Do you offer advice...

Dubdude

Last night while training a girl came into the free weights room and started squatting on the smith machine, the only problem was I knew she was doing it wrong, she was almost at a 45 degree angle before she unhooked the bar. I was really tempted to have a word but didn't know how she would take it.

So my question is should I have went over and offered a bit of advice?? and also do you offer advice yourselves when you see people doing things you know is wrong.

the drifter

No i dont...

If asked i will assist... i have made some very good friends this way...and if i have ever asked for advice i have been give it..

But i would never give it without being asked....generally i think a decent % of gym users think they know it all anyway and dont need your advice

Dubdude

I agree with you 100% I never do it myself but in this case I could see that this person could really hurt themselves, in the end I chose not to as I normally do.

the drifter

Dubdude wrote: »

I agree with you 100% I never do it myself but in this case I could see that this person could really hurt themselves, in the end I chose not to as I normally do.

If i was to stop every person i see during the day that could petentially hurt themselves id never get any work done...

xgtdec

I would love if someone corrected me in the weight room..."sorry bud your doing that wrong, try it like this"

Thing is, how the hell do you know if they know??? cause if you dont know then any aul bull can be believeable....would i take advice from some random polish muscle machine on roid rage telling me how it is.....RUN AWAY!!!!

pinkypinky

I don't correct - people don't want a randomer's advice. I'd love to see the trainers come over and correct people though.

the drifter

pinkypinky wrote: »

I don't correct - people don't want a randomer's advice. I'd love to see the trainers come over and correct people though.

Wouldnt we all...

Id love to see them look after there equipment too

metamorphosis

the drifter wrote: »

Id love to see them look after there equipment too

or in the case of some of them, actually know what they're talking about.

I don't give advice. Some one got narky with me once and realized some people don't want some guy telling them what they're doing is wrong.

brianthebard

Very occasionally I would give advice but not often, you don't know how someone will react. The last time I gave advice was to a really skinny kid cause he was standing about a foot away from the bar trying to do deadlifts and his friend (who has been training longer than him) can't give advice for **** (seen this happen on every lift they do, he doesn't explain, just says what's wrong). Anyways told the guy to stand in closer to the bar and suddenly it works.
I only did it that time cause the guy is just starting out and his friend is a bit of a tit from the looks of things, but most of the time you can't tell if someone is doing something wrong cause they want to do it that way or what. Plus I've had a couple of instances were guys came up to give advice about stupid **** like how you're going to wreck your back doing X lift or whatever and I didn't appreciate it so I keep that in mind before saying anything.

Giggipaws

I do not give advice - for few reasons:

1. people might find it really annoying
2. you can give them the advice in good faith -> they do what you told them -> they hurt themselves -> they might decide to sue you (life in the US teaches you these lessons - they sue each other for absolutely everything! :rolleyes:)
3. you end up looking around and seeing so much to correct that you do not enjoy your workout
4. I concentrate 100% on my workout - looking around would just distract me. I just don't do it...

To correct and give advice, that is the job of the gym attendant, not mine

My opinion only
Take care!
Giggi

RacoonQueen

pinkypinky wrote: »

I don't correct - people don't want a randomer's advice. I'd love to see the trainers come over and correct people though.

Given some of the things I've heard trainers say and do, I think I'd prefer most of them to keep their gobs shut...

Armedocr

I wouldn't. Consistantly I see "PT's" instructing people on squat form, telling them they're doing great while they rep out 1/4 squats.

They're generally going to go by the PT's instructions because aperantly the skinny fat instructor behind the desk knows all about fitness.

squod

Dubdude wrote: »

squatting on the smith machine

never even look at a smith..............

dave80

I give advise wenever I can, if someone is doin something wrong ill jump in and say 'wat the f*ck are ye doin' ha not so bluntly, in my gym everybody helps each other out wit form tips etc

Mellor

At the start, I was offered asvice from some of the regular guys, I appreciated at the time as it helped me. Most of the time (2 out of the 3 times) its was a PT when he was doing a workout of his own while off/on a break

I would offer advice to others as, even though I appreciated it, i don'r know how they'll take it

Armedocr

I was offered advice once ever by some older dude in the gym. I was doing kroc rows, after I finished my set he came over and told me how I was going to injure myself.

Then pointed to the polish lads doing 1/4 squats with a yoga mat wrapped around the bar and told me "you should get one of those weightlifting belts."


I guess my big ass inzer belt hanging over the bench wasn't good enough :P

Will Heffernan

Dubdude wrote: »

Last night while training a girl came into the free weights room and started squatting on the smith machine, the only problem was I knew she was doing it wrong, she was almost at a 45 degree angle before she unhooked the bar. I was really tempted to have a word but didn't know how she would take it.

So my question is should I have went over and offered a bit of advice?? and also do you offer advice yourselves when you see people doing things you know is wrong.

I always offer advice...especially if I feel they don't want it or won't appreciate it...that's why I'm on this forum

SpookyBastard

I'd be happy for someone to offer me advice. If my form is off and I don't know it then a helpful comment from another gym goer would be great. I guess some people don't take advice well though so I can see why people wouldn't do it. I've never seen a member of staff at my gym offer advice to people who are clearly struggling but reckoned that was just the way things are here.

Zapp Brannigan

I don't offer advice only because I'm not an expert on what I'm doing!

I'd love if someone told me if I was doing something wrong. Only thing I've ever had said to me in the gym was some moany old git telling me to stop eyeing up HIS squat cage.

The Guvnor

xgtdec wrote: »

I would love if someone corrected me in the weight room..."sorry bud your doing that wrong, try it like this"

Thing is, how the hell do you know if they know??? cause if you dont know then any aul bull can be believeable....would i take advice from some random polish muscle machine on roid rage telling me how it is.....RUN AWAY!!!!

I love how all Polish lads are automatically considered to be massive, on gear and real strong.

The best compliment I got a while back was a few local lads assuming I was Polish! LOL

Would I give advice - I used to if we were all training together but nowadays no. If you start dishing out advice you'd be there for hours and get nothing done yourself.

Having said that I would always help someone out who asked and always try to facilitate others in the gym. If a guy needs me to move out of the way and I can for example it's not an issue.

squod

Zapp Brannigan wrote: »

I don't offer advice only because I'm not an expert on what I'm doing!

I'd love if someone told me if I was doing something wrong. Only thing I've ever had said to me in the gym was some moany old git telling me to stop eyeing up HIS squat cage.

Sorry 'bout that

Zapp Brannigan

squod wrote: »

Sorry 'bout that

Ggrrrrr! :P

Barry.Oglesby

I think it's cool to jump in and offer advice but it's rarely welcomed in my experience. Even as a coach I occassionally come across a guy who doesn't want you to correct him, even though he pays membership, to my gym, in which I'm a coach.

All that being said, most people want to learn new things, and when you speak from authority it's 99% fine. I can see why someone coming up to you in a gym might be poxy though. I remember doing RDLs in my old gym once and a guy came up to me and warned me that I would hurt my back if I didn't bend my knees picking that weight up.

ragg

In my time in the gym, I have gotten stupid advice, good advice and advice i thought was stupid but looking back on it now with a bit more experience, i wish i had listened to.

To be honest, I think most people would benefit from actually talking to people in the gym. looking back on my journey, I spent too much time on the internet and ended up getting confused and mixing my goals.
Mr B. Oglesby said to me a few months back "The internet is great for people to communicate {pause} badly". He was right and I started opening my ears more, I don't offer advice in general but if someone in the gym who is bigger\stronger\leaner offers advice I sure as hell listen. At least you know where the knowledge is coming from.

ormondprop

i offer advice if i know the guys if not i wont bother, even though when i started out i was in a small gym and one of the guys there was very good at giving me advice and showing me differant exercises and i appreciated it, later foound out he was on the irish weight lifting team, sound guy

The Guvnor

I think getting advice from an instructor or coach in your gym is different to what the OP had in mind and is what you would expect - bonus if the instructors are upto speed which as we all know is not always the case.

Member to member is what I was on about.

ormondprop

i don't know if your talking to me or not but incase you are the guy that gave me advice was just a member of the gym

The Guvnor

No mate not directly. I've no issue with advice from members was just saying I used to do it but not anymore.

I was trying to say that if you are in a more specialised gym I see no reason why not to take advice from the instructors.

Barry was saying how some guys won't take advice period which seems foolish.

Will Heffernan

I always like it when people offer advice...if for no other reason than sometimes it's actually very good.

People need to create a filter for it...so they can work out what is good advice and what is bad.

cmyk

Will Heffernan wrote: »

People need to create a filter for it...so they can work out what is good advice and what is bad.

Creating a filter is the difficult part. For the layperson there isn't a definitive resource, just endless sites selling individual programmes, supplements, bookshelves full of low carb, low fat or low taste diets. I've had advice in well known gyms, (from qualified people) and looking back it was not only ridiculous but dangerous.

Will Heffernan

cmyk wrote: »

Creating a filter is the difficult part. For the layperson there isn't a definitive resource, just endless sites selling individual programmes, supplements, bookshelves full of low carb, low fat or low taste diets. I've had advice in well known gyms, (from qualified people) and looking back it was not only ridiculous but dangerous.

I think I am going to write a seminar specifically for this...Building your own Fitness Filter

I've had people actually come up to me and ask me something like...'Do you think I need to be doing inverted squats in my program?' and without saying a word...using only disapproving looks have them go through the thought process right before my eyes and come up with the correct answer.

cmyk

Yep, a fitness/nutrition 101 is genuinely a great idea...if you can bring it to the right people.

The problem however is getting the people who need it most to find it. We've already established on a previous thread, a lot of the regulars here already have a decent understanding of the basics and that the ordinary person sees some of the threads and is 'intimidated' out of posting questions here...which is a pity.

Will Heffernan

cmyk wrote: »

Yep, a fitness/nutrition 101 is genuinely a great idea...if you can bring it to the right people.

The problem is the people who actually need it actually think they have all the answers already

The problem however is getting the people who need it most to find it. We've already established on a previous thread, a lot of the regulars here already have a decent understanding of the basics and that the ordinary person sees some of the threads and is 'intimidated' out of posting questions here...which is a pity.

I hope I don't contribute to that? I probably do. Some people here are pretty frustrating though. When my spider senses detect that someone is asking a genuine question I always try to give them a genuine answer.

cmyk

Will Heffernan wrote: »

The problem is the people who actually need it actually think they have all the answers already

I like to think they'll eventually find out they were wrong...like a eureka moment fiddling with the controls on their slendertone in the bath.

Will Heffernan wrote: »

I hope I don't contribute to that? I probably do. Some people here are pretty frustrating though. When my spider senses detect that someone is asking a genuine question I always try to give them a genuine answer.

I see that, and that's great, there was a time when there were a lot of genuine people posting on how to start making a change not knowing where to start. I don't know why that's decreased just that it generally seems that way.

SpookyBastard

Not to start a 'Will Heffernan Fan Club' or anything but when I arrived here it was you that seemed to be giving out good advice and large dollops of common sense. If anything my advice filter is something like 'would Will say this was bollox?'

(Obviously there are many good folks on here who are very helpful, just saying that when I first arrived Will was the most visible)

Doozie

As a relative newb in my local gym I would really appreciate any advice or help someone could offer on how I could improve a lift.
I would hate to think I am wasting my time doing an exercise or am doing one in a way which will cause an injury!

dinorebel

It can be pretty intimidating for a newbie in the gym the majority of guys at my gym that look like they know what they are doing also look like they have <mod snip> seriously? </mod nsip>.

dinorebel

I am thinking of a particular group of guys that spend all day in the gym doing nothing but the odd bicep curl and looking angry.One other guy has been really helpful and thanks to his advice I have just begun Starting Strength.I did not mean to tar all muscular but pissed off looking guys with the same brush:D