I found this funny. I was doing a workout the other day and saw a guy doing stepups. I walked over to him and asked if he was on NROL, and he gave me a surprised look and said he was. I told him he was the only other person I'd ever seen doing step ups
Turns out his girlfriend was hooked on NROL4W and he'd bought the original. He said he'd followed her around for years in the gym, waving weights around with no purpose, and liked having a book that tells you what the point of the exercises is, what muscles they work and why etc.
However, I also saw him deadlifting, but with a very rounded back. I asked if he was doing Romanian deadlifts (he didn't know what I meant) because his legs were so straight. Turns out he was doing standard deadlifts, just very very wrong. I gave him a quick demo how I do them - which is hopefully not too hideously wrong - but eventually recommended he get a copy of Starting Strength. I told him if he's got nobody around then some of the tips on learning proprioception would be useful.
I've had a look in NROL and the deadlift section is REALLY clear about keeping your back in its natural arch, but doesn't say how hard this can be to do. Maybe if there is a second edition this bit could be expanded. I did years of martial arts before I picked up NROL, so I was well used to keeping my back straight, but a lot of people have no concept of it.
Incidentally, he was the only other guy I'd seen deadlifting at the gym. (Well, there is one other but he's a personal trainer there...) I had to move for work, and left my old gym where there were some really good guys that did decent lifts. Now I'm at a Virgin Active (will only mean anything to UK lifters probably) which has a bouncy castle floor and foam-coated half-size plates. And seriously, NOBODY else has deadlifted there in the months I've been going. I hope NROL doesn't catch on too much, they've only got 3 Olympic bars to go round
But next month we are getting Power Plates!!!!!!!!11111
Hi Carmel - what are Power Plates? Never heard of them. You mean full size plates for the bars? My Virgin gym uses Fisher-Price COUGH I mean TechnoGym weights.
We were a bar down this afternoon. I was squatting and someone kicked me off the squat rack (well I only had one set left), to do... BICEP CURLS. I was fuming that I hurried up to finish and someone used the squat rack to do BICEP CURLS with 45kg when almost the WHOLE FREE WEIGHT MAT was empty!!!
I wish - no, they are those things that you stand on. And they vibrate. They cost about £10,000each...
I have never seen anyone use the squat rack in my gym, ever, although sometimes people do squats in the Smith machine which is about 3 inches away from it. Virgin sucks.
Nothing you can do in a Smith machine can be called a squat The Smith machine next to the squat rack here would be better called a shrug machine.
You should actually be grateful nobody squats there... means the equipment is free! Until someone CURLS in it. (Sorry, still fuming. That guy was borderline anorexic too, he needed to squat!!!) Although I prefer training somewhere where people squat properly, means you can talk about technique, form and programmes, and get people to watch you if you think you're doing something wrong. That's what I miss a lot about my last gym.
Be thankful you're not at Greens, they don't even have straight bars there, never mind a squat rack. I learnt to squat there by cleaning dumbbells to my shoulders, and I got very inventive about how to get 28kg dumbells up there with arms like matchsticks.
Hi
...Now I'm at a Virgin Active (will only mean anything to UK lifters probably) which has a bouncy castle floor and foam-coated half-size plates. ...
Ashley
I'm guessing that Virgin Active is another Richard Branson chain, probably relatively equivalent to Bally Total Fitness here. Sort of like your "Boots" is our "Walgreens". BTW, I remember getting a one pound box of casein protein powder at the local Boots for a paltry sum. It's friggin expensive here.
As you drive by and look out your car window, he's the guy lying face up in his driveway, just outside his garage because it's far too hot in there, panting uncontrollably, drowning in a pool of sweat, with his kid standing nearby with a very worried look on his face . . .
As you drive by and look out your car window, he's the guy lying face up in his driveway, just outside his garage because it's far too hot in there, panting uncontrollably, drowning in a pool of sweat, with his kid standing nearby with a very worried look on his face . . .
Umm, speaking from experience?
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Tom
No "happy hours" makes for a lot of miserable days. - Mahler
I see you are in Stoke - where is the Virgin Active there? I'm a member down in London but visit the folks in Stoke every month or so - would be good to find a workout place there.
I haven't seen any NROLer in my gym yet, but I would be able to tell by their workout routine or by their rest periods. I know that doing those programs allows me no time to stand around and BS between sets (unless it's strength).
I see you are in Stoke - where is the Virgin Active there? I'm a member down in London but visit the folks in Stoke every month or so - would be good to find a workout place there.
Hi Barras
My profile is kinda out of date then - I've been staying mainly in Sheffield for work since March (haven't posted for AGES, my training has been so erratic due to work). The Virgin is just a few mins away from me here. One guy I was chatting to there the other day said all the real powerlifter gyms in Sheffield had shut down, all that was left was the commercial gyms. He said the Virgin was like training in a hotel
There aren't many places in Stoke you can pay by the visit (which I guess you want). The biggest are the Willfield Fitness Centre (council run) and the Michelin Athletic Club. You might wanna look at them.
As you drive by and look out your car window, he's the guy lying face up in his driveway, just outside his garage because it's far too hot in there, panting uncontrollably, drowning in a pool of sweat, with his kid standing nearby with a very worried look on his face . . .
I look like that at the end of any of the lower body workouts...
I haven't seen any NROLer in my gym yet, but I would be able to tell by their workout routine or by their rest periods. I know that doing those programs allows me no time to stand around and BS between sets (unless it's strength).
The other giveaway is the supersetting/alternating. Only guy I've seen doing two exercises side by side was the NROLer at the Virgin. But then he's probably the only guy there (aside from the PTs) that knows what opposing muscle groups are anyway...
I miss my old gym where at least some guys had a clue.
I would say that BSSwOHP or Towel Biceps Curls would be dead giveaways. I've NEVER seen either of those at my gym. And I've gotten some really weird looks when I've done those.
Come to think of it, I've only seen one person doing regular BSS and that was only once. I never saw her doing them again. Maybe they hurt too bad.
The other giveaway is the supersetting/alternating. Only guy I've seen doing two exercises side by side was the NROLer at the Virgin. But then he's probably the only guy there (aside from the PTs) that knows what opposing muscle groups are anyway...
I miss my old gym where at least some guys had a clue.
That's true....every curl monkey in my gym thinks that supersetting is only blasting the same body part to induce further muscle fatigue.
In the gyms I've been to, squatting is a real rarity, and deadlifting even more so.
The gym I went before deadlifts were rare, only saw 2 or 3 guys do any. Squats were pretty popular though. Well quarter squats were, didn't see as many full squats...
At the Virgin Active, which is easily 10 times the size of my old gym, the squat rack is hardly ever used, and I've seen (I think) three guys DL. One was today actually, he had a PT teaching him. Although there's only been two if you don't count the one that put an aerobic step under each plate and bounced the weights up every rep.
Actually saw a guy who REALLY hurt his back squatting today. Didn't see the accident, the bar was only about 70kg, and even heard the guy said it wasn't a heavy lift for him. But he was lying down for ages and could hardly walk out the gym. Don't know what he did... I've always thought the squat was pretty safe, especially with a spotter, which he had.
The gym I went before deadlifts were rare, only saw 2 or 3 guys do any. Squats were pretty popular though. Well quarter squats were, didn't see as many full squats...
At the Virgin Active, which is easily 10 times the size of my old gym, the squat rack is hardly ever used, and I've seen (I think) three guys DL. One was today actually, he had a PT teaching him. Although there's only been two if you don't count the one that put an aerobic step under each plate and bounced the weights up every rep.
Actually saw a guy who REALLY hurt his back squatting today. Didn't see the accident, the bar was only about 70kg, and even heard the guy said it wasn't a heavy lift for him. But he was lying down for ages and could hardly walk out the gym. Don't know what he did... I've always thought the squat was pretty safe, especially with a spotter, which he had.
A spotter is good for the case of failed reps, but form should be your safeguard for the entire exercise. I don't know what happened to the guy (have to see his form and point of injury during movement)....it could've been a spasm, a disc herniation or aggravation of a previous one.
since people (anecdoteally) can put their back out picking up a kleenex from the floor it might not have been directly lift related either - just coincidence. Probably not, but could be.
How to identify a NROLer in a gym...
BTW, I remember getting a one pound box of casein protein powder at the local Boots for a paltry sum. It's friggin expensive here.
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