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Comment by marcell | Hacker News Reader

> At my zenith, I could draw spectators for my leg presses at 270 pounds

I had to make sure I wasn't mistaken about what a leg press is [1]. 270lbs on leg press doesn't draw spectators anywhere, it's a warm up set for most people. This line throws into question the credibility the rest of the article...

[1] https://www.exrx.net/WeightExercises/Quadriceps/SL45LegPress

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The credibility was already kind of shoddy. Had she tried more than 1 gym, she'd would have found the atmosphere and people can be wildly different.

Plus, Should I not workout, or workout at the gym because the janitor doesn't get health insurance? What was the point of that jab?

The whole article reeked to me of, "I don't understand this, therefore I have disdain for people who do, and they must be X, Y and Z."

I workout at a corporate center's free gym. I do powerlifting. I keep a log of my progress.

I also keep a log of when I do oil changes, and what groceries I need. I don't like to just "guess". That's all that means.

Indeed, it sounds like one of the trendy corporate gyms you'd find in the Bay area and other corporate centers. I've been to gyms like that, where grunting while lifting (omg, you're using free weights?!?!) is grounds for a warning, and to other gyms where people bring their own bars and the occasional drop, while met with angry stares and sometimes invective from other gym members, is not cause for immediate termination of their membership.

270 pounds is nothing. I ruined my knees in high school through unsupervised access to the weight room during gym class. After some time, I could press the whole rack on the upper foot platform (old school lever type machine with two sets of foot platforms. That was the equivalent of 950 pounds.

yeah i’d agree but maybe if you’re a tiny woman it could?

Not sure but i know 16 year olds that can do that much

Ah, "Barbara", yea maybe... even still I see women doing 360+ regularly at my gym

She is 76 years old, if that changes your computations. (I don't think I've ever noticed anyone actually using the leg press machines in anger at my local gym.)

Yeah, I did 350 at 16, but I’m also a 6’4” dude, not a 70yr old woman so...

Perhaps she's not including the sled? At 105, that'd make it 375.

The number might sound "big" to the uninitiated but due to the mechanics of leg press it's less impressive than being able to get out of bed. There is no way this guy has ever lifted anything.

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