only up downs, pushups, and run anymore.

used to do all the major core lifts as you probably already know from previous conversations.

for me if i cant do it at a truck stop then i cant do it. lol. in any case im very happy with what im doing.

the discipline developed from weight training is priceless. branches into work, meditation, cooking, or just about anything. discipline may be the most important thing one can learn. no better way than weight lifting. you have to put forth the effort. you have to keep up with doing it religiously. you have to track your progress. and so on. not that somebody has to take it seriously. but for those that do the discipline developed is pretty big.

I changed gyms. My old gym was good, because it had timber lifting platforms for squat and deadlift, but recently I've had wait for ages for them - if I get to use them at all. This meant I couldn't train there. So I scouted the neighbourhood to see if there were better options and found a much larger gym with 3 squat racks and lifting platforms, better accessory equipment, 3 bench presses, and more functional training stuff (like push sled, battle ropes, boxing bags, TRX area). There's also a steam room and a 20M swimming pool.

I trained there for the first time today, and at the busiest time of day, but it wasn't too bad. I had to wait for a bench for about 10 minutes, which is OK, and I did a few pull ups and abs to finish off after benchin'.

I don't usually train at the busy times, so the new gym will be fine for me. I'm sure on most days I'll be able to go train and very rarely have to wait for anyone .

My gym is quite relaxing.. I rarely have to wait for anyone. I also like the atmosphere because it's available to all..
there's fat people and skinny people.. men and women.. young and old.. people with mental handicaps, etc.

I think the media portrays gyms often as places for certain kind of people only.. and this may put people off the idea. If everyone lived up to some 'ideal' many people would feel inadequate. Ultimately it's not about competition, it's about challenging ourselves and getting or staying healthy.

the YMCA where i lived in the states worked well. free weights. basketball court which was my main sport. other things that i wasn't interested in but others were.

Well for my job I lift lots of quite heavy stuff by myself on a daily base and I do feel slightly stronger than a while ago. Pretty nice alternative instead of hanging around a gym between them bunch of show-offs.

I do hope you aren't forcing it with your job. The great thing about a gym is that exercises can more easily be executed based on technique.
Whereas physical exercise through jobs may not stimulate this. Many construction workers for example develop issues.

I'm working on a half hour training sesh for a group of 3 clients called 'How to Keep your Back Straight in the Squat', aka 'Have a Sexy Squat'.

It warms up with drills that activate the muscles needed for a tight back.
Then the athletes (3) put the bar on their back, incorporate the warm up sequence to get a tight back, and squat - add 5kg - repeat.

By the end, the athletes have sore back muscles from a good back workout + legs - and have a much sexier squat than before.

I love my gym because it's small, I know the owner and love her, sometimes if I show up at the right time I even get the place all to myself for a while which is lovely!

I designed the 1/2 hour squat routine (for 3 people) and ran it through twice at the gym today, tweaking the routine to make it more efficient. I'll work some more on it tomorrow, and learn the whole routine off by heart.

I'll take it to class next week (I'm at personal trainer school) and run the drill on 3 of my classmates - and see what critique they offer. After I graduate (in June) i hope to present this 'Keep your back tight' class as a personal trainer to paying clients. In addition I will will design a series of 1/2 hour sessions to cover every aspect of the squat. The whole course will be called 'Have a Sexy Squat'.

I need to buy some squat racks like they use in olympic training, so I'm mobile and can run the course at whatever gym wants to run it. Limited to 3 clients might create a huge demand, and if so, I just put the price up a bit. The gyms will charge me for the space, and I need maybe 50 bucks for the 1/2 hour, so say the client gives me 15 bucks + 1/3 each of whatever the gym wants. I could run 4 classes in succession and get like 180 quid in say 2 hours... allowing for set up time and dawdlers.

If it is popular, and I think it will be, it is good way of promoting myself as a PT, and of all the people who come to classes, some will hire me for personal coaching as well.

I'll donate my hat to St Vincent De Pauls when I make first mill'...

...and have great kamma for all the sexy squats.

I even have a song for it: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZueDC0HqP28