Things you like about the gym...

[Fuglydude]

In contrast to the other poster's stuff about what annoys you in the gym... I'm gonna start a thread about stuff you like in the gym.

Here's my list:

- The feeling of a good olympic bar just prior to take off for a clean/deadlift when you're all chalked up and "locked in" to the bar... I get excited just thinking about it... day-um... that sounded quite sexual!

- Establishing new personal bests on lifts. This is a great feeling!

- Getting compliments from bigger stronger dudes or fellow athletes.

- Friends. I've met a lot of dudes in the gym that I've become friends with over time.

- Hot girls who wear nice work out clothing and actually LIFT weights, instead of spending hours on the treadmill. Hey, its nice to have some eye candy between sets.

- The feeling at the top of a deadlift/squat.

- Chalk and tape... my two best friends in the gym.

- Olympic lifting platforms.

- A good powerlifting or olympic lifting bar.

 

[Drum&Bass]

Friends, camaraderie, Hot Women, the amount of powerlifters and bodybuilders and just ridiculously strong people that train at my evil corporate gym.

The reputation I've built up for myself helping and learning from everyone there.

 

[old married dude]

It just feels good, helps relieve a lot of stress. My gym has a great environment & is just a fun & friendly place to be overall. I like the fact mine has an olympic size pool, I tend to go swim laps more than I do lifting weights. I think the swimmer's build looks best on me vs. being jacked.

- Hot girls who wear nice work out clothing and actually LIFT weights, instead of spending hours on the treadmill. Hey, its nice to have some eye candy between sets.

That is annoying, girls who ONLY think they need the treadmill. I'm no expert or personal trainer by any means, but I try and give advice to people if I notice that they could do something to improve their workout. I've told quite a few girls that I notice are treadmill *****z that if they incorporate some weight training into their fitness program that they'll burn more calories/fat than just doing the treadmill alone. I quit doing that b/c all I would get were blank stares, or comments like "I don't want to look like a man." I tried telling them that high reps with lower weights will tone instead of pump them up, but they didn't believe me.

 

[Blank]

--Greeting the chirpy-cute girl who checks me in at the front desk. Is it me, or do ALL gyms hire chirpy-cute girls to sign people in at the front desk?

Hahaha it's true. When I first started working out I went to a local community center. The chick at the check in counter was cute and tattooed. Very nice, married though.

They probably hire them consciously.

 

[Colossus]

At my gym NO ONE gets away with squatting too high. If you try to pull that health club half-squat crap, you will get called out.

Also, Heavy metal is playing almost all the time.

Chalk stands are located every 10 feet or so.

Anyone doing skull crushers or behind-the-neck presses gets called out.

No one is impressed by a 405 deadlift.

No one is impressed by a 315 bench.

60% of the equipment is for lower body.

No pec dek, No leg extensions, No arm machines, No attitude.

There are plenty of guys who are stronger than me.

If your form sucks, they will tell you, but also show you proper technique.


I like the feel of the bar bending on my back.

I like to slam the weight down after a deadlift PR.

I like that no one really trains arms.

I like that I have all the strongman equipment I'll ever need.

I like that there are no puffers, pumpers, or posers. There are like two mirrors.

No cardio theater the size of a mall. We have 2 treadmills. Fvcking cardio f@ggots.

 

[Rookie_son]

good thinking fugly.

- Bench Press would be my favourite

- the overall pump/energy whatever you want to call it feeling i have when im working out.

- this one particular cute girl in the afternoon on some days that checks me in, sure she gives that smile to everyone though. i agree with the thought that they hire these ones on purpose.

question for colossus, is this a fightclub whose gym you're using? a lot of the things you said remind me of my first gym which was part of a fightclub/police establishment but i was only using their gym. the best gym i ever went to, i've moved a fair bit away from there now so its rather impractical to continue going there, i missed that place especially all the help i got when i first started when i was 17 from the older guys there. great atmosphere.

and question two, whats bad about skullcrushers?

 

[Kerpal]

I tried telling them that high reps with lower weights will tone instead of pump them up,

:cuss:

 

[backbreaker]

the look that everyone has when I put my plates on getting ready to do my squats.. not ovbious but you can tell peole are somewhat looking to see "is this motherfvcvker really going to squat all of that weight'.

 

[jocca]

To be honest I dislike public gyms as there are far to many posers/try hards. Hence I have my own equipment.

Got to say my personal favourite is the burning sensation when slamming out either a final set on bench or squats. Also landing a few large ones continuously on the bag provides a good time.

 

[Quiksilver]

I'm green with envy Colossus... I would sell my left nut to have a gym like that in my area.

 

[teagan]

I love my gym because people actually snatch there. Full snatches. It's beautiful.

Oh, and I love the feeling of chalk on my hands...

 

[cuzza]

- The feeling of accomplishment when you walk out into the cold air, covered in sweat and feeling drained.

- The absoloute BIRD of a receptionist who swipes you in every day.

- The greatest water fountain the world has ever tasted.

- The fact that while my gym is commercial and is full of treadmill people, it's awesome: a) the girls are hot, b) the guys aren't using the weights. Dream scenario. Loads of new excellent equipment too.

- Though a ****load of people do curls all day, guys do actually squat and deadlift, increasingly it would seem.

- Plenty of dumbells, clearly labelled with clear places for them to go. Something when I've been to other gyms has been sorely lacking.



Also, each to his own obviously, but these two would not sit that great with me...

No pec dek, No leg extensions, No arm machines, No attitude.
I like that no one really trains arms.

Arm training = big arms. (Obviously I'm not advocating a trillion sets of curls a day).
Pec decs, leg extensions and arm machines are all useful tools in the quest for muscle.

I can understand from your PL/strongman background/goals your perspective however.

 

[Colossus]

question for colossus, is this a fightclub whose gym you're using? a lot of the things you said remind me of my first gym which was part of a fightclub/police establishment but i was only using their gym. the best gym i ever went to, i've moved a fair bit away from there now so its rather impractical to continue going there, i missed that place especially all the help i got when i first started when i was 17 from the older guys there. great atmosphere.

and question two, whats bad about skullcrushers?

No, it's not a fight club, but there is boxing and muay thai on the upper level. It'a mostly a powerlifting/strongman gym. The owner is a former strongman and I think all except one or two of the trainers competes in powerlifting on some level. Not that they're all huge, but they're more like strength & conditioning coaches than PTs.

I was so pumped when I found this gym. I have lifted at health clubs for most of my lifting career, and this was like a dream come true.

Re: skullcrushers, I no longer do them. I did them for years, and these, I believe, were the #1 contributor to my elbow pain. Skullcrushers put massive sheer stress on the olecranon (outer elbow), such that any triceps benefit you get from them is not worth it. You may not notice it now, but when you get up in weight it wrecks your elbows. I was using up to 170 lbs or more for these and the pain got so bad at times I couldn't even bench press.

So the moral of the story is don't do them!! Pressdowns, dips, and rolling extensions are much better. You'll get your triceps work in and save your elbows.

 

[cuzza]

Yeah agreed, I never did them as the coupla times I did try them it caused me serious elbow pain, decided early on it just wasn't worth it. I also find that with any sort of extension above my head, be it some kinda bar or a dumbell. The elbow just says no, and I'm a perfectly healthy 19 year old... I fear for the elbows of people who've been lifting years and performing that exercise routinely, haha. (Bet they've got beasty triceps tho!)

 

[Cure]

Colossus Im also extreemly envious! I want a gym like that!

I like coming out of the gym having increased the weights on one or more exercises that day, knowing that I am now objectivly stronger than I have ever been in my life before. :rockon:

Cure.

 

[Rookie_son]

I like coming out of the gym having increased the weights on one or more exercises that day, knowing that I am now objectivly stronger than I have ever been in my life before. :rockon:

Cure.

how could i forget about that one, totally agreed

 

[Perfect10]

Grrr I'd want a gym like you have Collossus. I go to this gay commercial gym where no one benches over 100kg (220lbs) and NO ONE at ALL squats or deadlifts. I am the ONLY one doing it which is okay. It 'leaves the squatting rack free most of the times, except when some dumbass is doing curls with the barbell (WTF?!).

The real bad part about my gym is that there is only 1 squatting rack, no cage, 1 bench, no real incline bench and the worst part is: the dumbells go only up to like 20kg after that they have two dumbells that you can put customised weigths.. WHAT THE FUDGE!?! I ****ing hate racking weigths on that little ****er.

pros are that its a 5 min walk from my home

 

[blinkwatt101]

I'm shallow.

-The pump. It reminds me how I have the balls to do what 100% of other people my age don't have the will power to do and that older men dream of.

-The look,I love seeing myself pumped,especially when spring to later Fall hits when I'm freakin unstoppable and super lean.

-The compliments;men,women,children of all age size and shape have commented to me about my physique. It let's me know I'm doing something right that people appreciate.

-I like the feeling of superiority in the gym.

-I love the challenge of knowing every rep I'm better and stronger then before.