The Poor Unwanted Musclehead

   There is a troubling trend in the world of fitness these days. Some of the newer big box fitness  center chains started it. Now a business marketing itself as the small neighborhood workout club has jumped on the bandwagon. This trend is a fore handed slap at the plate-pumping, pectoral-protruding,  personal pride possessed pioneers of pulchritude. These swollen-armed, sinewy-veined, thick necked demigods that strut chest first across weight room floors are under attack.
   The trend that I refer to is a policy to refuse memberships to the extremely muscular bodybuilding or powerlifting types. The neighborhood workout club that I referred to discourages any muscular males weighing over 200 pounds from joining up.
This almost verges on being a human rights violation!
   Many fitness centers seem hell-bent on making muscleheads obsolete by getting rid of their favorite equipment. Platforms for powerlifting and Olympic style weightlifting are scarce or non-existent in many new facilities. State-of-the-art machines are replacing traditional benches for free weights. Squat racks are scarce and futuristic hybrids of leg machines are the new normal. Olympic bars are hard to find..
   Sure, some of these muscleheads can be boors! I've seen many examples of less than stellar weight room etiquette. Some of this behavior can border on the outright barbaric such as:

• Loud grunts while lifting
• Dropping weights that land heavily on the floor
• Giving off wicked gas emissions due to the fermenting pre-workout protein shake
• Great propensity for a crude oath starting the sixth letter of the alphabet 
• Hogging more than one machine or weight station while they do supersets
• Rich manly odor emanating from their favorite unwashed training wardrobe

   There's no question about it. Some of these muscular mammoths can be crude and intimidating. Many of them show the hyper-aggressive mood and  skin acne known to be symptomatic of steroid use. Psychologists might analyse them as insecure guys hiding behind false egos of bravado - little men playing at big men!  However, that doesn't mean that we should paint all serious 'big boys' with the same brush.
   On the plus side, these guys can be faithful members. Many of their former haunts, the hard core gyms, have given up the ghost.  These jacked-up gym giants need some joint in which to joust.
  They can also be a source of inspiration. I can remember many times being in the weight room and feeling apathetic and lazy about my workout. Watching a Musclehead hit the iron with a manic zeal would brush off and get me enthused again. Muscleheads love their weights and their passion can be contagious.
   My plea to these exclusive fitness centers is "cut the muscleheads some slack!  Give them their own side room with heavy plates and Olympic bars where they can be away from the general population.  Don't shut them out! Stick up for the muscular minority. They represent an old tradition of muscle beach, bulging biceps and dungeon-like gyms. Just don't stand downwind of them when they're refueling with liquid protein.

"Step aside little man. Treadmill aerobic training is for girly geeks! True warriors hoist heavy iron!"
No doubt that Muscleheads can be brutes and boors.
On the plus side, their passion and intensity for lifting weights can be an inspiration.
Cut them some slack!

Until next time,..........keep fit!

Little Bobby Strong                          schwabe27.uwmfatloss.hop.clickbank.net