Oh the places you'll bro! (Tales of Gym Glory)

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Re: Oh the places you'll bro! (Tales of Gym Glory)

#761

Post by TimK » Fri Apr 02, 2021 1:22 pm

@mbasic I think those are pretty cool, better than power hooks (which aren’t even available anymore) if you’re going to do really heavy DB benching, especially if you have loadable DBs that kill your knees on the setup. But they’re way too expensive for me and I’m not strong enough to need them/I use flat-ended DB’s that aren’t that tough to get in position/I don’t really go below 8 reps on DB bench anyway. I know Mike T has a pair.

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Re: Oh the places you'll bro! (Tales of Gym Glory)

#762

Post by DCR » Fri Apr 02, 2021 5:29 pm

mbasic wrote: Fri Apr 02, 2021 1:07 pm

anyone else think these things (*waves over this thread*) is a sure sign our society's collapse in close at hand ?
I dunno, man. That music is the soundtrack to an epic victory, what could go wrong? :(

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Re: Oh the places you'll bro! (Tales of Gym Glory)

#763

Post by Skander » Tue Jun 01, 2021 1:10 pm

Went to a lifetime fitness today with my mom while visiting. It's weird how the whole place is super fancy, with smoothie bars and stuff, but the weight room is such a mix. Women's eleiko bars on every rack, but a very random mix of other bars (ending up benching with something very spinny, not fun) and safeties and plates beaten within an inch of their lives.

I also don't get why these places buy those bench stations with two pegs and no spotter anything in an age when Westside style bench stations exist and aren't that much more expensive. The covering on those benches also feel like they've been greased, no grip at all, and they're super narrow.

I might not have climate control or a smoothie bar, but made me appreciate my home gym.
Last edited by Skander on Tue Jun 01, 2021 1:32 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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Re: Oh the places you'll bro! (Tales of Gym Glory)

#764

Post by Wilhelm » Tue Jun 01, 2021 1:25 pm

Skander wrote: Tue Jun 01, 2021 1:10 pm Went to a lifetime fitness today with my mom while visiting. It's weird how the whole place is super fancy, with smoothie bars and stuff, but the weight room is such a mix. Women's eleiko bars on every rack, but a very random mix of other bars (ending up benching with something very spinny, not) and safeties and plates beaten within an inch of their lives.

I also don't get why these places buy those bench stations with two pegs and no spotter anything in an age when Westside style bench stations exist and aren't that much more expensive. The covering on those benches also feel like they've been greased, no grip at all, and they're super narrow.

I might not have climate control or a smoothie bar, but made me appreciate my home gym.
Heavy House ftw!

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Re: Oh the places you'll bro! (Tales of Gym Glory)

#765

Post by mbasic » Tue Jun 01, 2021 1:36 pm

Our Lifetime has/had (10) Olympic platforms with integral squat racks/cages with a (5) Elieko men's bars ...and a few IronGrip weightlifting bars (oly).

Some of older bumper plates were chipped up (the original 5 sets that came with the 1st 5 platform-stations); the newer stuff was fine.

I've moved on to another (much less equipped) cheaper globo gym that is right next to my house for various reasons.

I got no complaints about the 3 LifeTimes I've visited in the Phoenix area.

(as much as a hated the whole "scene" at those places, I can't complain about the equipment too much)

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Re: Oh the places you'll bro! (Tales of Gym Glory)

#766

Post by hector » Tue Jun 01, 2021 4:50 pm

mbasic wrote: Tue Jun 01, 2021 1:36 pm Our Lifetime has/had (10) Olympic platforms with integral squat racks/cages with a (5) Elieko men's bars ...and a few IronGrip weightlifting bars (oly).

Some of older bumper plates were chipped up (the original 5 sets that came with the 1st 5 platform-stations); the newer stuff was fine.

I've moved on to another (much less equipped) cheaper globo gym that is right next to my house for various reasons.

I got no complaints about the 3 LifeTimes I've visited in the Phoenix area.

(as much as a hated the whole "scene" at those places, I can't complain about the equipment too much)
I used to go to the lifetime in Chandler and loved it. The Great Khali went there too!

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Re: Oh the places you'll bro! (Tales of Gym Glory)

#767

Post by FredM » Tue Jun 01, 2021 8:14 pm

mbasic wrote: Fri Apr 02, 2021 1:07 pm

anyone else think these things (*waves over this thread*) is a sure sign our society's collapse in close at hand ?

...like in Rome, did they start to make retarded little gadgets or weapons that made no sense .... and that was a clue to coming collapse.
Double pronged dagger with blades coming out both sides of the handle, looks neat but totally impractical in battle, and you might wound yourself.
Emperor thought is was cool, and the blacksmiths got so good at their craft, and the raw materials were plentiful ... so why not?

Image
Why don't these make sense? I think they make a lot of sense for adjustable DBs you can't afford to drop or the loadable kind that you can't put on your leg when heavy -- both of which I have.

That said they're at least $200 overpriced. And given their product reviews seem to be sourced from random blogs, and the couple I saw that were actual reviews of their product mentioned ordering it and never receiving it or being refunded -- I'd probably recommend no one buy these at any price.

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Re: Oh the places you'll bro! (Tales of Gym Glory)

#768

Post by Skander » Wed Jun 02, 2021 1:17 pm

Wilhelm wrote: Tue Jun 01, 2021 1:25 pm
Skander wrote: Tue Jun 01, 2021 1:10 pm Went to a lifetime fitness today with my mom while visiting. It's weird how the whole place is super fancy, with smoothie bars and stuff, but the weight room is such a mix. Women's eleiko bars on every rack, but a very random mix of other bars (ending up benching with something very spinny, not) and safeties and plates beaten within an inch of their lives.

I also don't get why these places buy those bench stations with two pegs and no spotter anything in an age when Westside style bench stations exist and aren't that much more expensive. The covering on those benches also feel like they've been greased, no grip at all, and they're super narrow.

I might not have climate control or a smoothie bar, but made me appreciate my home gym.
Heavy House ftw!
I do have to say the chance to spot my own 70 year old mom on bench press was super fun.

The gym wasn't bad, I was just amused at the contrast between the fancy in some places and the less fancy elsewhere.

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Re: Oh the places you'll bro! (Tales of Gym Glory)

#769

Post by mbasic » Thu Jun 10, 2021 7:02 am

FredM wrote: Tue Jun 01, 2021 8:14 pm
mbasic wrote: Fri Apr 02, 2021 1:07 pm

anyone else think these things (*waves over this thread*) is a sure sign our society's collapse in close at hand ?

...like in Rome, did they start to make retarded little gadgets or weapons that made no sense .... and that was a clue to coming collapse.
Double pronged dagger with blades coming out both sides of the handle, looks neat but totally impractical in battle, and you might wound yourself.
Emperor thought is was cool, and the blacksmiths got so good at their craft, and the raw materials were plentiful ... so why not?

Image
Why don't these make sense? I think they make a lot of sense for adjustable DBs you can't afford to drop or the loadable kind that you can't put on your leg when heavy -- both of which I have.

That said they're at least $200 overpriced. And given their product reviews seem to be sourced from random blogs, and the couple I saw that were actual reviews of their product mentioned ordering it and never receiving it or being refunded -- I'd probably recommend no one buy these at any price.
Actually, I'll slow my roll on the DB assistance appartati that's out there.

For the 1st time in probably 5 years I did some DB bench, worked up to 100's and yeah, I had to drop them on the floor rather that the popping back up resting them on your knees. With the hundees I didn't feel confident doing this but 80's and 90's I could.
Incline DB bench, it wouldn't be problem at all....flat or decline you're in a much worse ending position.

I suppose if you were a light 175# bodybuilder doing 100's or 120's it would be a much bigger issue (DB weight:BW weight ratio).
Or some gigantic mother fucker doing 150's .... so yeah, I could these some of those gadgets being useful.

My gym, the dropping to the side is not a problem, as the whole place has 2' sq.ft soft rubber tiles on the floor (not 1/2" or 3/4" rubber matting, but I'm guessing 1 to 1-1/2" waffled-underneath rubber tiles .... quite nice for lunges when you knee smashed the floor...soft).
Getting into starting position is not a problem.

The big down side of the seatbelt retractors, straps, or hand-off gadgets ... you don't get to go thru that phase where sit there at the end of the bench, with the hooge dumbbells on your knees .... and you are hunched over like some kind of muscle-demon-gargoyle thing .... starring through your furrowed brow with a scowl while looking into the mirror before you lean back and 'get-it-on'.
That's whole scene is lost.
(I think a Broscience Life episode covered this)

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Re: Oh the places you'll bro! (Tales of Gym Glory)

#770

Post by KyleSchuant » Mon Jul 12, 2021 10:01 pm

I'm gonna snatch 50 every day.

http://www.snatch50.com

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Re: Oh the places you'll bro! (Tales of Gym Glory)

#771

Post by mbasic » Mon Nov 14, 2022 6:46 am

@DCR goes here. @mgil can we get this stickied?
DCR wrote: Sun Nov 13, 2022 12:38 pm There definitely was a thread in Off Topic re: commercial gym experiences, where this may have fit better, but I can’t locate it.

Anyway, I had set as a goal a 300 lb. paused squat, no belt/wraps per my usual. Today was the day after a few weeks of peaking it up, but instead of my usual spot, today I had to lift at an Esporta (formerly LA Fitness). As expected, it was impossible to find a sentient being to call the pause and ascent (to keep me from cheating it).

There was a young woman squatting next to me who was strong and clearly knew what she was doing, but spent her entire session on the phone, on her ear buds, as in having a full on conversation with someone about last night’s activities, for everyone to hear. Two racks down was a guy squatting with his back to the mirror like a REAL POWERLIFTER, except he was doing quarter squats. So I settled for a random kid who seemed built enough but needed to be given the instructions three times and still fucked it up. Instead of just saying “up” like I told him to do, he waved his hand at me. Per my explicit instructions, I had not been looking for a physical gesture, but rather a goddamn verbal command.

Despite that nonsense, I hit the rep. Buuuuut afterward I happened to notice that instead of a 45 lb. bar, it was the one 20 kg bar in the whole place. I logged it as 300, but I know it really was 299.1, and that shit is really aggravating me.

Fuck you, LA Fitness Esporta.
=======================
Two racks down was a guy squatting with his back to the mirror like a REAL POWERLIFTER, except he was doing quarter squats.
You always gotta wonder about that.^

I started doing the away-from-mirror thing, becuz rip told me so. Now, I don't think for highbar the mirror matters much, and it almost helps me to look into my own eyes [/no autoerotic] to keep my head forward, and not pitching me down.

I'll see girls do stuff facing away from the mirror, which is defacto also facing away from the wall or rack .... I suppose this is (an attempt) to hide their ass, to not be gawked at, etc.


======================

re. the pause: I'd just do "one mississippi" out loud, or under my breath so to speak .... and yes (it seems) I can do this while keeping my valsalva locked off. That seems to keep me honest. I'd rather do that than rely on a stranger.

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Re: Oh the places you'll bro! (Tales of Gym Glory)

#772

Post by DCR » Mon Nov 14, 2022 12:09 pm

@mbasic, thanks. Dunno how I missed the thread.

I lifted in a gym with no mirrors for a little over a year just before covid. All I got for my trouble by the end was a bunch of imbalances that I spent the next year of lifting at home correcting. In front of a mirror.

I do think it was a useful “skill” to develop, because I do occasionally end up at other places without mirrors, and although it’s really not my preference, I don’t have to waste a lot of time trying to get used to it. Comes back quick.

Re: the pause, I generally do as you suggest on all the work up sets but prefer a third party at the top so that I’m thinking of nothing in the hole but keeping tight. I’m used to lifting at places where getting good help for half a minute isn’t an issue, but yesterday wasn’t one of those places.

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Re: Oh the places you'll bro! (Tales of Gym Glory)

#773

Post by mbasic » Sat Nov 19, 2022 1:26 pm

This a pretty good† one:

So after my heavy cleans, I do a complex of high-hang-clean plus front squats for reps. Basically, a clean to get the front squat set started. I like this because the hi.hang clean teaches me to extend fully, and pull under like a mofo.... something I start to half-ass, while doing the previous clean work.

Anyway, I did the first set just fine. There's a 40 y.o. dude (probably roids) and his GF directly to my 12 o'clock, about 15 feet away....theyve been there for 15 minutes at least, as I'm forced to look at him with his nose in her ass as he helps her with assisted chin ups.

On my 2nd set , I miss the clean forward.....I pause, regather my mojo and try to restart the set. Dude yells out "you got it!". I standup with the bar again, and dip to clean it, dude comes running at me full speed to give me a spot! I kinda blurt out "no" in the bottom. JFC

1-Scared the fuck out of me. 2- stupid to spot a clean/ front squat...from the front...or any way really.

Video!










† good as in people being idiots

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Re: Oh the places you'll bro! (Tales of Gym Glory)

#774

Post by broseph » Sat Nov 19, 2022 2:35 pm

@mbasic thanks for reminding why I don’t go to commercial gyms. And bonus points awarded for video capture.

He looked like he was… going to tackle you out from under the bar?

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Re: Oh the places you'll bro! (Tales of Gym Glory)

#775

Post by Hardartery » Sat Nov 19, 2022 4:02 pm

mbasic wrote: Sat Nov 19, 2022 1:26 pm This a pretty good† one:

So after my heavy cleans, I do a complex of high-hang-clean plus front squats for reps. Basically, a clean to get the front squat set started. I like this because the hi.hang clean teaches me to extend fully, and pull under like a mofo.... something I start to half-ass, while doing the previous clean work.

Anyway, I did the first set just fine. There's a 40 y.o. dude (probably roids) and his GF directly to my 12 o'clock, about 15 feet away....theyve been there for 15 minutes at least, as I'm forced to look at him with his nose in her ass as he helps her with assisted chin ups.

On my 2nd set , I miss the clean forward.....I pause, regather my mojo and try to restart the set. Dude yells out "you got it!". I standup with the bar again, and dip to clean it, dude comes running at me full speed to give me a spot! I kinda blurt out "no" in the bottom. JFC

1-Scared the fuck out of me. 2- stupid to spot a clean/ front squat...from the front...or any way really.

Video!





Dude. He was trying to get seriously injured. I had a gym employee harassing me every time I did Power Cleans, he was insistent that I should have a spotter. I have never figured out how that would work.




† good as in people being idiots

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Re: Oh the places you'll bro! (Tales of Gym Glory)

#776

Post by mbasic » Mon Nov 21, 2022 12:19 pm

That ^ same day. The guy next to me, who actually Looks Like He Lifts, and quite a bit so, does some cleaning too at this time.....but absolutely horrible form, almost comes to a complete stop and his overly ridiculous "scoop phase", and then does a heaving and arm pull to strong man clean it and drops into an unneccessary (due to the height of the catch) front squat. 'Cleaned' 300, but missed the jerk. Dude is strong AF tho

Anyways I had my camera set up on a bench behind his platform; he asked if I might move over in case he (or the bar) goes backwards off the platform.....which, would be quite a sight. I say, "oh sure! I'm done anyways". I move the bench. THEN, he puts two 35 plates as stops on the plateform, he explains what he's doing, using the plates as stops. The whole floor in the gym in rubberized with thick rubber 2' square tiles. Don't know he's worried about ....

Anyway, I thought about telling him how that's not a good idea, that the bar would be better off hitting flat; rolling off the platform; THAN HITTING ONE OF THE CORNERS OF THE STOP-PLATES ALA KEVIN OGAR. .... but I just didn't have it in me.

=============================

Long story short: If you do any Olympic lifts at a globo, it brings out the Cross-tards like a mother fucker.

So the next day after the above story, a rando guy asks me where and when I learned to "oly" lift and who coached me. I told him I was (pretty much) self taught, and said, "about 1987, long before Crossfit was even a thing...what, that was 2008?". I could tell that offended him, and then I had to hear about how he personally knew Glassman, and "it was the late nineties actually" and how he lifted trained in one of the first Crossfit gyms in Sacramento or something-something, and how he is now a coach at a Box, and how they have "Olympic lifting only" classes on Tuesdays and Thursdays and so on an so forth as the guy climbs down into the leg press machine to do a set ...and funny enough, at a non-Box copro-globo non-Box gym.

I have had this happen 3 times: where I tried to get kinda-sorta-recruited to lift at a Box, by people who are "part owners of a Box" ....but this recruiting happens AT the globo gym we are both lifting at ..... wait, lol wut? why areN'T you Constantly-Varrying-Functional-Movement-At-High-Intensity right now? and why are you doing pec deck? .... if you own a box.

Oh, a 4th time was a guy who approached me about doing Crossfit at "his place". I assumed a "Box", but later he mentioned he has "Everything" in his garage-gym. So I think the guy wanted to fuck me. Men are pigs.

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Re: Oh the places you'll bro! (Tales of Gym Glory)

#777

Post by CheekiBreekiFitness » Tue Nov 22, 2022 12:23 am

What's wrong with squatting and deadlifting in front of the mirror ? I do that all the time and I like ii better than without the mirror.

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Re: Oh the places you'll bro! (Tales of Gym Glory)

#778

Post by mbasic » Tue Nov 22, 2022 4:21 am

CheekiBreekiFitness wrote: Tue Nov 22, 2022 12:23 am What's wrong with squatting and deadlifting in front of the mirror ? I do that all the time and I like ii better than without the mirror.


Certain fitness/barbell gurus believe:

1 - if you are looking at your self, you ain't looking down, thus derailing "hip-drhive"

2 - a sort of negative feed back loop with occur, even if you did see something wrong, by the time you correct it (in that moment), the moment has passed. (I guess you could fix the next rep though?)

3 - I think it (anti-mirror sentiment) is also some kind signalling that we are "manly men", not concerned with looking at our selves or our self-appearance like a woman would do. "We here for business".

========================

For upright high bar squats, I actually like the mirror now .... I try to look into my own eyes....its kinda erotic TBQH. Although I will say I like the mirror to be some distance away from me, so I'm looking OUT. If its too close, I find it DOES make me look down a tad (and pitch forward). So I take huge walkouts backwards. If I don't have that type of rack/setup/room ....I'd rather face away.

For lowbar (which I hardly ever do), you simply look at your reflection of your feet in the mirror, OR HEY, how about you look at your fucked-up-valgus-caving-knees, and be aware of that shit show?!?!?!

For olympic lifts, I don't like the mirror. I figure if I ever compete, I won't have the mirror .... AND more importantly, a bunch of people walking around, staring, or not, and distractions in front of me ...you know: hot girls (and guys) checking me out! All that will have to be ignored in a meet setting. If I ever compete. Seriously tho, I don't like the flash frame of seeing myself right at the extension phase, its distracting.

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Re: Oh the places you'll bro! (Tales of Gym Glory)

#779

Post by CheekiBreekiFitness » Tue Nov 22, 2022 7:35 am

mbasic wrote: Tue Nov 22, 2022 4:21 am
CheekiBreekiFitness wrote: Tue Nov 22, 2022 12:23 am What's wrong with squatting and deadlifting in front of the mirror ? I do that all the time and I like ii better than without the mirror.


Certain fitness/barbell gurus believe:

1 - if you are looking at your self, you ain't looking down, thus derailing "hip-drhive"

2 - a sort of negative feed back loop with occur, even if you did see something wrong, by the time you correct it (in that moment), the moment has passed. (I guess you could fix the next rep though?)

3 - I think it (anti-mirror sentiment) is also some kind signalling that we are "manly men", not concerned with looking at our selves or our self-appearance like a woman would do. "We here for business".

========================

For upright high bar squats, I actually like the mirror now .... I try to look into my own eyes....its kinda erotic TBQH. Although I will say I like the mirror to be some distance away from me, so I'm looking OUT. If its too close, I find it DOES make me look down a tad (and pitch forward). So I take huge walkouts backwards. If I don't have that type of rack/setup/room ....I'd rather face away.

For lowbar (which I hardly ever do), you simply look at your reflection of your feet in the mirror, OR HEY, how about you look at your fucked-up-valgus-caving-knees, and be aware of that shit show?!?!?!

For olympic lifts, I don't like the mirror. I figure if I ever compete, I won't have the mirror .... AND more importantly, a bunch of people walking around, staring, or not, and distractions in front of me ...you know: hot girls (and guys) checking me out! All that will have to be ignored in a meet setting. If I ever compete. Seriously tho, I don't like the flash frame of seeing myself right at the extension phase, its distracting.
Sometimes I envy the manly man dude guys. But I can't help being a city dwelling european pajama boi who likely drinks coffee made by somebody else. I don't even own a firearm.

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Re: Oh the places you'll bro! (Tales of Gym Glory)

#780

Post by mbasic » Tue Nov 22, 2022 9:58 am

Nothing happened today .... other than they are always cleaning the locker room when I hit the gym .... a woman (young girl).

If you wait for them to finish, and take the sign/pylon down, you could be waiting an hour.

I've changed in my truck before, tough putting on man-tites in there ....

Today, I asked the trainer if I could use their office to change. Did that.

Irritating

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