To be honest, I try to avoid these idiots and not talk to people when at the gym. I'm all business and there to hit the weights, nothing more. I dont want to hear some guys life story of how he "used to be" this and that and what have you.
I am the same way.
Most of the strange or dumb questions i get are usually from co-workers or random people in public areas.
I had a young guy at my old job ask me how many years it took for me to get the size i was, when i replied with "over 10 years of consistant diet and training" he almost laughed and told me he didn't think it would take him that long to get to my size. Some people honestly think they can lift weights for a year and look like Arnold, and when i tell people all the years of training and dieting it took me to get where i was/am, they usually react with the old "i was your size in high school" or when i tell them how strong i was/am, i get the same thing "i used to bench 405 in high school/college" etc...cracks me up every time.
I've heard the majority of the comments in this thread at one point over the years. The old "i don't want to get too big" has to be one of the most common or when you tell someone you bench 365 or whatever they always claim they benched 10 pounds more in high school or something. Most women give the "but i don't want any ugly muscles" and after i explain to them how they won't build hardly any muscle due to the female hormone profile they still don't believe me and think they will look like a woman from American Gladiators after 6 months of cardio kickboxing.
But the absolute worst has to be "why?". i get this a lot. Why? Why do i lift weights, why do i eat healthy, why do i do cardio 4 days a week, why play racket ball, why lift weights at all? i usually reply with "why not"? People sit on their asses and drink beer with an extra large value meal while smoking cigs all day and i never ask them anything. it is like being healthy is a bad thing in our society today and people will almost condem you for it. When a 300 pound man who can't walk up a flight of stairs without breaking into heavy breathing and a sweat is asking me why i workout, i almost want to reply with "so i don't end up like you", but i'm kind enough to respect that person and their right to be fat and unhealthy, so i can just continue on being what i choose to be rather than what our failing society wants me to be.
