Some observations I have made watching people at my gym->

[BigRedCat]

Why are there so many guys doing light weight flyes? Does this even do anything at all? Why do I see so many guys doing cable crossovers? It is a fairly lame exercise to begin with. I see guys in my gym doing chest about 90% of the time and the ocassional guy hitting leg presses. NEVER seen anyone doing squats. I shouldn't talk though cause I cant do them right now either- my lower back is screwed up and so I have been resorting to leg presses and hack squats

Also, I see guys doing like 30 work sets per muscle and it obviously isn't working for them yet they are right back there the next time I am at the gym. Weird. Of course the average age at my gym is like 45 so....maybe that has something to do with the antiquated workout routines I see these people doing. Lots of goofballs with their shirt tucked into there shorts. Very cool. haha.

This one guy was asking me how many reps I was "going for" and I told him 5. He kind of looked at me weird. Any of you notice any of these oddities at your gym?

 

[needsize]

Sounds like you train at the same gym as me. The ones that really drive me nuts is the guys that only do heavy partials, thinking they are doing the exercise correctly, then swaggering around cuz they lift soooo much weight. When helping out people, especially younger guys, at the gym, I now point at those people and use them as examples of what not to do. I just wish one of them would say something to me about it...

 

[BigRedCat]

Yeah some dude was watching me doing biceps last week and when I was done he had to use 5 pounds more than me for barbell curls. Then when he was doing them he was keeping it at the top for like 3-4 seconds, basically letting it sink into his shoulders. I was like, yeah dude- your the man. haha.

I think partials have their place, just to get the big weights up and move them around but if that is all you do it wont build too much muscle. I sometimes cheat a little with certain exercises just to get my weights up but if I cannot keep a semblance of form then it is pointless. By the way needsize, my weights have been going up since I started training 5x5 style. I am using the 75 pounders now for incline press which is good for me. They are a bitch to get in place though. I am still only 5'11" 190 but I am getting there!!

 

[needsize]

Glad to hear it's working for you, I love that system.

Today was the perfect example of what drives me apeshit. I squat around 4 plates (405) for reps, and I go ass to the floor. In all seriousness, there are maybe 3-4 guys in my whole gym, 3000+ members, that can do that in good form. These two skinny jackasses grab the other squat rack, they are both 6' and maybe 165lbs. They proceed to load the bar up to 4 plates, step out of the rack with their knees shaking like crazy, and do 3" reps. After racking the bar they swagger past me like they are soooo huge. How can they honestly think that they are even doing reps? But to then pull attitude with me afterwards, I'm not a violent person but one of these days I am going to crack a few heads

 

[Elite_Fry]

wots wrong with cable crossovers?

 

[needsize]

wots wrong with cable crossovers?

Just my 2 cents but I feel they are one of the most useless exercises ever invented, you could have so many steroids in your system that you have oil for blood and still never gain an ounce of muscle from that exercise

 

[louden_swain]

I think its funny when people perform 5 or 6 exercises for chest, but they never squat. On the positive note, several people at my gym squat and deadlift.

 

[Lumberg]

I hear ya. I have been to two gyms recently on a one day pass and both times I saw guys at the squat rack puttin on 315. I started to get impressed (i try to give people the benefit of the doubt) and I watched them do their sets. Of course they were like 1/4 squats.

One guy started out with 225, not going down all the way, and did 295, 1/2 reps, then 315 at 1/4 reps. The sets were not getting any harder. He was compensating by going down less and doing less work.

I just did my deadlifts and calves and kept my mouth shut.

When guys swagger around because they do sets of 1/4 reps at 315 it's just like WTF?

JC

 

[BigRedCat]

Yeah that shit is lame. I could care less what people are using for weights for the most part but incorrect technique is hard not to notice. If I loaded up 4 plates on either side and tried squatting I would be crushed! haha. It sucks having sciatica I can tell you that. I get a shooting pain down my leg doing just about any exercise including curls! So...I have to deal with leg presses. I have my girl doing ATF squats, gotta love it! Her ass is looking sweeeeeet! I hope I can eventually do squats again. I tried for a bit but going ATF was killing my lower back. Maybe I could wear a belt but that wouldn't address the problem. I am able to do sumo deadlifts now but not straight legs. Sucks.

 

[Elite_Fry]

Just my 2 cents but I feel they are one of the most useless exercises ever invented, you could have so many steroids in your system that you have oil for blood and still never gain an ounce of muscle from that exercise

hey when i do crossovers i can feel it heaps afterwards.. doesnt that count towards anything?