Thoughts on wrist straps

[threenorns]

here are my interpretations of the three types of lifters:


you're at the gym and someone's sitting and resting on the station you need to use. "excuse me," you say politely, "mind if i work in?"

the hardcore will jump up and say "oh, sure - no prob! need a spot?"

the casual will roll his/her eyes, sigh, and say "whatever - i guess i'm done"

the beginner will start nervously and half fall off blurting out apologies then stare in fascination trying to work out how you're doing what you're doing and trying to work up the courage to ask for help.

(shrug) just my experience.

i love chalk - i always leave the gym with white handprints on my ass.

i still use straps - i go as far as i can without them, but when my hands are ripping open, i put on the straps.

[luke.w]

Originally Posted by Your_Crazy

LOL. This thread reminds me when I was in my early twenties and why I hate the gym. You have the Hardcore and you have Casual lifters and you have the beginner.

The Hardcore where always trying to rush people off the equipment so they could take over two or three machines at a time. They always looked at the everyone as inferior(Not all there were a few taht gave pointers and helped out) It always pissed me off. Now, your thinking he's not hardcore he never makes gains. Well, if it wasn't for my lifting i would have probibly been in a wheel chair today. The strength I gained from whatever lifting I was doing strengthened my back to stop me from having a a serious spinal injury in a car accident. Instead it just twisted my spine a little. I would say I was a little more than a casual lifter but still didn't garner much respect from the hardcore lifters. I am a mesomorph so I gain rather quickly but lose just as quickly.

I guess I would consider myself, maybe hardcore because I always lift heavy, and am doing the "crazy stuff"
I don't do any of the things above, when I'm at the gym (rarley, because I mostly train at home) I have goals to hit pr's of some sort, BUT, I don't make myself unapprochable, as a matter of fact I spend a lot of time talking to people, like one of the PT"s there, his girlfreind trains the "quick lifts" I ask about her training, and me and him talk about our training, he asks me questions, and if the subject comes up I'll tell him about the "strap" issues, he is into grip trainig now, and is enjoying it.

I hit my PR's and I don't go in the gym with a hardcore attitude, I nail my PR's without slapping myself or making loud nosies or slamming plates on the ground, (I just put a game face on before the lift) there has been times when I'm using the powerrack and I see a guy come in and I know he wants to do squats on it, he's a regular and I'm not, as long as I get 1-PR set in I'm fine, I offer the rack up to him, and I'll hit a PR in something else, no big deal, I don't need to spend endless time doing set after set.

If I'm doing something and someone asks a question, I listen and help, I'm always being asked something.

[Firehawk]

I consider myself hardcore because I'm consistent, have goals, and try to get more out of my body every time i go and lift. I'm also very hard on myself which can be bad sometimes but i think i'd rather be hard on myself than too easy on myself.

The difference is in the days where you don't feel like lifting but you go anyway and have a great workout .

[ocbizlaw]

The "casual lifter": That's me. I'm not hard core but I have goals, I want to improve every day. I will be 50 on Sept. 17, 2005. On that day I will bench 405. I'm at 385 now. I leg press 1200, I can only squat 325 and deadlift 405 but I'm there 5 days a week with a plan. Some would call me a casual lifter.

BUT, I want to get in and out of the weight room in an hour with maybe a half hour cardio 4 times a week.

AND, WHAT PISSES ME OFF NO END are those IDIOTS sitting on the equipment talking on cell phones instead of moving their asses to a corner some where so I can finish my workout. Maybe these are the casual lifters that everybody hates. By the way, I love beginners. Everyone was a beginner. But that was before cell phones. One of these days I'm going to grab a cell phone out of someones hand, walk to the locker room and through it in the toilet.

Bob

[ocbizlaw]

By the way, I actually can spell but the topic makes me irrational.

[Lift2Live]

Howdy Bob! I wouldn't necessarily call yourself a casual lifter with those numbers, you've been doing something right for some time to get them. If you are up to it, I am willing to fly down to southern cali and help you kick some of those cell phone pu**ies off the machines. Cell phones are a major pet peeve of mine in any aspect of life! Grrr!

Bob

[Cort]

Originally Posted by ocbizlaw

AND, WHAT PISSES ME OFF NO END are those IDIOTS sitting on the equipment talking on cell phones instead of moving their asses to a corner some where so I can finish my workout.

lol, around here most people head out to the hall to use their phones. Personally I sit on the bench doing nada for up to 4-5 minutes between my rest sets. If someone wants to work in all they have to do to ask, I'll even load the bar for them if they want :

[threenorns]

heh, heh, heh: no cell phone reception in our gym, lol!

it's funny watching the dawning horror on some ppl's faces when they realize that IT WILL NEVER RING for as long as they're in there.

[Cort]

Originally Posted by threenorns

heh, heh, heh: no cell phone reception in our gym, lol!

it's funny watching the dawning horror on some ppl's faces when they realize that IT WILL NEVER RING for as long as they're in there.

I just lock mine in the locker unless I forgot my lock, at which point I have to carry all my stuff around in a duffel bag.

[ocbizlaw]

I finally had it with the freaks sitting on the equipment talking on cell phones while a patiently pace back in forth in front of them. I finally said "hey, are you finished? The guy looks at me and gestures like "Can't you see I'm on the phone?" So I say: "then move out of the way and come bakc when your done talking, I'm trying to finish my workout." So he stands up like kind of squaring off while he is still talking on the phone. He was bigger than I thought when he stood up and he's like in his mid 20s while I'm 50. I just look at him and say "If you want to start some sh*t fine, get off the equipment and come back when your off the phone. We can settle it then, right now get of myface and out of my way."

I finish my sets and see him talking to some dorky friends staring at me and strutting around the bench press. They're spotting each other for 4 or 5 reps at 225 which is reasonable in my L.A. Fitness gym. I'm working my back but at the end I go over to the bench at the other end from them. I do a warm up with 185 then put 3 plates on each side and do 3 sets of 5 reps at 315 (I know this isn't much to you big guys but it's a lot in L.A. Fitness). They can't help but stare at me while trying not to.

So, anyway, I finish my sets, walk over to their little crowd and tell the original guy: "O.K., I'm finished now if you still want a piece of me."

The guy just says: "forget about it dude." So I say, my name's not dude, it's Mr. Beauchamp" (remember, I'm 50 and these guys are in their 20's, I used to be a cop so I know how to be a dick). I told the guy "the next time I'm waiting for equipment, either move your ass or I'll take your cell phone and flush it down the toilet" They just look at me and the original guys says: "Whatever dude." Then all of them walk over to the leg press press where they put on 3 plates a side which really made me chuckle.

I hate being a dick (mostly) and I haven't been in a fight since 1984 when some a-hole tried to stab me my last week as a cop. Their are really only two things that piss me off in the gym, cell phones and people who leave their plates on the equipment or who put them back on the wrong racks all mixed up with different weights so you have to rearrange the whole rack to get what you need.

Oh well, I felt better afterward but I was surprised by both my reaction and his.

[threenorns]

LOL - that's why i'm getting cranky lately: seems i have to be The Bitch in order to get anything done or everybody just jerks me around.

[gcs118]

ocbizlaw...you ROCK. Period.

[DaRkAnGel]

Man im 17 and i dont use a spot when im using 225 on bench, pussies.

[Firehawk]

Originally Posted by ocbizlaw

I finally had it with the freaks sitting on the equipment talking on cell phones while a patiently pace back in forth in front of them. I finally said "hey, are you finished? The guy looks at me and gestures like "Can't you see I'm on the phone?" So I say: "then move out of the way and come bakc when your done talking, I'm trying to finish my workout." So he stands up like kind of squaring off while he is still talking on the phone. He was bigger than I thought when he stood up and he's like in his mid 20s while I'm 50. I just look at him and say "If you want to start some sh*t fine, get off the equipment and come back when your off the phone. We can settle it then, right now get of myface and out of my way."

I finish my sets and see him talking to some dorky friends staring at me and strutting around the bench press. They're spotting each other for 4 or 5 reps at 225 which is reasonable in my L.A. Fitness gym. I'm working my back but at the end I go over to the bench at the other end from them. I do a warm up with 185 then put 3 plates on each side and do 3 sets of 5 reps at 315 (I know this isn't much to you big guys but it's a lot in L.A. Fitness). They can't help but stare at me while trying not to.

So, anyway, I finish my sets, walk over to their little crowd and tell the original guy: "O.K., I'm finished now if you still want a piece of me."

The guy just says: "forget about it dude." So I say, my name's not dude, it's Mr. Beauchamp" (remember, I'm 50 and these guys are in their 20's, I used to be a cop so I know how to be a dick). I told the guy "the next time I'm waiting for equipment, either move your ass or I'll take your cell phone and flush it down the toilet" They just look at me and the original guys says: "Whatever dude." Then all of them walk over to the leg press press where they put on 3 plates a side which really made me chuckle.

I hate being a dick (mostly) and I haven't been in a fight since 1984 when some a-hole tried to stab me my last week as a cop. Their are really only two things that piss me off in the gym, cell phones and people who leave their plates on the equipment or who put them back on the wrong racks all mixed up with different weights so you have to rearrange the whole rack to get what you need.

Oh well, I felt better afterward but I was surprised by both my reaction and his.

3 sets of 5 at 315 is very respectable SIR lol. By the way, I don't have to be at a gym to hate cellphones!

[GaryPham]

hey guys, sorry for the newb question. But when you're talking about these wrist straps, are you talking about the lifting gloves that come with wrist straps such as the harbinger classic wristwrap lifting gloves? http://www.merlinofitness.com/Mercha...ory_Code=GLOVE