New Article: No Chalk Allowed!

[murphyreedus]

My long-time locally owned gym has been slowly changing over into a functional fitness type of place, but so far their iron section still meets my needs. It's on my drive in to work, they don't mind chalk or heavy deadlifts/cleans, and since I go in the early morning it usually isn't crowded. It's much better than a place like Planet Fitness, and not as commercialized as a place like Gold's, but...I can see the slow decay of their iron section as things wear/break and are not replaced in favor of new crossfit-type equipment and cardio machines.

For the price of a few ellipticals with personal TVs they could really improve the weight section, but with how popular the crossfit type equipment is with members vs the barbell areas, I don't see that happening. I'm eventually going to have to find another gym or build one at home, and articles like this certainly make the home gym look more attractive.

[mdeshaies]

A while back I was in my home town visiting my family and went to work out with my sister at the Planet Fitness I had gone to in the past. They had removed all of the barbells and took away the dumbbells above 55- they had previously gone up to 80. I couldn't believe there wasn't a single plate loadable bar in the place. I told her I was sorry but I couldn't work out there.

In the quest to have my ideal gym me and two other people rented some warehouse space and started our own gym/club.

[David Lee]

I feel like I've just read the Odyssey again.

He wasn't very clear on whether or not a causal relationship has been established between venereal disease and crossfit. I suspect it has, but see no reason for any further investigation before starting the rumor.

[Michael Wolf]

My suspicion is that Crossfit's otherwise pernicious influence is leaking into the mainstream and that gyms need to learn to be tolerant of traditional strength and conditioning methods. Fingers crossed.

I think there's some truth to this. While it's still a tiny % compared to the total memership and visitor #s, almost every time I've been to a commercial gym in the last few months, I've seen at least one person either "doing crossfit" on their own, or squatting/deadlifting and attempting to do it correctly. Have even seen a few wearing lifting shoes. Most of the time when they see me lift, they come over and ask for advice or start talking, not because I'm strong, but because a 500+ deadlift or a 400+ squat passes for strong in these places.

In ensuing discussion I usually find that most of them got into lifting through crossfit, and have also heard of SS and Rip through the same people and connections. Many subsequently stopped doing CF, and are trying to now train seriously, though some still crossfit or try to blend the two.

Either way, this is a growing group that while still a significant majority, is starting to command at least some attention at some of the commercial gyms. I wouldn't expect any major changes, but a little more friendliness to deadlifts and maybe even chalk may eventually occur. Unless of course, more business-viable gyms open that cater to lifters, but I'm not holding my breath on that, either.

[Michael Wolf]

Either way, this is a growing group that while still a significant majority, is starting to command at least some attention...

Meant to write "significant minority." Though "significantly in the minority" would probably more accurately reflect what I was trying to say.

[DPMuller]

The octagonal plates sure made deadlifting fun, though... but for 10 USD a month, it's hard to complain.

Gotta agree with this. Comments like this one are evidence of the problem. I've seen others like it here before (usually in E&P) - not to pick specifically on you, Muller - and its speaks volumes about the commitment to training of the people who make them. If there's no gym in your area that has proper equipment and you can't get yourself equipment for your home for any number of reasons, that's one thing; you make the best of whatever crappy commerical gym is available to you. But if you, as a consumer, are making a choice to spend $10 a month, or whatever, instead of a little more to train at a place that will actually allow you to TRAIN, then you're contributing to the very problem this article is all about.

Please pick on me as much as you want - honest disagreement is always welcome. But if you actually read my whole post, you should have noticed that I am now

a FORMER Planet Fitness member (I used my soccer injury caused hiatus to finish putting together my garage gym - yipee!)

Thus, I contributed to the problem for about a month (until I realized that I can actually DO this stuff that I read about in a book and watched a DVD about), then put together my own gym, where I will work out myself, indoctrinate my two girls (my 12 year old will start this summer - my 6 year old will wait some) and take my chances with getting my very stubborn wife to consider lifting.

Actually, I'm just finishing putting the rack together after cleaning the rust off its base, and after moving the stuff around in the garage plan to re-start lifting tomorrow morning. Yipee indeed.

And if you want a good reason to pick on me, wait until I start my training log and you see how weak I am right now.

[Charlocity2]

Thank you for your service, Shaun, and for this article. My son is a Marine on the wing at Cherry Point. When he was at MOS school at Lejeune, I got to peek in at one of the base gyms he got to use. Front and center: a legit lifting platform with an Olympic bar with colored bumpers sitting on it ready to be used. I know they don't have that luxury on deployments.

[Michael Wolf]

You'll have to excuse me, Muller, for not reading your post more closely. Contributing to the problem for a month, seeing what was what, and moving on - that's called gaining experience. If you'd stayed a member for a year though, well, that's a different story...

Actually, I'm just finishing putting the rack together after cleaning the rust off its base, and after moving the stuff around in the garage plan to re-start lifting tomorrow morning. Yipee indeed.

And if you want a good reason to pick on me, wait until I start my training log and you see how weak I am right now.

Well Muller, looks like you'll be disappointed, because all I'm gonna do is encourage you to work hard, lift correctly, and get strong. You won't stay weak for very long if you DTFP.

[forgeforth]

My suspicion is that Crossfit's otherwise pernicious influence is leaking into the mainstream and that gyms need to learn to be tolerant of traditional strength and conditioning methods. Fingers crossed.

This is an interesting point. I don't care for Crossfit for reasons noted elsewhere, but I do recall going back to my old university gym last year and seeing changes. When I started my Bachelor's in '05 the gym was newly built and it was your typical pile of shit. I went back home for the first time since graduating last September and I noticed three things: they cut the number of machines in half, added an extra squat rack with a second set of pins and opened up more floor space for deadlifts. Free weights remained in tact. I saw a couple of guys squatting low bar as well.

Changes are occurring gradually and you can usually observe it in the schools. Any time I hit a campus gym, be it in Windsor (hometown), Hamilton or here in Ottawa, you will see guys squatting low bar. I'm sure it's the same way south of the border. Unless you have a chain committed to incompetence (like Planet Fitness), gyms will respond to consumer demand, especially if they are catering to a young, educated cohort.

[mlentzner]

Say what you want about CrossFit (I do), but it has been the gateway to real training for a lot of people.