Pushtoday
MuscleChemistry Registered Member
- Thou shalt re-rack dumbbells and plates and return equipment to where it belongs
- Thou shalt not eat, talk loudly on cell phones, or read while in the weight room
- Thou shalt not take excessively long rest periods while claiming a piece of equipment on account of texting, emailing, or engaging in social media
- Thou shalt respect other individuals’ space and maintain adequate distance from other lifters while they’re lifting
- Thou shalt not bump into a lifter or their barbell while they’re exercising (this is egregious and grounds for an ass-whooping)
- Thou shalt maintain adequate distance from the dumbbell rack when using the dumbbells in order to allow others to access or re-rack their dumbbells
- Thou shalt not drop thy weights * if Jesse Norris – arguably the world’s best deadlifter – can control his lowering, then so you can you (see example HERE)
- Thou shalt attempt to a reasonable degree to not hog equipment during busier times when others are waiting for the equipment to open up – thou shalt not claim the platform, squat rack, or both sides of the cable column for more than 20 minutes during peak gym hours
- Thou shalt not use in-demand equipment such as squat racks, platforms, and bench presses for performing isolation exercises that can be performed elsewhere – thou shalt not curl, shrug, or upright row in the squat rack or on the bench press station during busy times
- Thou shalt not claim multiple units of equipment for supersets, tri-sets, or giant sets during peak gym hours if equipment is limited * this is probably my biggest pet peeve of all…these methods are luxuries to be utilized during non-busy times, not essentials to be utilized during busier gym hours
- Thou shalt offer individuals waiting for equipment to work in whenever convenient and appropriate
- Thou shalt return weights and adjustments to previous settings when another lifter allows thee to work in with them
- Thou shalt not talk excessively to training partners or gym members in between sets when others are waiting for the equipment
- Thou shalt not utilize busy walkways to engage in exercises such as walking barbell lunges, sled pushes, or farmer’s walks during peak business hours
- Thou shalt maintain adequate personal hygiene; taking showers regularly, washing thy clothes, and wearing deodorant
- Thou shalt wipe away thy sweat off of equipment and carry a towel if prone to excessive sweating
- Thou shalt be reasonable and wait for equipment if it’s in use; refraining from appearing overly impatient and intimidating while the lifter is exercising
- Thou shalt not engage in complex/contrast training methods during peak gym hours if space does not permit
- Thou shalt not grunt excessively or scream while training
- Thou shalt wear appropriate clothing while training and ensure that shorts are long enough to conceal thy private parts; if thou art wearing ultra-skimpy attire and are practically falling out of your clothing, thou should not be surprised or offended if others stare at thee while thee performeth RDLs, bent over rows, cable pull-throughs, reverse hypers, hip thrusts, or seated hip ab/adductions
- Thou shalt never tell a joke or attempt to make a lifter laugh immediately prior to or during a set of heavy exercise, and thou shalt maintain an appropriate level of seriousness during training while avoiding either extremes of the “seriousness-continuum” (the gym is no place for clowns or drill sergeants)
- Thou shalt not leave they training journal, water bottles, or accessories on top of equipment that thou aren’t using
- Thou shalt attempt to learn the basics of spotting technique in a myriad of exercises and do thy best to provide a proper spot to individuals when asked
- Thou shalt not abuse your spotting privileges and shalt not require a spot for a majority of thy sets, nor shalt thou attempt a lift that is way too heavy for thy capabilities and overly rely on thy spotter, nor shalt thou ask an individual for a spot if they don’t appear well-versed in spotting techniques
- Thou shalt inform your spotter how thee prefer to be spotted; letting them know if thou want a lift-off, how many repetitions thou hope to perform, whether thou want help with forced repetitions, and/or whether thou want them to barely assist you with one extra rep
- Thou shalt not shadow-box or throw air-strikes in between sets (no air-punches, air-elbows, air-knees, or air kicks – the Affliction shirt thou art wearing provides sufficient clues to others that thou art an aspiring cage-fighter)
- Thou shalt not stand in the mirror-path or walk through a lifter’s mirror-path when a lifter is in the middle of a heavy set and is using the mirror to watch his or her form
- Though shalt ask around to confirm if equipment is not in use when arriving at a piece of equipment that is abandoned yet loaded with weights
- Thou shalt avoid performing crazy exercises during peak hours that require excessive space or the use of many pieces of equipment, and thou shalt try to the best of thine abilities to find suitable alternatives
- Thou shalt not flex thy muscles excessively or pose in front of the mirror – there is no need for thou to lift up your shirt to see thine abs, thou can do that in the locker room or at home
- Thou shalt ask experienced lifters for advice during opportune moments but shalt not abuse this privilege
- Thou shalt pony up advice when asked (if and only if thou possess sufficient expertise), but thou shalt not appoint thyself as “form-police” and patrol the gym in search of violators in efforts to satisfy thy need to feel important by providing unsolicited advice
- Thou shalt not lie to others about how much weight thy hoisted back in the day in an attempt to “one-up” other lifters
- Thou shalt not flirt excessively with other lifters regardless of gender – this is especially true if the individual is wearing their visor low and wearing ear-phones, as clearly they don’t want to be bothered
- Thou shalt control thy temper and attempt to maintain a positive demeanor
- Thou shalt not crank thy neck laterally to watch form in the mirror from the side view while lifting
- Thou shalt understand how to position thyself symmetrically while using a barbell and shalt use the bar spacings to assist with such symmetry
- Thou shalt use chalk when necessary but shalt take precautions to avoid making a mess
- Thou shalt not fill up thy entire water bottle when others are waiting for the drinking fountain
- Thou shalt not place a giant gym bag where gym-goers traverse during peak gym hours
- Thou shalt not hog cardio equipment and shalt attempt to complete thy session within 30 minutes during peak gym hours
- Thou shalt not believe that thy method of training is far superior to everyone else’s, nor shalt thou shun all other methods simply because they don’t coincide with thy personal goals and preferences
- Thou shalt place initial plates onto barbells with the smooth sides facing outwards and the carved part facing inwards; thereby respecting tradition and paying homage to thine iron hoisting ancestors (note that this only applies to the first plates placed onto the barbell; subsequent plates can be loaded either way)
- Thou shalt attempt to use the same brand, color, and size of plates if possible on each side of the barbell and try to maintain symmetry; thereby respecting tradition and paying homage to thine iron hoisting ancestors
- Thou shalt attempt to work together and cooperate with other lifters; using common sense, having common courtesy, and respecting one another
- Thou shalt be reliable, punctual, encouraging, motivating, focusing, and supportive to thy training partner if thou choose to obtain one
- Thou shalt attempt to train during non-peak hours if thou find thyself frustrated with the commandments listed above or are following a “needy” program such as GVT (or, thou can join a specialized gym or outfit thine own garage gym if thou art excessively needy with thy training)
- Thou shalt appreciate safety, thou shalt always use collars to prevent plates from slipping off of the barbell, and thou shalt avoid performing ballistics or explosive lifts such as kettlebell swings with the implement aimed toward other individuals
- Thou shalt attempt to learn proper exercise form and shalt understand and avoid common form mistakes such as turning lateral raises into shoulder external rotation movements, rolling the shoulders while shrugging, heaving excessively during curls, bouncing the bar off the chest when benching, half range benching, performing quarter squats, roundback deadlifts, and upright bent over rows
- Thou shalt attempt to learn and understand the basics of program design; and if attempting to be athletic thou must perform mostly compound free-weight movements with targeted single joint movements sprinkled into the equation, maintain a balance between pushing and pulling for the upper and lower bodies, and refraining from ignoring work for the posterior chain, single leg stability, and rotary core
