Sometimes You Can Lose Weight
Today we’re going to tackle the iconic asshole gymnast behavior: losing weight. BOOM. Blech summarizes the question that many of us have in mind:
How to politely tell athletes not to let their weights fall to the floor if they are not designed to fall to the floor? It’s loud, annoying, and the time and cost of replacing the floor limits everyone else’s ability to use the gym.
There is a short answer and a long answer here. The short answer is that you can always ask the gym staff to talk to someone who is explicitly involved with the Gym Asshole movement . Now this is their problem, especially if the situation is described when the floor is not designed so that weights fall on it. Gym staff need to be aware that someone is messing up their belongings.
If there is a published rule against weight loss, do the same. But if not, the situation is grimmer than many gym goers think. Sometimes it is good to lose weight, even if it is loud and annoying.
It’s actually okay to lose weight in some gyms, and it’s okay, if not often, in others. For example, if you are doing deadlifts , some people lift the weight up and then gently lower it back down. Others will lift the weight and then allow gravity to bring it down to the floor before starting the next rep. Both will work if your gym allows it, and what you choose will depend on what you’re trying to get out of your workout. (Which is better? This is a discussion some other time.)
You can lose weight when:
- A floor or platform is made for this (if you’re in a deadlift gym or Olympic lifting platforms, expect people to shed their weight)
- Weights are made for this
- The lifter knows how to keep weight under control
All three requirements must be met. If your gym has simple iron plates designed for squats, etc., as well as bumpers for deadlifts, it’s up to you to decide which ones. (The bumper plates are rubber and actually bounce. Ask if you’re not sure. If the floor is rubber, you can drop most dumbbells and weights on it.) Likewise, if there is a platform, but the rest of the floor remains on it. not comfortable to fall, lift it onto the platform if you are planning to drop weights.
And above all, keep your shit in check. Even if your gym has a rubber floor, that doesn’t mean you can finish a set of curls and then throw the dumbbells in any direction. You still have to be careful no matter how difficult the set you just made.