What Do You Say To People Who Lift With Really Bad Form At The Gym

We have all seen it in the gym people deadlifting with a U- shaped back, bouncing the barbell in the bench from the chest like it’s a trampoline and swinging their back like they are on a disco ball while bicep curling. As much as it may hurt your eyes should you say something to the individual with shit form ? and crush his ego in the process,  or just keep silent like a spider waiting for a fly to enter it’s web. It’s a really tough question so our friends from reddit answered it the best way they could think of.

• Unless someone directly asks me for my opinion I don’t say shit.

• The only time I ever gave unsolicited advice was to a kid who was probably around 16, he was deadlifting with a ridiculously flexed spine (basically an inverted-U). I made sure my delivery was as nice and genuine as possible. I haven’t seen him in the gym since and I kind of regret doing it but I made the same mistake at his age and I am still paying for it, I would have hated to see the same thing happen to this kid. I hope I didn’t turn him off lifting.

• People at my gym will offer their advice if you just as much as stand next to them. The other day a guy next to me was doing bb curls and he cheated on the last rep. You know, when you’ve done 9 reps and start the 10th and see that you can’t complete it and help a bit with your back. Nothing special just a little push. And then that other guy goes all like “oh no no no you shouldn’t curl like that it’s bad blahblahblah” and proceeds to give a 5 minute speech about how you should curl and how you should always lift less than you can handle (?!). And this is just one of the many times similar events happen. If you don’t perform the exercise like the tutorial video on bb.com someone will start spewing broscience.

• I don’t think it ever is tbh. I’ve only had someone do something once. and I thought he was a dick. If you are going to say something, I suggest being a lot bigger or stronger than whoever you are talking to

• If someone came over after I finished 4 plate squats and started giving me advice on 1-2 inches more depth, but couldn’t show me with the weight there I’d just be like, bro the fu*k.

• The only time I have ever said something was when a younger guy was trying to deadlift three plates on a curl bar, using tensor bandages as straps.The kid almost snapped himself in two. I went over to him, told him that it would be good if he lowered the weight and used a proper bar, then let him borrow my straps after showing him how to wrap them.I didn’t come across as a dick, I don’t think. He smiles and nods at me when we are at the gym at the same time, so there’s that.

• Don’t ever give someone unsolicited advice on form or ROM if they’re bigger or stronger than you. I can just imagine some skinny ass fu*kboy telling one of the big lean dudes at the gym not to do half-reps because he watched a youtube video or some silly shit.

• The only times I would ever say shit to someone 1) Gonna die, either form issues, not using clips or not using a machine properly locked in or whatever.2) Impacting the safety of others, telling them they should move over or do it in a better area. 3) If I’m just giving a simple tip to add more to the exercise they wouldn’t know (Hey, you ever try using the suspension straps/harness to pull the weight sled?)

• I never say anything, but I had to do squats, and wanted to use the rack, there was this one dude who squatted 60 kg and did quarter reps (srs) everyone was staring at him like wtf is he doing. I headed over to ask how many sets he still would need, he said two. Then after he was finished I told him ‘hey I’m not a trainer or something, but you should go down lower on your squats. But of course it’s just from my pov and my opinion’ He thanked me and proceeded with the leg press. Probably first and last time I told someone. such thing.