Gym etiquette question

[yomon]

I would like to know how i should go about it at the MT/BJJ studio i just joined.

they don't have much in the way of equipment a couple machines, a bench, chinup rack, smithmachine(the SUX), some dumbells and a olybar with about 400lb in wieghts.

The only thing that bothers me is i see more experinced students then myself doing endless curls and dumbell flies, i just left him alone because i'm the ultimate noob at the gym right now. But should i atleast hint that he should be heavy compound lifting? I do the bear complex after my newbie class and half the experienced class turns and stares when thier not oceupied with drills.

 

[AxeGrinder]

I lift at home, so the only person I'll occasionally give advice to is my younger brother, but otherwise, I pretty much keep to myself...

 

[Wrecking Ball]

Personally Yomon, I'd leave them alone and do your own thing. Once you catch up techniquewise as far as fighting your strength should be much more obvious. Let them come to you when that happens if they want your help. You don't want to come off as the FNG who thinks he knows all.

 

[Henry Swanson]

I hate people giving me advice at the gym so I refrain from giving it myself.

 

[gauntman]

i bet i would offer unsolicited gym advice if i knew what i was talking about.

i'm often tempted. a guy at my gym routinely does overhead press by lowing the bar directly on top of his skull, pausing for a moment, then pressing up very, very slowly. it looks painful and stupid.

 

[Wrecking Ball]

Like, down, rest the bar on his head, and then press? That's one of the dumbest things I've ever read. Make an exception and tell him NOT to do that, lol.

 

[gauntman]

yes, he seriously lowers the bar until it rests on the crown of his skull before pressing it up again. it's a weird range of motion to be sure. the first time i saw him doing it i watched his entire set, trying to figure out what i was seeing. conclusion: skinny, lost 18 year old who just joined the gym.

seeing someone lift like that is kind of like catching someone with their fly down. do you say something and embarass them (and maybe youself for noticing), or just ignore it?

unsolicited advice still sucks.

 

[Barut]

yes, he seriously lowers the bar until it rests on the crown of his skull before pressing it up again. it's a weird range of motion to be sure. the first time i saw him doing it i watched his entire set, trying to figure out what i was seeing. conclusion: skinny, lost 18 year old who just joined the gym.

That sounds really stupid/funny. Atleast he's not doing it in the smith machine and filming himself and posting it on the web.

 

[Mark Limbaga]

Only if someone is in danger of hurting himself.

 

[Jimmy Cerra]

I don't often offer unsolicited advice unless I am absolutely sure the other person is doing something wrong. I hardly know enough to be an expert, so I postscript any advice with that warning. For that reason I also I enthusiastically welcome solicited and unsolicited advice on my lifting strategy or technique. Of course I temper the advice (given and gotten) by the person giving it. i.e. Different strokes for different folks... However, I appreciate any help anyone offers.

 

[Urban]

damn guys there is such a hottt trainer at my gym and yesterday she was wearing this tiny pink shirt, her boobs were all sweaty and she was bending down on a swiss ball trying to balance yuuuumm

Pics?

 

[Madmick]

I work at a gym and I give unsolicited advice all the time. I've learned in the time I've been here to spot the people who are too shy/embarrassed to ask and appreciate my candor, and differentiate them from the douche-bags who think they know what they're doing.

Also, I should mention, with men, even the shy ones, I usually ask if they'd like a suggestion; with women, I don't. Women tend to learn faster.

 

[Lard-ass]

i sure wish someone would give me advice

cause im almost positive my form is shitty

ive been tempted to ask some of the more expierenced guys a few times , but those dudes looked so intimidating it was unreal


worst thing is i could prob armbar or choke everyone of those monsters....hahaha

but that dosent amount to much in the gym lifting weights now does it

Over the years, I

 

[SmashiusClay]

i bet i would offer unsolicited gym advice if i knew what i was talking about.

i'm often tempted. a guy at my gym routinely does overhead press by lowing the bar directly on top of his skull, pausing for a moment, then pressing up very, very slowly. it looks painful and stupid.

I seriously just fell off my chair, thats just made my day. Thanks man.

 

[Diligent]

Do you guys ever offer unsolicited advice in the gym? I sometimes want to, but I try to refrain unless it looks like somebody's going to really hurt themselves. I feel inclined to do so mostly when I see people quarter squatting 100lbs too much weight with atrocious from. There's been a shift towards squatting at the university gym where I lift, but it almost always involves using the manta-ray, a spotter humping the lifter from behind, and really shallow lifts. Any ideas?

I did stop a kid from unracking a bar in the squat rack the other day that had 25lbs more on one side than the other.

Sure. Why wouldn't I? And I would only give advice if I was 100% sure about what I am talking about. I see people doing silly stuff all of the time in the gym, but ya can't go up to everyone you see and just throw advice at them randomly...unless they are just about to do something that would hurt themselves...

LOL at you guys who refuse to say anything to anybody in the gym because it would 'break your concentration', or 'just look down', basically ignoring others...I used to do that, too. When I was 17...

 

[Ian Coe]

Can I just add something to this thread to do with the 'walking around spreading information but don't know their arse from their elbow' type people that frequent gyms.

No?


tough shit



I was doing MP's once and was doing triples at 70kg or so (weighing 80-81 kg thats not 'too' bad, especially at my hippy student gym). Anyway, I'm resting and this guy comes up to me and asks if he can jump in, I say sure and we proceed to strip the weight to something stupid like 30. He does 5 reps and struggles up on the last one (I mean tilting, shaking kinda struggles). I say I have another 2 or so minutes left so if he wants to go again he can. He asks what am I training for, I say strength, and he goes (after like a minute after I've finished the triples) 'right then, thats enough rest'.
I couldn't believe this shit, so I end up asking why he thinks that I should have such a short rest, his reply 'it makes you burn quicker, you should really drop the weight and do 8 reps if you want strength'.
I couldn't fucking believe it. I laughed and did my next 3 and then proceeded to effectively give him a lecture on cns adaption, lactic acid and lifting protocol in regards to strength and what he was trying to tell me to do was competely against that (I may have thrown in words like hypertrophy which made him make a dog chewing a toffee kinda face). My god he looked so disheartened, frustrated and plain confused that he just made some piss arse excuse and sulked off.

Same as when another damn guy tried to tell me to do squats in the SM when he was squatting 80 to not even parallel and weighed like 95 and I was squatting 130 full depth on the rack. Some shit about my knees giving out and oh that must be bad for your back. Why oh why do people try and pedal the polish strongest man all the damn time ('yeah, but the worlds strongest man is a BB <looks smug>'. 'true, but I think you'll find 90% of his training and strength has come from PL and recently changed to BBing, please do research next time you open your mouth')


Sorry, had to let it out

 

[Foulsmeller**]

Why I dont give advice:

I'm a two time national kickboxing champion. I'm standing next to my best friend who fights in the same weight class and is a FOUR time champion (I won the two years he didn't fight, he has beaten my at least a half dozen times, and we're STILL friends...but I'm banging his wife). A guy from the gym comes over and asks us what he needs to do to get better. My friend ( 4 time champ mind you) tells the guy he needs to work on his cardio because he gasses too fast, and I till him he needs to find a way to protect his center line.
He frowns, mutters something like: I dont need that and walks away.

YEARS later I'm still landing every shot i throw at the guys face and chest, and he is still out of gas after one or two rounds.


Fuck'em.

 

[Zeirhk]

Do you guys ever give bad advice on purpose? :icon_twis

 

[rickdog]

I would not give advice unless asked. Not to sound like a jerk, but it is not your job to police the gym. Let people do what they want to do and If they want your advice they will ask. That's just my personal opinion. Unless ofcourse the kid had to much weight on one side, then I would give him a heads up, but thats it.

If your going around giving form tips and telling people to squat deeper, even though you are probably right, I'm afraid you will only come off as an arrogant big mouth.

 

[desertbake]

When it comes to lifts that can fuck me up if I do em wrong, then I appreciate criticism