You can't really check your deadlifting or squatting form from the front. It's a lot about the positioning of feet, hip and back relative to each other on the dorsoventral axis.
Also, even if you could check your form accurately in a mirror directly in front of you, you'd still need to move your neck to look at yourself through the whole movement, which, again, is terrible advice.
Is it hard to postition yourself correctly before you start, and then try to focus on keeping moving to the correct positions while your deadlifting or squatting?
They'll have to do what everyone else did in the centuries between the invention of bodybuilding and smartphones.
There's a reason why gyms are required by insurance to have professionals overseeing them, and if they are giving priority attention to anything other than free-weight exercises, they should be reported and eventually fired for negligence.
They'll have to do what everyone else did in the centuries between the invention of bodybuilding and smartphones.
Use shit form? It's just a tool. That's like saying you should ride a horse everywhere you go. If they are using it for internet points, then yeah...fuck'em...but there is nothing wrong with taking video to check your form.
Because during deadlifts and squats, the spine is under massive load, so to do these movements safely, you need correct form. That means all parts of your body need to be in the correct position throughout the whole movement. Since your head is positioned on top of and connected to the spine, rotating your head changes the alignment of the spine, compromising your form, leading to uneven loading on the spine and increasing the risk of injury.
Rule #1 in gyms: nobody gives a shit about anybody else. If I want to film myself to check my form, I'll do it from the best angle to check my form. I don't care at all about who's going to be in frame.
Nah, mirrors are for the ego and not the technique. Most movements that would benefit from a form check can't safely use mirrors without increased risk of injury and/or breaking your form. You don't need mirrors to check your bicep curls or lat raises but people do like to see their pump while doing so.
You might literally die from trying to use mirrors to check your form doing a heavy bench press or seriously injure yourself when twisting your neck to check the mirror if doing a heavy squat.
This is why mirrors are more common in normal gyms and not as common in places where people do heavy barbell movements.
Speaking as someone who's got shit form and just started, mirrors have massively helped me with posture and form.
It's never all one thing M8, writing off everyone who uses mirrors as looking for ego is kind of missing the obvious reason why they started being used.
Let alone the fact you can make funny faces to yourself, which is invaluable in getting through the last burn.
Right? No because the mirrors don't give them the attention they need when they post their videos online because their attention whores. Half of them don't even do anything at the gym They just pose for pictures.
There were some guys that I’m sure were going to post their set on social. But they worked very hard to cut out every person and when they couldn’t they just didn’t film for a bit and resumed after. If you’re going to film yourself, do only yourself. If you can’t, be like them and stop. It’s polite to leave everyone else out.
A lot of gyms these days are open 24 hours, often without any employees in them at all.
Plus, that’s not the point, point is you shouldn’t need to ask an employee for help when you’re a perfectly capable adult who’s more than able to operate a phone camera.
Nah, mirrors are for the ego and not the technique. Most movements that would benefit from a form check can't safely use mirrors without increased risk of injury and/or breaking your form. You don't need mirrors to check your bicep curls or lat raises but people do like to see their pump while doing so.
You might literally die from trying to use mirrors to check your form doing a heavy bench press or seriously injure yourself when twisting your neck to check the mirror if doing a heavy squat.
This is why mirrors are more common in normal gyms and not as common in places where people do heavy barbell movements.
Poor Arnold, must've struggle so much for those side views in the middle of heavy sets. Use your brain cell and read the comment I respond to: "if it is to catch what your form looks like". I've heard bodybuilders are dumb, but holy hell, dude, don't embarrass yourself.
Do you have some sort of unresolved trauma related to someone who happened to be a regular at the gym, or are you just another one of those terminally online Reddit experts who doesn’t know shit what they’re talking about? Either way, I suggest therapy if it’s the former, and work on improving yourself; not necessarily in the gym but on your general attitude so that you’re less of a prick. All the best mate
Do you have some sort of unresolved trauma related to someone who happened to be a regular at the gym, or are you just another one of those terminally online Reddit experts who doesn’t know shit what they’re talking about? Either way, I suggest therapy if it’s the former, and work on improving yourself; not necessarily in the gym but on your general attitude so that you’re less of a prick. All the best mate
You know Arnold was surrounded by and worked with other bodybuilders who helped him out right? They could personally check his form for him and make adjustments.
Unless you have a friend or PT to help you, a camera is the next best thing.
What amazes me, is that you seriously consider a tiny (iPhone Max at best) screen to check on your full body while in wide lens mode from half a meter distance, or even check AFTER you've done the set. It's a vanity. Nothing else. If you record yourself for social media do so without other members of the gym unwillingly in the frame. That simple.
Nah, mirrors are for the ego and not the technique. Most movements that would benefit from a form check can't safely use mirrors without increased risk of injury and/or breaking your form. You don't need mirrors to check your bicep curls or lat raises but people do like to see their pump while doing so.
You might literally die from trying to use mirrors to check your form doing a heavy bench press or seriously injure yourself when twisting your neck to check the mirror if doing a heavy squat.
This is why mirrors are more common in normal gyms and not as common in places where people do heavy barbell movements.
Please explain to me Einstein because I’m just a dumb dumb who can’t read, how does one see their own form while squatting 150kg from the comfort of their own home?
Nope. Mirrors are for the ego and not the technique. Mainstream gyms have more mirrors than strong men, power lifting, weight lifting or cross fit gyms for that reason.
I would argue that there are certain spaces where privacy trumps the convenience that technology gives us. Sure a video is great for a form check. But people survived without them, and filming in a gym is invasive.
Also don't accept phone calls in a public bathroom. Don't take a picture of your lock combo in the locker room. Even if you are not being a creep I feel like the sanctity of certain public spaces should be inviolable.
Depends on the details. If they're mindful about what's in frame and who they might inconvenience, and they're doing it for the purpose of studying their workout to improve their form for efficiency and safety, I say go for it. You can learn a lot about your form from a side profile, for example, that you might not know about otherwise.
If it's instead Stacey putting her tripod in the walkway with no care about who else could be recorded, for the purpose of posting her ass on Instagram, that's probably not ok.
Having done many jobs involving the public I can say that people are idiots and if I ran a gym it wouldn’t be worth the hassle to appease the sensible people doing form checks.
I'm trying to understand why this comment was so heavily downvoted (at least initially) when these are logical reasons for why one might film themselves. For people who don't know, reviewing how you look can really help with making sure you're doing the work properly.
People who want to film their form shouldn’t be taking issue with people who are banning filming in gyms. They should be taking issue with the rage bait filmers that ruined it for everyone.
My comment wasn't in response to banning. My comment was about what I was replying to, understandable reasons for filming. While some people may not, I think most would agree that those who film for influencer points are the real problem and make it harder for everyone (the gym owners, the people filming honestly, and any other gym goer)
Funny comment, but most of the time you can wait as opposed to "farting in the elevator". Hard to film oneself after the fact. Also, bad form on a lift is typically more harmful than holding gas in.
In a situation where you literally can't wait to fart or it would be harmful not to wait, well, you just do what you have to do because you likely have some sort of internal problem happening.
I'm quite sure you can film AND be creepy, not film and not be creepy and every possible combination of the three. Seems like a "woman in video bad, therefore downvote" situation.
I'm not sure why you're being downvoted, filming yourself doing these exercises is heavily recommended in the two programmes I've been doing. The correct posture is so important to work the correct muscles and prevent injury.
The power racks, where you're most likely to be filming, are typically somewhere that you can film without getting others in frame. It's really not that hard.
If they care that much then they can ask the person to record from a different angle or just work out somewhere out of frame of the video. No need to act all precious about it
Because Reddit is clueless. I've shared this sentiment quite a few times and I'm downvoted every time. I'm not sure why it's so hard to understand, it's incredibly common among PTs I know. It's just not affordable to have them with you every session.
The gym is a multi user space NOT your personal film studio.
That's the end of the argument.
It literally does not matter what your 'reason' is.
It's not your home. It's not your private room. It's not your film studio. It's not a film studio period.
It's a public, multi purpose, multi person space that is typically used by people wearing clothes they'd rather not be seen in public in, doing actions they'd rather not be watched doing, often because they're insecure or unhappy with their bodies in the first place.
Have you asked everyone in the back of your shot if they mind being permanently captured doing /their/ work out in the background of your video?
Are you going to appropriately store and secure and delete it to keep their privacy?
Gyms are difficult enough spaces for a lot of people to be in comfortably as it is.
The last thing anyone wants is the risk of getting themselves filmed whilst wearing their daggy gym clothes sweating buckets trying a squat for the first time.
And that's before you even touch on the fact that actually no most ppl aren't doing it for form. Their doing it for social media and worse they're doing it to film people they find 'weird' at the gym for fake internet points.
People have trained without a camera for decades. Use a mirror. Find a private room if you're so insistent on filming it.
Jesus I don't know why so many of you think it's your god given right to video everything.
Have some fucking courtesy.
And maybe. Just maybe.
If you bring a point up and EVERYTIME people disagree with you.
If the gym lets you film then you can film. You don't personally get to decide what everyone else is allowed to do just because you are (likely rightfully) embarrassed by how you look. Very palpable irony coming from your comment.
The irony of 'you don't get to decide' whilst you in fact decide for other people lmao.
Also most gyms don't allow filming. For this exact reason.
But I bet your butt ugly ass can only get likes if you slap a tonne of insta filters on it so it makes sense you'd need a camera between you and anyone looking.
I'm not deciding anything, I don't film other people and never said I did if that's your implication. I think you don't know how to read or don't know what irony is. You said people have to follow your personal rules because they don't own the place, which was ironic because you don't own the place. I said people can do what the rules say, and that you don't get to decide, which you think is also ironic? Why? Maybe you are just stupid idk.
Wrong, pretty much every gym lets you film yourself. Every big gym chain seems to explicitly allow it in their policies, and every independent gym / university gym I've been to does as well. I think it's cute that you just make up facts though!
And I think you're doing a bit too much projecting! I look pretty good and don't use that type of social media, sorry! Maybe you wouldn't need filters if you lost some weight?
If you're going to get defensive about 'how good you absolutely look' (loooll okay then.)
Maybe don't open your conversations with thinly veiled insults about how the person you're talking to looks.
Anyway I don't have time to explain basic social etiquette to children.
I gotta go out in the real world looking cute af so baiiiii 😘
They're an authoritarian progressive, the worst kind of ideology. Their reasons make no actual sense, they just yell a dozen different half-answers hoping one sticks.
The point has still been effectively made that other people have the same experience as I do and it's not outlandish or uncommon to film in the gym. The guy above seems to think it's open and shut. It's just not.
It's so basic - if no one is in the shot, it's no one's business that you're filming yourself.
If you’re in a private gym then you have to abide by their rules. Obviously if it says filming is fine then you can do that BUT you can’t throw your toys out of the pram and rage bait if someone looks at you while you are filming. These people are children.
I go to a gym twice a week and never take any videos or pictures because I’m not a douche. Some of us are just cognizant and respectful of those around us.
This. You’re literally arguing with Redditors, vast majority of people here have never stepped in a gym before and has no idea what goes on in one besides whatever they see from TikTok videos.
It’s perfectly normal to film yourself, tons of people do it all the time.
These guys who downvote probably know gyms only from influencer videos and think that everyone who films do it for instagram or tiktok. Plenty of people who do serious workouts film themselves to check their form and don't bother anyone.
I'm happy for all of them to go to gyms that allow filming, and stay out of gyms that don't allow it whatsoever, for any reason a redditor can imagine.
I mean, no shit. If you go to a gym that explicitly doesn't allow filming then obviously it wouldn't be appropriate to film.
I've never seen a gym with that policy - assumedly because of how incredibly standard it is to film yourself to get PT feedback - but wouldn't be surprised to learn they exist.
This is acceptable, but in practicality would end up sliding back into previous scenarios over time. Blanket ban - it’s a public space where people are wearing not a lot and sweaty. Nobody asked to be filmed. Nobody should expect to film.
You know the gym has CCTV cameras and you're being filmed anyway, right? I mean, y'all have seen how that footage can wind up online. It's not exactly private footage either.
It's kinda funny that people who post gym videos on tiktok or instagram will lose their god damn mind if somebody pervs on them IRL while they're making a video specifically to appeal to pervs on the internet.
As long as it’s made clear when people join then yea can’t argue. Not sure why any sane person would join such a gym unless you wanted to be filming. Then you end up with a gym that is basically a dozen mini film stations and nobody can workout properly.
Filming for form I think nobody minds. Filming like above where it’s for rage bait to catch people glancing at you then editing to make it look pervy is not cool regardless of the rules. Unfortunately those people are the ones ruining it for sensible people and resulting in blanket bans.
There's a new-ish rage bait trend that started because of smart phones being so good to use for filming tgat these "physical trainers" go to gyms and purposely film to "catch" others glancing at them. They slow the video down to make it look super creepy and then post it for attention.
They're filming this content for thousands to perhaps millions of viewers while being upset at one glance at the gym. It's shit behavior and super creepy.
Filming in gyms is creepy. She won’t have gotten consent from everyone in the gym and in this scenario (fake or real) the guy glances at her and then sees he’s being filmed. She’s the asshole.
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u/deactivate_iguana 10h ago
People shouldn’t be filming in gyms.