While looking up gyms in the area to compare prices, I read an article someone wrote about the worst gym they have ever been to. There are no squat racks in the entire gym, deadlifts and olympic lifts are not allowed, you are not allowed to bring in a water container larger than 20 ounces (seriously), the dumbbells only go up to 80 pounds, and there is a "lunk alarm", an extremely loud and annoying alarm that goes off if it detects grunting, or even HEAVY BREATHING. I am not making any of this up; there are countless people that have complained about all these things at pretty much every location for this gym chain. Apparently, their reasoning for these rules is that they want to discourage bodybuilders, powerlifters, and serious athletes of any kind from joining because they want to create a non-threatening environment for average people.
Lets start off with the fact that certain lifts are not allowed, and that there are no squat racks: Any gym with a rule like that can kiss my balls. Squats, deadlifts, and olympic lifts (clean and jerk, snatch) are the most beneficial exercises you can possibly do with weights. No one in their right mind who knows anything about fitness will dispute this statement. They are compound movements that use several muscle groups at once, which is essential for developing actual strength and not just "gym strength" that doesn't translate to sport performance or help you prepare your body for any strain you put on it throughout your day. These are not just exercises for power lifters and olympians; anyone who plays a sport, or even just regularly has to perform everyday tasks such as moving furniture or picking things up off the ground will benefit from these exercises FAR more than anything else. It doesn't matter if you are the average person who is just trying to get into better shape; these exercises are necessary. If you are weight training and are not regularly doing squats and deadlifts, you are wasting your time.
The rule about water containers is just stupid. Why would a gym possibly want to prevent people from taking large containers of water in? If you are working vigorously, you will need plenty of water. This is either a way to get people to buy more bottled water at the gym, or an extremely stupid and irresponsible way to discourage people from working hard in their gym. Seriously, this rule truly angers me, and I'm not even a member of this gym.
The dumbbells only go up to 80 pounds? I am not a particularly strong guy, and don't lift as regularly as I would like to because more of my time is spent on the mat than in the gym, but not having anything heavier than 160 pounds (one in each hand for squats, since I WOULDN'T HAVE A SQUAT RACK AND BAR TO USE) would be completely inadequate. I honestly wonder if they did this to keep out the serious crowd like they say, or if they just want people who can move 160 pounds to feel like they accomplished something because they lifted the heaviest thing in the room that isn't nailed to the floor. The only good workout I can imagine doing at one of these gyms is to pick up the nearest fat person (there will surely be plenty of them) and squat them instead.
An alarm? Really? Seriously, what the fuck. They don't want people breathing heavily WHILE WORKING OUT? Not only does that keep out the serious crowd as far as lifting is concerned, it also keeps out sprinters and endurance athletes who want to get a good workout on a cardio machine. Not to mention the fact that it literally prevents average people from getting in any real kind of workout. If you are not breathing heavily at any point, YOU ARE NOT WORKING OUT. I'm sorry, but walking on a treadmill for half an hour while watching TV then doing curls is not a workout.
Speaking of curls: they are fucking stupid. The only people who have any use for them are those who care more about filling out their shirt sleeves and impressing shallow girls than they do about actually being fit or strong. If that is not a fair description of your attitude, why the hell are you doing them? And since we're on this subject, FUCK ANYONE THAT DOES CURLS IN THE SQUAT RACK. Whenever I see it, I want to murder them and clean and jerk the body into a dumpster.
The reason I brought all this up is that I feel most people who have a gym membership are wasting their time and money. Why would you pay a monthly fee to walk on a treadmill or lift 10 pound weights? You can easily do that on your own time without a gym. And if you choose to, don't lie to yourself and think you are fit because you can walk for half an hour and lift something that weighs slightly more than a newborn baby.
I completely understand that everyone has to start somewhere, and some people are starting completely out of shape. I admire overweight people that decide to change their diet and lifestyle and try to drop some pounds, or the kid who has never worked out before and has the guts to get into the squat rack while feeling judged by the bobybuilders at his gym. Speaking from my own experience, I know it sucks at first. I'm a thin guy; it's not always the most confidence-boosting experience to try to work out while you're surrounded by guys that are bigger and stronger than you and you can't help but try to judge yourself by comparing your performance to theirs. But when I got over my insecurities and worked out just because it was good for me, I came to really enjoy it. In fact, those guys in the gym that used to make me feel uncomfortable usually turned out to be nice guys, and a few of them helped me correct my technique. If you are trying to get into better shape, go for it, but actually WORK if you're going to call it working out. And don't kid yourself and think you can "work off" a bunch of crappy food, especially since it won't fuel you nearly enough to get through a good workout. You will feel good, physically and mentally, if you set goals for yourself and meet them. Most people, including myself, have a long way to go before being able to say we're really fit. But that's okay, as long as we are working and improving.
1. Squats
2. Oats
3. ???
4. Profit
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