In case you're new to the blog let's get something straight before reading this post- my stance is that conventional wisdom regarding exercise and nutrition is not only bogus, but 99% of the time diametrically opposed to what actually works.
A related post that exemplifies this can be found here.
Going even further, my life experience has led me to believe that damn near anything conventional/mainstream is an utter waste of time at best, and in most cases- as in exercise/nutrition- the exact opposite of what needs to be done.
So today I want to discuss some absurd notions in the fitness industry, of which actually happened today.
1.
*appropriate athletic attire* for a small fitness center in Orlando (a college gym actually).
This is utter nonsense that could take up an entire BOOK, let alone an entire post.
Facts-3 separate La Fitness gyms have agreed that these shoes are acceptable to use in a gym. The UCF Rec and Wellness center has also agreed that these "close toed shoes" are acceptable to workout in.
The cited reason?
"If someone drops a 5 pound weight on your foot it's going to hurt more than if you were wearing a shoe"
Really? Because last time I checked something as small as a 5 pound weight is MORE than enough to break someones foot-shoes and barefoot alike.
But, I wasn't in a position to argue-or ask for a demonstration with the desk clerk going first-since I technically wasn't supposed to be using this gym.
My response?
"I've been in half a dozen La Fitnesses and the UCF gym hundreds of times and these ARE closed toed athletic shoes, I've even run half marathons in them- not to mention I only use machines and never get near free weights"
Apparently irrelevant information. My friend ended up talking him into letting us in for a short while, however next time I had to wear *proper* shoes or not be allowed in.
2. It's next to impossible to find and use MedX equipment on your own, in Central Florida-where the creator lived, and the equipment was developed.
Why is this absurd-aside from logistical factors? MedX equipment works. It's equipment designed to allow proper exercise, and guess what? That's exactly what it does.
All this junk you find at your local 24 hour/chain gym, suck. Cybex, Life Fitness, Flex Fitness...all cheap crap from my experience that screws up your workout. I've seen even worse in apartment complex small gyms.
There are exceptions-Nautilus Nitro equipment being number one, followed by Hammer Strength (although I havent used that brand myself since the machines are so far and few).
Still, NN equipment is hard to come by, and most of the peices I've come by in commercial gyms are damaged and not working properly. It's sad-equipment exists that when used properly is nothing short of amazing, but you just can't find it.
Literally, I've been looking for weeks, and I have yet to find a gym that a random person can sign up at and use MedX equipment-that is, equipment that does what it's designed to do when used properly.
Then again, the machines are expensive-and considering how few people have any idea how to actually use them, they would probably just get trashed by misuse like the NN equipment anyways. This is sad at the least.
Some real life examples (and this is from today's workout).
Cybex Seated Row- 150 pounds for 67 seconds was my record time under load for a seated row (and this was fresh).
MedX seated Row- 160 pounds for 144 seconds. That's more than double. Going even further, this row was done AFTER a pullover and bicep curl to failure (the same muscles used in a seated row), AND, there was a major distraction. While the weight needs to be increased to shorten the TUL, I felt I could have continued another 30 seconds without a MAJOR distraction, that I'll get to in a minute.
And here's a real kicker from today.
Nautilus Nitro chest press- 200/53 (fresh, first exercise).
Medx Chest Press (in picture)- 180/222 seconds. While the weight is slightly lower, that's QUADRUPLE the TUL. It's far too high of course, but still a ridiculous jump. The main reason? A better resistance curve, one I could literally feel (although I assume there were other factors as well with this big jump in strength).
Basically with the NN chest press my triceps would give out midway through the last repition due to the mechanics of the machine (which are infintely better than other brands). This is a bad thing since it leaves the other muscles being used not as fatigued as the triceps.
I was able to do full reptitions with the MedX machine until the very end-the last rep coming down and then not being able to move my arms an inch.
Anyways, I find it ridiculous that high quality equipment like MedX/Nautilus exist-and were created locally over the past few decades- yet are nearly impossible to use by the general public. It's absurd. Proper equipment exists, and you can't use it for a reasonable price and without supervision.
3. The distraction and old fitness lore.
So you remember that guy that gave me crap about my shoes at the entrance to this gym? He came back. First time around I was in the bathroom.
In between then and his next visit, I was tinkering with the MedX machines, getting them ready and testing them out before my workout.
I then began my workout, and considering how brief/intense it is I figured I would be long done before he returned to bother me.
No, if only things worked out so well. He came back while I was in the middle of the seated row and began ranting off about how we were 10 minutes past the time my friend and I said we'd be done.
Note- it's a Sunday afternoon, there are only a handful of people working out, and no gym "appropaite police" to get him in trouble for letting me in with-closed toed shoes.
Another note- I'm in the MIDDLE of this exercise. Distractions RUIN a workout like this. Hell, I even had in ear plugs today to drown out the cheesy music playing over the speakers.
My friend instantly saw how annoying this was and tried to get the guy away from me. I really was in awe too, I couldn't believe this guy would try to have a conversation with me in the middle of a set. I might as well have been squatting or benching with a barbell-at least then it's common sense to leave someone the EFF alone while they're in the middle of a set.
But no, it doesnt end there. Suddenly this guy is intrigued by slow controlled movements and my friend-trying to get the guy further away from me and quiet- tells him Im training for a marathon.
Now the fun begins. He begins ranting about how what I'm doing is totally wrong, and how muscular endurance is built by tons of repetitions.
Really? That's news to me, because last I checked everyone is born with a set amount of slow/intermediate/fast twitch muscle fibers. All we can do is make them grow. We can't get "bulky"by doing low reps/high weight, nor can we get "ripped"by doing lots of reps at a low weight, and we certainly can't make MORE muscle fiber, or lengthen them for that matter.
This type of thinking is complete and utter trash.
But hey, I don't go around telling people how to work out in a gym-while they're working out. If people want to train ineffectively, it's their decision.
And while I can't say Id be any better off in his shoes with the information that was fed to him growing up, I can say it's common sense to wait till someones done with an exercise to talk to them and not to interrupt them-especially if they go to such lengths as to wear bright orange ear plugs used to block out sound from a firing range.
If you're wondering how this scenario turned out, the short story is I finished my workout with the leg press and a pair of my friends shoes he loant me-on the spot. I did have to skip the leg curl and calf raises though which kind of ticked me off but oh well.
4. Here's the one that drops the bomb and is directly related to the writing of this very blog post.
At the moment, I'm supposed to be at a banquet for the UCF Rec and Wellness Center. This is where all of the 100+ gym employees gather for a dinner night and strange awards.
I got home on time, ready to go, and then it hit me- writing out this post is an infinitely better use of my time. I'm convinced that not one co-worker knows ANYTHING useful about exercise-or nutrition for that matter.
Dozens of people, "certified" by large multi-million dollar organizations-people that are SUPPOSED to know something- know absolutely nothing.
Well actually that's incorrect, most of them know the exact opposite of what's correct when it comes to exercise and nutrition.
In fact right now they're handing out awards for this, and eating all types of foods that are horrible for your health and physique.
It's insane, and I refuse to be a part of this anymore. I can't stand it, I hear these people talk about fitness and I feel like sticking pencils in my eyes.
end rant
-Dream
