Simple title really. I am going to outline some of the things that drive me nuts in the gym.
1. All Upper Body: Listen guys, most of your muscle mass is in your legs and if you think jogging will keep your legs strong you are fooling yourself. So guys spend some time and train your legs. At least get in 1 leg day, like in DeFranco’s program. Do a squat variation, a hip extension moveent, and a knee flexion plus hip extension move like the GHR or a stability ball leg curl. Simple. 3 movements and around 45 minutes worth of effort.
2. Talking too much during rest intervals. I move quick in my lifts, maybe about a minute of rest between sets. I don’t like standing around as it ruins my momentum. So when the squat rack with three 5lb weights on each side of the bar is vacant for 10 minutes I am going to assume your are done with your curls or shoulder presses.
3. Not lifting weight! So I move into the aforementioned squat rack only to be told that someone is using it. This fellow gets in and proceeded to squat his 75lbs! Now I applaud his attempt to squat but really. I see this guy there every day. He is consistent. He benches 225. He squats 75. Look fella, unless you are walking on your arms you need to fix this and start lifting. You don’t need to be a champion powerlifter but at least get some weight on the bar.
4. This is for my friend Andrew Darqui. Bragging about box jumps. Seriously this has to end. a 55 inch box jump means you are flexible and not that you can jump high. One kid has the highes box jump on his team and the lowest vert. Can you say long limbs and flexibility? Would you rather have this kid on your team or someone with a legit 36″ vert? So lets stop this BS and start quoting vertec vertical jump measurements.
5. Using the squat rack for anything other than squatting (I will accept pull ups as another option). You can incline press on the incline bench. Curl by the dumbbells or the preacher curl bench. Do your crazy tornado dumbbell spins at home.
6. Tornado DB Spins. I don’t know what they are called but this one guy does them and now he has a legion of followers doing them. Sounds like a great way to slip a disk to me but… oh well. How to do them: Grab 2 40lb dumbbells. Bend your elbows to 90 degrees in a hammer curl position. lock your hips so they are aimed straight ahead the whole time. Now twist your shoulders and dumbbells left to right for 20 reps per side. Enjoy! I have a chiro I get a referral fee from so be sure you contact me when your back is hurt.
7. Advanced lifters not speaking up or helping out. Am I the only vet that is willing to help out some young kids on their form. We should really strive to take this opportunity to shape the future generations of lifters into the type of lifters we want to be around and not the jerk-off “Tornado DB Spin” guy.
8. Not racking your weights. Consider it additional GPP, or conditioning, or just being respectful. I know the sense of entitlement that permeates our society is partially to blame. C’mon man, if you can lift it you can rack it.
9. Not putting the weight in the appropriate spot. On the rack the weights go from lightest to heaviest or by size smallest to biggest. Simple. From the top: 2.5, 5, 10, 25, 35, 45. That is it. If I ever have to dig out another 45lb plate from behind a stack of 5′s, then a 25, then a 2.5, then 4 more 5′s I will throw the 45lb plate at Tornado DB Spin Guy or Cable Crossover Kid.
10. Cable Crossover Kid. You weigh 115lbs. Do you ever see any of the big guys doing crossover curls? Didn’t think so. So eat, squat, deadlift, do pull ups, and some form of press, then eat some more. Want big guns without crossover curls? Bret Contreras’s research shows that weighted pull ups and chin ups are the best bicep recruiters (read mass builders) there are. So do some chins and pulls.
Well that is enough for now. Do you have more? Drop a comment below and let me know what dries you nuts.
i love #4
i train at home now so i don’t run into any of those problems.. since i train at home, my list would be:
#11 : you stupid thunderstorms, let your rain out around 1pm-4pm so that the courts/ground can dry up so i can dunk/sprint.
#12 : you little annoying mosquitos, you piss me off, go bite someone else i’m tired of your shit.
#13 : you punk ass kids who holler shit at me when im running/sprinting down the street at 1am better not ever start anything, or you’ll get a nice surprise.
#14 : you stupid ducks who lay out in the streets to avoid cats/predators, go into the back of a truck or something, all you do is get hit by cars and occasionally freak me out as i almost step on you when running.
#15 : these owls keep stalking me, freaky bastards.. but they seem smart.
#16 : you annoying cops need to stop harassing me, i’m just jogging, i know you’re bored, but it’s obvious that i’m jogging, because i’m jogging and soaked, get lost.
peace
What about personal trainers who can do entire sessions with clients using nothing but the cable stack. And they seem to do this with EVERY client. At a gym I occasionally visit I have seen the trainers almost freak out of all the cable stacks are full. I would like to organize one of those stupid mass people movements and have all the gym users hog the cable stacks for a few hours. I would love to know what the trainers would do. Probably call it quits and go home.
Plyo Guy: You weight 115 lbs and think that only doing plyos is enough for you to reach a big vert. Seriously bro, hit the gym and gain some weight.