Just Ask - February 14, 2007

by Ben Hanson

Earlier tonight, I was in the basement of the gym practicing my log press. There wasn't another soul down there with me so I popped a CD into the stereo and cranked it up. It was peaceful. Just me, the iron, my choice of obnoxiously loud music, and empty, echoing space. It was my Valhalla. Toward the end of my log workout, a skinny African came down the stairs. He went over to the squat rack and, barely acknowledging his presence, I proceeded on with my training.

With two sets left to go, he came up to me and started asking questions: "Why are you doing that?" "Which body parts does it work?" "How heavy is that thing?" and finally, "When you are done, can I try it?" The last question surprised me. A man of such slight stature wanted to press this clumsy hunk of sewer pipe over his head? I welcomed him to the challenge. He walked back over to the squat rack, anxious for me to finish with the log which I had loaded up to 235 lbs.

Once I finished, I stripped the plates off the log and walked over to the other corner of the gym. "All yours" I said, pointing to the bare log. "Great!" he exclaimed, "but can you tell me what I'm doing wrong on my squats before I try that?" I obliged and worked with him for nearly 20 minutes on his squat technique. I focused on two main points: keeping his head up and driving off his heels. By the time I concluded my short tutorial, he'd markedly improved his squat.

You see, the point of this entry isn't about logs, squats, or little Hossein from the Republic of Djibouti; it's about asking questions and learning. Far too often, knowledgeable guys (and gals) in the gym see a novice making fundamental, sometimes potentially dangerous mistakes and it makes us cringe. Unfortunately, we've learned through experience (and we've all made this mistake-anyone who says differently is lying) that it is pointless and rude to offer unsolicited advice. What you should know, however, is that if you (the novice) come up and ask one of us (the gymrats) to help you out or give you a few pointers, we're more than happy to help. In fact, we probably already have an idea of what you're doing wrong. We just don't want to intrude.

Whether they're intimidated or simply ignorant of their mistakes, most novices will just not ask us for help. For the most part, we're not the ogres we appear to be. In fact, we're very approachable, and once you do solicit advice, you are probably going to be the one trying to get rid of us. Just don't do ask us while we're busy. Wait until it looks like we're taking a break. Otherwise you might get a face full of logpress.

In the end, Hossein improved his squat and got to try something new and unusual. All he had to do was ask.

Posted by Ben Hanson at 6:00 AM

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