Grunting

Bob Evans

Member
Here a guy got booted from his gym for grunting while doing 500lbs squats.

http://wcbstv.com/topstories/local_story_305235233.html

Man Escorted From Planet Fitness Gym For Grunting
SLIDESHOW: Man Booted From Gym For Grunting
Is it ok to grunt while working out?
What other sports should ban grunting?

Tony Aiello
Reporting

(CBS) WAPPINGERS FALLS, N.Y. You can lift, strain, crunch and sweat all you want at the Planet Fitness in the Dutchess County village. But whatever you do, do not grunt.

Yep, "no grunting." It says so, in black and white, on a sign posted at the gym. One former member learned the new rule the hard way.

"This is really absurd, especially the part about the grunting," said Al Argibay, a corrections officer who learned first-hand "no grunting" means exactly that.

Argibay, a former competitive bodybuilder, joined the gym in September because it was affordable and convenient.

Planet Fitness is also somewhat picky, with a long list of dos-and-don'ts posted right inside the door.

"No grunting or screaming" is listed, along with "no bandanas or do-rags."

"We're creating an atmosphere that's not intimidating," said Carol Palazzolo, the gym manager, who yanked Argibay's membership on Monday.

Argibay said he was at a multi-press station, getting ready to squat about 500 pounds when the forbidden sin happened. "I let out a grunt, squatted down, back up, grunt again. That's it," explained Argibay. "Basically, grunt, grunt, basic breathing in heavy, and breathing out."

Grunting is commonplace at most gyms, but not Planet Fitness, which discourages so-called "musclehead behavior."

There's even a flashing light and siren on the wall, labeled a "lunk alarm," which sounds if someone grunts or drops weights on the floor.

Is it ok to grunt while working out?

Palazzolo admits she called the cops on Argibay. The Wappingers Falls police report said officers were asked to "escort a member out of the club for grunting while working out...which is not conforming with the rules of the establishment."

But Palazzolo said that's only part of the story.

"He did grunt, and when I told him he wasn't allowed to grunt, he got irate at me, he swore, and he yelled at me," Palazzolo said. "I asked him not to [grunt), he got irate and nasty, and I can't have him in my facility if he's gonna do those kind of things."

Argibay denied he yelled, cursed, or acted inappropriately. He demanded an apology from the gym and its manager.

"It's an attack on my character, and it's very embarrasing, and an insult," Argibay said. "At the end of the day, after serving your community as a corrections officer, the last thing I want is to be escorted out of the gym by the local authorities."

Palazzolo is standing her ground.

"I'm not out to hurt anybody," she said. "If he feels I hurt his feelings, I apologize for that, but I do not apologize for the way I handled the situation and I am not apologizing for our etiquette at Planet Fitness."

It's not personal, she said, it's policy. Grunters should go elsewhere.

What other sports should ban grunting?

(© MMVI, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
 
I would rather die than join a gym like that. I play loud metal music when I exercises at home and although I am not much of a grunter, of course I do some weird, heavy breathing when squatting and dead-lifting...I would think it is very unhealthy not too!!!! The stress on the lungs/ ribcage, etc. are too much to not grunt in these heavy lifts!
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Even my wife grunts when doing squats and I encourage her, the last thing I want her to do is hold her breath and pass out!
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there is more at work here then just the grunting, on both sides.

ive been asked not to renew my membership at a gym before, simply b/c they wanted to move the "lifters" out and make it a more woman/aerobic/universal machine type of gym. i know this b/c they told my girlfrirend (unbeknownest to them) this was their plan. this gym is obviously not interested in being a "lifters" gym, hence all the silly rules and sirens. the grunting and subsequent flip out was just an excuse to get rid of the undesirables.

on the other hand. my current gym just booted a guy for similar behavior. this gym is a lifters gym  right down to the chalk bin in the corner but this guys grunting was just an  example of an attitude he had walking in. along with the grunting came profanity, leaving huge amounts of wgt on bars and machines when finished, throwing wgts, breaking equip and also bleeding on equip from his horrible steroid induced acne (this is hard to believe yet true). perhaps my example is more extreme then the one reported but i dont think its too much of a stretch to think they shared some of the same attitudes.???

on both sides it appears to me whats reported probably doesnt tell the whole story.

see what exictement you guys that lift at home are missing out on.
 
That's why I actually like the gym I visit sometimes and will join during the cold weather. There are not many "real" lifters there but when I asked if deadlifting was OK the manager said, "we are powerlifter friendly" and gave me some mats to drop the bar on and everything. She said clanging, grunting, shouting, and dropping weights is fine. That, "maybe it will encourage others to do some real lifting too."
 
Planet fitness does not like squatting, they avoid purchasing racks, so its a bit odd that they had that much wieght, adn something for him to squat off
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<div>
(liegelord @ Nov. 03 2006,00:57)</div><div id="QUOTEHEAD">QUOTE</div><div id="QUOTE">I don't care about the grunting, I just don't see a reason to do it.  I've pulled 500 and not made a sound.</div>
...because Liege is secretly Superman.





I guess my primal screams on max day would be inappropriate in the foofoo gyms as well....
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<div>
(liegelord @ Nov. 03 2006,00:57)</div><div id="QUOTEHEAD">QUOTE</div><div id="QUOTE">I don't care about the grunting, I just don't see a reason to do it.  I've pulled 500 and not made a sound.</div>
perhaps his 500 is your 700.
 
In a Metal Militia vid I watched recently the guy taking the seminar was recommending that the lifters hold their breath the whole lift for bench and therefore should not be making any sound! I would have thought that was a good way to send your blood pressure soaring to dangerous heights but at least you'd be quite as your brain haemorrhaged!
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I actually find it spoils my concentration if I start making noises so I think it's more what you get used to doing rather than there being any real benefit. It doesn't bother me if others need to make noise though. Whatever it takes to get the job done. I certainly wouldn't want to train anywhere that making a noise was against policy.
 
Speaking mainly for myself, I think many of us associate a good &quot;AAAARRGHH!&quot; with the completion of a rep, rather than failing it. I think if people don't want to hear people straining, they shouldn't go to a gym, but as mentioned, there are some ladies and generally foofoo singlesclub gyms around.
I remember on a drop-in at Bally's a guy who came in, sat on a machine with a towel over his shoulders and talked to a gal on the next machine for 1/2 hour...then he packed up and left. Sheesh!
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i tend to let out a small grunt/forced breath toward the end of my last rep(s).i have a mate who really moans and grunts,a little too much for me.

so imo a groan is ok but if it sounds like youve just shot your load then i draw the line.
 
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(liegelord @ Nov. 03 2006,00:57)</div><div id="QUOTEHEAD">QUOTE</div><div id="QUOTE">I don't care about the grunting, I just don't see a reason to do it.  I've pulled 500 and not made a sound.</div>
I completely agree. As recently as a couple years ago, I would grunt/scream very loudly when going for a max or going to failure. I thought it helped me get psyched up for the lift and that I had to be angry or excited to get it done. Now, I'm actually very quiet and even stronger and more in touch with my body than I ever was when I would do all that crazy stuff. Only thing I do now is drop weights carelessly from time to time.

Anyway, I can't be sure, but I suspect that chick is telling the truth. I bet she called the cops because he got an attitude when she told him to be quiet. Either way, I don't know why you would choose to work out in a gym that actually has an alarm for grunting. That's nuts.
 
I completely agree ...I just dont see the need in the grunting.

NOt saying ever once in a while I dont make noises when things get heavy...but I dont do any of load psych stuff...I see guys doing that and most of the time they want attention.
 
I agree JM....some guys are just stoooopid over the line...but if I think I'm right at failure, it seems to help. Maybe it's from my public gym days...I wouldn't be making any sound at all if I thought I'd fail the rep!

Steve may have something there. Listening to the body instead.
I read somewhere that the russians work out to relaxing classical music instead of the hard stuff the way we do. I just would feel like a wuss listening to that. I like my hardcore attitude; it gets the job done.
 
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(stevejones @ Nov. 04 2006,11:29)</div><div id="QUOTEHEAD">QUOTE</div><div id="QUOTE"><div>
(liegelord @ Nov. 03 2006,00:57)</div><div id="QUOTEHEAD">QUOTE</div><div id="QUOTE">I don't care about the grunting, I just don't see a reason to do it. I've pulled 500 and not made a sound.</div>
I completely agree. As recently as a couple years ago, I would grunt/scream very loudly when going for a max or going to failure. I thought it helped me get psyched up for the lift and that I had to be angry or excited to get it done. Now, I'm actually very quiet and even stronger and more in touch with my body than I ever was when I would do all that crazy stuff. Only thing I do now is drop weights carelessly from time to time.

Anyway, I can't be sure, but I suspect that chick is telling the truth. I bet she called the cops because he got an attitude when she told him to be quiet. Either way, I don't know why you would choose to work out in a gym that actually has an alarm for grunting. That's nuts.</div>
There you have it, and stevejones IS superman.
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Some guys just gotta do that stuff. Look at Benni Magnusson. You going to call him a wuss?

I occasionally will let out some kind of noise when I'm hitting a max. But... I think as long as you don't sound like the guy in this video, you are fine:

FIGHTING SHAPE
 
Wasnt there a study done that showed for bicep curls if guys concentrated on what was going on with the muscle during contraction they were stronger than if they didnt? i remember reading it. Assuming this would apply to other lifts it would suggest that staying very focused would help more with strength than tryna get psyched up for every lift.
 
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(Totentanz @ Nov. 04 2006,23:37)</div><div id="QUOTEHEAD">QUOTE</div><div id="QUOTE">Some guys just gotta do that stuff. Look at Benni Magnusson. You going to call him a wuss?

I occasionally will let out some kind of noise when I'm hitting a max. But... I think as long as you don't sound like the guy in this video, you are fine:

FIGHTING SHAPE</div>
that guy has moe problem with his hair than the grunting.

I´d rather have a grunter at the squat rack than the farter.
 
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