Pet Peeves In The Gym

[The Red Dragon]

What are yours?

I just observed an obscene amount of people do 15 reps to tone/define (with rediculously low weight). In the end where the hell does that get you? Esp on isolated movements like curls. Where did this high rep/definition logic come from?

There's also those people who curl right in front of the mirror on the 'POWER LIFTING ONLY PLATFORM' if I do deads/SLDL's why should I share a mirror with someone doing curls? There are tons of other mirrors in the place.

...Just had to vent

 

[needsize]

for me its the people doing 1/2 reps, with way too much weight, and thinking they are all badass, not realizing that those of us who actually know how to train are laughing our asses off at them.

Red Dragon, you're from Waterloo, I'm about 30minutes away, where do you train?

 

[MnFguy49]

All the mini floor fans in my gym
It feels like a mini-tornado in there

 

[Liftbig]

for me its the people doing 1/2 reps, with way too much weight, and thinking they are all badass, not realizing that those of us who actually know how to train are laughing our asses off at them.

at my old gyms this was my biggest pet peeve. the bad thing is they would truly think they are badasses, and size themselves up to the real lifters in the gym.

 

[Smurfy]

for me its the people doing 1/2 reps, with way too much weight, and thinking they are all badass, not realizing that those of us who actually know how to train are laughing our asses off at them.

Red Dragon, you're from Waterloo, I'm about 30minutes away, where do you train?

thats nothing. at my gym we have a posse of guys who do 1/4 presses for shoulders. my boyfriend actually asked one of them why they do it like that and the guy gave my boyfriend some elaborate explanation LOL

 

[2Shy]

One of my biggest peeves is when people load 45s on the bar in the power cage for shrugs or something. Judging by the height of the bar, these people always seem to be 7 feet tall. I'm 5'5" with a bad shoulder, so it's a pain in the neck.

That and curling in the power cage. Ugh. My gym only has one and no squat racks, so this is a true annoyance.

**Edited to say I meant leaving the 45s on the bar ... I hate it when people don't re-rack their plates.**

 

[MikeK]

There was really none of this were i used to live, but at the gym here, there alwase seems to be some 60 year old guy, naked in the locker room. Usualy, people use something called towels, but they sure dont. And then they get in a conversation for an excuse to stay naked just a little while longer. I walk around staring at the floor.

 

[needsize]

The one day I had some guy ask to work in with me and my training partner, we were benching 315 for 5x5 that day. This guy is 160lbs soaking wet with oil, proceeds to jump right in and start cranking out 1/4 reps. After a few sets i couldnt take it anymore, so I asked why he doesnt ever do full range stuff. His snotty reponse was that this way works much better for him(I've been training around this guy for 5 years and he hasnt gained a pound). So I said "Oh, thats interesting..I've gained over 100lbs on my body since I started training with full range reps, how much has this gained for you?"
he just looked pissed off and walked away

 

[Synpax]

Easy.
- people not removing their weights when done with equipment
- people not wiping sweat off of equipment
- people who do not complement me on the loudness, frequency, and stench of my farts.

 

[BlkWS6]

Hmmm....

1) Talking on cell phones while lifting. I have seen a couple of guys actually curl with one arm and talk on the phone with the other

2) As others have stated: The 1/2 or 1/4 reps.

3) The "Under Armor" assualt. Wow if I see another guy who weighs a 140lbs wearing Under Armor gear that looks like spray on latex I'm going to die. I'm really not some gym workout clothes nazi but these things look like freaking wet suits.

 

[phatman42]

Little lads strapping on belt, wrist wraps, elbow wraps, gloves, just to do a 150lb bench. I wanna ask why they don't have a squat suit on as well

Oh and the other day there was a lass on the bench machine reading a magazine WHILE doing her set!?!?!??

WHY don't most girls think that lifting properly will turn them into a musclebound freak?? Some of the most amazing bodied girls i know follow standard powerlifting routines.

 

[Awes0me]

i'd have to agree 1/2 reps, it shouldnt really bother me - i should just laugh at them, but sometimes it really gets to me. One day a couple of friends of my brothers were at the gym, thinking they were the biggest badasses on the planet (bench pressing only dropping the bar 6-8 inches), as i knew them i advised them on their tecnique and said they would be better off having less weight and a better range of movement. They both agreed with me and promptly left. 6 months later they return to the gym, doing the same thing... Thats the last time... Never again.

 

[needsize]

i'd have to agree 1/2 reps, it shouldnt really bother me - i should just laugh at them, but sometimes it really gets to me. One day a couple of friends of my brothers were at the gym, thinking they were the biggest badasses on the planet (bench pressing only dropping the bar 6-8 inches), as i knew them i advised them on their tecnique and said they would be better off having less weight and a better range of movement. They both agreed with me and promptly left. 6 months later they return to the gym, doing the same thing... Thats the last time... Never again.

I've gone up to young teenagers that I easily have 80-100lbs of mass on, and very nicely offered some advice on form, and in return gotten a snotty "Thanks, but I think I know what I'm doing"....Back when i started I would have given anything to get advice from some big ass bodybuilders, and no way in hell would I tell one off whos arms were bigger than my legs

 

[sk*]

Yea, I HATE people doing half benches or whatever. For some reason, it really bothers me.

On a little different note, I bet a lot of people look at me like an idiot when I do lockouts lol.

-sk

 

[sconoscuito]

you guys are forgetting about all the fat people who just do the same thing in the gym what they do at home.. sit on their fatasses on the machine that you need to use and after 10 minutes they might decide to do a rep of 10 with the lightest weightl... then just sit there, stare at the ceiling for like another 10 minutes and pull another rep and again just sit there then get up and take a sit on another machine..

all I ever see them do is sit in the gym, I've never seen them do anything that would benefit their fat loss

makes me wonder why they even go to the gym...

 

[guldukat]

Ugh...half-reps. Here's my rant:

I saw a guy doing quarter or third reps just yesterday. Over the course of years I've never seen him do a full rep on anything, ever. His routine this Sat. looked something like this:

Bench presses with 225, lower about 4", then press back up. Repeat for 3-4 sets of 6 reps. I guess 225 is his MMP, Minimum Macho Poundage *shrugs*

Hammer Iso-Inclines and Iso-Wides with a _whopping_ 140 lbs. (one 45 and one 25 per side...woooo, what a BEAST!), 3-4 sets each of 5 half-reps;

Hammer Iso-Pulls and Iso-Rows with the same weight, sets and reps;

Hammer Overhead Press with one wheel/side, more sets of partials.

I lost track of what he was doing at that point. I think he did some cable pulldowns and some PARTIAL CRUNCHES (I shit you not...how can you do a PARTIAL crunch?! But he did, LOL). Thankfully he was gone after that.

This guy's not very bright. I don't think he'd take kindly to someone asking him why he refuses to do full reps.

Besides, I don't think he likes me. About a year ago, back when I was doing HIT-style supersets for thighs occassionally, I made the mistake of asking him if I could work in on the leg press.

Ordinarily I never "work in," but my superset required no rest between leg extensions and the presses: I'd do the extensions to failure, followed up by two or three drop sets with a static hold at the end of each. Then, I'd run to leg presses for a straight set and forced reps.

He'd been doing shitty sets on my favorite LP machine for a good 15 minutes, and I was tired of waiting. I knew good and well what I planned to do would make me sick, so I wanted to get it done. Anxiety does not a happy Dukat make.

When asked if I could grab a quick set during one of his lengthy, wheezing breaks, he dimly nodded at my request. Still, he was probably mad that I'd interrupt his ten sets with 400 lb. quarter-reps. (Don't hog the equipment if you don't mean business, clod.)

So, after doing the triple-drop on leg extensions, I literally limped over to the leg press. I didn't want to do upwards of 50-75 reps, so my training partner and me threw 4 more plates on per side. I was pissed to be taking such a long rest (!); ordinarily I'd have no rest going into the press.

Anyway, I got maybe 10-12 with that, lowering my knees to my armpits and pausing at the bottom of each rep, then I did forced reps by pushing on my knees.

I had to go puke pretty badly after that.

I imagine Partials Man felt like I was poking fun at his totally shit training. No sirree. If I'd wanted to do that, I wouldn't blow my legs out on extensions first; I'd go at the leg press fresh, so we'd have to load it all the way up

You'd think that guy might get a clue, but he never did. I think he is mildly retarded...what he's doing is so far from practical, intelligent use of partials that I can come to no other conclusion.

 

[Mike_Rojas]

You all have brought up good points, here's a few pet peeves of mine:

Not having adequate spotters when I squat heavy. I think I can squat 10-15% more if I'm surrounded by good spotters.

A spotter that's "touch happy" on bench - even after you tell them not to touch the bar.

A crowd of people sharing the benches, while the squat rack is collecting dust. Not really a pet peeve, because that leaves it open for us .

Gyms that don't allow deadlifts. Sign says "no olympic weights on the floor".

Guys that never progress.

I used to squat in front of a mirror to check my form, and some fat slob would always get in the way to do dumbbell curls.

Lowering the weight in a squat, and seeing some jackass standing inches away from you. WTF??

Trying not to stare at the babes that just work the leg curl and abduction machines.

Changing those damn plates when you work in with a powerlifter. That can be a workout itself.

Trying not to stare at the babes that are on the treadmill.

Gyms with every damn kind of machine ever thought of, but only one power rack.

Guys that use the gym as a "nightclub" to pick up chicks.

 

[RusPA81]

Hmmm....

1) Talking on cell phones while lifting. I have seen a couple of guys actually curl with one arm and talk on the phone with the other

2) As others have stated: The 1/2 or 1/4 reps.

3) The "Under Armor" assualt. Wow if I see another guy who weighs a 140lbs wearing Under Armor gear that looks like spray on latex I'm going to die. I'm really not some gym workout clothes nazi but these things look like freaking wet suits.

From now on I am coming to the gym everyday wearing Under Armor and I am going to talk on my cellphone.

Anyways, a few of mine:

1) people who get dressed up like they are going clubing to lift.
2) people who ask for advice and then get mad at you because you told them they are lifting wrong
3) people who do 15 sets, with each set past failure
4) people who are working out by themselves and get mad when you ask to work in for 1 set.

 

[athlete0185]

- ppl doing barbell curls standing up and arch their back and jerk the weight up because they are doing too much.

- some kid putting way too much on the shrug machine and lifting it 1/2 the way and afterwards walking away like he was the hulk.

- people weighing themselves more than once in a single workout

- people lifting up their shirts and checking out their abs in the mirror in the middle of the gym. <--save it for home asshole. no one here wants to see your beer gut.

 

[2Shy]

- people lifting up their shirts and checking out their abs in the mirror in the middle of the gym. <--save it for home asshole. no one here wants to see your beer gut.

I saw this today. I think. Is there any reason in the world for someone to pull his tee shirt front up over his head (leaving the back down) while he is doing ez-bar shoulder presses?

If so, I have to tell you that is one of the goofiest things I've seen.

 

[Paulo]

There is this one guy that comes in and proceeds to let out these really obnoxious orgasmic noises whilst doing tricep pushdowns and 95 lb bench presses. A little grunting does not bother me but this dude belongs in one of those Herbal Essentials shampoo commercials. Fucking-A.

 

[Exodus]

my biggest pet peeve of people in the gym is:


.................... people..........

plain and simple........lol

X

 

[Awes0me]

I saw 2 people today:

1. A guy i see from time to time, using the lat pulldown machine, obiously had too much weight on it for him. He was pulling the bar down onto the back of his neck, with no control what so ever, the bar was bouncing off his neck, then he was allowing the bar to fly back up (with no effort of control), this was for 3 sets of 3 or 4 - beats me how he didnt either rip his arms out of the sockets or break his neck. I spoke to one of the instructors and said are you gunna say something to him, his reply was "naah fu#k him, ive told him so many times i hope he hurts himself"

2. A woman on the leg ext machine. She had a whopping 10lb on there, she did 3 sets of 10, wiped her forehead and went to the next machine. (Obiously she didnt want to become a muscle bound freak)

Now why the hell do people like this go to the gym, is it just to piss us off ?

 

[Nonerz]

gym stalkers...

 

[HodgeMN]

After reading this, it makes me glad I have my own personnal "dungeon" at home. Ironically, I think I spent less on my rack and weights that I would have on a gym membership.

 

[Scotsman]

Let's see here in no particular order.

-cell phones in gym
-people who don't shower and smell bad
-people standing in front of what I want to use talking and not lifting
-people who lift upper body only (superheroes)
-not putting weights away (you get them out you can put them away)
-people who ask advice from me then dispute what I say
-people who run on the treadmill for two hours because they don't want to be big and bulky from weight training.
-girls who dress up to be seen and not to lift.
-and as X said just people in general.

Some day I will have my own gym and then I can be happy.

Cheers,
Scotsman

 

[CobraUTAH]

Many rants for me
1. 1/2 and 1/4 reps what a waste
2. One guy in particular blows my mind. When he does shoulders on the seated rack he lifts his butt up and away from the seat so he is basically in an incline position to do his shoulders. Then when doing incline he lifts his butt so far up that he's totally horizontal to do inclines. I haven't seen him flat bench yet but I'm sure it looks like decline. What really pissed me off was when he was on the incline one day doing his from all fucked up and I needed to get on. He was wasting his time and mine because he should have been on the damn flat bench.
3. We needed the squat rack for check this SQUATS last monday, and these two guys that I thought were cool were doing bent rows out of the rack. They were lifting the bar off the safety sides of the squat rack walking out of it to do the bent rows and then putting it back on the squat rack. What the hell. If I were doing that and I wouldn't and someone asked how much longer because we're doing squats, I'd have said oh well take it because we have no reason at all to be here we could do it off the floor and have the exact same affect.
4. Stealing weights and machines without asking.
5. Smelling like a ripe asshole
6. As above doing exercises wrong on machines I want to use correctly. I don't care if someone knows what there doing, but when someone is doing shit all wrong when I want to get on it is wasting my time and theirs and that really angers me.

 

[superwife]

My biggest pet peeve is people who leave the bar in the highest hook of the squat rack with plates on it. It is really frustrating because it is well over my head and I can't unrack it safely.

I also hate the guy who uses the 100lb fixed bar and then leaves it in the middle of the floor for me to trip over. If he was strong enough to get it off the rack he should be strong enough to put it back.

I also hate the people who snag weights off your bar without checking if you are done. My husband almost got decapitated because some moron grabbed 20 pounds off one side of the bar when he was benching (he had walked over to the power rack to spot my squats) and didn't say anything to us when we returned to the bar. The guy was sitting right behind us watching my husband psych himself up for the set. Then after the almost decapitation the guy mumbled something about not realizing the bar was still in use!!!

I need a bigger house so we can have a home gym!

 

[hellboy]

...
Guys that use the gym as a "nightclub" to pick up GUYS.

Arrrrrgh!

 

[needsize]

I also hate the people who snag weights off your bar without checking if you are done. My husband almost got decapitated because some moron grabbed 20 pounds off one side of the bar when he was benching (he had walked over to the power rack to spot my squats) and didn't say anything to us when we returned to the bar. The guy was sitting right behind us watching my husband psych himself up for the set. Then after the almost decapitation the guy mumbled something about not realizing the bar was still in use!!!

Damn, I forgot that one. One day I was close grip benching with 295lbs for 5x5. I walked away to do a set for bis, when I came back, the guy using the machine 5 feet away had stripped 35lbs off the bar I was using. He then watched from 5 feet away as I unracked to bar, and then almost blew a shoulder out as it went flying to one side. When I got up and asked everyone around me what happened, he just kept staring at me but didnt say a word.

 

[MsBeverlyHills]

I wished my gym showed the rugby matches instead of football all wkend-- BORING!

 

[sweed]

-when the kids put the plates on the bar the wrong way

"1) people who get dressed up like they are going clubing to lift." -RusPA81

-Kids that leave the plates on the benches, rack and leg press/ hack squat

 

[IJ26]

All of the above plus when people spend all damn day on 1 machine. I got my entire DC workout done and was hammered at the end and this guy was still on the hammer incline press and that is where he was when I did my first exercise. He was working out all by himself too. Talk about long and unintense. Gee lets go to the gym and try not to break a sweat. Its a genius muscle building idea, Ive got to give it a shot someday

 

[Deleted member 33117]

Hmmmm... why all of this negative talk about heavy partials. I did an all partial routine for a short period of time and made great gains. None of you do rack pulls or heavy lockouts (I used to do them with 565 for sets of 10) in the rack?

 

[Lord_Suston]

biggest peeve, "yo dude, why you lifting like that, those weights are heavy BRO!!!"

 

[IJ26]

partials are good when u incorporate them for a reason. we're talking about the guys who do them all the time just to feed their egos

 

[lucidblue]

- using the squat rack for bicep curls, when they could be doing this anywhere else in the gym.
- not racking plates when done

hmm, I know there's more but I can't think right now.

Funniest thing I ever at the gym.... saw a guy using collars on the smith machine. LOL.

 

[ffknight84]

-girls who dress up to be seen and not to lift.

Actually i kind of like this, it motivates me to lift more and show off, feeding my ego

 

[wildonsquats]

Lowering the weight in a squat, and seeing some jackass standing inches away from you. WTF??

This has happened to me twice this past year already, once on bench. I had 3 wheels on the bar and was in the middle of a set, when some idiot just started talking to his friend right beside me. I could see him out of the corner of my eye and one my 6th rep the bar hit his elbow but i managed to lock it out.

The worst though was this past summer when i was doing 5x5's on squat and during my 4th set some idiot stands right next to me to start doing db curls with 20's while i was unracking the bar.. He was so close, so i yelled at him to get out of the way, so he steps out of the way and then proceeds trip and then drop one of the 20's while im deep in the hole. The db bounces off the floor and then smashes into the mirror right in front of us. That must of been the hardest rep ive ever done in my life, glass all over the floor, around my shoes. I dont think ive ever seen him in my gym again...

 

[STEP OFF]

people who take their time on a machine that they know u need

 

[fat tire]

When people steal from me. Some asshole just stole my $50 clubhouse passcard at the gym. It was out of sight for maybe 4 minutes. FUCK!

 

[lanky]

when people bring a magazine to the gym and read it while training. what are these people thinking

 

[Prime Rib]

Poor form....plain and simple..

Dipshits who put 225 on the bar and bounce it off their chest like a trampoline and think they're strong.

More dipshits doing standing EZ curls, almost doing backbends to swing the weight up for each rep.

Even more dipshits doing dips, and going down about 1/16th of an inch, then coming back up thinking they're done a rep

And yes, more dipshits trying to squat tons of weight and barely even bending their knees for each rep

You guessed it! More dipshits trying to do pullups, swinging their legs so far upwards that their knee's almost smack them in the face trying to get momentum for each rep...

Why do I call these people dipshits? Because I try and help them with proper form, and they think i'm the dipshit. I've given up on trying to cure ignorance in my gym. I'll continue to grow, while others keep swinging their dicks around....

josh

 

[fat tire]

People that pound the shit out of machines. one guy will come in put like 60lbs. on the chest machine slam the shit out of it everytime. it's so f'ing loud/annoying, I have to wait until he's done with his set, to continue with mine.

 

[Yarg!]

This one guy in my gym BARELY bends his knees for squats. WHAT THE FUCK KIND OF HALF ASS "SQUAT" IS THAT!??! I MEAN SURELY TO GOD! He does this with like 225lbs, he would be lucky to get 170 of the floor for full reps. One day I will tape this idiot and show it to you guys.

 

[Prime Rib]

This one guy in my gym BARELY bends his knees for squats. WHAT THE FUCK KIND OF HALF ASS "SQUAT" IS THAT!??! I MEAN SURELY TO GOD! He does this with like 225lbs, he would be lucky to get 170 of the floor for full reps. One day I will tape this idiot and show it to you guys.

See my post above.

 

[thebrute]

cell phones...people talkin on thier cell phones in gym during their workout and holdin up shit to boot. tb

 

[superqt4u2nv]

I am sure I am going to sound like a bitch but I hate when people talk to me needlessly. Only time I can stand for someone to speak to me at the gym is if they are trying to help giving advice on my form or something. Other than that it just screws with my focus. This is also going to sound like a bitch but I don't like to work in between sets with others on machines. I don't know why some people seem to think the gym is a social place. I go in do my shit and get out.

 

[Maurice]

When bringing a heavy dumbell back to the rack after a set, and a guy gets in the way who does not have a weight in his hands. The guy doesn't move and instead I have to move around him, even though im carrying heavy poundages in my hand(s).

 

[Tweakle]

It's not a peeve as such but I saw something pretty funny the other day, this stocky little dude comes walking into the gym wearing a PLUSA tshirt and Chuck T's and struts over to the squat rack. I think to myself cool, I'm going to see some serious squatting here as he buckles on a huge power belt and slaps the chalk around.

He put 50lbs on the bar and did 5 sets of cheat curls. Wearing straps.

I hate it when you're doing a set by the dumbell rack and someone walks in front of you to grab a db. Would it really be so hard just to wait 20 seconds for me to finish?

 

[Arnold'sApprentice]

Biggest is/and always will be...gays who keep staring and giving me suggestive faggot looks...it's partly my fault i get phobic and check to see if the homo is still looking at me constantly and he is..so he thinks i'm interested and does it more...ARGGGGGGGGGH.

Also,when i'm doing heavy mp and i catch some fucker staring at me in the mirror..basically..i HATE all the staring

 

[Awes0me]

Actually i kind of like this, it motivates me to lift more and show off, feeding my ego

me too !!!

 

[UA_Iron]

I hate it when you're doing a set by the dumbell rack and someone walks in front of you to grab a db. Would it really be so hard just to wait 20 seconds for me to finish?

I guess this would be one of my peeves, people standing directly in front of the dumbell rack. If they are a big guy I wont walk in front of them, but a couple steps back would do a service to both parties.


Cell Phones - this isnt social hour, shut the the hell up and stop taking up space on gym floor.

1/2 reps...I really doubt the effectiveness of these

People trying to stare me down. - Maybe its because I work out at a college gym, but this happens from time to time

 

[ATF]

I was actually in the middle of a set of heavy squats when one of the trainers in my gym walked up to me and said, "Hi, how are you doing today?"

It blew my concentration all to hell. Maybe its because I work out in a twinkie gym and the trainers don't know what focus is.