Gym Rules - Dropping Dumbbells

[gymtime]

I expect this kind of shit from the newbies, but not from a vet.

Last week. Guy who was obviously a competetive BBer was there training someone. Was doing heavy mil presses with dbs. Drops them to the ground after the last set, huge crash the whole gym could hear.

I was pissed.

Guy goes for new dbs for next set, 10lbs heavier. Pulls them off the rack...BOOM....BOOM...drops them on the floor, one right after the other.

I'd had enough.

"Dude you keep dropping those weights, they'll throw you right out of here."

"Uh, I was just setting them down man," he said, all annoyed.

Whatever. I let it go and went back to my workout.

The little fuck had the balls to complain about me. He heard, "Dude you keep dropping those weights and I'll throw you out of here." Like I was threatening him or something. I'm across the gym by now and I see this little asshole pointing at me and pleading his case to the barely-out-of-puberty gym cleanup boy.

Cleanup boy comes to me and says, "Sir, was there some sort of confrontation here?" I said look, all i said was that if he keeps dropping the weights like that, he's gonna get thrown out. We don't allow that here.

"Well, he's a competetive bodybuilder and they have certain ways of doing things," says acne boy.

Wrong answer.

"I don't care if he's Arnold fucking Swartzenegger, we don't drop weights in this gym. It's posted on every wall. Are you saying the gym rules don't apply to him?" Note, I've been going to this Golds for about four years now. It's much more family oriented than hardcore. We have tanning, daycare and a hip-hop class for Christ sake!

Blank stare.

"Yes you're right. I'll talk to him."

That was pretty much the end of it. He stopped dropping the weights even though he insisted he was being treated so unfairly.

I can't believe someone like this thinks that abusing the equipment is perfectly appropriate. In my four years at that gym, I've never complained about anyone or any thing. But I'd had enough.

Rant over....Comments welcome. Thanks

 

[curgeo]

Monster and I drop weights all the time. I am not going to have my shoulders sacrificed by gently placing weight down when doing presses. I think it's stupid to just drop them when doing shoulder presses, but I don't do it for drama.

 

[gymtime]

If you're in your own gym, or if you belong to a gym that allows it, fine. But in a public gym where the rule against it is posted everywhere, no way.

 

[curgeo]

So when you are pressing 120lbs dumbells, you should allow your shoulders to take the brunt of it while setting them down easily?

 

[mrplunkey]

"Dropping Weights" means different things to different people and in different gyms.

Senseless things, like dropping a plate after taking it off a bar is exactly that -- senseless. Also, if you're dropping dumbells for effect or drama that's senseless as well.

Having said that... If you are doing heavy dumbells and specificially working to failure, then it's probably expected you're going to drop them. I'm comfortably certain that any competent gym would let you know in a hurry if their "Dropping Weights" policy covers failure sets as well.

 

[psychedout]

There is absolutely nothing wrong with dropping the weights. Throwing them down isn't cool (unless your doing lifts on a platform, in which case, I throw my deadlifts down).

Dropping them while moving them is dumb, but at the end of a set, its totally understandable.

Now, lets say your doing db bench and do a slow negative on the last one, i'm sorry, but its not possible to do anything but drop the weights.

And if your big, you pretty much have the right to drop them. Nuff said.

 

[Vash]

So when you are pressing 120lbs dumbells, you should allow your shoulders to take the brunt of it while setting them down easily?

What difference would it make if you where to do that with 5lb dumbells or 120? Gym rule says no dropping don't drop. If you can't manually lower it get two spotters.

 

[H_T_]

well, i had some guy bust half a set of 130's right in front of me, what pissed me off was i needed them next.........also, there are other people in the gym, i have seen people get broken bones due to falling weights.

 

[The_Monster]

What difference would it make if you where to do that with 5lb dumbells or 120? Gym rule says no dropping don't drop. If you can't manually lower it get two spotters.

Lol. A lot.
Me "dropping" a 165 and you dropping a 5 are a world of difference. I dont care how many spotters you can come up with... I lower the weight back to my chest (at an incline), then to my knees and then a graceful plop down to the ground.
You learn to land them even, not on an end or anything.

The difference is in someone pushing themselves with a large weight and someone using a weight that is too heavy. Its a controlled drop versus a "drop".

The guy in the first post sounds like he was trying to be show off. I dont care to show off, I just care to save my rotator cuffs...

 

[gymtime]

There is absolutely nothing wrong with dropping the weights. Throwing them down isn't cool (unless your doing lifts on a platform, in which case, I throw my deadlifts down).

Dropping them while moving them is dumb, but at the end of a set, its totally understandable.

Now, lets say your doing db bench and do a slow negative on the last one, i'm sorry, but its not possible to do anything but drop the weights.

And if your big, you pretty much have the right to drop them. Nuff said.

Not at a gym that doesn't allow it, and posts that policy for all to see.

If you feel that that it's not possible to do anything but drop a db on the last set, which I completely disagree with btw, then find a gym that tolerates it. If it were my gym, you'd be asked to leave, no question.