I like to work out early in the morning. Mostly because I take really long rest periods demanded by my heavy days. But when it comes to my school gym, going early means not many people. Better said, not many uncultured gym goers.
Im not saying Im the most educated human being when it comes to gym etiquette but there is a certain place in Hades's lair for people who curl in the squat rack. For all the non lifters reading this, that violation of equipment is equivalent of someone stealing your food. Sure sounds radical, but let me explain. Squatting is one of the big three exercises better known as the compound movements (Over head press counts…but Im not getting into that). Im no chemistry fan whatsoever (due to having a teacher who every period end would make a slideshow dividing the class into categories depending on their grades. Always shaming the lower ones. Guess where I always was..) but I did learn that a compound is a combination of multiple things. That is what the squat is; utilizing almost all muscles in your body. Therefore, the more muscles utilized, the more weight you can carry.
Squat racks are a piece of equipment that is idolized by iron heads like me. Beautifully designed to set the bar at your perfect height and the ability to have safety bars (which catch your barbel in the case of you failing) and to fit another person to spot you or just yell at you to stop being scared.
Curling on the other hand, is an isolation movement. It only utilizes the biceps and the forearms. If you're using your shoulders, then you're being ego centrical. You look stupid, lower the weight. What Im getting to with this is that the squat rack is designed for that, squats. Of course other movements can be done in it (i.e deadlifts, rack pulls, OHP, rows, shrugs, etc.). What all those lifts have in common though is that they are able to let you carry heavy weights. Honestly someone who is curling a ridiculous amount of weight is either doing it with terrible form or just what people like to call a brah. Brahs are everywhere: on the beach, the club, the coffee house, and apparently at my gym at 6 AM in the morning.
I went up to my gym's weight room, separated from the rest of the gym. Probably cause people like to look intimidating when lifting there. It is usually me and another two or three girls and let me tell you, men get really scared of you. Not because you lift, but because you don't give a shit if they can bench half reps of 225. I go to the gym to do my thing, not socialize. I do have a couple of people I talk to, but it is just a hello and good to see you. Today was my deadlift lower body day. I was hoping to continue to work on my sumo technique, aka as if you literally were a sumo fighter about to strangle someone. In this case the bar.
There are 5 squat racks in my gym. A godly number compared to most of the countries' college gyms. The three on the back were taken by two people squatting and one person deadlifitng. Ok, one of them has personal trainer priorities, so that one was taken. The last one I see empty. Score. I start walking towards it and then this kid comes in and starts curling the bar. The motherfucking bar. I have seen this kid before. He is no freshmen. The poor freshmen, they look so innocent and lost, and probably are very horrible at understanding the rules at first, but most of us were.
No this kid is probably a junior…who cares. He was curling on the squat rack.
I walked towards him and gave him a look. Most people (well most civilized people) who lift know that when someone wants to use the squat rack for you know squatting and you're just hanging in it, its ideal if you move. He didn't bat an eye.
After two more sets of him adding 10 lbs on each side and doing horrible form, I actually approached him and blatantly asked: "How many CURLS do you have left?" emphasis on curls.
"I don't know…like 3" he said.
"Well I want to front squat" I said. He literally just stared at me. "You can squat on the smith machine" he said.
I laughed but secretly wanted to kick him in the groin. "Well you can curl the dumbbells" I said.
What he answered next was the most baffling thing: "Its not enough weight for me." It was stupid to argue with this guy. So I just waited. He finally finished and I claimed the squat rack.
In my first class of the semester today, Global climate change, we watched a debate between Bill Nye the science guy and some dude on the Pierce Brosnan show. Bill was arguing that global climate change is cause primarily by humans while the other dude was saying it is natural. Our professor informed us that more than half the statements the man said had been proven false. Yet he attacked and attacked Bill. Even to the point of making fun of him by imitating him.
It got me thinking. I train for strength. Ive always been a small petite girl. 5'1" and 105 lbs is small. But I am strong, and it is probably a defense mechanism in disguise…Im not sure. But after seeing how Bill composed himself at the fact that a random stranger, who not only was being rude, loud and obnoxious, but also ignorant, showed me that I have grown a lot in that sense as well.
If this situation in the gym had happened two years ago, I would have made this kid curling feel like crap. I would have made a scene and forced him to move. Keeping my cool is something Ive worked on for most of my life. It has been a rough path, but Ive managed to really get a hang of myself when I feel im losing control.
True strength is not measured by the amount of weight you can pull, but by the way you behave in situations that are hard for you. I aspire to be as close to the type of human being Bill Nye is. You will encounter ignorant, and or rude people every where you go. Don't stoop to their level. Rise above.
