Going to the gym in Taipei is good for the obvious reasons. You can burn off that stress by throwing some weights around and make new friends while you are at it.
However, there is another reason to go: people watching. I get a kick out of watching people use machines and weights the wrong way.
I take delight in watching young ladies lift their flimsy weight dumbells or step erratically on the elliptical machine because they are more interested in watching their TV shows on the overhead monitors than to concentrate on their workout. Or how about the guy who uses the lateral pull down bar and either pulls the bar to the back of his neck or uses it like a rowing machine!
One of the funniest things that have seen are bunches of university age guys using the Smith Machine, a type of bench press consists of a barbell that is constrained to move only vertically upwards and downwards on steel runners. Behind each runner is a series of slots on which the barbell can be hooked.
Even though there are these extra safety measures, it is advisable to have a spotter to make sure you the barbell doesn't pin you or just drop on your chest when lifting the heavy stuff. What had me laughing is that, instead of standing behind the lifter (as in the picture), the lifter's spotter had actually straddled his buddy facing his head. Man, talk about gay!Anyone have any other pet peeves or funny experiences at a Taiwan gym?
4 comments:
saw a girl with matching bra top and bottom, and showing off a lacy thong! now what kind of exercise will she be comfortable doing in those, i don't know.
at least she looked good and worked on her body before she got to the gym right?
Although it's not a pet peeve, I do find it mildly annoying (and mildly HIlarious) that a significant number of taiwanese guys check themselves out in the mirror between REPS. (not sets) They fix their hair. They look at their tiny muscles. They fix their hair again. HA! It's even funnier when you realize they look at the mirror more than the girls. GAY!
For the most part, I find big gyms in Taipei to be quite similar to big commercial facilities back home. There are some irregularities that range from amusing to occasionally disturbing. So in no particular order, they are:
Teabagging spots on the bench press
Yes, guys really do spot on bench presses so close (and hips hovering directly above the other guys face) that it looks, well...sexual.
Spotting for DB Bent-Over Lateral Raises
This is a movement where the exerciser puts his/her legs forward, and then bends his/her upper body forward over the bench (making the person look a little like a pretzel). Imagine a guy doing this while another guys spots him. From behind. Straddling him. Wrapping his arms around him from behind. Right behind.
Partial vs. Full Range Movements
There's presently quite a debate in the fitness field over what constitutes a proper range of motion for a movement. However, it's pretty difficult to justify always using a 2-4 inch range of movement all the time. This happens all the time at a couple of the local California Fitnesses though. Partials are a time and place thing and can be an effective strength builder when used properly. When people use them to extreme degrees all the time though, it's time to lower the weight and check the ego.
Not putting weights back...
...or just putting them back in the worst possible place (such as putting dumbbells on top of other dumbbells). It's not just courtesy, but also a safety issue. If you can't put it back, you shouldn't have lifted it in the first place. Mind you, this one is pretty bad at big gyms back home, too.
Meanwhile, down at cell block H...
It's difficult to figure out why some guys need to hiss, make weird sounds and make facial expressions like something out of a prisonyard rape scene during almost every set. While I strongly disagree with the idea that making sounds should never happen in a workout (try deadlifting 500 without some grunting), nevertheless doing it on every set regardless of weight seems like a desperate cry for attention (and yes, this happens a lot at some of the Cal Fitnesses).
ILS
Back home, flaring the Lats in an attempt to look much bigger than one truly is is a surefire way to elicit snickers. At California Fitness though, it seems to be the key way to impress your fellow members. Oh well...
I was just noticing you, noticing me
This is more than just a bad pickup line at some gyms. The same guys who hiss and scream every set also know when you're looking at them because the exerciser and the teabagging spotter are often looking around to see who's noticing their hardcore shows of masculinity. So much for the idea that these guys are just really putting in a serious effort.
Hairspray
Perhaps I'm just getting old, but it really does seem that the amount of hairspray used by some guys going to gyms here is excessive . If they can use their hair as a weapon and they're creating their very own holes in the ozone, it's a little difficult to take all the grunting and struggling they do with weights seriously. If you're reading this and you have more oil in your hair then Exxon Valdez spilled into the Ocean a few years back, do everyone a favor and cut back (way back).
Trainers and things that make you go hmm
If you're forking out big bucks for a Trainer in Taipei, you probably want them to do 2 things. One is to give you their undivided attention. So it's shocking to see Trainers walk away from clients to talk on their cells for a couple of minutes. Secondly, you probably want them to look out for your safety. Some of them are good for this, but some take sheer delight at loading the bar up with way more weight than the client can handle. Both of these (talking on cellphones during the clients time and loading up excessive weights) are big no-nos in the industry elsewhere.
Not watching where one is going
Lifting weights is a pretty safe activity when in a proper environment and lifting properly. It's not safe when someone can walk (or run) into the bar that you are lifting. "It can't happen to me" you say? I have had that while benching and come close to it while squatting.
On the flip side...
There are some negatives mentioned above, so it's only fair to give some balance here. There are in fact many nice and sincere people who come to the gyms here. An example of this would be a local gentleman who goes to Cal Fitness and has given me advice to help me with the Olympic lifts (he's a former competitive lifter). So it's most certainly not all bad here.
As I mentioned in the beginning, the gyms here are for the most part just like the gyms back home. There are a few things though to make you go hmm. It could be a lot worse and you can meet some wonderful people in the gyms here, but it could also be better.
Tim Brennan
youtube take on gyms in Taipei
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