Some of you know about
**broken link removed** **broken link removed**, the city in which my school is located (yes, Florida State U). Every time I turn around I'm getting a "talking to" from some 130lb douchebag "fitness trainer" about loud noises and Olympic lifting or powerlifting (god forbid you try and deadlift in a Tallahassee Gold's) or chalk or some other rule I'm breaking by just actually using the equipment.
This morning as I was doing power cleans at a Gold's downtown that I thought was the most lenient of the three in this city (there are a couple other chains here, but ALL OF THEM are 'health clubs', including the public school gym), two men came upstairs and were talking off to the side, just out of my view - one was a counter guy and the other just looked like an average older man. I thought the counter guy was showing a potential member around, so I wasn't really paying attention other than being sure to set the bar down as quietly as possible so counter guy wouldn't tell me off.
But it was the older man who approached me. I took out my headphones and he said very calmly, with a falsely inviting smile on his face, "Hi there, I'm the director of fitness at this club. We have a very strict 'no chalk' rule here..."
"Oh, yeah... um, sorry. I'm from a Gold's where you can use chalk as long as you don't get it everywhere."
"No, no chalk allowed. And if you are not in control of the weight we consider that powerlifting," he said in a condescending tone; I felt like a misbehaving child being punished. He didn't say this out loud, but it was implied - "If I have to talk to you again I'll be asking you to leave."
"Oh..."
My heart plummeted to the floor and I suddenly felt my face get hot, tears welling up. All of the sadness that I fight so viciously to subdue was threatening to spill over, and it was prompted by this man telling me I could not lift in his pathetic excuse for a gym. I nodded and had to look away. I made some throw-away comments about being a weightlifter and being unfamiliar with gyms like this. When he headed off I sat down and cried silently; I couldn't help it... I wanted to walk out right there, but where would I go? Back to my apartment to shower, take a couple sleeping pills and call it a day? I certainly couldn't continue my workout at another gym where I'd risk the same thing happening.
THIS IS WHAT I HAVE. And the people here want to keep it from me. I am alone in this backwards city of rednecks, ------ sorority girls, disgustingly idiotic frat boys, common, uneducated and WEAK PEOPLE. I am alone here. I have yet to see one individual with more knowledge than I have when it comes to real weightlifting. And that is a very sad and terrible thing.
I attempted a final power clean, planning on stopping it at the hang instead of putting it down on the floor, but I lost it at the top of the shrug, and for fear of dropping the bar tightened my grip, let it jerk my shoulders down and slam into my legs. I'll have bruises there. So I stopped power cleaning at four singles, where I would usually train to 15 or 20. I half-heartedly did push presses and bench, finishing about 20 minutes early. I left shaking with rage. I will never go back to that gym again.
I don't know what to do. Tomorrow (Saturday) is the only day I can workout almost anywhere because I mainly do back squats, front squats and jump shrugs. But what about Monday? My squat cleans are getting heavy and thus easier to scratch. In fact, last Monday I was given a warning by a counter guy for losing a couple of SQ clean singles... believe me, I cringed visibly every time the bar hit the floor a little harder than it should have. I'd only lost it two or three times before they were on top of me. That day I sent an email to Jon Jost, FSU's 'Head Strength and Conditioning Coach', pleading permission to lift in his gym, the Moore Athletics building, the gym reserved for FSU's big, competitive sports teams. You know this weight room, everyone does - it's the one you see actual pictures of when lifters are asked what their dream gym would look like:
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Jost and his staff now work in the Roger Holler Champions Training Complex, which was the first portion of the new Moore Athletics Building to be completed. The 20,000 square foot area features 24 powerlifting stations, 12 Olympic lifting platforms, aerobic and cardio machines along with over 20,000 pounds of free weight. Jost supervises a staff of six full-time assistants and four graduate assistants.
It's been a week and I haven't heard back from him. I understand he's busy working with the football guys and whatever other teams he trains, but if I have to actually take a day OFF from lifting because not one gym understands the mechanics of being a strength athlete, I will consider it the lowest of the low.
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However, I think the Leach Center is the campus gym she was making fun of. Actually, this is what she wrote when asked about a campus gym:
