While I try to mind my own business in the gym, it’s impossible not to notice some of the silly things other people are doing that range from funny to outright dangerous. For whatever reason I’ve noticed several oddities in the gym this past week and I though it would be a good time to share them as well as the lessons they can teach us.
Not putting your thumb around the bar when bench pressing. I’ve seen this a million times and it never ceases to amaze me. 1 slip and the bar is headed straight to your neck or chest. If it hits your neck you will likely die or suffer a horrible injury. If you’re lucky and it hits your chest you will likely only suffer some broken ribs. Keep your thumbs around the bar – there is no proven benefit to doing it the other way and the risks are potentially fatal.
Swinging the bar while doing barbell (biceps) curls. The sure sign that you are clueless or using too much weight. Swinging the weight is a total waste of time and not working your biceps much, if at all. Keep your elbows in, bring the weight up and contract the biceps hard, then lower the weight slowly using the biceps. Leave the swinging for the monkeys!
Talking on your cell phone on the treadmill. If you can carry on a conversation, your’re not working very hard and you are very likely annoying people around you. Do everyone a favor and leave your phone in your locker. Focus hard, get your workout in, then leave and get back on the phone.
Not wiping your sweat off the machine you just used. I don’t care how beautiful you are, you still stink and it’s gross. Find a towel and wipe the equipment off.
Not doing any leg exercises. Tonight I saw the classic case of a guy with a decent upper body which was fairly well developed on top of chicken legs. I would bet he didn’t even know that there was leg equipment in the gym. All kidding aside, your legs are important and having strong knees, hips and calves will contribute greatly to your overall health. You don’t have to squat 1,000 pounds, but working your legs should be part of your exercise routine.
So there are 5 dumb things I saw in the gym this week. Unfortunately I see them and many others almost every week in some form or another. Learning how to exercise properly, how to act properly in the gym, and how to train your entire body will go a long way towards living a healthy lifestyle.
Not putting your thumb around the bar when bench pressing. I’ve seen this a million times and it never ceases to amaze me. 1 slip and the bar is headed straight to your neck or chest. If it hits your neck you will likely die or suffer a horrible injury. If you’re lucky and it hits your chest you will likely only suffer some broken ribs. Keep your thumbs around the bar – there is no proven benefit to doing it the other way and the risks are potentially fatal.
Swinging the bar while doing barbell (biceps) curls. The sure sign that you are clueless or using too much weight. Swinging the weight is a total waste of time and not working your biceps much, if at all. Keep your elbows in, bring the weight up and contract the biceps hard, then lower the weight slowly using the biceps. Leave the swinging for the monkeys!
Talking on your cell phone on the treadmill. If you can carry on a conversation, your’re not working very hard and you are very likely annoying people around you. Do everyone a favor and leave your phone in your locker. Focus hard, get your workout in, then leave and get back on the phone.
Not wiping your sweat off the machine you just used. I don’t care how beautiful you are, you still stink and it’s gross. Find a towel and wipe the equipment off.
Not doing any leg exercises. Tonight I saw the classic case of a guy with a decent upper body which was fairly well developed on top of chicken legs. I would bet he didn’t even know that there was leg equipment in the gym. All kidding aside, your legs are important and having strong knees, hips and calves will contribute greatly to your overall health. You don’t have to squat 1,000 pounds, but working your legs should be part of your exercise routine.
So there are 5 dumb things I saw in the gym this week. Unfortunately I see them and many others almost every week in some form or another. Learning how to exercise properly, how to act properly in the gym, and how to train your entire body will go a long way towards living a healthy lifestyle.
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