsky]

haha i bet all of you have seen this:

guys working on teh side abz (obliques) using side bends with a 60 lb dumbell.....





....on both hands! wahahahahha! talk about working hard!

[gordonrumble]

About 6 weeks ago I was at an out-of-town Y that I sometimes went to when I was back in Ontario. I finished my second workset of lowbar squats, and walked over to the drinking fountain. I noticed an Indian man, about 60, and wearing a 2-inch lifting belt while sitting in the shoulder press machine, staring at me intently. As I walked closer, he said, in a pure Apu accent:

"Hello."
Me: ".....Hi."
Him: "How are you?"
Me: "....Fine..."
Him: "Can I ask you something?" (pure Apu accent remember)
Me: "OK...."
Him: "Why you don't lift properly?"

I was floored. I rolled my eyes and said, "I am" and quickly walked away.

Maybe he meant lift 'like everyone else'. In which case you should have told him the tale of SS.

[ColoWayno]

For you single guys:
Micro-plate conversation starters
Or
Size matters, but not how you think

I literally started at a new gym just the other night. Last night I was just finishing my last set of squats as a young lady started her squats. I went on to do presses and got out my home made, hand painted micro-plates.
Apparently all of those plates I had on the squat bar (ok, not that much here on this forum) were not as impressive as the pretty yellow micro-plates as she quickly took note of them, struck up a conversation and asked me to spot her on her last set of squats.

[imnotbncre8ive]

For you single guys:
Micro-plate conversation starters
Or
Size matters, but not how you think

I literally started at a new gym just the other night. Last night I was just finishing my last set of squats as a young lady started her squats. I went on to do presses and got out my home made, hand painted micro-plates.
Apparently all of those plates I had on the squat bar (ok, not that much here on this forum) were not as impressive as the pretty yellow micro-plates as she quickly took note of them, struck up a conversation and asked me to spot her on her last set of squats.

Hopefully none of us were suffering under the illusion that females care about how much we can lift (so long as we can lift more than them). But the painted microplates may be the next big thing. Pink with baby blue butterflies?

[aussieluke]

Right, this one I've never seen before, or ever heard about in any 'seen in a globo gym' type threads...

Gym guy is doing his workout. Deadlifts. Warms up with 100kg for a few reps. Adds 50kg and does a couple sets of about 6 ...not too bad

Then takes 50kg off and does more reps.

Then it gets really good. He gets a 45kg fixed weight bar, stands over it in almost a lunge position with one foot in front and one foot behind the bar, then 'deadlifts' it until it brushes his nuts, for several reps. Then gets a proper bar with two plates and does the same, without alternating feet. Then does the same with another 20kg on there.

Then goes over the other side of the gym and does a million dumbbell lunges.

Awesome.

[Marotta]

I saw a guy about my age (17) gently caressing his biceps in between his 764th and 765th set of bicep curls. I laughed out loud, and people looked, but it was worth it.

[Bradeep]

Has anyone ever been to a Planet Fitness? I've heard horror stories about that place. They just opened one up really close to my house and I was thinking of joining because it's so cheap ($10) and is open 24/7. I already belong to three gyms, but another one couldn't hurt, right? I called the place the other day to get some information and talked to some girl for quite a while, but this is the best thing she said: "Planet Fitness is a judgement free zone. We cater people interested in fitness and don't allow bodybuilders or anyone like that who would intimidate our patrons." Judgement free zone...wtf is that exactly? One of my buddies goes to a PF in CT, said he was kicked out for a week for doing deadlifts and has set off the "lunk alarm" which apparently is a siren that goes off whenever you make too much noise. They also have pizza day once a month.

[Dastardly]

haha i bet all of you have seen this:

guys working on teh side abz (obliques) using side bends with a 60 lb dumbell.....





....on both hands! wahahahahha! talk about working hard!

YES!!

Whenever I have seen people doing side bends, they have always had the weight in both hands. I was clueless enough to do silly shit like side bends when I first came to the gym, but even I knew that you should be working against the weight on one side. Most people seem to just bend side to side wildly under the strain of both weights, turns out more like a dangerous weighted stretch!

In a similar vein, most people seem to work dumb bell pressing with a completely arbritary 200º + spin. Often in the reverse direction of what would be anatomically comfortable. They have no idea that rotating the dumb bells is supposed to be more comfortable or what an "arnold press" is. They just see each other and copy badly, its like chinese whispers for exercises.