Globo gyms – a guilty pleasure?

If you read any of my strength training posts, you’ll know that I often sing the praises of specialized strength training gyms – excellent equipment, like minded individuals, positive attitudes, blah, blah, blah. It’s true, all of it. If you are seriously interested in strength-training and you’re lucky enough to have specialized gym in your […]

Gym Fouls – Don’t be that guy

Mirror, mirror, on the wall: OK, I get it that some people are serious about their bodybuilding and I get that you need to check the status of your “canvas” from time time but nonstop checking yourself out in the mirror is well creepy in my book. Hey, Abs guy, kudos on your diet progress but gazing longingly at your abs whilst holding your tank top up in your teeth? Get a room.

Gym Bullies

A few weeks ago there were a spate of articles in the UK press regarding the prevelance of sexual harassment in Globo (aka commercial) gyms and the Netflix documentary on the Bikram yoga guru that really opened my eyes to what women endure on the daily. Also, not so long ago, I witnessed another type […]

Why Powerlifting does not = Chick Magnet: a Primer

In past posts I have expounded at length about the many benefits of powerlifting. We’ve also examined the “why” of powerlifting; namely, it’s insanely fun to be able to lift heavy shit. However, nobody every tells you the shameful truth underlying this otherwise laudable sport. Sit back, gentle reader, and clutch your emotional support pillow […]

Life imitates meme…or why the gym is always packed the first week of January.

It commonly said that the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results. And yet, in spite of decades of gym-going experience every December I find myself tut-tutting at all those lame “new year’s resolutioners” memes and snarky posts to forums and Facebook groups. Every year I tell […]

Gym may be life…but keep it to yourself.

As I’ve said in previous posts, if you want to stick to a strength-training program it’s absolutely necessary to find your motivation. Strength-training, per se, is not necessarily fun. People who stick to strength-training programs are those of have developed an interest in which weight-lifting plays a part. Often, these are athletes in heavily strength […]

The reasons that absolutely nobody should be intimidated by strength training

We’ve all been there. Most of us mere mortals have been in lousy physical shape at least once in our lives. At some point we think “hmm, I should really go to the gym” but we hesitate. A quick perusal of social media, YouTube videos and blog posts reveals that a big reason many people […]

Lifting – a day in the life

Yesterday I was reminded, repeatedly, about the value of keeping an open mind. Last night I went to the big Globo gym near my work. My programming called for bench press, safety bar squats (as my rotator cuff is still very much an issue) and accessory exercises. However, the globo gym does not have specialty […]

Do you even lift, bro?

“Do you even lift, bro?” was the cliched, but very real, sarcastic put-down of a heavily Italo-american US East Coast bodybuilding subculture that thrived from the early 80s until roughly 5 years ago. The pathos in this phrase is self-evident (to everyone except the person asking it) and Broscience Life is the brilliant comedic Youtube […]

Ain’t no half reppin’

Something miraculous happened on Friday night. I got out of work late so I went to big Globo gym because, well, its nearby. Say what you will about this gym, it does have 8 power racks and plentiful benches. I’ve only had to wait for a bench once in 3 years and I’ve never had […]