Sometimes talking about strength gets to be a little too self-serving for my taste and well, sometimes it gets to be a bit much. I'm not one to boast or brag because there is always someone bigger, stronger or faster but every now and then you find yourself in a situation where you just need to do something silly to get the job done. I present to you Exhibit A, "the stack!"
I'm a big fan of using cables for assistance work, namely working my triceps and biceps. On my bench day I typically do one cable exercise for my triceps Today I was doing pressdowns with the V bar which I love but there's never enough weight on the stack.
However, I found this tiny chain...(which I promptly forgot at the gym, but I digress...)
And suddenly this stack that only goes up to 250lbs, became a much better stack that I went up to 295lbs on. However, not everyone understands that this stack doesn't fit my needs and next thing I know I got two of the so-called "trainers" giving me the stink eye and a pair of guys doing Australian pull-ups looking on with genuine curiosity.
That's always an issue for guys like me in the gym, at least every now and then. You gotta get creative with a EZ Curl bar to do overhead presses, you use the Hex bar for Farmer's Walk or you just hook some chains around a stack of plates to simulate the Atlas Stones and suddenly you go from being the poorly-dressed sweaty man to Mr. What the Hell is he Doing!
But being a spectacle, or at least part of one, comes along with the strength game. Even if you just did basic exercises on their native apparatus the poundages alone would attract attention so when push comes to shove and you need to augment something to make it work, go for it! I hear from guys all the time that say they can't train for strongman in their gym or that they don't like to deadlift or do Olympic lifting because "no one else in the gym does it." No excuse. If you need to Snatch, they do it. Clean and jerk? No problem, get a patch of floor and get to it. Pretend Atlas Stones, Heavy Rack Lifts, Hammer of Thor curls-JUST DO IT!
If you train at a commercial gym and you're a competitive athlete then chances are no one will be doing what you do and that's okay. Do your lifts as you need to, I think you'll find that no one really cares, and if they do, people are more likely to ask you what you're doing and why because it IS different and you probably look pretty cool doing it.
I think that the fear of what people might say impedes more progress than anything and the reality is that no one cares what you're doing or if you're doing it. If you're lucky you'll make one or two friends in the gym, or you'll pal around with people you see that workout the same time as you, but no one is heading to the gym to make fun of you because you're too strong.
That only happens at Planet Fitness!
Set your goals, make a plan and then go after it. The gym is your playground, your temple, your office-you go there to put in the work. If others want to lollygag or play Candy Crush instead of do work, that's on them, but don't let the laziness of others put limitations on your success. The power to succeed is within you, but only you can release it. Whether it's the occasional ugly half-rep, partials to bring up a lagging lift or you just look weird doing it, put your time in and let your success speak for itself.
I'm a big fan of using cables for assistance work, namely working my triceps and biceps. On my bench day I typically do one cable exercise for my triceps Today I was doing pressdowns with the V bar which I love but there's never enough weight on the stack.However, I found this tiny chain...(which I promptly forgot at the gym, but I digress...)
And suddenly this stack that only goes up to 250lbs, became a much better stack that I went up to 295lbs on. However, not everyone understands that this stack doesn't fit my needs and next thing I know I got two of the so-called "trainers" giving me the stink eye and a pair of guys doing Australian pull-ups looking on with genuine curiosity.
That's always an issue for guys like me in the gym, at least every now and then. You gotta get creative with a EZ Curl bar to do overhead presses, you use the Hex bar for Farmer's Walk or you just hook some chains around a stack of plates to simulate the Atlas Stones and suddenly you go from being the poorly-dressed sweaty man to Mr. What the Hell is he Doing!
But being a spectacle, or at least part of one, comes along with the strength game. Even if you just did basic exercises on their native apparatus the poundages alone would attract attention so when push comes to shove and you need to augment something to make it work, go for it! I hear from guys all the time that say they can't train for strongman in their gym or that they don't like to deadlift or do Olympic lifting because "no one else in the gym does it." No excuse. If you need to Snatch, they do it. Clean and jerk? No problem, get a patch of floor and get to it. Pretend Atlas Stones, Heavy Rack Lifts, Hammer of Thor curls-JUST DO IT!
If you train at a commercial gym and you're a competitive athlete then chances are no one will be doing what you do and that's okay. Do your lifts as you need to, I think you'll find that no one really cares, and if they do, people are more likely to ask you what you're doing and why because it IS different and you probably look pretty cool doing it.
I think that the fear of what people might say impedes more progress than anything and the reality is that no one cares what you're doing or if you're doing it. If you're lucky you'll make one or two friends in the gym, or you'll pal around with people you see that workout the same time as you, but no one is heading to the gym to make fun of you because you're too strong.
That only happens at Planet Fitness!
Set your goals, make a plan and then go after it. The gym is your playground, your temple, your office-you go there to put in the work. If others want to lollygag or play Candy Crush instead of do work, that's on them, but don't let the laziness of others put limitations on your success. The power to succeed is within you, but only you can release it. Whether it's the occasional ugly half-rep, partials to bring up a lagging lift or you just look weird doing it, put your time in and let your success speak for itself.
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