I think they'll have a decent place to go when you get your gym built. How far are you from Cleveland? I'll buy you a beer.
Member
Has the whole world gone mad?
I still can't believe what I heard earlier today. While deadlifting at my gym (not my gym for much longer) I was approached by some young kid whom I would guess is newly employed as I've never seen him there. After one of my warmup sets with 315 he walks over to me and asks me to put 3/4" rubber mats under the plates as it's their policy for those who wish to deadlift. Now, I've been a member of this gym for 7 months now, deadlifting once per week (in addition to power cleans, shrugs and heavy rack pulls, all which make noise when setting the bar down...) and have never been told of this policy. Apparently, the banging of the RUBBER plates on the RUBBER floor will damage the METAL barbell and cause the ends to FALL OFF!!!
I was completely speachless. I wasn't going to argue with the guy because if that's their policy, then fine. It simply means that I have no use for that gym anymore.
Forthwith and without hesitation, I unloaded the bar, grabbed my bag and left the gym. The first thing I did when I got back to my office was order one of the Rogue B & R bars as it is now my intention to build my own gym out of my garage, complete with my own polocies on deadlifting (ie, if you don't deadlift, you can't work out in my gym).
I sent the plans for your squat rack to a buddy of mine who welds and builds strength equipment. This weekend I'll be gathering materials to build my platform. Then it's only a matter of procuring the weights to complete my Fortress of Solitude.
So, now that I'm off it, my question for you is this:
When will you be relocating to south Chicago-land so people who are serious about training can have a decent place to go?
TMPHBITEU
I think they'll have a decent place to go when you get your gym built. How far are you from Cleveland? I'll buy you a beer.
Member
Not close enough...
I've had it with commercial gyms.
And once my gym is complete, anyone in the area is welcome to train with me as long as strength is their primary goal.
Member
What part of Illinois you in Travis?Originally Posted by TravisRussellDC
Member
I live in Joliet, about 45 minutes southwest of Chicago.
Member
Wouldn't it have been better to have first discussed the issue with gym management and, if they continue with the silly policy, inform them why they are losing your business?
TMPHBITEU
Yeah, that would have worked well.
✓ Member
Joliet. As a product of the education system of Illinois just remember kids, there's nothing jolly about Joliet and there's no noise in Illinois. There were always some out of state kids that had to get that pounded home for them by the teachers and merciless verbal abuse from their fellow students until they got the pronunciations right. Do the toothless barge crews still lumber up from the river asking "Which way to the bars?"
Member
You'd write a great fantasy book.
Member
My intention was not to argue policy with them. I have no problem with any business setting policies however they'd like. If I don't agree with the policies, I won't give them my business. I had flirted with the idea of bringing in my own barbell, proceeding to drop weights from overhead to the floor, and then when I was told I couldn't do that because of their policy I would simply respond with, "it's my bar and I'll damage it if I want."
That would be a dick move. While funny & potentially satisfying, what good would that really do...?
In the end, I know I'll be happier with my own training equipment in an atmosphere that is more conducive to strength training.
Also, the gym manager who has seen me squat and deadlift in there practically every training session for the past 7 months was standing less than 10 feet away from us while the kid was explaining policy to me. I thought about bringing it up to him. I didn't feel like wasting my time, effort or breath.
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