Most beginning trainers do far too much for their arm workouts. Most of these crazy high volume arm routines come from the bodybuilding magazines and won’t really work for the average natural trainee. That’s totally fine and it’s their own personal choice. But if everybody would follow these simple rules the gyms would be a much nicer places. Here’s my list of what annoys me the most in the gym. This just my list you can it for what you will. I’m sure everybody has different things that bugs them in the gym.1. Curling in the squat rack. Please don’t do this. This is probably the number one pet peeve of mine and many others in the gym. The squat rack should be used for squatting, rack
dead lifts, heavy military presses, and a few other big heavy exercises. It should never used for curls. If you can’t pick the weight you are using for curls up off the ground you either have ridiculously strong arms or far more likely are using too much weight. Never do this unless of course you like everyone else in the gym glaring and making fun of you.
2. Using too much weight. Your arm exercises should be performed by your arms. If you have to use your entire body to curl the bar up or lean in and use your bodyweight to push the stack down on pushdowns you’re probably using too much weight. That’s not to say you can’t use a little body english to get the last few reps of you last set. That’s perfectly fine and most strong people do it. But you shouldn’t have to do it from the first rep.
3. Asking for a spot. A spot on bench press in one thing, but asking somebody a spot on the preacher curl or another light arm exercise is just selfish. Everybody is busy in the gym. Asking me, or anyone else for that matter, to take 5 minutes of our time so you can inflate your ego by curling twice as much as you should is just rude.
4. Curling in front of the dumbbell stack. If you can’t take the dumbbells out the rack step a few feet back and then do your sets, use lighter weight. Nobody wants to wait for you to finish your reps before they can get the dumbbells they need to do their work.
5. Using multiple machines. Advanced lifters can use super sets and other techniques but beginners don’t need to be taking up space on two or three machines at the same time. If you must try something like this at least be considerate and allow others to work in between your sets.
What bugs you about arm workouts in the gym?
