Have You Ever Noticed … ?
Posted on Friday 31st July 2009
This is going to be a BodyPump-related post, so if that doesn’t float your boat, then feel free to give this one a miss.
I thought I’d put up some observations of a participant, about fellow Pumpers. It might act as an interesting insight for instructors or prompt recognition from other participants.
Territorial Rights
There is a certain breed of participant who always wants to stand in the same place every class. I know this being in that camp. They will arrive early and/or stand just outside the studio door if another class is going on before Pump, so they can ensure that their precious spot isn’t “stolen” by someone else.
Instructors must have bad body odour
The back of the studio always fills up first. And when it has, people will still find shoehorn their equipment into small gaps near the back, rather than larger ones near the front. I can recall a number of classes in which I was the only participant forward of the mid-point of the studio, and the instructor having to plead with people to move forwards.
See and be seen
Another breed of participant. So little weight goes on the bar, you wonder why they bother at all. Not to mention that their weights haven’t been increased since they started doing Pump. However they do look good, or at least they think they do. The make-up is perfect, the lycra co-ordinated and not a hair out of place. Shock horror that they might sweat as that would make their mascara run.
A little maths might be in order
“But surely the small plates don’t weigh so much, so I’m better off just using them?” Well, obviously yes, if you just use one or two. I’ve seen people piling as many as 5 small plates per side for squats; then wondered why they don’t just get use one of the larger plates instead. Now this may seem like a petty gripe, but in gyms with limited equipment it just leads to shortages and disquiet. I would argue everyone needs no more than 1 pair of 1.25 and 2.5kg plates, as it is possible to create any combination of weight thereafter (with 5kgs of course!)
Singles, singles and more singles
Yet another “type” of BPer – the people who bob up and down even on the superslows. They wind up standing around looking a little foolish as everyone else completes the range in the proper timing, and yet they do it all over again for the next rep, and so on the the entire class. It’s hard to know if it’s a case of no concept of timing or they are just members of the “mascara” clan.
I’m sure there are plenty of other little nuances of participant behaviour, but these are just the ones that spring to mind. If I can think of some more, then I’ll do a “Part 2″.
You could ask how I’ve managed to notice all of this if working hard, and would have a fair point. Let’s just say some things just stick out like sore thumbs, esp if you have almost half the studio floor to yourself.
There’s also ‘The Grunter’ who seems to do so merely to attract attention as to how heavy his (and it’s always a ‘he’ ) bar is loaded.
I’m a “territorial” participant – although my spot is chosen more for its proximity to the air-conditioning than anything else. Given that more than half the class don’t lift much while I’m sweating buckets, I NEED that spot more than they do!
I do take two pairs of 2.5kg though since I find it can be quicker changing weights between tracks if time is tight. I do find it amusing that many people seem to think that the weights have to be properly lined up and you can’t have a 1.25 plate between a 5 and a 2.5.
And there’s always the one that seems to be oblivious to anything the instructor says – even when they’re staring right at them and gesturing.
I’ll own up … I’m one of those that uses 2 pairs of 1.25 plates along with pairs of the 2.5 one. For me it’s a psychological thing. Trying to s l o w l y increase weights and putting on the 5kg plate still scares me for now. I promise I’ll try to use the pair of 5kg plates in the next class!!
BTW… you’re VERY observant!
There’s also the kind of participant who thinks they know it better than the instructor. They have the unsuppressable urge of correcting other pumpers, even though their own technique is often , well , poor. I call these people “semi-gods”.
Luckily there’s another kind of BP-er: those who love it, show it, and don’t bother other people. The lovable kind!
And then there are those who come for social hour and chat with their friends the whole time not even following the instructor. All that is missing is a bottle of wine and some appetizers! I have had to turn up the music to cover their conversations….then I finally asked them if they were confused about what we were doing since they kept looking at each other and not me!
And don’t forget about those who are so competitive about weights! I instruct and I tell my class that Pump is for you, if that means you are lifting more or less than me it doesn’t matter as long as you are sore the next day!
haha agree with all of the above. I did try a different spot the other day… it just felt wrong.
can I add the pumpers who load up their squat bar with massive weights, make a big fuss about getting it onto their shoulders, then never manage a single full range squat. The first set of squats are “top halves” and the then the rest is “top quarters” or even “top eights”