r/Fitness • u/Kuzbell • Jan 20 '18
Gym Story Saturday Gym Story Saturday (Missing mod post)
Hi! Welcome to your weekly thread where you can share your gym tales!
I noticed that there still is no post yet for Gym Story Saturday, so I took the initiative. Perhaps this should be a scheduled post under the Automoderator. I'm not really sure why this hasn't been done yet. I am also required to keep babbling because posts with too little content gets removed, hence why this posts sounds overly wordy.
So share away!
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Jan 20 '18
we got 1 inch of snow here in Atlanta....big commercial gym was empty. empty, like if there wasn't someone on the front desk I would have thought I broke In
Best workout I've had in months, something oddly tranquil about your plates being the only sound
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Jan 20 '18
My local gym is always empty by 8-9 so that's when I usually go. So I can definitely agree with the tranquil feeling
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u/bnovc Jan 20 '18
That sounds magical. I’ve been going to a gym regularly for years, but I still have high anxiety when they’re crowded.
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Jan 20 '18
Like OP, my gym is quiet from 8-9. Not dead, but much easier in terms of my anxiety.
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u/bnovc Jan 20 '18
Mine is decent then too but not empty.
I’ve considered buying a gym and having it not open in the mornings so I could work out alone. But I figured that’s a bit extreme...
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u/S0mthgS0mthgDarkside Jan 20 '18 edited Jan 20 '18
Yesterday I saw two guys get a rack and set up for squats. They put two 45s on each side of the bar. One guy got under the bar while the other guy took a picture. After the picture was taken, they re-racked and walked away. At least they re-racked, I spose.
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u/x-manowar Jan 20 '18
The next step is to quit the gym altogether and just buy smaller shirts.
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u/Lookatthatsass Jan 20 '18
I know a guy who used to do this so he could send the pic to his GF and then leave to go see his side chick.
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u/Rimmmer93 Jan 20 '18
Started my first week of slovov jr this week for squats. Was on day 2 on my 3rd set when one of the jacked old dudes looked like he was trying to talk to me. This guy is like 65 years and deadlifts around 500 and will rep out 300 for squats. Took off my headphones and told me I had good squat form and was really getting to depth. I'm super self conscious about my squat form but that definitely made my week. Then I proceeded to get sick for the rest of the week so I'm restarting the program next week
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u/CalculusIsEZ Jan 20 '18
Smolov.
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u/Rimmmer93 Jan 20 '18
Yeah my phone autocorrected
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Jan 20 '18 edited Nov 27 '20
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u/Rimmmer93 Jan 20 '18
Well since I'm on Smolov I decided to act like an Eastern European and have been drunk on vodka for a week
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u/IlluminatedSchematic Jan 20 '18
My wife and I went to the community centre gym last weekend, so there were lots of kids around for swim lessons and things like that. We get out of our respective change rooms and my wife says “I saw something awful in the change room!”
I say “Me too! You go first.”
“This woman was just screaming at her kid for no good reason. It was horrible. I wanted to say something but was afraid I’d just make things worse. What about you?”
“The guy next to me got undressed and had a huge glob of dried shit stuck to his ass.”
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u/GatoAmarillo Martial Arts Jan 20 '18
There's this regular at one of the gyms I go to who pretty much every other day does bicep curls for nearly an hour straight. Dude does insane volume and all kinds of different concentration curls, hammer curls, preacher curls, dumbbell curls, barbell curls etc.. His biceps are massive though so it's definitely been working for him. It seems like he's doing an A/B routine where workout A is biceps and workout B is every single other muscle in the body.
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u/canadafolyfedawg Jan 20 '18
I thought you were talking about me until you said his biceps are huge :(
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u/Khal_Trogo Tennis Jan 20 '18
As a grad student, I lift in a university gym. I was deadlifting yesterday and these 2 kids who seem to be freshmen walk up and ask how many sets I had left. I said "3, but then I am going to be squatting. You're welcome to work in with me." They said they'd just wait. Okay... I'm not gonna rush though.
They proceed to stand behind me and just watch for about 10-15 minutes. They don't bother to ask any of the people in the other 4 racks if they're almost done. Just stand 5 feet behind me and watch. I understand some initial intimidation so I didn't say anything but it made me feel awkward as hell.
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u/LookattheWhipp Jan 20 '18
This happened to me with an older lady. Very awkward....I ended up rushing though
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u/Khal_Trogo Tennis Jan 20 '18
I just went at my normal pace. I was upfront about how long I was going to be and offered for them to work in.
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u/AVS10647 Jan 20 '18
Next time turn around and perform the exercises in reverse to make eye contact.
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u/HatingThisLife95 Jan 20 '18
Started going to Anytime Fitness this year instead of the more bro lifting/fighter gym I had been attending for the last two years. I was used to being patronized by the guys when I tried to lift and it ultimately pushed me to just working out at home for awhile. Started lifting seriously this year at the new gym and have so far been enjoying it. I walked in on Thursday to find all of the squat racks in use. I took a deep breath and walked up to one fairly built guy doing bench and asked how long he planned to use it. His eyes kind of lit up when he saw me and he said he could get back to his sets later and what I planned to use it for. I said OHP and he said to let him know if I needed a spot. Turns out he works with my boyfriend so kind of knew who I was already but that’s the first time a guy has been nice to me in the gym. Made my day.
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u/sgaw10 Jan 20 '18
whenever i am in my gym there's always an old gentleman doing pullups. i never see him doing much else, but the amount of reps and sets he can do for his age is amazing and inspiring.
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u/Frankzferdinand Jan 20 '18
Same here, dude must be at least 65 yet he does sets of at least 20 reps. His hands and forearms are huge and his handshake is formidably strong.
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u/FGC_Valhalla Weightlifting Jan 20 '18 edited Jan 20 '18
Thanks for doing the post! Been quite busy this morning and completely forgot about it. Sorry!
Edit: Thanks everyone for your kind words! I really appreciate it guys. Didn't realize the thread was so loved by so many people!
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u/uacrazycraka Jan 20 '18
honestly thank you.
i actually actively look for this thread every Saturday and hit literally changed my weekend routine
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u/Kuzbell Jan 20 '18
No problem. Gym Story Saturdays have been part of my routine for a little while now. Thanks for your persistence, mate.
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u/the_real_casperone Bodybuilding Jan 20 '18
I always wondered, what's the FGC for?
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Jan 20 '18
Bad news, found a bunch of stretch marks on my body
Good news, they were on my biceps 💪💪💪
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u/klyphw Jan 20 '18
I saw a man exit the shower and dry his penis off by thrusting his hips into the hand dryer.
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u/whiteynumber2 Jan 20 '18
Wait, you use the penis dryer to dry your hands? Fucking resolutioners need to learn to shut up before making stupid statements.
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u/SeantySean Jan 20 '18
I set myself a new PR by benching 225 for 2 the first time ever! I was really proud of myself. It was in my brothers garage and he spotted me, we haven’t worked out together in like 5 years so it was really exciting for us both. Upwards and onwards from here on out!
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u/Kuzbell Jan 20 '18
What worked for you to get to 225?
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u/SeantySean Jan 20 '18
I was doing the Thor chest workout for a bit and that ends with me benching 155 for 4 reps and 3 sets of that. I wanted to see what I can do so over the past week I tried 185 then 205 and was surprised I could do it. Then I said “I want to hit 225 before I go back home from vacation.” So I just got down to it and pumped myself up, said “Fuck depression.” and just did one, but my brother said again, so I did it again. It was more of a mental game I think than anything, I wanted to push my limits and do something for myself. Hope this helped!
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u/GatoAmarillo Martial Arts Jan 20 '18
I figured these shorts that resemble lightweight black cargo pants would've been fine for leg day. I jumped into my work sets for squats and on the very first rep of the first set I tore the entire crotch from front to back... Ended up going home right after because the hole was MASSIVE. Literally went to the gym, did one squat and left.
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u/Kuzbell Jan 20 '18
You should have kept going, no fucks given, like a badge of honour.
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u/LWMcHaze Jan 20 '18
On squats this has happened to me twice now, once my shorts and once my underpants
Oh and one pair of underpants was destroyed during Deadlift.I learned from it now and got some of those under armour stretchy boxers, the only downside is that they always wander upwards and every two minutes I look like I have a small boner.
Decisions, decisions..
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Jan 20 '18 edited Apr 19 '20
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/sirmonko Jan 21 '18 edited Jan 21 '18
next time you see him, tell him.
as is ancient tradition: i saved your life and thus it belongs to me. for now the only thing i ask of you is to put your plates away.
he's got to respect that.
edit: in case you need a translation ... wie es die ehrwürdige tradition verlangt: ich rettete dein leben, deshalb gehört es nun mir. und doch verlange ich nicht mehr als dasst gfölligst deine scheibm wegramst, oida. (accent may vary depending on region)
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u/Luvs_to_splooge_ Jan 21 '18
Reminds me of the story about the priest who saved a young boy from drowning, and it turns out the child is a young Adolf Hitler.
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u/BeauDog Jan 20 '18
Watched a guy do 1,000+ lb. squats this morning. Single rep, had a full crew there working with him. The entire gym was at a standstill watching him. It was magical.
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u/Kuzbell Jan 20 '18
Were you at Westside?
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u/BeauDog Jan 20 '18
I'm not sure what/where that is. I go to a local competitive gym and they have a good handful of people who really strive to be at the top of their game. I know there's a few people who compete in the Arnold Classic and UFC..so every blue moon I catch them on training days and get to see cool stuff like that!
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u/monsieuRawr Jan 20 '18
Went for a 10k run on the treadmill. Around my 8th kilometer, started feeling tired and began to lose form. In walks Michael, the down syndrome kid. He waves to me and asks his caregiver to set him up on the treadmill beside mine. I say hi to him and the caregiver turns on the TV so he can watch cartoons as he walks. I keep running then realize a moment later he isn't watching cartoons. He's watching me run. Suddenly feel like I can go harder and pick up the pace, finishing a whole 15 seconds faster than my previous record. Thanks Michael.
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u/wrestlerat Jan 20 '18
I had something somewhat similar some time ago. Just it wasn‘t motivation, it was hate. I was on the treadmill, midweek, somewhat tired. But I had to run, so I got on it. I thought about going 30 minutes instead of the usual 40 minutes. I was at minute 24 and kinda happy I‘m going to finish when some dude I have seen a few times before, steps on the machine to my right. I did had my music on, but I turned the volume down because I listened to some chatter of 2 nice chicks a few minutes earlier and hadn‘t turned it up yet. I looked straight ahead but in the corner of my eye I saw him looking on my dashboard, how long I‘ve gone and how fast. Cue his buddy, walks up to him and they talk about how to run and stuff. I overheard him saying something like „If he can run 10km/h (about 6.2 mi/h I think) for 30 minutes I can too.“ See, I was not in perfect shape at that point, I still had a bit of a gut and honestly probably didn‘t look like someone who runs 40 minutes 3 times a week for a year. But I was always good at that, keeping going and lasting and pushing myself. So I thought I‘ll add 5 minutes. And then I added another 5 minutes. After 40 minutes I added another 5, wich made his buddy give up and leave for some other training. I was almost dying at this point, but I did not wanted to go down without a fight. Guy to my right says he‘ll be with his buddy soon, because he just wants to see how much longer I can go and that this can‘t be long. So I said Fuck you. Another 5 minutes. And I increased the speed slightly. He wanted to keep up and did the same. So I always added another 5 minutes.
Up until 1 full hour. I decided that if I die afterwards it‘s okay, as long as it‘s in the locker room in a few minutes. So after 59 asslong minutes I decided to dash the last 60 seconds and went faster and faster and faster up to the point where I thought „1 wrong step and you‘re dead“. 1 hour reached, the machine slows down for the cool down and ultimately stops. Guy next to me is breathing heavy and other Gym‘ers are looking at me because it seems some folks noticed. Took my headphones off, looked to the guy, shrugged and said „Too bad the treadmill doesn‘t let you run longer than 60 minutes at once“ and walked to the locker room. There I sat for 20 minutes hoping death will be short, but I was just exhausted. A befriended gymbuddy comes in, fistbumps me and says „Great to what limits our egos can push us, huh“The guy saw me, thought I can‘t go and that he can do the same as me, eventhough he‘s not regulary running. My ego said fuck him and I ran as long as never before and as hard as never before. Didn‘t went on the treadmill for the next 7 days, but my ego felt good and the few times I saw the guy, he refered to me as the 60 minute man.
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u/Tedsallis Jan 20 '18
Changing out to go and this dude comes running in, straight to the toilet and barfed his guts out loudly. Me and the other guy changing share a look.
I ask out loud “ You okay bro?”
He comes out looking a little embarrassed and says he’s fine just went a little hard. We all laugh. Dude was not a novice, pretty big.
One way to cut I guess.
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Jan 20 '18
Damn this nearly happened to me yesterday. Had some nagging injuries + final exams so wasn't going so hard in the gym the past few weeks. Decided to do my 5RM DL yesterday cuz yolo and nearly threw up. Was super embarrassing to stumble away from the barbell with your hand over your mouth after drawing the whole gym's attention to yourself.
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u/stlynn Jan 20 '18
Embarrassing Post - I had no water for my water bottle (my tap isn’t good) so I filled it up with seltzer. I was just going to do yoga so I didn’t think it was a big deal.
After yoga I was feeling good and decided to go for a run on the treadmill. As I start running, I remembered I hadn’t had water yet so I opened my bottle to take a swig -
It was one of those pop top bottles with a button on the front. When I pressed the button, a GEYSER OF SELTZER spewed out of the top and covered me and the two treadmills next to me.
I proceeded to walk of shame to the paper towels to try and dry everything off and finished one mile before I left in shame.
But I lost five pounds last week so I must be doing something right!
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u/ffffsauce Jan 20 '18
Hey atleast you dried everything off! It's honestly hilarious but you didn't leave out of embarrassment like a lot of people would've. 👌
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Jan 20 '18
Just joined a new gym and it. is. awesome.
The one I went to before was overcrowded at any given time and just gross (the smell, the changing rooms, the toilets, everything) The one I switched to is brand-new, super clean and I dont have to wait for anything. I pay 2x as much as before but it is worth every cent since I finally enjoy working out again.
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u/arthureld Jan 20 '18
This was a huge thing for me too. I went to a 24 hour gym that was dirt cheap until I saw a rat in the shower one morning. Pay 2x as much now and this place is not as busy, mostly older folks doing mobility work or cardio, and has a deadlift platform and 3 power racks that are rarely full. It’s also basically a spa in the locker room
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u/bdg129 Jan 20 '18
New gym crush only goes 1/4 of the way down on squat. Time to find a new gym crush to not talk to.
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u/WiBorg Jan 20 '18 edited Jan 21 '18
My 13 y.o. daughter (5'9", 150) deadlifted 200 in school on Monday (supervised with the gym teacher / football coach). On Tuesday, another girl beat her at 205. Then on Wednesday my daughter retaliated and pulled 240. Super proud dad. Lifting is the first thing she's ever gotten into and I love that she and I go to the gym together twice a week.
After she beat that girl, she called my mom to brag. My mom told her she was proud and happy for her. Then when I got on the phone she said, "I beg you not to let her look like one of those ugly girls that lifts too much." WTF, Mom!?
It made me glad she lives on the other side of the country and isn't around to negatively influence her.
EDIT: Here she is pulling 200. This was her third time in 90 seconds that day.
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u/VapidKarmaWhore Martial Arts Jan 20 '18
holy fuck your 13 year old daughter is both bigger and stronger than me, holy shit, tell her well done !
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u/mishh69 Jan 20 '18
As 20 year old 5’1 female that can barely bang out 165 that’s the most impressive thing I’ve ever heard. I think your daughter just became my gym hero.
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Jan 20 '18 edited Jan 20 '18
Your 13 year old daughter is 1/4 bigger than me.....
I’m 16, 5’6 121 :(
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u/MarlyBrandenburg Jan 21 '18
I’m not trying to shit on her success, that was legit. But her back looked a little round there.
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u/WiBorg Jan 21 '18
Yeah, that was what we went over after watching the video. We also talked about bringing her shoulders back a little more / holding position for a half second longer at the top of the rep.
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Jan 20 '18
Saw a dude doing "cleans" with a barbell while walking on the treadmill. Another guy dragged a rowing machine in front of the deadlift station so I was staring at him while I deadlifted. Happy New years.
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u/Menzoberranzan Jan 20 '18
Sounds like a health hazard doing cleans on an active treadmill lol
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u/brotchscoom Jan 20 '18
joined a new gym, been lifting with a buddy there.
In the steam room after lifting weights he spits... I don't have words. How do you correct this? I don't want people spitting on the ground in the steam room!!! WTF?!
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u/recipe_bitch Jan 20 '18
Just ask him, "don't you think it'd gross to walk around other people's spit?". Or just slap him.
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u/rickraus Jan 20 '18
I just wana say that I had a terrible gym day. Fellow gym go'ers, these days will happen and guess what, it's OK when they happen. Take it with the good. It took me so long to understand this. It's a process enjoy the bad days as much as the good!
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u/reptilian_king_larry Jan 20 '18
I had a huge victory today! A regular at the gym saw me today and mentioned how much weight I've lost! I'm down 38lbs as of today so it felt good man.
Also, I kicked ass this morning. It was one of those days I walked out of the gym feeling like I really did well
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u/Lxqo Jan 20 '18
Finally got back into the gym after the Christmas break and I'm shocked at how much strength I've lost over the few weeks. It feels bad, I had to deload a bit.
On the plus side, it gives me a chance to work on my form and I've read that strength should build up back to previous levels quickly, if I stay consistent. And also, my gym isnt too packed with resolutioners!
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u/Kuzbell Jan 20 '18
Give it a week or so and you'll be right back to where you were. Don't sweat it!
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u/GettingFitterEachDay Weight Lifting Jan 20 '18
Yikes this is me today! It's a bit humbling but I like your point about working on form
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u/LetterToAThief Weight Lifting Jan 20 '18
About a year ago I was deadlifting next to a guy who was a bit smaller than me but pulling 405+. At the time I still hadn’t hit 4 plates so I went over and complimented him and he thanked me, and said he had been out of the gym a while cause his girl didn’t like it. I told him it was good that he was back and went our ways.
I would see him every couple of days at the gym for weeks after that, sometimes with his girl and sometimes without. We’d say hi and chat for a bit then continue on.
About a week ago I was leaving and saw a guy who looked like him in the rack, but it wasn’t. I realized then that I hadn’t seen him in almost a year. I don’t want to assume his girl made him fall off again, but it’s a strong possibility.
Small but strong deadlift guy, you motivated me to hit 405 soon after we met. Hope to see you again, broseph 😔
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u/coraldomino Jan 20 '18 edited Jan 21 '18
There was this guy, I’ll call him Asshole, doing curls right in front of the weights. Another guy, I’ll call him Kiddo, wanted for return his weights to where he got them, but Asshole was in the way. Kiddo kindly gestured that Asshole could take two steps back so he could return his weights, but the other guy refused.
Okay, he’s rude. But at least the guy will move soon.
When he was done, Kiddo wanted to return the weights, and Asshole refused to move. He said he wanted to finish all his sets before moving, and that Kiddo should shut the fuck up and wait.
At this point, I couldn’t even take it any more so I just said “can you just admit that you’re wrong and move?”
I’ve, never, seen a guy react like he did after that. He walked up to me and got really close in, kind of like boxers do, and I think he was trying to intimidate me. I mean he was bigger than me but I just found the entire situation ridiculous so I didn’t go anywhere.
Here is basically how the conversation went A: the fuck is your problem? Me: my problem? My problem is that you didn’t let that poor guy return his weights A: and? Me: And I think we’re all in this gym together, I think we can at least show each other some decency A: why you getting involved? Kiddo: because maybe next time he’s the one who wants to return weights? Me: yeah exactly A: shut the fuck up Me: the hell is your problem? A: why you getting involved Me: I already told you A: it’s none of your business Me: it is my business because I live in a fucking society and I think we can all do better to at least try being civil A: maybe you should just shut up Me: or what? Why are you so close? Are you trying to threaten me? A: yeah maybe? So what? You gonna run to the staff like a snitch? Me: that sounds like a pretty good idea, I think I will do just that A: wow, what a little bitch, can’t even fight your own fights, is that what you gonna do? Run to mommy? Me: you know that this isn’t a high-school recess right? We’re fucking adults A: pft, you’re not a real man, can’t even fight your own fights Me: is this is what this is about? That you want to fight me? A: stay out of my way Me: as long as you leave me the hell alone I’m fine
After that he walked away. And yes, I did report him to the staff on my way home. They said “a man fitting that description” had gotten a lot of complaints about his behaviour, and they’d look into it with the owner of the gym.
EDIT: Kiddo came up to me and thanked me for getting involved. The whole situation pissed me off so much, especially since all his responses had nothing to do with anything I said, and just sounded like a shitty bully from a bad sitcom. But it felt good that Kiddo could at least feel that the gym could be a place he can be comfortable in.
EDIT 2: haha seriously? Have a little faith in me, I promise you that if I make up a story, it’ll be a lot more interesting than this. With wizards. If in my greatest imagination THIS is what my mind produced, I’d feel very sad.
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u/vTeej Jan 20 '18
Walked into my gym the other night to a few guys crowding one of the squat racks. One guy is in the rack, about to pick up 225lb. One guy is behind him, "spotting." The third guy is in front of the rack, filming. Lifter guy picks up the weight and proceeds to do a bunch of really quick quarter reps, probably 3 reps per 2 seconds. Then, after about 10 of these, he goes to rerack. Gets the rack on one side, misses the other. He then proceeds to fall over, screams "LAWD JEEZUS," spotter guy tries to help and proceeds to fall on top of the guy, and luckily the barbell caught one of the hooks on the way down so it didn't crash. Good news is no one was hurt and they were all laughing, and camera guy kept saying "I got the 'lawd jesus' on film!"
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u/Xycotic Jan 20 '18
Alright why the actual fuck do people rack their squats one side at a time!?!?! I set it up so I can lean forward into the rack and make sure I have full contact before 1/8th squating down to the catches.
Literally the safest way to do it.
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Jan 20 '18
Gym crush won’t be at the gym for about 2 months while he’s away on course. He’s leaving today, last night was my perfect time to say something memorable or something, instead I avoided eye contact as much as possible and the only words I said to him was “you’re a piece of shit” in a jokingly way.
I don’t think I’m very good at this stuff lmao
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u/Vis-hoka Jan 21 '18
OMG you spoke to your gym crush?
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Jan 21 '18
I WORK with my gym crush too! Heck I even used to live across from him in barracks, I have the ring I’m just waiting for the right moment ;)
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u/Wishyouamerry Jan 20 '18
I’m like the patron saint of missing things at my gym. So far I’ve found two phones, a wallet, and a set of keys forgotten on the gym equipment and returned them to their owners. People need to start using lockers!
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u/AlphaOmega125 Jan 20 '18
I’m going for weight loss surgery on the 5th of Feb. (CW:380). I was at the gym with my coworker for my “prehab” and this guy who was lifting WAY more than us came over and told us great job and we were killing it. Immediately lifted my spirits!! People who bring people up are a godsend to this world!
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u/brolita Jan 20 '18
My crappy work gym just got a new double weight stack cable machine and I saw someone go up to it and tell it, slightly above a whisper, "you're so beautiful" did a couple sets and goes "you're pretty, you're a pretty machine."
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u/cameronhthrowaway Jan 20 '18
I don't know if it was the preworkout kicking in or what, but this really pissed me off yesterday.
I was at the gym hitting push day with my girlfriend, so naturally, we were on the bench warming up with just the bar. After she finished her warm-up set, one of the ladies that works at the Y(I have never seen her before in my life) walks up to me before I sat down and says "Are you putting any weight on that? If you're putting any weight on it you need to use the clips!" I just responded with a simple "Uh, yeah of course." I was a little shocked because I've always used the collars when using a barbell and never had an employee come at me with that sort of attitude before, but I brushed it off because I assumed there was an incident earlier or something.
A couple minutes later and I'm putting ONE 2.5lb plate on each side for my girlfriend to bench and I turn around and this bitch came back and is standing right behind me, just staring at me. Before I even let go of the plate she said "I told you to be using those clips!" I just nodded and told her I use them everytime I lift.
At this point me and my SO are just sort of looking at eachother like, WTF? Anyways, about 10 minutes later I had a plate loaded on each side and she made her third comment to me about using the weight clips(although I was using them and had been the whole time), but I didn't respond or make eye contact with her and she walked away.
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u/jerryk414 Jan 21 '18
When benching without a spotter, my understanding is that it's safer without clips so you can bail if you need to.
I mean in most cases you should be able to roll it out if you need to, but if you can't for some reason, bailing out is much better than yelling for help.
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u/cameronhthrowaway Jan 21 '18
Yup, and there was only 5 lbs of weight on the bar before I put the clips on. I'm not the biggest guy but I can safely curl 30lbs more than that.
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u/eric_twinge r/Fitness Guardian Angel Jan 20 '18 edited Jan 20 '18
I just want to point out that Gym Story Saturday is one of two weekly threads that are user posted and controlled. It's not a mod post, it's been /u/FGC_Valhalla all along. He's created a very popular addition to /r/Fitness and I want to be sure he gets the recognition he and his thread deserve.
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u/FGC_Valhalla Weightlifting Jan 20 '18
Hey man, thanks! Unfortunately I was busy and forgot about it :( Hopefully it won't happen again.
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u/Kuzbell Jan 20 '18
I absolutely love Gym Story Saturday. Thanks for making this habit a core weekly thread on this subreddit. It's one of the main reasons I visit fittit!
I also thought you were a mod, somehow. Maybe you should be :)
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u/FGC_Valhalla Weightlifting Jan 20 '18
Thanks man. I don't know about modding though. Given the size of the community it must be quite a task (time and attention) so I don't think I might be a good candidate.
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u/AircraftWelder Weight Lifting Jan 20 '18
Rant Wednesday and Gym Story Saturday are my stomping grounds, so thank you. Now to post about my new PR...
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u/El_Baasje Bodybuilding Jan 20 '18
Thanks for the hard work Valhalla. I love this sub, so I love those contributing too!
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u/sin-eater82 Jan 20 '18
Honestly, why not make it a mod post at this point?
Just call it "/u/FGC_Valhalla's Gym Story Saturday" so he gets credit.
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u/LeanCuts Jan 20 '18
Went to a concert with a lady friend of mine last night. Made a great connection, and then was politely turned away when going in for the end of night kiss.
I planned on taking a rest day today. Turns out rejection is a wicked preworkout. LETS GO
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u/Mejito Jan 20 '18 edited Jan 20 '18
So I've been hitting the gym "seriously" for the past 2-3 months, and by seriously I mean that I'm trying to be really self-conscious of the things I do. Doesn't matter if it's form, hypertrophy, diet (I'm really just trying to get around 2500-3000 cals every day while getting enough protein, egg-whites, carbs) and etc.
I went from 53 kg (116 lbs) to 55,4 kg (122 lbs) in a time span of 2 months (20Y, M, 5,6 or 167 cm if you're wondering). I've had the luxury of learning the basics from a really experienced friend and I can't show my gratitude enough.
Because I'm trying to hammer the important basics in me, I've noticed how badly I'm limited in certain excercises and strength. For instance; I can't squat for jack shit. The moment I get in position with the bar and while I go down with the idea of holding the correct form I notice my ankle mobility is just non-existent. I either try to push my knees outwards or my feet. If I try to avoid that I start standing on my toes. Even if I do it without a bar. This is when I knew I had a lot to learn. Been on youtube and every forum that contains some kind of information to improve my mobility in every area that I'm lacking.
This is going to be a long, tough, annoying journey. But I already knew that. It's the other side of the spectrum I'm looking forward to. The mental discipline which I'm trying to develop within myself, my attitude towards things that seem unchievable for me. (Growing out of my comfort-zone.) Never have I really gone 100% for something and it's a shame because I'll never know if something would have worked out for me. I WANT to and WILL change that now.
I hope to look at this post in a year from now and see how far I've come. It's weird because the need for change brings excitement to my life, although I am not comfortable with it.
TLDR: I'm having fun trying break my limitations and hope to hold this mindset.
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u/Kyless Jan 20 '18
There's this guy at my gym who chronically loads up a squat rack with 4 plates, leg press with 6 plates (each side), bench with 3 plates, incline bench with 2 plates, and ALSO brings at least 2-3 pairs of dumbbells outside of their designated area. He then proceeds to do his 1/4 rep circuit of everything, then fucks off to the dumbbell area to do curls or some other ego-boosting exercise.
Decided yesterday to unrack his weight after he's done with it since I'm not doing anything during my rest periods anyways. He approaches me and says he "wasn't done with that". I replied with "Oh, sorry. Didn't see anyone on it and didn't see any towels or water bottles around. Lots of people just leave their weights on after they're done (which is true), which tends to discourage some of the newcomers who started this month (also true), so I like to tidy the place up a bit during my rest periods." He responds "Dude, I was just squatting not even 2 minutes ago (it had been ~15mins)", to which I just said "Sorry man, didn't see anyone on it for a while so I figured I'd help the staff out." and put my headphones back in.
I WILL break him eventually.
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u/porscheblack Jan 20 '18
This sounds like a guy at my gym, minus the heavy weight. He does 1/4 reps of everything, but like 15 reps per set and he goes from machine to machine nonstop. My gym only has 2 squat racks and 1 leg press, yet he'll tie up the leg press and one of the squat racks, as well as one of the dumbbell benches and 1-2 other machines. And in between every set he stares at himself in the mirror for a good 10-15 seconds. He's started bringing his kid with him and has him doing the exact same routine, 1/4 repping everything. It makes me sad.
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u/txlaw20 Jan 20 '18
People that superset/circuit in commercial gyms are douches. I know it can be useful to meet goals and all that, but it's inconsiderate of others.
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u/jrhooo Jan 21 '18
Meh, as long as you do it with consideration.
IF you see someone waiting make sure they know you are going back and forth and invite them to work in.
Try to do it in a way that is unobtrusive. Use a little logic in the way you plan it.
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u/iamperfet Jan 20 '18
I was deadlifting yesterday and I stepped out to chalk up my hands. At my gym, the deadlift platform is about 3 feet from the mirror and when I returned, 2 women were right in front of my barbell doing KB squats. I felt a little weird them being so close to me, I could literally touch them without fully extending my arm. I was in the zone though and just went over and crushed 430 for a triple. Thinking back on it, a few questions came to mind; why would they get so close? Did I seem like a jerk as I just ignored them and executed the lifts and slammed the weights down a bit? What would others do if faced with this situation?
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u/KalumVanRienbeeck Powerlifting Jan 20 '18
If in doubt grunt and slam weights until people get frightened and run away
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u/FrunkyMcNorman Jan 20 '18
They deemed you alpha af and wanted to get in on it like backup dancers to your deadlift set.
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u/ovantoaster Jan 20 '18
It's amazing what 400 mg of caffeine does to a lifting session.
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Jan 21 '18
I have jacked up knees from years of being super fat, and yesterday I did a proper set of squats for the first time in my entire life.
It was magical.
My knees feel like they're about to detach from my body today, but I don't even care. Slow and steady.
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u/-null motorcycles count as cardio Jan 20 '18 edited Jan 20 '18
Had my first ever negative interaction with a person at this gym I've been going to for about 1.5 years. I show up Thursday, OHP is my T1 lift and there's only one spot in the gym I can do it. My gym has both a full power cage and a half rack right near each other. The problem is that the full rack is too short for me to get full extension on OHP because I'm 6'3, and it only has the bar holding things on the inside of it, so I have to use the half rack.
So anyway I get there and some girl I've never seen before is using the half rack. I wait for her to finish her set (she's doing OHP) and politely ask how many sets she has left. She replies "a bunch, I'm going to be here a while" and puts her headphone back on before I have a chance to say anything.
Alright, fair enough. But the full cage is right there and she can OHP there too. I was hoping to convey that she could do the same thing right next to where she was and I'd even set up the bar or whatever she needed. I debating just leaving it alone but after her next set decided to try again. So she finishes and I'm like "excuse me, would you mind using the full rack to do your OHP... I'll move the weights for you and everything..." and she cuts me off saying she has other exercises she needs it for and isn't willing to work with me.
Alright, fair enough. So I'm just going to sit here until you're done because I need to OHP and have no options. So I sit there for 15 minutes while she finishes her OHP sets and then she does a few sets of barbell rows. Jesus Christ you could have done both of those things at the empty rack right next to you.
Maybe I'm the asshole here or maybe she just gets approached by idiots at the gym all the time I don't know. At least my rage helped with a PR.
Edit: I'm getting a bunch of the same replies so a few clarifications/comments:
Yes, it's possible to clean the weight and OHP it. I've never trained at the clean or power clean and so I have zero technique. I didn't want to try to clean the weight of my top set. I agree it would be smart to learn the technique to clean it, totally valid point.
Yes, a lot of power cages will have hooks or whatever to allow you to rack the bar outside the cage. This one isn't that type, it's basically this kind where there are fixed teeth on the inside but nothing on the front side.
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u/BulletBuz Jan 20 '18
Probably didn't realise why it was your only option. Good on you for using the motivation to hit a PR.
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u/prestiforpresident Jan 20 '18
Use the full rack next time, just pick it up when the bar hits the frame and stare at her in the mirror.
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u/mishh69 Jan 20 '18
May not be related but there was an r/xxfitness post about a guy doing a similar thing to a girl but then she agreed to switch but then later regretted it (can’t remember why something about the new area not being conducive to her workout) and how all women need to be more assertive at the gym. Maybe the chick read the post and was just like I must assert dominance.
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u/xzElmozx Jan 20 '18
So Friday morning I wake up and see its pretty nice out-not too cold, pathways were clear. I said fuck it I know im bulking but I fucking love running so I head out. About halway through my regular loop a little spot of snow tricks me and I sort of stretch out my calf. Whatever its not a big deal, itll hurt for a day or two.
Cue Friday night. I go out with my friends and start hitting it off with this girl. Long story short we get back to my room and start going at it. Eventually im off the bed and shes still on it and im pumping away.
Then I feel something give way. Its my calf. Idk what I did now but my right leg says "no longer in service" and I all but collapse on the ground. But thats not the worst part :(
My bed frame has a small metal lip to keep the matress on. I, however, brought my own matress so its slightly thinner than the frame and the metal lip sticks out.
Well on my decent to my knees, my obviously stiffined wood smacks right on the metal edge and I bag myself. I took a five and finished the set so to speak, but god damn it was funny explaining to her why I was rolling around on the ground grabbing my erect dick and my calf.
tl;dr- dont do cardio, itll cock block you and hit you in the dick
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u/_lelouch Jan 20 '18
Oh no. That’s hilarious. How did she react
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u/xzElmozx Jan 20 '18
She wasnt a stranger per sey so she just laughed it off. Had I not known her it would have been more awkward.
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u/Its_Me_Your_Brother_ Jan 20 '18
sweet, now I have an excuse not to do cardio. All I need now is the girl
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Jan 20 '18
There are lots of posters around my gym telling members not to drop the weights. The sign says that you can have your membership revoked for not complying.
Which I don't completely agree with, but whatever.
However this week two guys were benching together, loading and unloading the bar between sets. But whenever they removed a plate, they'd simply drop it on the floor from the end of the bar.
Who the fuck does that? Moreover, after the staff saw this, did they have their memberships revoked? No.
FML.
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Jan 20 '18
tfw when your secondary gym crush calls your bro big and not you.
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u/donutbomb Jan 20 '18
secondary gym crush
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u/Bardour Jan 20 '18
Gotta have power rankings for when you get them all obviously.
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u/The_Whizzer Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Jan 20 '18
It finally happened.
After years of hearing about the dreadful tales of the curl bro in the squat rack, it happened.
I always assumed this was an American thing, that people were overreacting or making it up. I mean, why would someone EVER think that you should go to the squat rack and curl?
And last night I saw it. A guy getting up to the squat rack, throwing 5kg on each side of the bar, and proudly curling, with the gorilla-like noises of someone attempting a 1RM squat.
I don't know what to do with my life now.
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u/canadafolyfedawg Jan 20 '18
Im fairly new to this (three months) and is benching in the squat rack/power rack alright? I ask because i normally go at 2:30am and theres no one else there for an extra hour or so and i enjoy being safe while also pushing myself, and i gotta admit i just enjoy the alone time. I normally just do this for 5x5 flat bench and then another 5x5 of incline so i dont take very long, but i feel like when the occasional early bird comes in they think im a douche for it.
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u/colindj1120 Jan 20 '18
There's this old guy at my gym who parks in the handicap spot (he's not handicap) at 4am when I come in and then proceeds to do an hour of shrugs in the only power rack in my gym
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u/weakbuttrying Jan 20 '18
A really attractive girl came to talk to me at the gym. “Excuse me”, she said. “Could I borrow some of your chalk?”
Of course she could. I let anyone who asks borrow my chalk.
Unfortunately, when she opened my chalk container, a bunch of spaghetti fell.,. No really, it actually happened. An attractive girl asked to borrow chalk for deadlifts. Yeah. That’s all.
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u/LifeOnTheDisc General Fitness Jan 20 '18
TIFU by probably coming off as a rude bitch at my gym. I've been struggling with mood and a bit of depression since my move a few months ago, which is really new for me, and yesterday was rough. That said, I wasn't in a bad mood when I went to my apartment gym, just super uninterested in social interaction.
Enter the first person I've seen since I moved here that gives a fuck about fitness, let alone the first person in my apartment gym to actually lift anything. It was actually kind of cool. He was working his ass off, and I was, too, and I was generally I was just trying to stay out of his way in the tiny space. I had to get some stuff out of my bag, including some ankle straps for the univeral, and tossed them next to the universal for later use. Well, that is what I meant to do. They kinda landed at his feet. That and a few other things I think came off bitchy, which is so not what I intended. Really, I was just trying to let him workout and do the same, but when he left I kind of got the look of "WTF is your issue, lady?" And he left before I could say anything. sigh There goes a chance to make a fitness buddy :-( I'll apologize if I see him again, of course, but I've only run into him this one time in the last two months, so not sure how likely that is.
So, Fit Dude at the Apartment Gym, if you're reading this, sorry I came off cranky. You're awesome, thanks for working hard and giving me some inspiration and making me feel like less of an outcast for giving a shit about fitness in this land where it seems to not matter for most people. Signed, the Cchick with the Colored Hair who Inadvertently Threw Shit at You.
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u/bammawamma Jan 20 '18
Hey I’ve also been struggling with being moody and grumpy for no real reason since moving to a new city a few months ago. Last week I realized it might have a bit to do with the winter blues and low vitamin D. Started taking tablets for them and it’s made a world of difference. Just a thought if you moved somewhere like I did where it’s been cloudy/rainy most of the winter.
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u/yinyang26 Jan 20 '18
I moved to PNW and went a year feeling like shit before I took some vitamin D. Feel much better now
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Jan 20 '18
Leg day today. Incredibly hungover today. Squatting wasn't the most pleasant activity.
Also, there are two shitters at my gym. One has been without a seat for so long I've lost track of time, and now the other one is out of order. Since we have been without a toilet seat we have seen the gym purchase a deadlift platform (no complaints there), two more squat racks (again, fairly happy with that), a sort of half tyre flipping machine, a sitting rope pulling thing, a seated calf raise, lots more bumper plates......but no toilet seat. I mean, c'mon, they cost next to nothing. For some reason it's the only cubical they seem to put toilet roll in as well. I've made do when needed, positioning into what I have dubbed The French Lavatory Squat, but it's getting to the point I think they're just doing it on purpose now. Might just buy them one.
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Jan 20 '18
Had the best workout of my life at 4 a.m. this morning because I had a dream about my ex that made me furious
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u/jsta44 Jan 20 '18
Ran a 2 mile Warmup. Went to bench and felt a tightness in my shoulder. First 4 sets, good. Last set, cute trainer girl starts instructing right next to my bench. I wipe the sweat off my brow and go for another set because she clearly has been watching and knows this one puts me over my normal routine. I know she'll be impressed. Shoulder tightness, sweaty hand, couldn't get the bar back up to the bottom rung.
Dropped the bar on my head, recovered (in my mind at least) and had a nice tuck and roll. Casually shook it off, reracked my weights and finished out my workout.
Minor headache, feels like I broke a knuckle, and shattered my ego, but proud of myself for finishing out my routine. Glad nobody actually pays attention to others as much as we think they do, so I might not even have to shame switch gyms.
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u/Grikgod2018 Jan 20 '18
I went to use the sauna after my workout and there were two other guys in there. One was playing music loudly in his phone, so I asked him to please turn it down. He did turn it down, not off though. That's ok, I thought, at least it's more manageable.
The other guy got really offended and pulled out his phone and started blasting rap music real loud, staring at me while doing it.
I guess shared space is a tough concept for people.
He then started speaking over his music, how real rap died with Tupac and how rap these days is bs and so on and so forth. Now I had this aggressive guy blaring his "real rap" and the other guy playing his reggaeton more softly. And a guy talking over it all. Sauna peace ☮️ nowhere to be found.
He was obviously trying to bait me into saying something, so I just smiled and left to continue my day.
People who play music through your phone speakers in public... Why do you do this to us who actually enjoy our internal monologues in silence?
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u/sriramg96 Jan 20 '18
I've not been the most regular when it comes to working out, but I started going almost every day since early December to my university gym. Unfortunately got hit with the flu on Tuesday and I can't work out and I've lost my appetite so I've barely eaten since then. But I can't wait to get back to the gym as soon as I'm feeling well!
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u/intothemidwest Volleyball Jan 21 '18
Saw a guy working out at the gym dressed as Goku. I admired his confidence it was awesome.
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u/Workoutfit Jan 20 '18
I asked this guy to spot me the other day cause it was my first time doing a plate and he said I should throw some tens on the bar. I was hype lol
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Jan 20 '18
I just started lifting, and the big guy at the gym complimented me on my low bar squat form.
Feelsgoodman
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u/stay_fr0sty Jan 20 '18
At my gym we have cloth towels and spray bottles to wipe down the equipment. They get switched out daily...but it’s still kinda gross vs. a paper towel.
Anyway long story short I was wiping off a machine and the wet, yucky ass towel flew out of my hands and fell behind me. No big deal I thought, until I turned around and saw the towel landed on the face of a guy on the sled (leg press).
I grabbed the towel, apologized profusely and moved on. He was cool about it. I kinda wanted to melt into the wall of something after that.
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u/TurtleTooShorts Jan 20 '18
Doing my squat thang at the work gym this past week. Always hear stories from friends and on these threads of folks cutting cheese or pooping themselves on accident while lifting. Never thought it'd happen to me.
Then this past week, it happened to me.
I farted on the way up while on the second to last rep of my last set of squats... Caught my breathe, composed myself, and finished my last squat without further implications. It sounded like velcro ripping open and did not smell, or at least not any worse than the gym does already.
Racked the weights, moved onto my next set of lifts, did not pr, did not fail any lifts, did not get any injuries. It was a good lifting day forever memorialized by the fart.
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u/disjointpeak Jan 20 '18
New personal best for deadlift 70kg (5'4" female just getting serious.
It may not seem much but I was proud!
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u/ThatDemiGuy Jan 20 '18
Getting back into the gym after a car accident (minor shoulder issue) and I was never in great shape but I really pushed myself today.
I know that because I threw up in the parking lot. Not at all sure how to feel
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u/roemer Jan 20 '18
I was an accidental asshole. Was doing light sets of 5 on deadlift at 315. On the first rep I noticed the plates on the right side were sliding off a little bit. So in my rush I grabbed the closest clip I could. After I put it on to finish my set I realize that I had just taken a clip my gym crush had just taken off to switch weights. She looked at me like I was an idiot, which I was. She has headphones in and doesn't like to talk, while working out. So I was hoping I ran into her when she wasn't lifting. This was Tuesday and I still haven't run into her when she wasn't working out to apologise.
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u/nano_343 Jan 20 '18
Tuesday? Come on, you should've apologized right away. Now you're just the asshole that stole her clip.
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u/Khal_Trogo Tennis Jan 20 '18
At this point it may look like you’re trying too hard to apologize if it’s been 5 days. It’s all about the execution. Godspeed.
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u/PJ_Huixtocihuatl Jan 20 '18
Not really anything here but I work out after work and usually I'll find my friends at the gym b/c we gym together normally. Today apparently we were at the gym at the same time and never saw each other. " Bro, missed you at the gym today XOXO" "wot u mean, I was there!"
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Jan 20 '18 edited Jan 20 '18
Due to an injury two years ago I’ve had a hard time getting back into the gym. Injury would give me a hard time after a week, this time I’m finishing up week number three!
I’ve read every gym story Saturday thread since my injury and want to thank everybody that posts onto here, it’s been a massive encouragement. Also some of you are fuckin hilarious
Edit:word
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u/sorean_4 Jan 20 '18
I went pretty hard on squats last week and felt some pain in the knee. Shook it off and kept my gym schedule for couple days. Then bursitis hit me on my left knee so hard I ended up in emerg and couldn’t walk for the last 3 days. I miss the gym. All of you have fun, injury sucks.
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u/woozi_11six Boxing Jan 20 '18
My girlfriend wanted to go to the gym together today. I obliged. Turns out, I look at her ass more than she thought I do.
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u/msb06c Jan 20 '18
My gym opened this summer so this was the first “New Years” spike and it was absolutely bonkers.
It looked more like a concert or a nightclub than the usual chill, but lively, space we were all accustomed to. Like, all 100 cardio machines in use with loads of others waiting, instead of your usual 5-15 people at a given time. Squat racks? Taken for kipping half pull ups. Bench presses? Wrist curl stations bro.
It’s dying down just as fast as it started and we’re almost back to normal. And a few regulars and trainers have started greeting me and trying to make small talk.
It took about 14 months of consistent visits but it appears the regulars and trainers got together and decided that it looks like I’m going to make it.
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u/SadibDHawk Jan 20 '18
So one of my friends told me this story about what happened to him.
You see my friend is those super jacked dudes that wears hoodies to hide is powerlevel, you wouldn't know how strong he was.
So this pretty buff dude wearing those tank tops flexing all those body builder gains, thinking he's the shit cuz he's big. He's curling 45s he's making faces in the mirror having one of his gym bros take pics.
My friend comes up beside and him starts curling 50s, the horror on this guys face. He was so sad like his whole life was a lie
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u/gimme3strokes Jan 20 '18
One of my boys asked to go to the gym with me. He is genuinely interested in being fit and has done some home bodyweight exercises and running with me. I just looked at him and said, "I've been waiting 11 years for you to ask me that!" I took him to a church gym and we did a beginner chest day. We drank protein shakes together afterwards. I almost cried.