SIR!!! 24hr Fitness does not allow chalk or gym bags on the exercise floor!

[Rus Mandery]

Now many people would have gotten all up in this guys face for that comment. I just disarmed him with how nice I was, I was the nicest guy ever and it totally caught this dude off guard. Then he lightened up a little and told me it was cool for the rest of my workout, but just to remember it in the future. So at least I was able to finish my workout. I need to open a training facility like the one in the beginning of Red Heat. Weekly hot rock gripping contests will be held. Anyone else been to a commercial gym lately and anything funny happen?

[Jay Hagadorn]

Now many people would have gotten all up in this guys face for that comment. I just disarmed him with how nice I was, I was the nicest guy ever and it totally caught this dude off guard. Then he lightened up a little and told me it was cool for the rest of my workout, but just to remember it in the future. So at least I was able to finish my workout. I need to open a training facility like the one in the beginning of Red Heat. Weekly hot rock gripping contests will be held. Anyone else been to a commercial gym lately and anything funny happen?

Not all commercial gyms suck! Mine doesn't...stones, platforms, chalk...

[Matt Schumann]

I went to a planet fitness when i went to hawaii this past June.... Very softcore

[Kristyn Vytlacil]

The general manager at my commercial gym just let me know if there's some stuff I want to bring in to work out with, he has a secret place where I can store it where no one else can get at it... Oooooh!!! Axle/log presses during the week, HERE I COME!

[Lesley Gardiner]

No chalk allowed at my gym either. Lots of people wiping everything down with antibacterial sanitizer compulsively though.

There is a very long wide hallway and the idea of carrying the dumbells like a farmer's walk was a good one. Have to give it a try IF they let me take them off the floor.

[Easton Taylor]

My gym sucks too........but I work there so I can break the rules.......

[WesleyInman]

My gym is so bootleg now that if you bring chalk in, other people will steal it. As a result, a few heavy lifters punched a large hole in the wall, and people actually put there hand in the hole, take out sheetrock type material and rub it all over there hands to use as chalk.

We haven't had heat yet this winter, and with temps hitting 15 degrees, you can literally see your breath, today everyone was wearing jackets/and head gear. My nose ran the entire time, and the kid that works there has a space heater next to him.

No one even works from 6am-10am or so, people just walk in....

So I guess it could be worse, right? LOL

[Scott Markowitz]

Other than the temps and thieves, that sounds like an awesome place to train.

[Brandon Campbell]

become friends with whoever works there and next thing u know they wotn bother you any more, and talk to fellow gym goers more known you are less people complain

[Lesley Gardiner]

So I guess it could be worse, right? LOL I...cannot even imagine how. Maybe if you had to dodge bullets while training it could be worse.

Weights are weights though. Gotta lift somewhere.

[dronga]

The general manager at my commercial gym just let me know if there's some stuff I want to bring in to work out with, he has a secret place where I can store it where no one else can get at it... Oooooh!!! Axle/log presses during the week, HERE I COME!


Consider yourself extremely lucky! The last gym I was training at, the front desk guy told me " bring In your log, no problem", I brought in in, trained with it, the next day the manager threatened to cancel my membership if i did'nt remove my log from the gym. He said "its not that kind of gym", I told him" Maybe you should change the sign on the front to Jack Lalanne!"

[Ian Duggan]

I've gotta say, people taking bags into my local gym bugs me.

It's not bad if one person does, but then it's a pretty tightly packed gym and if we all did it there would be no space for anything. And if we all can't do it, why should one person get to? Yeah, I'd like to be able to take my knee wraps on adn off at will, have a towel to hand and not have to break off my calk into small bits to stuff in my pocket too.

Nothing I hate more than trying to find a space to deadlift in and there's two bags sitting there instead.. sigh...

OK, rant over.

:D

Not all commercial gyms suck! Mine doesn't...stones, platforms, chalk...
Any plans to open one over the pond jay? Go on, you know you want to...

[kenneth nowicki]

Where you train in Aberdeen Ian?

[Billy Wolt]

I go to NYSC....

a few weeks ago during a deadlift session, a "trainer" came up to me and said I had to put my shoes on because lifting without them is dangerous.

I politely told him that deadlifting with these 12 sided plates is dangerous and he walked away.


at a different nysc, a trainer asked me why i used straps and I had mentioned that the gym probably doesn't allow chalk...he said, "don't worry about it, this is your gym. you can use chalk if you want to "....i was quite surprised.

[benjamin d. moore]

You, sir, are Billy Bad Ass!

[dronga]

I go to NYSC....

a few weeks ago during a deadlift session, a "trainer" came up to me and said I had to put my shoes on because lifting without them is dangerous.

I politely told him that deadlifting with these 12 sided plates is dangerous and he walked away.


at a different nysc, a trainer asked me why i used straps and I had mentioned that the gym probably doesn't allow chalk...he said, "don't worry about it, this is your gym. you can use chalk if you want to "....i was quite surprised.


I did'nt know you own a gym! LOL!!

[Chad Robison]

I do my gym work at a cardinal fitness, which to say the least is more of a social club than anything else, lots of guys in their abercrombie cutoffs with their hair all gelled up and they keep their cell phones on them at all time...then their is me, i always have my gym bag with me, i use chalk constantly, never wear shoes to deadlift, and am not shy about politely asking the guy in the power rack who is on his 9th set of curls with 100 lbs to move so i can squat, i think its all about the approach you take within your given atmosphere, i keep my ipod on at all times and most times wear beanie or over the top of my eyes and dont really talk with anyone, is made it a point to discuss my situation with the gym manager and thank god he is understanding, he supports exactly what i do and sometimes will come out and train with me, truth be told alot of these gyms want people like us there whether they are willing to admit it or not, we help business to an extent, everyone at some point has been to one of those gyms and new clients come in to take the walk and all they do is stare at us...but there are always the exceptions to the rule, i have been asked to leave 2 gyms in my life for using chalk once and another time bending a bar, some of these gyms by the cheapest equipment they can find, when i was asked to leave the one particular gym for bending a bar, the owner told me that the bar only had a 500 lb test and that i bent it squatting, and his exact words were "actually we dont like to market ourselves to your kind"....i had to take a couple deep breaths to hold back from smacking that clown, a simple "thats not the type of training we encourage" would have been fine...LOL, who is up for a traveling crew of powerlifters and strongman to hit all the "fancy" gyms and see how many we can get thrown out of?? could be fun...hahaha

Chad Robison

[Nick Best]

I feel pretty lucky, the 24hour that I train at no longer says anything to me about chalk or the weights I lift. Every time they switch managers now they seem to warn each other and leave me alone, which is very nice. I have been training there since it opened and I have been through every arguement about chalk and heavy weights you can think of. I have used 3 basic arguements. 1 Where would you like me to go, your company has put everyone else out of business, limiting my selection. 2 I have been lifting this way since it opened and president has already been set here. 3 I am a pro-strongman , I can either thank you by name on world wide tv or rip you apart by name on tv. The people running this gym lately have been awesome, fixing broken dumbells, got extra matts for when I DL, allowed me to bring in the axle and log as long as I take them with me when I leave. I just wish they would leave the same staff in one place for more than 2 months.

Nick

[Lesley Gardiner]

"your kind"

Wow. Choice names come to mind. Limited selection of gyms in your area?

[Steve Krivoshik]

I hate the Gym I go to. Thing is they have very few members and a 4000 square foot facility with full OLY squat/dead/bench setups. And they're located 5 minutes away from my house. The owner is honestly killing his membership off slowly one customer at a time. He thinks he is the authority on all things fitness because he went on a 2 year health kick after he was in a car accident and got his ass into shape long enough to take pictures. Now he just looks like every other tub of lard walkin down the street. He once charged a friend of mine 400+ dollars for private training sessions...... When what was happening was that my friend was working out with a trainer there who we are mutual friends with and was just following along with his workout and socializing. They both had to fight to get him to not charge. Good news though, my trainer friend is opening his own gym this spring, I'm gonna see the facilities in a week or two once I get home, and he'll let me do whatever I want in regards to chalk/axles because he's not training to run a marathon, he trains to move big ass weights. I'm pumped :mag:

[Ian Duggan]

Where you train in Aberdeen Ian?
JJB primarily. Just because my girlfriend goes there too and it's easy. And honestly, it's fine for my limited needs. Just the lack of floor space and only one squat rack when the tiny free weights area gets busy that's a bugger.

[lhprop1]

Chalk is a safety issue.

I hate to say it, but it's going to take someone getting seriously injured and the following lawsuit to finally get most gyms to allow you to use chalk. Like it or not, we've created a very litigious country and lawsuits change peoples' attitudes faster than near-death experiences.

So that raises the question: Who's going to be the martyr?

[Bob Toth]

Chalk is a safety issue.
What's the safety issue?
The 2 gym managers I talked to in my town said they don't allow it b/c of the cost of cleaning... their cleaning companies wanted an extra 30-60 mins per night to clean the gym floor/mats where the chalk is. This is equal to a $25-50 per night, which over a year is equal to approximately US$9k to $18k..

Any other "commercial" gym managers out there?

[lhprop1]

What's the safety issue?
The 2 gym managers I talked to in my town said they don't allow it b/c of the cost of cleaning... their cleaning companies wanted an extra 30-60 mins per night to clean the gym floor/mats where the chalk is. This is equal to a $25-50 per night, which over a year is equal to approximately US$9k to $18k..

Any other "commercial" gym managers out there?

What's the safety issue? If I'm deadlifting and the bar slips out of my hands because they were sweaty and rolls off the platform and steamrolls the old granny doing pilates 10' away, that's the safety issue.

I'm saying that if something like that happened, it could easily be proven in court that by not allowing their clients to use chalk, the gym created an unsafe environment.

What's more expensive, 18k a year for cleaning or a being found negligent and having to pay damages?

Besides, the math seem pretty fishy on the cleaning. Who pays cleaners $50/hour, and how many chalk buckets would you have to have to take an hour to clean each day? I'm not buyin' it.

No pilates-doing grannies were harmed in the typing of this post.

[Eric Johnson]

Chalk is a safety issue.

I hate to say it, but it's going to take someone getting seriously injured and the following lawsuit to finally get most gyms to allow you to use chalk. Like it or not, we've created a very litigious country and lawsuits change peoples' attitudes faster than near-death experiences.

So that raises the question: Who's going to be the martyr?

But for some there is a safety issue when you do use chalk, http://www.marunde-muscle.com/forum/showthread.php?p=23360&highlight=chalk#post23359

Sorry Shawn, but that is funny!

[Chad Robison]

Wow. Choice names come to mind. Limited selection of gyms in your area?

There is a limited number of "real gyms", lots of "fitness facilities" though, haha, I couldnt beleive it when the guy said "your kind" to me, when I thinks back on it the only reason I may not have snatched him up is because I was in shock of what he had just said...oh well though, the gym I am at now treats me well and is even considering ordering in equipment just for me, so I can't complain.

Chad Robison

[Bob Toth]

What's the safety issue? If I'm deadlifting and the bar slips out of my hands because they were sweaty and rolls off the platform and steamrolls the old granny doing pilates 10' away, that's the safety issue.

I'm saying that if something like that happened, it could easily be proven in court that by not allowing their clients to use chalk, the gym created an unsafe environment.

What's more expensive, 18k a year for cleaning or a being found negligent and having to pay damages?

Besides, the math seem pretty fishy on the cleaning. Who pays cleaners $50/hour, and how many chalk buckets would you have to have to take an hour to clean each day? I'm not buyin' it.

No pilates-doing grannies were harmed in the typing of this post.
Ahh.. sorry, I thought you were saying there was a safety issue with ALLOWING chalk...

Cleaning for $50/hr is cheap... >40k sq. ft. facilty - team of 3 cleaners...
Have you ever tried to get chalk out of one of those industrial rubber mats?? Not easy.. plus it tracks all around the gym...

There is no risk for a gym for injuries if they are self inflicted... read one of those contracts... you take your own risk..

[RyanWilson]

I've got a few memberships around town, and I just try to be sneaky with the chalk at the places that are tough about bringing it in. One small chunk about the size around of a dime broken off a block, hidden in the corner of my towel and I've got what I need to get through the day. I don't particularly need to have my entire hands covered in chalk everyhwere with dust flying around - just rub the piece on your palms and fingers and you can get about a half dozen uses out of it. Take a new piece every time, if you want to stash some, do that as well, but there's always a way if you are careful to keep it a bit of a secret :D

The place I lift at around half the time is one of those cruddy little 24-hour type places, but it's unstaffed after 8 PM, so when I head in at 9 to 11 there's no need to worry about anyone telling me I can't bring in chalk!

[Paul Rogers]

The other night doing DB presses overhead, I was being careful setting them down and I flopped a 100lb DB onto my water bottle under me. BOOOSSSHHHH, went all over my leg. It was only half full so it wasn't too bad.


Funny though.

[AaRoNSnider]

I agree with what Mr Robison said.Alot of gyms do want the very serious lifter in their gym.The problem that Ive seen is that some guys who seem to stand out blow it for the rest of us by going into a-hole mode if things dont go exactly their way.Alot of normal gym goers just dont understand what we do,but if you try to act at least somewhat friendly and professional when approched by someone with a seemingly stupid comment or question,you will eventually gain alot more respect from everyone,and they will be more accepting to what you do in the gym.

I watched a video of a powerlifter talking about throwing bars across the gym if someone wasnt doing anything that met his standards in the squat rack.If I were a gym owner,I wouldnt care who he was,he would be done.Guys like that ruin it for the rest of us.

[Barney Shannon]

I haven't been in a commercial gym in years. Me and my son train in the garage, driveway or basement. Sometimes my son will go workout at the weight-room of the local high school. Every so often, I think that I'd like to join a gym but decent ones are getting harder and harder to find.

[IdrisH.]

I currently go to a gym that does not have a bar so that you can do unassited squats. They have a bar where you can squat, but it has guides on the ends. Not only that, it says that the maximum weight on that you can put on that bar is 320lbs.! What am I going to do when I can squat that 10 times? I just came up with an idea though. I will just take one of the bars that are used for beching, set it on the rack where the assited bar is used and then squat. Hopefully they will not have a problem with that.

[Scott Markowitz]

Hopefully they will not have a problem with that.

Don't hold your breath.

[Steve Pulcinella]

I got three words for you guys....

IRON SPORT GYM

hahahaha

[Keith Stenerson]

I go to a local gold's here and in the beginning it wasn't bad, but now there are way too many "tools" that go there now and get in the way! like curling in the squat rack while I am standing there waiting to squat. Tools belong in the tool box! They should rename it TOOL BOX GYM

These same people look at you funny when you squat rock bottom or do farmers walks, well anything for that matter other than bench and arms haha

[Joe Bosnick]

I lift on campus at the school gym and at Hyde Park Gym in Austin. The UT staff has given me problems about my bag a couple of times but as long as I stay in the Powerlifting room they generally leave me alone. Hyde Park is awesome. They let me keep my axle, farmers bars, and stone there and most people seem pretty interested in my training and ask a lot of questions. If anyone is looking for a gym in Austin I highly recommend it.

[dronga]

I got three words for you guys....

IRON SPORT GYM

hahahaha


Steve,

Make it a franchise and you'll be a millionaire in no time!

[Bob Toth]

I go to a local gold's here and in the beginning it wasn't bad, but now there are way too many "tools" that go there now and get in the way! like curling in the squat rack while I am standing there waiting to squat. Tools belong in the tool box! They should rename it TOOL BOX GYM
My brother-in-law goes to a Golds in Tallahassee, FL... they took away all the DBs over 85 lbs... and then put up a sign that said "No Powerlifting"...
Commercial gyms are really in the tank..

[Joshua Davis]

I got three words for you guys....

IRON SPORT GYM

hahahaha


Yeah Steve, what would you think if I opened "Iron Sport Tampa" and got the idea to send you royalties? (Those royalties would probably be in the form of used napkins, welfare vouchers, and bologna jerky).

I'd have more platforms that you... neener neener!

[dronga]

Yeah Steve, what would you think if I opened "Iron Sport Tampa" and got the idea to send you royalties?

I'd have more platforms that you... neener neener!

Seriously, I think this is a great idea! If he could find enough people in each state to open a "Iron Sport ______" (Insert state or city), this would really go over well in the strongman, powerlifting, and olympic community.

[Steve Pulcinella]

I'm actually thinking about franchising the Iron Sport concept. If anybody wants to own one in your town just contact me.

[Steve Krivoshik]

The problem with our community and commercial gyms is that we are in fact the minority. Commercial gyms make their money on soccer moms coming in to use the treadmill once a week for a half an hour. They're for the most part not marketing their facilities towards hardcore guys/gals who come in 3-6 times a weeks. To be honest if I were to open a gym I would do the same thing simply because that's where the money is.

[jay lyttle]

another gym chain nightmare story, when will these gyms [for lack of a better word, cuz they're not gyms] realize that everyone who works out isn't just there to get in shape for photo shoots! some guys actually want to be bloody strong. antother reason why the home gym is so awesome, never closed, chalk everywhere,weights clanging, no language rule, and your grunts and groans wont scare the arobics class cuz there ISN'T ONE!!!!

[Paul_Koskinen]

Not to mention the high turnaround rate of people joining right after New Year's, figuring that they can get the same results that the commited serious clients do and quitting 4 weeks later when they realize that you have to sweat once in a while.
Probably the same goes for anyone who joins just before summer.

[chrisklavette]

I think it's safe to say that the BBer's of the late 70's early 80's really popularized weightlifting for the common person. Irony is, I don't think Frank Zane, Arnold, Franco, Lou would be allowed to do there workouts in most Gold's gyms now-a-days.

[JEFF VANCO]

And that's why commercial gyms suck and are full of weak pussycats

Go train at a local high school or college and save your pennies for a pair of squat stands and some weights

[Josh Kamins]

I do hate most commercial gyms, but my World Gym has a monolift, power racks, platform, bumpers, chalk, people bring in bands, chains, etc. Its pretty PL/bodybuilder friendly. Im not sure if I can bring in any strongman stuff, but we'll see

[Wayne Meyer]

When I was living in Minnesota I learned a great deal about corporate gyms. I was promoting a contest and I created some 11" x 17" fliers to help promote the upcoming contest.

I approached a number of gyms and asked the dude behind the counter if it was "Ok" to put up some fliers in the men's and women's lockers and if I could put one up at the front desk.

Every single gym that was corporate owned refused to allow me to put up a flier and instead refered me to call the corporate head-quarters. So I did so, I called Bally's, Gold's and Lifetime Fitness.

Here were the results of my efforts:

- Called Golds'y Gym head-quarters close to a dozen times and left repeated messages with the Public Relation's Director. Never received a single return phone call.

- Called Bally's a bunch of times and left voice mails. Finally got a representative to return my phone call and I was told and I quote: "It's our policy to not hang up fliers for events that aren't sponsored by Ball's". I then explained to the individual on the phone the hyprocacy in his statement, Because weeks earlier I saw a flier promoting the Susan G. Koleman Breast Cancer Marathon Walk. The representative then told me he had an appointment and he needed to run.

- Called Lifetime Fitness and spoke with the Public Relation's Representative and I was told the following and I quote: "It's our policy to only support family events." I then asked so a Strongman contest can't possibly be a family event? To which I was told that she needed to run.

Bottom line to all this unless an event is going to receive some wide scale media attention corporate gym's are not going to do anything to help support local grass roots contests. And as far as sponsorship of a local contest even bigger joke yet...promoters don't waste your time. Today I have as little to do with corporate gym's as possible.

[Kellee_Rassau]

My local gym is great. Always had chalk, always will. The owner works on an "honor basis" with the members. You keep track of your time, and pay up on the fifth of the month. I go there about 4 times a month to supplement my training at home with my own free weights, sandbags, stone and exercise bike. He charges me $3 a visit. He said he'd give me a key to the place, since I'm doing shift work. It's a good gym.

[Joe Durante]

I train at two gyms, Iron Island in oceanside LI,NY great gym for strongman/powerlifting. we have a platform, 7 stones, tires out back, yoke, logs.. Chalk is allowed and provided for you. And I go to pumpin iron on staten island, nice dirty gym, lets u do what u want. just not great equipment.... has a monolift. but thats about it for powerlifting. but the owner is cool and lots of powerlifters train there. SO I have no complaints about my gyms. Find a little shithole gym to train at, they usually are the best ones.