thread of getting sw0le

use the weird weight machines

no way those r for cowards

gdamn major supply and demand problem at my gym a million empty cardio machines while theres a backup at the free weights/smith machines

This is a daily problem at Planet Fitness

i goto blink which is basically the same as planet fitness except maybe vaguely less lame

What Planet Fitness lacks in, well, everything, it makes up for in price.

But that place is bizarre. They give zero fucks about shutting down huge chunks of the gym at peak hours so they can mop or whatever. No way it could wait until midnight, or even 8 p.m. That place must be spotless at all hours, at any cost.

ya blink is a cheapo one too its not too bad, just needs more weights, anyway i emailed them so i assume itll be all fixed by the next time im there

lol

I just did some cardio in a work gym. They added this tiny second one, it has few machines but lots of windows

So I'm recovering from an AC joint injury (basically a sore/inflamed shoulder caused by too many presses, push-ups, dips, planks etc.), so here's what my routine looks like. I try to get four days in at the gym, and they usually go like this:

1. Cross-cable day (lots of pulling exercises, arm exercises and flies, b/c they are easier on the shoulder)
2. Bench press day (I press at incline and declines, but not flat bench b/c of the shoulder; I also lowered the weight)
3. Tire day (I hit the shit out of a tire with a sledgehammer)
4. Free weight day

Usually I spend about a half hour, sometimes 40 minutes, at a primary station, then use the rest of the day for back exercises or ab exercises. It's working for me, in that I'm committed to it and it isn't killing my shoulder (a tricky balance), but I'm not gaining much and I would like to mix it up. Any suggestions?

Last summer I was mixing up that routine with several other discount gym memberships, including a kickboxing place (too hard on shoulder now), a CrossFit place (not a good fit for scrawny old me, or my shoulder), a gym with a pool (would love to be a member but it's too expensive) and Groupon yoga (I learned to like yoga, but ironically this is hell on my shoulder—those planks). What else could I try?

I have been biking more, and just got a super comfy new bike, but I don't know if I can really count that as exercise.

h8 those nautilish machines so much

ppl who sit at the weights punching their number into their phone taking their rest doing their routine u will never lift anything in life

and u r taking way too long

exceptions made for sexy ppl being sexy is good do whatever u need to maintain

yeah f that s, no weight/reps notes no progress photos no tracker apps not even planned workout days. i just eat whatever tf i want and go to the gym when i feel like it and do a couple things and hope suddenly one day someone will be like "damn you swole"

I do sort of marvel at what nerds the weight room notebook keepers are.

it just really i feel inconsiderate to dominate a in demand station for like 35 mins so u can get all yr rest in and whatever, especially when i just want to squat for like 5 mins

this guy was doing a routine where it def wouldve been better for him to do most of it with dumbells too, we have beef now cause i tried to steal the smith machine from him when he went to drink water lol

like i use the smith machine exclusively for lifts thatre too heavy for me to do w/o a spotter but he was all up in that shit doing his light ass bench presses and whatever does he even know its not as good as doing it with some dumbells of which there are plenty for everyone smh im mad at him

"Can I work in?"
Problem solved. Unless he's a big jerk.

(I am one of those occupiers, obviously. I usually take 1-3 minute breaks between sets, depending on how heavy it is. Hell, if it gets really bad, I go up to 5 minutes.)

he was all *extremely nerds voice* my routine

with my anime t-shirts and bad mullethawk i'm probably the nerdiest dude in my gym at any given time

stfu lames i always write stuff down

pfft u think thats gonna help u cheat death youve got another thing thing comin

http://www.clickhole.com/article/7-weightlifting-poems-will-get-you-pumped-2608

when i just want to squat for like 5 mins

like i use the smith machine exclusively for lifts thatre too heavy for me to do w/o a spotter

i can't tell if you're trolling or not. i'm all about gym etiquette and looking out for others who are also rushing to get back to the office or whatever, but i'll be damned if i miss reps because i didn't take a long enough break between sets. 2-4 minutes is plenty of time for a sip of water and a quick rep tally in iPhone notes.

if the place is packed and people are standing around, i always ask if they want to work in.

but i'll be damned if i miss reps because i didn't take a long enough break between sets.

http://i.imgur.com/aVTQPFb.gif

how do you "work in"? honest q. do you really rack the other person's weights, slap on your own, do a set, and then.. what, either put the person's weights back on (if you remember what they had on) or THEY put their own weights back on? sounds even more annoying than waiting around for somebody. and SUPER annoying for the person who was already there.

oh, and you do that for every set! including warmup sets!?

ime just walk up and ask if you can work in and then generally the movement of weight on and off the bar / adjustment of the seat, etc is the responsibility of whoever works in. towel off!

ppl who sit at the weights punching their number into their phone taking their rest doing their routine u will never lift anything in life

and u r taking way too long

― lag∞n, Friday, June 5, 2015 10:02 PM (1 week ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

These people. Also those who put their drinks bottle on the seat of another weight machine while they work out. Or lean/sit/lie on a machine you want to use while they talk to a mate. I don't understand these people - you're at the gym, work the fuck out!

I still haven't gone to the gay boxing class in Chelsea, cuz they go out for ro-ZAY after.

i joined the gym again in october but only just started going more than 2-3 times a week as part of a routine recently. Tend to do a little cardio and then go round all the weight machines. but i've never thought about going on the free weights because, well, weakling and also i worry i'd be out of my depth in how to use them. the machines have instructions on how to do the exercises properly. we also have a new TRX thing which i'd like to try out but have no idea how to use.

Generally I find that unless the person is either crazy stronger or weaker than you that at most this is moving a couple of weights on and off while the other person is taking their breaks. It's not a massive ordeal.

"These people. Also those who put their drinks bottle on the seat of another weight machine while they work out. Or lean/sit/lie on a machine you want to use while they talk to a mate. I don't understand these people - you're at the gym, work the fuck out!"

So I can't speak for these specific people but if you are lifting heavier weights (which I sort of aspire to do) you are going to (and it's recommend to) take breaks of at least a couple of minutes and yeah that can lead to phone fiddling and socializing...

go stand by the water cooler

I can't stand people blocking the drinking fountain will be next complaint.

if you're circuit training, leaving a towel/water bottle is a way of saying I'm coming right back... but if they DON'T come right back, i'm not feeling it.

i think the sitting rest is the problem here. sitting on the bench says "i'm just about to start my next set, look, i'm even sitting to get into position." it def doesn't say "ask me about working in!" if you gotta take a 5 minute rest then stand up and skalk around the bench a little, then when somebody goes for it kindly inform them that you will need to use it again in another 5 minutes. this way the normal person can reply "oh, i'll be done with all of my sets in that window of time" and all is right w the gym

I like reading books, sometimes I just take a break mid-set and sit on the bench and read a book

I usually bring my guitar and play old communist folk tunes between sets.

Uh, I camp out on the equipment between sets, but just try to notice if anyone's eyeing it and let them know they can work in if the want. It's rarely crowded at my gym, so it's not a big problem.
As far adding/removing weights, that usually ends up being a team effort where we just take a side each, whoever's next saying how much they want.

I'm focusing on running and am down to lifting once a week. To my surprise, that seems to be enough to maintain! Yay! (obv I'm not hueg)

Am I the only one here who would never in a million years ask somebody if I could "work in"? That seems like such a dick move, and the only people who do it at my gym are massive, hulking dudes who seem to be using their size to intimidate smaller guys off of machines

it's not an intimidation move at all! it's just proper etiquette. the dick move is the people who jump on a machine if you step away for a second and then refuse to move when you come back

ime "can i work in" is only met with three answers "sure" "i'm on my last one/two sets, can you wait" "i am a massive asshole who refuses to allow anyone anything ever" and I've run into the latter only about three times in the past ten years.

Much more polite to ask somebody on a machine how long they're gonna be, or how many sets they have left. If they're halfway decent, and most are, they'll read between the lines and hurry up and cede the machine. But every time some massive dude asks me to "work in" I feel like I've just been jacked.

There's no reason for anybody to force their sweaty, nasty body on somebody else's machine. Just ask them how long they're gonna be and work on one of the million other machines or do squats or something until they're done

Eh, I guess it varies. Now that I think about it, I guess the exchange I'm actually used to it something like
-"Hey, do you have a lot of sets left?"
-"Yeah, I have four more, but you're free to work in, if you want."
-"Alright, thanks", or "Nah, that's ok, thanks"

But I live in Norway where even sw0lebros are introverted dorkos, so YMMV.

(euuuh, xp)

fucking Northern Europeans and their goddamn sense of decency and civility.

xp if you're in a gym for 45 minutes and you've already done bis/tris, chest/back, squats/sled and you just want to finish with chest fly or whatever and you're tired and done and riding what adrenaline you have left to finish up and get back to work, i totally get you might not want to go do some extra squats. i'm always happy to let anyone work in. when i was doing this. which has been awhile.

"Am I the only one here who would never in a million years ask somebody if I could "work in"? That seems like such a dick move, and the only people who do it at my gym are massive, hulking dudes who seem to be using their size to intimidate smaller guys off of machines"

People frequently camp out on squat racks and benches for 20-30 minutes. Not asking if you can "work in" is basically resigning yourself to not using those pieces of equipment.

Eh, I guess it varies. Now that I think about it, I guess the exchange I'm actually used to it something like
-"Hey, do you have a lot of sets left?"

This is a much more civil, less presumptuous exchange. "How many sets do you have left" implies "hey, I'm trying to plan the rest of my workout; should I camp out here or will it be a few minutes?" vs "lemme work in bro," which ime has always been code for "get the fuck off the machine, it's mine now."

i usually just say "are you gonna be forever, or...?" and totally just mad dog them until they move