|
|
|
|
|
GOLDSEA |
YOUR TRUE STORIES
[NOTE TO READERS: This page is closed to new input. You can post new true stories and continue discussions at the new improved Instant Polls & Comments area. --Ed.]
Showdown in the Weight Room
o I was working out in the school weight room doing my daily benchpress sets. I was about to do my first warmup set when this white guy and his girlfriend decide to visit me at the bench set. The white guy asks me if he could work in the next set, and I reluctantly gave my permission. So as I was stretching, the guy asks if he could work in now, and added that he would have been done by the time i finished stretching. This kind of pissed me off, and I had to gently and loudly remind him
that it was out of my good grace that I allow him to work in the next set and that he had no place rushing me. This especially pisses me off because I am a rather skinny guy and require a lot of
concentration when I lift weights. I generally do not like to be rushed. So anyway, I had a suspicion about the guy, so I pretended to be having trouble while lifting my first set (135lb). My arms were shaking and my face red. I exaggerated my struggle with the last rep of the set. When I finished, I
sat up and collected myself. It was now his turn on the bench. He put on a quarter plate on each side of the benchpress (185lb).
It was painfully obvious by now that he had turned this into a weightlifing competition for the benefit of his girlfriend. He lifted the set pretty consistently, and his form was actually
pretty good. When he finished, he flashed a big shit-eating grin at his girlfriend and gives me the same look. The ass is probably feeling pretty good about himself. He had just bested
a skinny asian guy at the manly sport of benchpressing. I look at him like "Whatever", I take off the 25lbs from each side and proceeded to add a plate and a 10 lb to each side. The bar is now sagging under the weight of 265lb. This is definitely not
the usual weight I lift. But in the spirit of competition, I lied down and proceeded to rep it consistently 6 times.
Throughout the set, I was aware of the white guy and his girlfriend observing my set (as well as the rest of the people
working out, as this drama had attracted an audience by now.) But by the time I put the bar back on the rack, the white guy was quietly sneaking out of the weight room with his girl.
Moral of the story:
Looks can be deceiving, but more importantly. You have nothing to show off if you can lift 185lbs. You have
nothing to show off even if you can lift 265lbs. You maybe only have something to show off if you can lift 500lbs. So don't try to provoke people in the weight
room.
This guy now probably has developed an inferiority complex towards Asians.
Durin
Thursday, March 07, 2002 at 16:43:47 (PST)
This page is closed to new input.
Stories and comments posted during the past year remain available for browsing.
To post your new true stories or to comment on these stories, go to our new improved Your True Stories area at
Instant Polls & Comments
CONTACT US
|
ADVERTISING INFO
© 1996-2013 Asian Media Group Inc
No part of the contents of this site may be reproduced without prior written permission.
|
|
|
|
GOLDSEA |
YOUR TRUE STORIES
[NOTE TO READERS: This page is closed to new input. You can post new true stories and continue discussions at the new improved Instant Polls & Comments area. --Ed.]
READER COMMENTS
"big bad bodybuilder"?
I'm a 6ft 250lb AJA whose steroid-free measurements are 50chest 34waist 20biceps 30quads.
Because some folks thing its impossible to be AJA and be this big, they are convinved that I am Samoan.
Just me
Friday, May 03, 2002 at 10:56:27 (PDT)
Dude, 265 ilbs ain't nothing to talk about but it's pretty impressive when you're that size. I am a chinese american male, 6'1 190ilbs and i bench press 340-360ilbs. I been working out for only 1year and a half and my goal is to bench press 400ilbs. Being big does earn respect but the reason why i lift is because i need something to take my mind off of work.
asian dude
Tuesday, March 26, 2002 at 01:22:22 (PST)
Benchpressing by itself is not a true measure of fitness. For example, it is not a good measure of cardiovascular fitness. So benchpressing by itself should not really impress anyone.
I once saw two individuals compete in a real physical fitness test, which also measured cardiovascular fitness. Guess who did better overall? Not the guy who could benchpress more. And the guy who won happened to be Asian.
The US Army's physical fitness test can be used as a competition for real fitness. You don't need any fancy equipment. Everyone in the Army has to take this test twice a year. For the Army physical fitness test, you have to do as many push ups as you can in 2 minutes, as many sit ups as you can in 2 minutes, and then a two mile run, as quick as you can. You are allowed a break of at least 10 minutes, but no more than 20 minutes, between each event. If you are male, 17-21 years of age, you must do at least 42 push ups, 53 sit ups, and then the 2 mile run in 15 minutes and fifty four seconds. Females, if you are 17-21 years, you must do 19 push ups, 53 sit ups, and then the 2 mile run in 18 minutes and 54 seconds.
The standards for other age groups can be found easily on the internet.
The Marine Corps test is a bit more demanding (pull ups, sit ups, and a 3 mile run). The Air Force and Navy have somewhat less demanding tests than the Army.
HOOAH
True Fitness
Friday, March 22, 2002 at 19:56:10 (PST)
Before you so arrogantly impose your value system of insecurity and importance upon us, you need to pull your head out of your kangaroo ass and recognize and respect that you have no authority to recommend what other people should "give a damn about."
No where in this thread does anyone state that our individual and collective value as Asian Americans are defined by how much we benchpress. That would be ridiculous. But you have decided to say that more "important" things such as "how good we are with women" (which reveals your objectification of women), and "how good at sports we are" define our worth to society. Benchpressing is not any more arbitrary than any of these solutions you propose.
Granted, some people may use benchpressing to fill the void left by their insecurities; this is not limited only to Asians. This is a problem, no doubt. But you seem to have the much deeper and pervasive problem of making an ass out of yourself. You're no better than the white guy in my story. People like you, Asian or White, piss me off. It never ceases to surprise me how many idiots there are across each racial boundaries.
Why don't you go do something productive? Go remove yourself from our gene pool.
Durin
Tuesday, March 12, 2002 at 11:43:12 (PST)
i cant believe how much americans give a damn about how much they can bench press, WHO CARES, you should be caring about how well youare with a woman or more important things like how good you are at a sport, It looks to me like most of asian americans have insecurity problems and need to bench press to think that your admired or good.
asian in australia
Monday, March 11, 2002 at 21:22:55 (PST)
Good showing. Did not know the weight room got so competitive.
AC Dropout
Monday, March 11, 2002 at 09:38:14 (PST)
Wow. Props. I'm speechless!
Jake
Monday, March 11, 2002 at 06:51:24 (PST)
Actually, let me make some minor clarifications. 265lbs is my maximum benchpress rep. What I did actually that day was 6 reps of 245 lbs. And as for the people inquiring about my physique, I'm a 20 yr old Chinese guy, about 5'10, 140lbs. I don't curl or squat very much, but instead focus my attention upon benchpress and pullups. As a result, I have a case of the chicken-legs and comparably skinny arms. I had also gone through a series of nasty injuries. I had torn muscles in both my pectorals, and I recently recovered from a shoulder injury. So I know first-hand that showing off and lifting more weights than you should is a pretty stupid idea.
Whitey seemed like about 180 lbs and 5'11. To him, I probably didn't seem like much. He definitely had more bulk like me and would seem more capable of heavy lifting. He could probably outdo me in curls or squats, but I work out every weekday on my benchpress. Also the other students there know me and know what weights I am capable of, so this guy was either new or inattentive to detail. And usually everyone is polite and civil. I am just simply astonished that this guy wanted to challenge me with his girlfriend there... what a dumbass; he had more to lose than me. But anyway, I'm glad to receive your encouraging comments on this matter.
Finally, in retrospect, it was a bad idea to compromise my workout and risk personal injury just to humiliate a white guy. But man, let me tell you, it was fun keeping whitey down for a change.
Durin
Sunday, March 10, 2002 at 21:53:07 (PST)
You guys... so like "steroid type people"
Just dont stunt your growth by weightlifting too young leh... So you guys really ARE shorter than caucasians? Are you people from cambodia?
Yeh .. bench more but remember! Height is everything! New published height statistics of American women is only 5'3! So short ! Chinese people are so tall!!! I mean the ones in china living in beijing or shanghai etc..
* rushes over to height discussion *
Are people really that prejudice in the weight room? Jez remember... dun be a midget of 5'ft3 and weigh 300 poundsswith stumpy legs and arms. Really unattractive.
ParkJiYoon
Sunday, March 10, 2002 at 11:28:59 (PST)
many people in the weight room are prejudice, they think that asians are naturally weak and will not have big muscles, but the truth is that i'm a little smaller than the lean white guys, but i'm somehow stronger. I can bench 200 while others my size can bench a maximum of 180.
Size doesn't matter
sss
Saturday, March 09, 2002 at 08:47:33 (PST)
[Looks can be deceiving, but more importantly. You have nothing to show off if you can lift 185lbs. You have nothing to show off even if you can lift 265lbs.]
You do, if you're a skinny Asian guy.
Esp. if you can bench 265 lbs!
Man, how long have you been benching?
How tall are you/how much do you weigh?
Most Asian brothas I know do have a hard time benching 135 lbs as do many skinny White boys. My Latino friend was a linebacker on his HS football team, and has been lifting weights consistently for 10 yrs.
He can max bench at around 375 lbs!
Isn't that something to show off?
I think so! The guy's around 5'8" and 205 lbs. How about this White guy?
Do you do curls too? If so, what do you usually curl? The 3-4 Asian guys I know who workout consistently curl 35s, which is pretty good. I know alot of other Asian and White boys who have trouble curling 25 and 30s (they stick to 20s… haha). My Latino friend curls 70s in each hand. DAYAM!!!
What about incline press (w/ dumbbells)?
I don’t know about your Asian buddies, but most of mine are pretty weak/need to spend more time at the gym.
Hapa amateur lifter
Friday, March 08, 2002 at 12:29:01 (PST)
HELL YEAH!!!!!
Jigga, you da shiet.... I almost busted a gut laughing. I'm not a big guy myself at only 5'8" and 155, but I can squat over 400 pounds becoz I have a very powerful lower body. My upper body is relatively unimpressive (my max is 185), so guys at the gym (usually white dudes) often sneer at me when I bench press. But I can see their expressions change when I add 4 plates on each side of the squat bar and bust out 3 sets of 12. Those bee-otchez.
Power Squatter
Friday, March 08, 2002 at 11:48:09 (PST)
Durin:
Fantastic story! Keep up the good work.
No Pain, No Gain
Friday, March 08, 2002 at 11:02:15 (PST)
NEWEST COMMENTS |
EARLIER COMMENTS
|