Check your ego at the door

Something interesting happened at the gym the other day. I noticed a big guy getting onto the seated leg push machine after loading it up with what looked like 240kg.

Damn, strong dude, I remember thinking.

A couple reps in, he was obviously struggling but not giving up, really pushing himself until he couldn't anymore. And then, he couldn't anymore. Grunting and trying to engage the safety, but he genuinely could not get the weight high enough for the safety to click into place.

(there's another blog post here about how unsafe gym equipment is by default, but let's stay on track here...)

After some doubt I rushed over to help push the weight up, which a couple other guys nearby joined to save the guy from getting folded in half. He managed to lock the safety pin into place, got off the seat, thanked us, and the following exchange happened:

Helpful Guy: Feel free to ask like a spot, don't lift so heavy yourself. It's dangerous.

Meathead: This weight is fine, I can lift this.

Helpful Guy: Yeah but you failed it.

Meathead: I usually lift heavier.

I don't know if it was the steroids talking, but that just reeked of ego lifting to me. In the gym, it's okay to ask for help. If you even think you might fail a set, ask someone nearby to spot you so you don't hurt yourself. Don't leave it up to random chance that you'll be seen failing a set.

Check your ego at the door.