CORE body workout...

So at the gym I attend they hold a "CORE body workout" class, now normally I shun classes but as I often get lazy and skip the abdominal work at the end of my routine and as an attempt to encourage my wife to do hit the gym (she is paying for her membership after all) I suggested attending it.

The first week we went it was - I have to say - really good. My lower back was tired (the day before was deadlift, so this was slap bang in my recovery time), but my abs and obliques were hit as well and I left feeling good. Everything was done on several levels, so the class worked for people of differing abilities; unfortunately that was the last day with the old instructor and this week was all change.

Well the start was NOT good, we started with "wood choppers" these seem to be squats only waving a giant inflatable ball around. We then continued with fast paced side lunges - again with a big silly ball. Now fast paced lunges, mean lunges with poor technique and these are a surefire way to fuck up your joints - my wife and I went away with one knee hurting in a bad way! We then did a whole series of other exercises that didn't hit your core and all involved waving or balancing a giant inflatable ball around. I don't want to sound like I hate exercise balls, but use then where you need them, don't just find silly ways to include them in exercises where you really don't.

In short it this class reaffirmed my negative opinion of classes. The exercises were pathetic and to make matters worse didn't even hit the areas they were suppose to. Where the week before I had seen the previous instructor discreetly correcting people technique, this one just went around been a bitch. I know this motivates some people but it just pisses me off; particularly when it comes form an idiot who tells you to train your core you should walk around consciously flattening out you back rather than arching it?!?!?!?

oops

So I have discover that through my own laziness I have not posted in my blog for a couple of weeks! In my defense during this time I have been hitting the gym hard and not slacking off with my training which lets face it is important, I've just not been writing about it.

Too clean!

so I joined up at the local lifetime fitness today and did my first workout there. Now in my experience the first time training in any gym is never great, each varies slightly in etiquette, feel, equipment, layout ect and until you feel comfortable you don't work out 100%. Not to mention I am just getting back into training and had already worked out Monday and Tuesday so was somewhat tired, and woke up unexplainably at 4AM for a couple of hours, and was training at a different time of day to normal.

Anyway putting these aside I am not convinced by the gym, but the best way to explain it is that it's too clean. After years training in crappy gyms with no natural daylight and equipment older than me it seems weird to train at this place. I kind of get the feeling from rocky 3 (I think) where he trainings in the modern plush gym and loses his edge, so goes back to the crap hole gym to find it. I like crap hole gyms and this place is way too nice. That said it's $10 a month more expensive than the local rec center (council gym) and has way better amenities... If only there were a craphole gym nearby.

Sleeping with the enemy...

So my local rec center isn't working out so well... there are lots of little gripes, the place is badly laid out, inadequate facilities and the lack of background music. However the biggest problem are the packs of middle age women that permanently seem present getting "personal training".

There are continual groups of at least six middle age women getting "personal training". Unfortunately rather than working in with each other the same trainer gets each to use 2-3 different pieces of equipment before rotating the group to use what the other one was, so taking over most of the gym. I try to train at an off-peak time (10AM on a weekday) yet still the undersized free weight section is littered with bouncy balls, trip sticks (aerobic weights) and groups of people having a friendly chat with their trainer - whilst their sweat towel and weights are left out on the equipment you want to use.

So you say cut in with these people, firstly if you don't grab them the second they switch to the other equipment they claim to be using they wander off so you have no clue whose sweat towel is in your way. If you miss them - short of dumping their stuff on the floor - you have to wait five minutes to identify whose stuff is in your way. Secondly if you ask them if you mind if you cut in with them, they look blankly at you, then go talk to their trainer to decipher the gym terminology whilst you are left waiting for an answer, cooling down when you want to be lifting. Oh and did I mention the stink, this is a place you go to sweat, deal with it, shower before and afterwards but don't drench yourself in so much acrid perfume the rest of the gym can't breathe.

The net result is I'm going to try out the local corporate gym a "lifetime fitness". I have previously ranted about these places so you know my general attitude. However it is the only other nearby gym I've so far found and the membership only requires one month cancelation (immediate with refund if within the first 30 days). Now the free weight section is adequate with free plates, Olympic bars, power cages, a plate load T-bar row, cable crossover and a leg press rated for 1100lbs but not great, they only have dumbbells up to 110lbs, the pin load lat machine only does 200lbs and the benches and dumbbells are miles away from the cages.

We (my wife and I) have the grand tour today, I plan on going back tomorrow and trying out the place in anger. My biggest problem is it all seems very clean to me, too clean and I don't want the fancy place to distract me from lifting. I previously trained in a semi-converted industrial unit with tones of real steel, no changing rooms and serious regulars who workout in ex-army boots. I fear this warm cushy environment will make me soft and distract me from the real business - lifting. Whilst I don't want or need 95% of this place at least it doesn't look like the women's institute have taken over the free weight section for a social...

Pet peeves... I

Yesterday at the gym I was remembered of one of my pet peeves, people who use the exact same weight for lots of different exercises. I can do dumbbell rows with twice the weight I can overhead press and this is again twice the weight I use for deltoid raises. Each exercise is different because you are stressing different muscles in different ways, so guess what, you need a different weight to do them effectively.

I know there are people who work primarily on cardio and so rush through a series of exercises trying to tax the heart and lungs rather than the muscles, and these people I will give some slack to. However the majority of the offenders are not trying to do this, they just do not understand that different muscles have different needs.

If you work one of the large muscle groups with the same weight as one of the smaller muscles, you will simply not train the larger muscle properly. If you are training at the rate of the smallest muscle group you are both stunting you own progress (be that muscle growth, weight loss or "toning") and will end up with a bizarre body type with big secondary muscles and underdeveloped large core muscles.

Leg position whilst pressing...

So today at the gym I have been reminded of the golden rule of leg position whilst pressing weights with your arms (eg bench press, shoulder press, Arnold press ect). Whenever you are pressing you need to brace your feet on the floor, pushing through your heals, so your knees are angled at 90 degrees or a slightly greater angle (or to put it another way your feet should be further out than your knees).

How was I reminded of this? I made the rookie mistake myself today. I would like to blame the equipment - the seat of the bench is unusually close to the floor, but I guess my technique just got sloppy after the break. Well lesson learnt (again), I've now paid the price having tweaked a nerve or a muscle in my hip... how bad I'm not sure, hopefully I will good tomorrow as it's another squat day.

Meathead Gyms

Good "meathead" gyms are hard to find, hard to find information on and seldom the most welcoming of places. The staff are usually unwelcoming because they are run by people who want their own gym and to pay the bills are forced to charge others to use it. They usually have the same resentment as you would for getting $5 to let a stranger sit on your couch watching your TV. After a suitable number of months you can hope they (or at least the other regulars) warm to you and treat you as a friend over coming over.

These places usually don't want to lock people into long memberships, as said above they usually (initially at least) don't want you there at all. The overheads are covered by the regular meatheads and the owner who gets their ideal gym on condition they sit around watching it for no wage. This does have the bonus you can check the place out without getting locked into stupid membership plans.

For the equipment they have a plethora of free weights and good sectorized machines in functional but often shabby condition however the cardio section is normally pathetic. The other amenities (pool, hot tub, sauna even changing rooms) are usually nonexistent and the general cleanliness is often sub-par.

At these places there are always people there who can lift more than you, that said there are always people to learn from (and get a spot from). These are normally in far from ideal places to keep the rent low, let's face it when you are a regular at a meathead gym you have no fear walking in an unlit industrial unit late at night. With the shady location, poor cleanliness, suspicious staff and huge patrons rumors (from non-members) of steroids are frequently rife; that said I have never seen any problems at these and have trained in some really shady places.