.png "English"){kind=small}
I love this insane picture inside the gym. This guy looks like he stuffed some wasabi up his nose.
I suspect that the Brits made this poster; you don't often find Americans throwing the term "tidy" about.
Another poster reminds us to "have a shower" before going to the cafeteria. "Have a shower." Again, probably British. You might say "duh" to this admonition but you wouldn't believe how often it goes unheeded.
Here's a picture of the weights. Through the hallway on the left there are about five treadmills and other aerobic equipment. Again, it's really a fine facilty. I spend a lot of time in here, which brings us to today's story.
If you've ever used a gym, you know that there are certain unwritten codes, certain boundaries that we're all supposed to respect. I won't enumerate them all here, but you get the point.
Most folks who use the facility know those boundaries. However, there are things that go on in here that drive me nuts.
There is a stereo back in the far right corner. You can't see it very well in this picture.
It's a nice stereo. Unfortunately it is too nice. Its volume capacity knows no bounds. If you are in the States, and you hear loud music, trust me.....it's coming all the way from Afghanistan..... from this stereo. I thought that the Workout Code of Ethics had a clause stating that house music must be kept at a moderate level. Throw that out the window here.
EVERY TIME I use the gym, the music is turned up to an earsplitting level. The worst part is that it's usually the latest gangsta nonsense. My apologies to those of you trying to "keep it real." It's my blog, and I don't like that stuff.
The stereo is so loud, I can't even hear the music on my ipod with its volume turned up to full blast. What really amazes me is that no one else seems to mind. Everybody else has their headphones on, yet they are completely oblivious to the pain. It can't be my good hearing. Maybe everyone else has lost theirs.
I have resorted to asking the perpetrator to turn down the stereo, or doing it myself. Neither method is popular. I fear that it will come down to fisticuffs one day soon.
Another thing that blows my mind is the guys who go outside and smoke between sets or right before they start working out. No kidding. I guess they think it improves their workout. Whatever.
I'm no weightlifting professional, but I have been around it most of my life and generally know what I am doing. What I see in this gym worries me sometimes. Guys using bench press bars (and bench press weight) to do curls for instance. One day I saw two guys spend two hours on one machine, with no method to their madness. Random weight amounts, sets, repetitions, groans and grunts were thrown together in a hazardous fashion over and over. I kept those guys in the corner of my eye the entire time in case they pinned themselves down.
So that's the gym. Tomorrow I will address the laundry room.
Ba'dan mebinametan.
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