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Other/Mixed What do you do?

Other strength modalities (e.g., Clubs), mixed strength modalities (e.g., combined kettlebell and barbell), other goals (flexibility)
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Daniel Vintila

Level 6 Valued Member
Elite Certified Instructor
What do you guys do when you see someone performing some exercises with very poor form? This mainly happens in a commercial gym where the staff a lot of the times doesn't know any better and they can't educate costumers on how to efficiently and safely perform a lift or they simply don't care.

You, being someone who knows right away what is wrong and what that person should do instead, are you going to tell them right away?

are you gonna wait for the right moment?

are you not gonna say anything because you are not a gym employee and people might take it the wrong way thinking you just want to show off?

or maybe you think they will laugh at you because you are strong but smaller in size, and as you know in commercial gyms size matters

or none of your business.

Just curious to see your take on this one as I am sure plenty of you have been in this situation before.
 
Comments on form/technique only if asked.

I'll point out some safety issues in a friendly manner if I happen to see some. For example, some youngster walks out of the rack with the hooks behind him. I politely ask if I'm allowed to give advice, and tell him that typically people back off from the hooks.

That said,
You, being someone who knows right away what is wrong and what that person should do instead

I can't feel this apply for me.
 
I've also never, never seen people laugh at other people or make some size comparisons or such. I'm not saying it's not possible, but I really don't know where the idea comes from. And I'll also point out that the bigger the guy the more friendly he is and better gym etiquette he typically has. Maybe things are different between teenagers or such, but, well, teenagers.
 
I'd intervene if I see someone about to hurt themselves or someone else.

It's up to them whether or not they take my advice or think I'm being a know-it-all jerk but at least I know I've done what I can to try to stop someone from getting injured.

If someone's merely doing something that seems unproductive or a little goofy that's their business; they're welcome to do as many quarter squats or cheat curls as they want as far as I'm concerned.

I can't say I've ever been annoyed by being given unsolicited advice in the gym. It's fairly clear from the outset whether someone's genuinely trying to be helpful or trying to demonstrate superior knowledge but, in either case, I'd thank them for their input and probably carry on as before.
 
I usually keep my mouth shut. Except when I can’t.
Although I rarely if ever am in a commercial ‘gym’ so I don’t usually run into this situation.

I have had some interesting encounters in climbing gyms however, where I will always point out a safety issue (for obvious reasons). Like the time this young fellow was wearing his harness backwards, and was pretty adamant about it when I pointed it out. Or the time I almost got in a scuffle with a couple of rascals that insisted climbing barefoot.
 
I've also never, never seen people laugh at other people or make some size comparisons or such.
Not saying literally laughing in someone's face.
That comes from the idea of egos in the gym. Unless it is a gym focused on powerlifting most gyms have mainly bodybuilders with a few other people focused on strength. And a lot of the people focused on bodybuilding, when stepping on the deadlift platform, well it's not always pretty what you see. And I know from experience that a lot of the guys focused on BB wouldn't want to be given advice from someone who is "smaller" than them.
Also nothing against bodybuilding here.
 
When I was about 15 years old, I was doing bicep curls using primarily the muscles of my lower back when one of the older guys at the gym said, “mate, if you keep doing that you won’t be lifting at all when you reach my age.” I actually really appreciated the intervention. So if I see someone doing something evidently harmful, I will say something. I just comment. I don’t lecture. And I definitely don’t argue if my comment is unappreciated
 
Not saying literally laughing in someone's face.
That comes from the idea of egos in the gym. Unless it is a gym focused on powerlifting most gyms have mainly bodybuilders with a few other people focused on strength. And a lot of the people focused on bodybuilding, when stepping on the deadlift platform, well it's not always pretty what you see. And I know from experience that a lot of the guys focused on BB wouldn't want to be given advice from someone who is "smaller" than them.
Also nothing against bodybuilding here.

I don't know, my experience seems to be way different to yours. The gyms I've been to have a very heterogenic customer base, with both ends of the continuum, from teens and injured people to successful powerlifters and bodybuilders. I mostly socialize with the more experienced ones, since, we've known each other for years. Never seen a bad apple or heard of one. Maybe it's just my eyes and ears. And of course, my anecdote is just that, no proof of anything.

Come to think of it, I would expect the real big and strong guys and girls to be acutely aware of their limitations, and therefore have a good deal of humility. We all know that there is a farrier for every horse. A younger and more enthusiastic person may not be so aware.
 
95% of the time I keep it to myself.
I remember one time I saw these teens doing something silly and I stepped in and said something daft about having been lifting for 25 years and knowing better.
I went home with my head bowed and told my wife. Just felt plain old ?.
Then more recently I saw some lad trying to do calf raises in a Smith machine without any pins in. He missed the racking and literally bent backwards double. The bar was bent and unusable for months.
Sometimes folks just have to learn themselves....
 
95% of the time I keep it to myself.
I remember one time I saw these teens doing something silly and I stepped in and said something daft about having been lifting for 25 years and knowing better.
I went home with my head bowed and told my wife. Just felt plain old ?.
Then more recently I saw some lad trying to do calf raises in a Smith machine without any pins in. He missed the racking and literally bent backwards double. The bar was bent and unusable for months.
Sometimes folks just have to learn themselves....
I should add that if someone is using my stuff, then I feel 100% entitled to tell them what to do (or not do) with it.
 
Back when I went to a commercial gym, the only thing I would ever comment on is when I saw kids purposefully letting a loaded bar slam into the ground or the safeties on the rack after a clean or the like. Those bars are generally cheap, and they bend easy - I could usually find another bent bar to show them to make my point. And I say "kids" here because I can only recall seeing teenagers do this.

Being one of the bigger guys in the commercial gym, I never felt bad about explaining that they were damaging the equipment. ?
 
Usually, I mind my own business as I don't want conflict with anyone.

If I can engage them in a conversation, I might ask how that exercise feels and maybe give some advice if they seem pleasant. However, not normally. Most people seem to just want to be left alone.
 
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