Hey Veeky Forums, I have a confession to make. Today I was that guy who critiques other people's form at the gym...

Me too, except my squat is pretty strong.

yep

As someone who's relatively new to lifting, I would welcome that.

no one want's to talk to you they want to work out and be left alone.

If someone reacts poorly to advice, that's their own problem. If you can't take some constructive criticism then you shouldn't be lifting in public in the first place.

I've been lifting for 3+ years and someone at my gym recently complimented my form but suggested a tweak because he saw a slight hint of something that caused him an injury in the past. I was glad to talk with him and we ended up being bros who shoot the shit every now and then.

This is how normal gym interactions work for people who aren't egotistical faggots.

unless the person with bad form is my friend i'm not saying shit.

people act like assholes if you try to give them advice, so let them snap their shit. they'll learn

>shoot the shit
am I autistic for not liking casual experiences like this?
I generally prefer group activities like working out or playing video games with multiple people, but talking about light casual things with strangers doesn't come naturally unless it is about the activity that we are currently doing talking about personal things is uncomfortable with strangers and it's annoying with people who you know and constantly whine about the same thing that would have been solved or avoided with the advice you had given then numerous times before.

You're fine man. You were just trying to prevent an injury. If he is upset, that's his issue.

He could've just said "No I'm gonna keep quarter-squatting." and finished his routine without being upset at all.

I'm the guy you responded to; i usually avoid small talk as well, but it came naturally with this guy and he's someone i would probably be friends with outside the gym. When i said "shoot the shit" it's mostly cracking jokes or making fun of loud egolifters.

don't give advice unless specifically asked. You have to remember that your average gym-goer cares more about their ego and their numbers than they do about doing things properly. Criticizing a guys form, especially if he is in a group or with his girl is a personal attack to him.

I once had a bad experience with this guy who insisted ATG was too deep for me and my girl to go, and he just wouldn't let up about it. by the end I simply told him he was wrong and squatted more than he did anyway.

I've done this a few times, but I *always* start with, "Hey, would you mind if I gave some unsolicited advice?", which puts someone much less on the defensive. Acknowledge that you know you're being 'that guy'.
They always say yes, and then you're not so much in the position of annoying them, and they're generally more receptive to what you have to say.

And obviously, dont try to fix their entire squat in one conversation; just give a few cues

also, what says about groups is extremely true -- if it's two buddies, you might be able to give a tip or strike up a conversation, but if it's 3+ dudes, or a guy and his girl, do not bother, they'll be too defensive for the advice to penetrate.

a girl on her own is tough, because she's going to be defensive no matter what unless you're already friends

>acknowledging womens existence when they are at the gym

shiggy

I think a good course of action is to do your own exercises with great form, make great gains, and by that lead with example. If someone does something dangerous it's best to tell them though.

Yes it does violate conduct. He clearly wanted to do it his way, you need to leave him to it. If people want advice, they'll ask somebody. Since he didn't, you probably just made him feel insecure, more insecure than he might already feel.

Never do this again.

half-repping double or triple your actual max is not safe. he did him a favor.

I've been offered advice twice, and both times, I just responded with "ok" and kept doing things my way. They seemed a bit pissed, but they walked away and that was that. Fuck off OP.

I usually ask people in the form of a question. Like if I'm worried about their foot placement, toe angle or whatever I'll say "That's pretty a pretty wide/narrow squat, do you prefer that or?".
This way I'm making casual conversation and giving them the option to ask for input, I'm not saying "you're doing it wrong" which nobody likes, and maybe he'll think about it and make adjustments on his own. That's as far as I'll go, I leave the rest to them.

I do lift in a smaller gym, I probably wouldn't bother if I went to a big, commercial one.

As if a girl ever did some thing halfway worth correcting at a gym

That would piss me off more than just giving advice,
it sounds passive aggressive and bitchy.

No, you probably saved that kid from a free ticket to snapcity. Most of the people that are they when I workout are pretty good about most of what they do and have given me help when I started earlier this year, I really appreciated it

I saw a girl deadlifting and overextending/hyperextending at the low back at the top. I asked if I could give her a piece of advice, she said yes, then I told her to stop overextending. She followed my advice.

Yeah, this is how advice should be offered. Most people (myself included) would be understandably unenthusiastic about someone who comes up to them out of the blue and says "You're doing this exercise wrong. I know because I just read a T Nation article about it." When you offer unsolicited advice, people can easily tell whether or not you're doing it out of a genuine desire to help.

I would welcome it. If i do shit wrong and dont notice it, it would be neat if someone told me.

Youre fucking autistic if this is how you live life.

I saw two retards holding a single 25 plate each and walking around with it over their heads.