Paying your dues for lifting (rant)

Caferacer

Caferacer

Member
Am I the only one who thinks of lifting this way?

When I started out lifting, I didn't know anything. I had a set of adjustable dumbbells and did chest and bicep workouts, and ran track. Then I got online and learned the error of my ways, and began reading. I shut up, asked questions, read, and didn't give advice out. Same deal for in the gym. I shut up, listened to people bigger than me and didn't hand advice out.

I had moderate success. I benched 200 for the first time my junior year of high school. I kept reading and posting online.

I worked my ass off, and now 6 years and 50lbs of muscle later I have something to show for it. I've screwed up, lost weight, gained it back, hurt myself, gotten certified by AFAA, and generally run the road enough to feel comfortable giving advice to new people who ask for my advice.

I have, in my view, paid my dues to be able to do so. And I still know when to shut the hell up and listen because there are things I don't know and want to.

So why is it that people think that reading online and knowing a few things qualifies as being able to coach people? I was lifting with my friends (who came to me looking for advice getting started) and one dude tagged along. He was chubby, barely benched 135 without tapping his chest (he tagged along for a chest workout), and I could sense the smugness coming off him as I was giving them advice and he was talking back.

"Yea, but can't you do...... blah blah blah"

It was like he was trying to feel better about looking like **** and being weak by knowing a few terms and trying to undercut me while I was trying to give these guys pointers.

The final straw was when he was arguing about bench form while we were doing dips, and then asked what dips did.

I think that unless people are willing to shut up, listen and lift until they get some experience under their belt they should be warned that 10lbs plates will be flung their way every time they open their mouth.

Or maybe I'm just an d!ck.
 
Caferacer said:
Am I the only one who thinks of lifting this way?

When I started out lifting, I didn't know anything. I had a set of adjustable dumbbells and did chest and bicep workouts, and ran track. Then I got online and learned the error of my ways, and began reading. I shut up, asked questions, read, and didn't give advice out. Same deal for in the gym. I shut up, listened to people bigger than me and didn't hand advice out.

I had moderate success. I benched 200 for the first time my junior year of high school. I kept reading and posting online.

I worked my ass off, and now 6 years and 50lbs of muscle later I have something to show for it. I've screwed up, lost weight, gained it back, hurt myself, gotten certified by AFAA, and generally run the road enough to feel comfortable giving advice to new people who ask for my advice.

I have, in my view, paid my dues to be able to do so. And I still know when to shut the hell up and listen because their are things I don't know and want to.

So why is it that people think that reading online and knowing a few things qualifies as being able to coach people? I was lifting with my friends (who came to me looking for advice getting started) and one dude tagged along. He was chubby, barely benched 135 without tapping his chest (he tagged along for a chest workout), and I could sense the smugness coming off him as I was giving them advice and he was talking back.

"Yea, but can't you do...... blah blah blah"

It was like he was trying to feel better about looking like **** and being weak by knowing a few terms and trying to undercut me while I was trying to give these guys pointers.

The final straw was when he was arguing about bench form while we were doing dips, and then asked what dips did.

I think that unless people are willing to shut up, listen and lift until they get some experience under their belt they should be warned that 10lbs plates will be flung their way every time they open their mouth.

Or maybe I'm just an d!ck.
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Just 10lbs? :(

Unless you're gonna use that to knock em out, put the pin on the heaviest on the lat pulldown machine and put their head under it and scream NUMERO UNO while you let it turn their brains into a bloody patty...I have no respect for you.

I really doubt the other guys listened to a dude who's chubby and could barely bench 135lbs :lol: intentions are awesome, but results speak louder than anything.

Did you at least slice his stomach open?:whip:
 
Barely 135!?! I am skinny and I warm up with 145. Next time, point out his flaws and ask him where his "knowledge" has got him. You would probably be doing him a favor so he doesn't make an ass out of himself in the future. He could hurt himself too. Or you could just let him do his own thing, get hurt, and not gain.
 
Agree with the OP, and I'm sure most of us have met "this guy" before. In fact, you can find him not only in the gym but everywhere. He's handing out unqualified legal and medical advice and telling you why you're doing it wrong, whatever it happens to be that you're doing. He has a degree in Wikipediology from the Loliversity of Google, so he must know what he's talking about.

But then again who really cares what some weakling has to say about lifting? It's not like anyone would look at him and listen to his advice, and if he refuses to take advice from bigger guys it's his loss. People will eventually get tired of it and stop trying to help him.
 
It absolutely drives me insane when I overhear people in the gym giving advice, when it becomes apparent after listening for a few seconds that they have no clue on what they are talking about. I am business partners with an IFBB Pro, and I cant tell you the amount of times we've had guys we dont even know come up to us while we are doing a consultation with a client (sometimes national level guys) and offer their two cents...its one of those things that I think you only see in this industry....so many goofballs that will try to pass themselves off as something they arent...

holy
 
I'd say a good 75% of your forum supplement 'experts' dont know jack **** about training or diet (especially diet). They are mostly the "i do what i feel like in the gym" and "i know what i'm eating but I dont count cals/macros" guys.
 
Royd The Noyd said:
I'd say a good 75% of your forum supplement 'experts' dont know jack **** about training or diet (especially diet). They are mostly the "i do what i feel like in the gym" and "i know what i'm eating but I dont count cals/macros" guys.
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i disagree...i think most of these forrum experts know everything about training and diet and gear....but they have never actually trained, dieted or ran something other than epi(the greatest steroid ever!!!!!lol) none of these guys have any practical experience....but goddamned if they wont get on google and post some study they read
 
:clap2::clap2::clap2:

Rugger said:
Just don't talk to people, that's what I do. If they want tips they can watch.
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then there are the ones that interupt you're training session even though you have on a hood and ear phones...i thought that was the universal signal for "leave me the fck alone"! apparently some people didn't get that memo!
 
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