My Gym Code of Conduct
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In my post The Economics of “Messy” Gyms, I discussed how proper gym etiquette seems to have disappeared over time. Now, with fewer young staff members working at gyms, we're seeing the consequences:...
Read more →#glitter gym
40 posts
The Economics of "Messy" Gyms
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After my last Tales from the Glitter Gym, Stuart gave me an idea for this post. > It’s a shame that more gym members weren’t / aren’t even a fraction as conscientious as these two were. The one thing...
Read more →Tales From the Glitter Gym - The Deal
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Even though the name Glitter Gym no longer makes sense in the modern world, I've decided to keep the name when I add new gym stories. After my smallish gym closed in April, my membership was...
Read more →Are Glitter Gyms No Longer Glitter?
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Just a month ago I dusted off my old Tales From the Glitter Gym series after a 13-year hiatus. I followed it up by explaining the term "Glitter Gym". Then something happened. My mini-gym Fitness 19...
Read more →What's a Glitter Gym?
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My previous post was part of the Tales From the Glitter Gym series. That was after a 13-year hiatus. The oldest post I have on the topic was from 2006, however, I recall using the term years before...
Read more →Dude, What Happened to My Gym?
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Three years ago I posted Millennials Have Killed the Glitter Gym. > People are staring at their phones between exercises. Between sets. Sometimes during the set itself. They are looking at their...
Read more →The End of Gyms? Part 2
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In my last post, The End of Gyms? Part 1, I covered some of the macro challenges gyms are facing in a post-Coronavirus world. I suspect many gyms are going to fail for the reasons cited in that post....
Read more →Generation Deaf in the Glitter Gym
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Last month, I posted Millennials Have Killed the Glitter Gym, which describes how this generation with their smartphones has ruined gyms. > People are staring at their phones between exercises....
Read more →Millennials Have Killed the Glitter Gym
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About twenty years ago, I coined the term "Glitter Gym" as a broad term to describe the growing big-box bright-light corporate gyms you see everywhere. In my 2006 post Glitter and Rust, I said this:...
Read more →Starting Over in Cardio
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As I explained in the previous post Searching For The Cardio Code, after a very long hiatus, I'm ready to reintroduce cardio training to my fitness plan. Some would argue that my long urban hikes or...
Read more →Town Hall Meetings For Public Gyms
I had an idea recently that I think could benefit gyms. What if every gym had townhall style meetings where the staff and interested members could get together for an hour and discuss ways to make...
Read more →Tales From the Glitter Gym (Original Post)
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This was originally written in 2004. It has been moved to this site for archival purposes. If you are easily offended, please read the disclaimer first. I'm still working out at a glitter gym thanks...
Read more →Another HIT Advantage
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A few months ago I started doing a High-Intensity weight lifting protocol. Slow movement, machine-based, and one-set to failure. I'm guessing it will be another month or two before I know if it is...
Read more →Tales From the Glitter Gym - The End
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Today MetaFilter linked to my Tales From the Glitter Gym. The comments exploded and they were mostly negative. A few people got the humor, but the majority didn't. It is not often in life that you...
Read more →Tales From the Glitter Gym - The Trouble With Tribbles
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Probably the most memorable episode of the original Star Trek was The Trouble With Tribbles. This is the one where the crew starts adopting furry little creatures called Tribbles for pets. They are...
Read more →Tales From the Glitter Gym - More People Who Annoy Me
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Outside the gym, I like 99% of the people I meet. Inside the gym that number is not as high. There is something about a gym that brings out the most inconsiderate and annoying behavior in people....
Read more →Tales From the Glitter Gym - Three I Respect
I'm going to take a break from my normal exposure of Glitter Gym stupidity and instead devote this issue to three people I saw today at the gym that I respect. The Butch Bad Ass There was a woman...
Read more →The Best Kind of Glitter is Free Glitter
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Today I wrapped up a two-week free trial gym membership in a downtown Seattle gym. This gym has some great equipment, but I've never seen a place that does a worse job racking the weights. Weights...
Read more →A Fresh Coat of Glitter
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At the end of August, I let my Glitter Gym membership expire. They didn't have any fall specials, so I decided to play Rambo in the park instead. I posted about my new gym in the Coffee Hero post...
Read more →Tales From the Glitter Gym - Mr. Sit Up
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My return to the Glitter Gym has already yielded a new tale. This happened last week. In the free weight room there are two flat bench press stations. Usually I stick to the incline benches, but that...
Read more →Tales From the Glitter Gym - The Kayaker Goes MacGyver
To "go MacGyver" in the gym is to seek out new and novel methods of exercising using equipment that was designed for some other use. It can be funny, dangerous, ineffective, or brilliant. In the post...
Read more →Tales From the Glitter Gym - The Commando
I meant to tell this tale a few weeks ago. Forgive the delay. What I witnessed at the Glitter Gym that day almost defies reality. Let me introduce you to a new character, who I will refer to as The...
Read more →If You Like Tales From the Glitter Gym
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This week the great TC from T-Nation takes you through his Glitter Gym in San Diego. He doesn't name the gym, but I believe it is in La Jolla. If you can get past the blinding gold text on black...
Read more →When Glitter Turns Orange
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Yesterday I walked into my Glitter Gym and was hit with the smell of wet paint. Before I could think about why they wouldn't prop open a door to air out the place, I walked into the free weight room....
Read more →Tales From the Glitter Gym - Unsafe At Any Speed
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Just when I think these personal trainers couldn't train their clients in a more stupid manner, Hank Hill rises to the challenge and sets the new bar for stupidity. For those just tuning in, I named...
Read more →Tales From the Glitter Gym - The 105 Pound Dumbbells
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Today my glitter gym became just a little more glitter. We have three racks of dumbbells. Rack #1 is a fine pairing of weights from 5 to 50 pounds. Rack #2 is a massive collection of weights between...
Read more →Tales From the Glitter Gym - The Cold Trainer
Most of the personal trainers in my glitter gym are just awful. Having been in my gym now for six months, I can say that I see almost no improvement in most of the clients they train. There is one...
Read more →Tales From the Glitter Gym - Traffic Patterns
I love football season. No, I don't actually waste my weekends watching other men exercise while consuming empty carbohydrates in a semi-drunken state. The reason I like football season is because it...
Read more →Tales From the Glitter Gym - Nonsense
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For years I have dealt with all the stupidity at the Glitter Gym. I go to the gym, see something stupid, bottle my rage, have a good workout, and then come home to write a new edition of the Tales...
Read more →Tales From the Glitter Gym - The Pickup Part 2
This post is a follow-up to Tales From the Glitter Gym - The Pickup. In the last edition, I listed the three classes of guys who attempt to pick up women at the gym. I also explained how I've never...
Read more →Tales From the Glitter Gym - The Pick Up
For a good background on this post read Tales From the Glitter Gym - Early Influences. Any reader of the Tales From the Glitter Gym series will know that I have my fair share of gym pet peeves. Let...
Read more →Tales From the Glitter Gym - Early Influences
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New readers are encouraged to read Glitter and Rust before proceeding. In order to understand my perspective on gyms I need to go back in time and explain my influences. I started free weight...
Read more →Intervention at the Glitter Gym
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Usually when I see stupid things at the gym, I keep it to myself and then come home and post my observations here on MAS o Menos. Today I couldn't stay silent. Even though it was only my 2nd day at...
Read more →Tales From the Glitter Gym - The Smell
It's been six months since I stepped foot into a Glitter Gym. Today I started at my new gym, which isn't pure Glitter, but it certainly isn't a Rust Gym. It's an odd hybrid, which I'll call an...
Read more →Tales From the Glitter Gym - The Bodyfat Test
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Even though I no longer workout at a Glitter Gym, sometimes elements of glitter rear their head. On a recent trip to the gym I was doing sit-ups when I overheard an older couple arguing. The woman...
Read more →Leaving the Glitter, Embracing the Rust
My prison sentence with the Glitter Gym has finally ended. The last month was unbearable. Expect to see a final Tales From the Glitter Gym installment soon. Yesterday I found a Rust gym. I didn't...
Read more →Glitter Gym Hijinks
Joining 24 hour Fitness is a lot easier than leaving. When you go to cancel your membership they remind you of two things. 1- You must give them 30 days notice. This means they can squeeze in one...
Read more →Tales From the Glitter Gym - Locker Room Edition
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I never thought that I would have enough stories to complete a new edition of Tales From the Glitter Gym just two days after my last post. Then again, I wasn't expecting to walk into the locker room....
Read more →Tales From the Glitter Gym - Bellevue Edition
It's been a while since I last did an installment of Tales From the Glitter Gym. For background on what a Glitter Gym is read Glitter and Rust. After just 3 visits to the 24 Hour Fitness in Bellevue,...
Read more →Glitter and Rust
There are two types of gyms. Glitter gyms and Rust gyms. A majority of men and almost all women are only familiar with Glitter gyms. Glitter gyms are workout facilities with bright lights, mirrors,...
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