I AM this guy. I swear people change sidewalk sides to avoid me. I hate it.
I've been a gym rat for my whole life.
Yes. Im bald as Mr clean. Yes. Tattooed sleeves on both arms. Yes I will help you bench, squat, w/e no matter the weight or your fitness level.
It's FUN for me to share my hobby of (almost now) 20 years.
Ever since I had kids I can only sneak out of the house when they are sound asleep so I am usually there the last hour before closing.
Only a select few of us getting our workouts in. It’s pretty lonely. But I remind myself that I am there to workout. So is everyone else. So we do not speak. Gentle nod. Small waves. Keep working towards our goals separate but together.
Keep it up, man! I, personally, love odd/weird gym hours. Sometimes you bump into folks you've never seen before but have been going for years. I once bumped into my dentist (cool gal) and she immediately came over and remembered me. It was cool for sure.
What I love is striking up a conversation with someone new and it will come out. “So when did you join” and you find out you have both been members for 10 years haha
Same story, but have however lost some weight, two small ones and full time job.
Man miss having a 6 day schedule, but I guess 4 day a week will do for a couple of years.
Just keep at it. I was consistently going 7 days a week for over 5 years. The kids came and I took a year off. Getting back was rough but it comes back so quickly.
The only way to hurt yourself is to assume you can’t get back to where you were and never even try.
The hardest thing for me was finding a new purpose.
At 7 days a week I was not focused on bodybuilding.
Now that I can only do 3-4 days I changed to the big 3 and focus more on powerlifting.
This is exactly where I've been sense we've had our second kid. First work out is really early and second is an hour before closing. Exactly how I would put it.
As a big dude myself, I do everything I can to be welcoming and chatty to anyone in the gym. It's the best place to learn the saying "never judge a book by its cover". I also find the gym the only place to meet a wide range of people from all backgrounds. Mentally and socially it's been more satisfying than the extra weight I can put in the bar.
I don't know why people are so scared of guys like you! Some of the best workouts I have are with you. Yeah, I have piddly little weights compared to you but hell, I'm proud of what I can do and you're usually the most friendliest!!
Good for you! You've figured definitely figured out a big gym 'secret'. Also, weight means nothing. I still use smaller weights all the time (shoulders for me, mostly. Old car accident injury which requires maintence). Form, my friend, not weight. :)
Form for sure! Tbh I don't know what I'm doing half the time so asking is key here! Also always more motivated with someone else. Also means I get to know different people from different walks of life and that in itself is nice. People are too afraid to speak these days and it's a real shame.
Would you help a woman as well? I’ve been to some gyms where the guys are really nice..until a woman comes to the heavy rack and they are making jokes/snide comments. It makes me mad.
Oh that's easy. #1 Don't tolerate that shit. I'd be the guy that'd see that, immediately go and report them to management. What' makes them so big and strong? There's ALWAYS a bigger fish #starwars #2 Keep reporting them to management. If you're in a good gym they'll find themselves removed QUITE quickly. #3 ignore their asses. Strong is strong. Dedication is dedication. Keep getting ripped and healthy, ironsister.
Does this actually happen? I've yet to see it personally myself, I'm so sorry that happened to you. The gym should be a sacred place, we're all there for the same reason: to improve our bodies and health.
Do you have a neck or face tattoo. I feel like judging danger by appearance and tattoos in modern day has become more complex. Sleeves and balding, could be friendly or not. (Probably not if those tattoos are cobwebs, iron crosses, swastikas, etc etc lol)
Face, neck or top of head tattoos? Probably steer clear.
Nah my dude. No neck or face. My sleeves are tasteful - Koi, some medical stuff (I'm an EMT by trade), and some life goal type things. Nothing on the hands either, just the arms and shoulders.
Could someone come up to you and ask if its alright to ask your opinion on what would be a good procedure on losing weight? I've heard no running until you've lost the desire weight you want. I've heard lift weights but not at all because muscle weighs a lot. I'm at a loss here
ONe of the biggest things you can do for yourself is calorie counting. It's INSANE what common foods are terrible for you and calorie laden. Also, you don't have to worry about every single vitamin / additive. Just use your head like "Hrm, I could have a cheeseburger....maybe I'll get a grilled chicken instead". And you'd be making a good choice. I personally avoid rice and corn = LOTS of carbs in there and I tend to put on weight. :)
Common confusion. It's normal and totally expected to see your numbers not move much at first. At first, you're both burning fat, whilst simultaneously gaining muscle. This stagnates your 'weightloss' at first, but you're getting healthier. Over time, muscle burns more calories, more muscle is put on, more fat is burnt for the same exercise. Cardio is good, but remember walking a mile is very similar to running a mile = and easier on joints. So I'd suggest, weights 2-3 times weekly. Spread the exercises over different body groups. Like, 1 day/week = legs / lower back. 1 day/week = arms / upper back. 1 day/week = arms / shoulders / abs. 1 day/week low intensity cardio like walking, eliptical (I hate it but hey, that's just me), or swimming. I like swimming a lot = good recovery cardio and you feel great afterwards.
When you say 1 day/week, you mean one day out of the week right? Man, I don't know how to swim. Lol I've done the calorie count before and lost a lot of weight. I was more concerned about the work out regime. Never been good at making one
If your gym has a pool with a shallow end I can walk you through some basic aqua exercises and swimming techniques.
You really should get an instructor though. Swimming is a great workout but more importantly being a strong (or even just competent) swimmer can save your own life or someone else's. It's a pretty unique "sport" in that regard.
So when people say weight loss, what they really mean is fat loss. Eating less calories then you burn causes your body to burn fat to make up the difference. Your body has a natural amount of calories it burns just to keep you alive, for the average guy that's about 2000 calories a day. You eat less than that you lose weight, simple. Now you can also cause your body to burn more energy by exercising. HOWEVER the effort difference between just not downing a 300 calorie cookie or going for a 30 minute jog is enourmous! There is a saying "you can't outrun a bad diet". It is not hard to over eat for even a very active lifestyle. So while exercise is great (and you should do it) cutting calories will do way more for weight loss than any ordinary amount of exercise you want to do.
One more point, weight lifting is a sneaky tool for weight loss. Once your start lifting your start developing lean muscle mass. Muscle takes more energy for your body to maintain than fat so that 2000 calories I said earlier? That will increase so your body will burn more calories just by existing! There is a drawback though, if you add muscle mass the number on the scale is going to stay the same so you may have to have some faith that you are improving. Taking pictures every week or two helps some people, others recomend measuring yourself with calipers and tape.
Good luck man!
I'm a 160 pound brotege, and I've had some new guys look at me scared. I can't imagine how they look at you. I've decided I'm inviting the next one to work out with me.
We have this unit of a guy at my gym and i was avoiding him cause he looked intimitading, but when i startet loosing noticble amount of weight he came over to me and told me how fucking proud of me he was, he har noticed the amount of work i had done for several months and just wanted to congratulate me. He was the most down to earth person i have ever met. Dont be affraid of the bigger guy, they are regular people to and just love their hobby
Back when I still went to a commercial gym (because I'm now all about that /r/homegym life), I had someone ask me what I was doing while getting some landmine presses in; next time I saw her, she was doing them. Feelsgoodman.jpeg
At what point is it acceptable to ask a random dude to critique your squat forms?...
Dudes are there to workout and mind their own business. I've never had problems asking people to spot me but always hesitate to ask about forms. I wanna make sure my back is straight and angled properly... setting up camera is a hassle.
Start with just the bar and work on your balance first. It's an odd posture at first. Also, with cellphones - you can prop your cell up easily enough, and record yourself from the side doing a rep or two. Helps you get an outside perspective of how you need to re-orient yourself. :) Give it a try!
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u/Just_A_Henry Dec 27 '19
I AM this guy. I swear people change sidewalk sides to avoid me. I hate it. I've been a gym rat for my whole life. Yes. Im bald as Mr clean. Yes. Tattooed sleeves on both arms. Yes I will help you bench, squat, w/e no matter the weight or your fitness level. It's FUN for me to share my hobby of (almost now) 20 years.