Embarrassing moments at the gym

90% of gym embarrassments are essentially a combination of "poor information for newbies + special physiological conditions + occasional accidents". It doesn't matter how poorly you do, and no one really takes it to heart. They are essentially minor episodes on the fitness journey that are not worth mentioning.

It's normal to have a leak or burp when you're practicing core strength. A while ago, I took a friend who was new to the industry to practice deadlifting. When he pulled to 100kg at the last moment, he didn't hold back and let out a fart that resounded through half of the strength zone. There happened to be a girl behind who was practicing the glute bridge. She was about to get up, so she just fell back on the mat laughing. My friend's face turned red at the time, and he said he wanted to cancel the card that day. However, the big brother who had been practicing for three years next to him handed him a bottle of water and said, "Hey, it's nothing. Last time I squatted 140kg and vomited half of my breakfast. The girl at the front desk didn't say anything. It means you used the abdominal pressure correctly, which is a good thing." In fact, this is true. When you reach exhaustion, your physiological reactions are completely out of control. No one will laugh at you for this little thing, but they will think that you are dedicated enough to training.

If there's something more embarrassing than losing control of one's body, it's the jokes about not being familiar with the equipment. When I went to a commercial gym for the first time, I wanted to practice the inverted pedal machine. I had only seen other people use it in short videos before. After sitting on it and pedaling for a long time, the machine did not move at all. I thought it was broken, so I waved my hand and called the instructor to come and fix it. However, he squatted down and pointed at the safety pin at my feet: "Brother, if you don't pull this out, you won't be able to pedal until tomorrow." The elder brother who was doing shoulder exercises next to me couldn't hold it in and laughed out loud. I was so embarrassed when I was standing on the equipment that I wanted to find a drill. Later I learned that no one would laugh at a novice who can’t use equipment. Instead, if you stand next to the equipment and watch videos for 20 minutes to take up space, people behind you waiting for the equipment will silently complain. If you are really not sure how to use it, ask a passing coach or someone who is good at it. Most people will be willing to help teach you.

Oh, yes, there is also the embarrassment of a completely innocent disaster. You have made no mistakes, and you can't resist someone taking the initiative to find a scene of your death. The last time I practiced the forward push, the movement had just been fixed. A personal trainer came over and circled me twice. He deliberately raised his voice and said, "Brother, your shrug is too serious. If you practice the trapezius muscles again, they will be higher than your head. Why don't you buy a few classes and I can adjust it for you?" ”I was confused at the time. I had been practicing forward pressing for five years and the weight was very stable. How could I still shrug my shoulders? Just as he was about to retaliate, the elder brother who was waiting for the equipment next to him spoke first, "It's because people's shoulders have sunk and they haven't sunk completely to the bottom. It's normal for the weight to be heavy. Why don't you adjust your own rounded shoulders first before you come out to sell lessons?" ”The personal trainer was so angry that he ran away in despair. Later, I talked about this matter with the veterans in the gym. Some people felt that it was enough to just confront them if they encountered this kind of problem, and they were not used to their bad habits. Others felt that there was no need to waste their words, and just said with a smile, "I will just practice and sweat."

I have been going to the gym for almost five years now, and I have seen all kinds of outrageous embarrassing scenes: some leggings bought cheaply are of poor quality, and the crotch is torn when squatting. The disposable large shorts kept at the front desk are just for this situation.； There were people who used too much force during pull-ups and pulled down their sweatpants. Fortunately, they were wearing compression pants underneath, so the scene wasn’t too tragic. ； There was also a deadlift that was so hard that the waistband of his pants flew off and hit someone else's water glass. In the end, he lost three bottles of electrolyte water. The two later even added WeChat to practice together.

Really, everyone in the gym is focused on whether their movements are up to standard, whether they can push 2.5kg more today, and what to eat after training. The embarrassing things you think the sky is falling from will be forgotten by others. If you are really thin-skinned, just wear noise-canceling headphones and a loose sports coat, clean the equipment and leave after practice. You don't know anyone, so there are so many things to be embarrassed about.