Bent-over row machine disappearance

[BrawnBehemoth]

Hey guys/gals,
Is it just me or have 99% of gyms with new equipment done away with buying the old fashioned bent-over row machines? I used to love doing these in college around 3-4 years ago (made huge gains the years I used it). Nowadays I always see these supported row machines where you either lay your chest on them and pull the weight up or the ones where you are seated upright pressed against the pad. I definitely do not feel the same pump from these...

To top it off.. in the gym I have been going to for the last 7 months, I was taking a straight barbell and laying it against the edge of the wall and loading weight on the end, pulling the weight to my chest with a v-grip handle. The owner walked up and told me to stop doing it, insisting that the "new machines" are better and that he was afraid I would "break" something in the gym... please..... now my back workouts have suffered immensely. In fact, bentover rows used to help me gain mass in my chest as well... guess I can kiss that goodbye..

Do any of you guys/gals have the same problem at your gym?

[darius19]

My gym doesnt have one. In fact I dont know what the machine is because Im pretty new to lifting but Im sure my gym doesnt have it.

[AdmiralDan]

are you refering to a t-bar row machine?

[[[[----]]]]

Tell him youll buy it if you break it....because you definately wont break it

[Canadian Crippler]

He told you not to do Tbar rows because his machines are better and that you'd break the barbell? Sounds like he knows absolutely nothing. Just tell him Ronnie does it with 45 plates stacked all the way to the end.

Don't kiss anything goodbye. You paid for your gym membership and you therefore have the right to do normal exercises. Is he also againt regular bentover BB rows? Tell him to leave you alone and let you do your own thing, and that if anything breaks (which it won't) you will be glad to pay for it.

[BrawnBehemoth]

Let me clarify a few things...
1) I did mean a T-bar machine (have not used it in so long that I went brain dead on the name, good call AdmiralDan, still cant believe I misspoke on that one).
2) The OWNER actually is the one who walked up and told me not to do them. Reason being, there is glass on all the walls and he's afraid that someone is going to ram the barbell right into the glass while trying to get the thing set (please... i'm 25 years old... maybe someone 14 who can barely carry the bar...) I asked him several times if i could do it elsewhere in the gym (along a center pedestal, etc) but he refuses... I also explained that his "machines" do not give you the same workout. At which time he started to get irate... the guy is a complete control freak which I can understand since he has alot of smartass 16 year olds that lift there who are always busting stuff.
3) If I get caught doing it again, my gym membership will be revoked with no refund... lol
4) Can you buy t-bar machines from someplace? I'll put one in the house I am buying soon for the mini-gym... thanks in advance guys.

[Canadian Crippler]

Again, if you payed for a membership you have the right to do any normal exercises. Print out articles, pictures, basically anything explaining the T-Bar row and show him there is nothing wrong with it.

Also, is this a commercial gym, or is it one of those low budget, old school ones?

[BrawnBehemoth]

This is a Gold's Gym... the owner knows there is nothing wrong with it... his concern is that I may bust up one of his mirrors or something trying to get the bar moved up against the wall, etc. I'm bigger than the guy so I'm definitely not intimidated, just there really isnt many gyms where i live WORTH the money... I've explained the whole reason for doing t-bars to him already, other guys have done it off and on and I've seen him tell them to stop as well. Even the personal trainer there has had guys do them (he had them put a 45lber on the floor and put the bar up against that... which could work). Pain in the arse really.

[Canadian Crippler]

If there are mirrors I see his concern. I doubt I would let people do T-bar rows against my mirror. Why isn't he allowing you to do it against other things besides mirrors?

[BrawnBehemoth]

Well here is what I mean bud... The mirror goes down to about 6 inches above the floor. The bottom portion is regular reinforced wall (there are notches even where people used to do it all the time). I know better to do it on mirrors... haha... Not doing it against other things I guess is to prevent other "youngins" from trying to do it in areas they shouldnt... that dont know better... Plus we got alot of roid freaks at that gym who are more worried about just getting a weight up rather than form, etc... so weight tossing happens 24-7...

[Canadian Crippler]

Ah ok. I still see his concern though. But why isn't he allowing you to do it against other things besides mirrored areas??

[BrawnBehemoth]

Here's a scenario... we got two people here... myself and a 16 year old high schooler who thinks the exercise looks cool.

1) Boy walks up, sees me doing t-bar rows with the bar up against a center pylon.
2) Boy thinks "that's pretty cool, looks good, i'll have to try this"
3) Boy grabs barbell and walks over to mirrored wall.
4) Boy attempts to put barbell awkwardly into lower portion of wall (avoiding mirror) but slams it into the glass.
5) Boy crys, owner gets pissed, mirror gets replaced for X amount..

This is his concern... but it really sucks for the back workouts

[DNL]

some guy that works that my gym said each piece of the mirror cost like $5,000. So i can see why it is such a big deal.

[APE.]

Tell him to pay the $32. (average most places) and get one those lil mounts you can place an Oly. bar in & row till your hearts content. Tell him it'll be probly the best $32 he spent; an the gym members will see more results than the thousand he probly dropped on a cpl machines.

[wrestlemaniac]

Sounds to me like your gym owner should invest in a damned TBar machine then. If he bought one specificly because he didn't want to put his gym at 'risk' because of this 'dangerous lift' and saw people doing it without the machine anyway then I could see him threatening to suspend people but untill then he should just stfu and try to provide as good of a service as possible. God, who ever heard of a gold's gym that doesn't allow t-bar rows. Could you imagine Arnold sneaking away to slip some t-bars in and Franko's all "hurry dude! I think the owners looking! He almost caught us bench pressing yesterday!"

[Hatred]

Use this opportunity to do Bent over Barbell rows.

[BrawnBehemoth]

I do bent over barbell rows... not the same... the pump you get from t-bars is just plain awesome in my opinion. Then again... every person is different. bent over bb rows work ok though.

Where can you buy these wall joints at? I'll give him a website and offer to pay for it myself... lol See what he says to that.