Rant for a "special" athlete at my gym

[Shankerr]

Alright, so I just got home form the gym, and I must say that something I have seen happening there over the last while is really pising me off...

There is this guy there, a powerlifter, whom happens to have some sort of mental handicap. He talks to himself sometimes, but mainly to get himself psyched up before a set, he'll say something like "alright, alright, lets go, lets go.. ok.. ready.. GO!" or whatever.. totally harmless. He'll come up to you and carry on a pleasant conversation, and just try to be nice. I always talk to him, and have conversations with him, cause I don't relly care what ppl think of me when I'm at the gym...

Annnyway, no one else in the gym talks to him. its a University gym, and i think that everyone there is just being a bunch pretentious bastards, just there to try to look good.. When he comes up to other people and tries to talk to them, they just walk away, or ignore him..

I think this is horrid, the guy is just trying to be nice, and to be honest, he's a monster as well! All these skinny 'lil guys running around the facility whom ignore him, but probably wish they had half the mass this guy has! When i left, at last glance, he was bustin' out squat sets like he had a feather on his shoulders.... however, he happened to have a total of 475lbs on...

I don't get it, like what is the propbelm with people? this guy, although he is a bit different due to his handicap, is still an athlete, and a damn good one at that... I don't understand why people don't just see that, and when he is trying to be nice, and have a conversation, they could return the favour and chat for a bit..

Anyway, this has been makin me a bit mad for a while, so i thought I'd post and get it off my chest :-)

Also, there was another guy tonite whom was literally throwing plates and dumbells around (I mean throwing them like 5-6 feet from where he was using them) and letting them just roll around on the floor, somewehre near the rack.. oto picking them up, etc.. making a mess, there was stuff everywhere, so maybe this was another factor that just got me really mad tonite, i was steaming by the time i got home!

[Budiak]

I suppose its good that you talk to him even though hes different, but what do you want, a ****ing cookie? You're supposed to treat everyone the same, man. The other people...pretentious assholes, maybe, but maybe they're intimidated by his size. If they were half his size maybe they would talk to him.

But maybe they're just like me and like to keep completely to themselves in the gym. I talk to nobody in the gym. I'm sure there is a fair mix of jerks and loners in there, but I certainly wouldnt get mad because nobody talks to him in the gym, he's enjoying himself, isnt he? I also wouldnt puff my chest out because you're talking to him, because the second you think you're better than other people because you are associating with someone who is 'different' you become a bigot. I do expect to catch some shade of hell for this, btw.

[Accipiter]

equal opportunity offender.


actually I agree with budiak. People might not want to talk at the gym.

[Spawn_X]

Im glad ur not like those other morons dude, if there was someone like that at my gym i would definitely be cool with him - news flash, NO ONE is 100% mentally stable.

Some people are just freaking idiots, really.. he is not walking around peeing on himself, and i am sure he is actually a good person.. and that **** pisses me off as well when others act like they're better than them.

he could squat all of them at once, but they don't even think about that.. i would love to see one of those wimps say something to him, then him knock the **** out of him.. that'll teach the wimps a lesson.

as for the guy throwing dumbells around - yeah its stupid, but then again you don't work at the gym to say something about that except for if you're in the area and its a dangerous situations, then i'd definitely say something like "watch it man you might hurt someone".

but yea.. i feel u on that..

[Shankerr]

I think ya must have missed the part of my post where I noted that "I don't relly care what ppl think of me when I'm at the gym..." honestly, I just chat with anyone, and don't try to show off or "stick my chest out" Actually, people that do this are kind of funny though, I get a kick out of watching them. I'm kinda shy, but I still talk to anyone whom wants to converate.. it just pisses me off that people would single someone out because they're different.. I guess maybe you had to be there to see it man, just the way people look at this dude and what not, its kind of disturbing. Or maybe I'm naieve? Whatever the case, it doesn't matter, I'm not trying to make myself look good by talking to him, because again... "I don't relly care what ppl think of me when I'm at the gym..." I just wish that people in general people would treat others as equals

[DoubleGulp]

People don't talk to me at the gym because I look like mix between Eminem and Hitler. It's hard to get dates! I'm so lonely...

[Budiak]

Well from what I got from your original rant, people were just ignoring and not talking to him, I didnt see anything about treatment of the guy. Got any delightful anecdotes of mistreatment of our good friend, Lenny?

Hey, I'm different. I'm questionably sane. I pray before heavy lifts(people really look at you funy when you're praying in the gym). I do real lifts in the gym. 99/100 guys in the gym dont do squats, dont do deadlifts or TBar/bent over rows, or dips. People look at me like I'm a maniac when I'm deadlifting...and they dont talk to me either.

Hey..do all of these people wear Abercrombie? If they do, you've got your answer.

[Alex.V]

What's wrong with Abercrombie.

[chessplayin]

Shankerr, I think that what you may have left out is that the people who choose to ignore this guys probably treat the gym as social club for everyone else.

Tell me if I am wrong, I believe that is the key thing that gets you going about the sons of guns...

[Shankerr]

oooh no man, thats exactally what I was gunning for! I guess what I meant by "this is a University gym" is that its a campus gym, and most of the people whom are there, are just there to socialize and pose, not to really bust out some soild reps. When you add that to the equation of how they treat people, now thats what gets me going!

[Budiak]

oooh no man, thats exactally what I was gunning for! I guess what I meant by "this is a University gym" is that its a campus gym, and most of the people whom are there, are just there to socialize and pose, not to really bust out some soild reps. When you add that to the equation of how they treat people, now thats what gets me going!

Ahhhh a brilliant point you two.

These assholes come into my gym and treat it like some preppy spa, I try to do some skullcrushers and the benches are all occupied by skinny assholes doing some strange lying-down curl or db kickbacks, who will ALWAYS be skinny.

The problem is that now that fitness is in vogue, you're going to run into people who treat it like a social club...and when they leave I bet they wear their bright yellow jackets and faded jeans, too. These people have taken your gym and have turned it into their new coffee house...in a few years it will probably go out of fashion and all of those assholes will be gone.

I sometimes go to the gym and people are just walking around talking to eachother, talking talking..talking while their partner is doing some ill-formed reps, talking while THEY are lifting. These people wont talk to ME! I guess I'm just a little gymrat who works out in dirty shoes and a mismatched outfit. yeah, the pretty girls wont talk to me because I'm too short, the guys wont talk to me because...they have girls to talk to.

Shank, get used to it. You may not have the experience of being mocked, or being an outcast, etc, but I have. I just dont take offense to it because its the way people are. Everybody is an asshole, and I hate pretty much everyone I see. See? I've learned to cope.

[_-_v_-_]

Couldn't have said it better myself, Budiak.

[Saint Patrick]

Personally, I don't talk to anyone in the gym for the most part. I'm there to lift some heavy ass weights, do my thing, and leave. Although I don't have a problem w/ guys who hit on chicks (let's face it, there's some hotties in there from time to time), or people who have a lifting partner and try to psych each other up, but those bozos who just stand around and shoot the breeze for 30 minutes, and then lift for 5 minutes (usually wearing abercrombie, as Budiak mentioned) are just pathetic.

[Shockwave123]

Abercrombie = Biatches who wanna be Nsync or Backfaggot boys

[PowerManDL]

I dunno....it used to bother me.

Ever since I started moving enough weight to intimidate people, I could care less.

[Alex.V]

Originally posted by Shockwave123
Abercrombie = Biatches who wanna be Nsync or Backfaggot boys

Say that to my face.

[Alex.V]

()

[Frozenmoses]

Honestly, I don't understand the whole Abercrombie thing. Aren't their clothes made at the same place Wal-Mart brands are made? Either way, 30 bucks for a t-shirt is f*cking ridiculous.

[Franjipani]

Originally posted by Belial
What's wrong with Abercrombie.

What IS Abercrombie

When he comes up to other people and tries to talk to them, they just walk away, or ignore him..

Shame . It says more about them though than it does about your friend.

[ryan1117]

What IS Abercrombie

It's a high-priced clothing brand. Many college students feel they aren't "cool" unless they wear Abercrombie. I personally like other similarly priced brands anyway.

[_-_v_-_]

I've never worn Abercrombie in my life.

[WillKuenzel]

Originally posted by _-_v_-_
I've never worn Abercrombie in my life.

And I never intend to unless prices fall and it goes out of style.

Ever since I've started working out in the afternoons now, I've noticed that the gym has become more of a social gathering than anything else. I don't necessarily think its who you talk to as much as it is how many people it looks like you know.

Size gains a certain amount of respect in the gym I attend, and people want to know the big guys. If that guy was going to my gym he might fit in a little better.

[Accipiter]

again, you want a cookie?

[WillKuenzel]

Originally posted by Accipiter
again, you want a cookie?

hehe, no I've got steady supply thank you.

[Spawn_X]

Originally posted by Accipiter
again, you want a cookie?

be quiet you rich boy!