Quick weightlifting question

[bjoehandley]

Since we're on weight lifting, do you guys ever have somebody at your gym who is lifting in a way that might injure them in the future? We've got this "new" kid at mine that is throwing himself into his lifts and is going as heavy as he can, which might be a little more than he can actually handle safely. A few of us have watched him lift and in some cases is throwing the weights or putting enough force behind the initial movement to get the weights moving, but not always getting a full lift out of them. For example, tonight he was doing leg presses (around 700lbs IIRC) and another gym goer noticed he was locking his knees when he reached the end of the lift then had to unlock them to bring the weight back down. Any suggestions on how to get him to change his habits before he hurts himself without looking like a bunch of haters or douchebags?!

 

[mcantar18c]

Since we're on weight lifting, do you guys ever have somebody at your gym who is lifting in a way that might injure them in the future? We've got this "new" kid at mine that is throwing himself into his lifts and is going as heavy as he can, which might be a little more than he can actually handle safely. A few of us have watched him lift and in some cases is throwing the weights or putting enough force behind the initial movement to get the weights moving, but not always getting a full lift out of them. For example, tonight he was doing leg presses (around 700lbs IIRC) and another gym goer noticed he was locking his knees when he reached the end of the lift then had to unlock them to bring the weight back down. Any suggestions on how to get him to change his habits before he hurts himself without looking like a bunch of haters or douchebags?!

Tell him you noticed he's doing it wrong, explain what exactly is wrong and what the right way is, and explain why its important to use correct form.
If he's not the douchetard he appears to be he'll take your advice, or at least accept what you're saying and go about his business.
If he is, then he'll probably get offended. In which case, go back to your lifts and hope he drops a dumbbell on his foot when trying to do curls or gets trapped in the leg press cause he can't lift it.

 

[bjoehandley]

I think he'll actually listen to one of us, so long as he's approached the right way, he doesn't appear to be any kind of self important jock, just an overeager beginner. One thing I don't know if he'll get trapped in the leg press though, he doesn't bring the sled as low as it is when it's locked into the safe position and he appears to be just strong enough there to pull it off if he was more careful.

 

[coldoath]

I'm sure a lot of what has been said is good info, but if you are wanting to see good solid results I would say go to a trainer. It sounds like you know the basic stuff but just need to go to the next level. Try to find a legit gym cause I know there are a ton of gyms out there with trainers that don't know @%!. I found a great trainer my senior year of high school and had him work me up a diet plan for my specif goals and body type as well as a corresponding workout. Granted that you find a good trainer, they really know their stuff. Plus everybody is different, what works for one person might not work for another you really have to experiment. I remember reading that you had to experiment when I first started out and thought it was bull, but it's true.

If you don't want to get a trainer I would say check out the forums at bodybuilding.com. It's not just about body building they have some really good articles on their main page as well as a lot of good info inside the forums.

Best of luck to you!

 

[asp]

Tell him you noticed he's doing it wrong, explain what exactly is wrong and what the right way is, and explain why its important to use correct form.
If he's not the douchetard he appears to be he'll take your advice, or at least accept what you're saying and go about his business.
If he is, then he'll probably get offended. In which case, go back to your lifts and hope he drops a dumbbell on his foot when trying to do curls or gets trapped in the leg press cause he can't lift it.

This is the best answer I could come up with. When I was 15 I did everything wrong in the book, but listened when the old guys told me I was being a dumbass.

I'm sure a lot of what has been said is good info, but if you are wanting to see good solid results I would say go to a trainer. It sounds like you know the basic stuff but just need to go to the next level. Try to find a legit gym cause I know there are a ton of gyms out there with trainers that don't know @%!. I found a great trainer my senior year of high school and had him work me up a diet plan for my specif goals and body type as well as a corresponding workout. Granted that you find a good trainer, they really know their stuff. Plus everybody is different, what works for one person might not work for another you really have to experiment. I remember reading that you had to experiment when I first started out and thought it was bull, but it's true.

If you don't want to get a trainer I would say check out the forums at bodybuilding.com. It's not just about body building they have some really good articles on their main page as well as a lot of good info inside the forums.

Best of luck to you!

Without sounding too brash, I disagree that he should see a trainer. It seems like he's a hobbyist with plenty of motivation and is trying to learn how to do the right thing. Seeing a trainer would be like getting your oil changed @ jiffy lube because you think 'the pro's know best.' Sometimes they do, but there's no reason you can't learn what they know on your own.

How about this? Everyone who's been into this post little tips and tricks you've found to help others. I'll start.

When doing curls the tendancy is to have a white-knuckle grip. Don't squeeze the bar or dumbell harder than you need to to hold it (especially for preacher curls). Doing this will relieve pain in the elbow.

 

[coldoath]

Without sounding too brash, I disagree that he should see a trainer. It seems like he's a hobbyist with plenty of motivation and is trying to learn how to do the right thing. Seeing a trainer would be like getting your oil changed @ jiffy lube because you think 'the pro's know best.' Sometimes they do, but there's no reason you can't learn what they know on your own.

Negative. This is the complete polar opposite. This is why I specifically said he needed to find a good one, if he wanted to go that route. It's more like going to get your engine dyno tuned by a specialist, they know exactly what the @%! they are doing.

I got my training from Mr. Oklahoma so he practiced what he preached. Don't go for a trainer who doesn't look the part also. A trainer will be able to specifically design a program for said persons desires, whether it be getting toned or just bulking, and body type.

At the same time I would go over to bodybuilding.com and surf that place. They are full of some fantastic info.