Mellor wrote: » Why not just do tricep pushdowns on a regular cable machine? or Step up on to a box like normal. Seems overly complicated to me.
EagererBeaver wrote: » Think it's a bit daft myself but obviously with the machine you can vary the resistance.
Nervous Wreck wrote: » As you can on a cable machine, or on a step by holding dumbbells. Weird behaviour indeed!
EagererBeaver wrote: » For steps, adjusting the machine is a hell of a lot more convenient than a rake of dumbbells.
Zillah wrote: » Let's not forget that the machine provides a counter weight, not resistance. You've also got a second foot on the ground/step taking some weight. Changing the weight settings puts the resistance between 0 and 1, where 1 is your bodyweight. A normal step starts at 1, and any dumbbells makes it 1+. Each rep is probably about one third as difficult as stepping up onto a box. Utterly bizarre behaviour imo.
MysticMonk wrote: » Saw a guy with PT on his t-shirt showing a girl some weird routine of pushing her leg down on the assisted pull-up machine and he seemed quite happy with her terrible form. Then i saw him showing the same girl how to do behind the neck lat pulldowns with even worse form...i was thinking to myself this bloke is gonna get somebody injured.
Zillah wrote: » Each rep is probably about one third as difficult as stepping up onto a box. Utterly bizarre behaviour imo.
daenne wrote: » It's a bit out of the topic, but, I'd like to join a gym and consider PT as I am completely unfit and I'd like someone to keep an eye on me and make sure I do things right, and this actually terrifies me, what if I get stuck with this type of PT and don't even realise myself that I'm paying money to someone who's not interested or not qualified enough? It's awful.
Alf Veedersane wrote: » It's using a machine in a different way for a different training effect. Who gives a sh*t?
Mellor wrote: » Because there's already multiple other machines to actually do the movements. I'd think it was equally odd if somebody lay on a bench press machine and started leg pressing the weights. The supersetting pull-ups and push downs suggestion made sense. Or if the other machines were taken maybe. But if somebody is just doing push downs I would wonder why not just use the cable machine.
Mellor wrote: » It's a counterweight when you're doing pull ups.
Zillah wrote: » Hmm...I must have been half asleep earlier. Still, though, at most you're pushing against your own body weight.
caviardreams wrote: » It depends on the machine surely? A lot of machines have counterweight/resistance up to 100kg or so and most of the people I see using it tend to be female/lighter weight (it's also probably more the kind of thing you do for higher reps / lower weight anyway).
Zillah wrote: » Unless we're talking about people grabbing the handles and holding themselves in place like that
Alf Veedersane wrote: » I was talking about glute pushdowns. Missed the cable pushdown one.
Mellor wrote: » The cable pushdown was one. But the glute/step up one is basically a single leg squat/press. Would be a lot more practical to do it on a leg press machine.
caviardreams wrote: » I seriously think the staff in my gym must read this thread; literally today, they added a new "No shoes on this machine" sign to the assisted pull-up machine :D:D
siblers wrote: » Was at the gym a few days ago and there were two lads doing arm exercises less than a foot away from the weight rack. They were pretty much blocking anyone from being able to get weights off the rack, at moments like this I wish the staff would tell them to move back a bit. Yesterday I was in the middle bench (there was one bench on my left and one on my right all very close to each other) and I was doing a shoulder press set, one fella decide to walk between me and the bench to my left while I was just about to lower the weights mid set, I had to the keep my arms fully extended till he finished walking past or I would have hit one of the dumbbells against his head, not ideal as my arms were getting pretty tired. He did this around 4 or 5 times, there was plenty of space for him to go around the side of the two outside benches to get to the weight rack.
2nd Row Donkey wrote: » Saw something ridiculous last Thursday morning... Girl on threadmill, late teens/early twenties maybe, and she's plodding along at nothing more then a brisk walk on a moderate incline. The over-supportive boyfriend is there of course, hanging over one side of threadmill when it gradually comes to a stop.. Because her lace has come undone and she needs to tie it before she trips on the threadmill.... But she doesn't tie it. Instead the boyfriend gets down on his hand and knees and ties it for her, then off she goes on the threadmill again. Grow a pair of balls sunshine.
Mellor wrote: » Annoying things I did this week. Forgot my runners, so wore my work shoes (casual brown leather if that matters) in the gym. I'm sure I looked silly in the shorts, the anti-hat brigade were probably horrified.