Weightlifting in Brazil

[seneca]

Firstly, let me congralute Mehdi for such a great informational website. Alright, so I am from Brazil, probably the only Brazilian around. I already weight lifted for 4 months before start 5x5 approach, which showed me how my hypertrophied muscles where not as strong as I tought, not functionally strong enough. Well, here in Brazil most of gyms (99%) are commercial, lot's of machines with controlled movements; in my gym we have barbells and a benchpress but that's it, maybe I should start my own gym but don't have money to buy equipment here, which is so expensive.

Anyways, I am a beginner but I am strong. I am 1.92m, 85kg, 13% bodyfat. I am squating about 60kg and training by my own, so one day I asked a instructor at the gym to look at my squating and I placing the load on the barbell and he started to laugh! He then said to me: - You cannot squat that. But that's because no one in my gym squat, I am the only gym in the whole gym who does squats and deadlifts. It's funny, guys around here have an unbalanced body with stick legs and HUGE breasts. So I squated and the guy was looking at me like a fool. Next day was the same thing with the deadlifts, he saw me and said I couldnt do it, and proved him wrong he also said I was doing the wrong movements, that I should drop the bar when i lifted it (but I printed from stronglift site the right way and gave to him, he doesnt understand english but was enough to silence him).
So I am loving my training, there a lot of eggheads in the gym who have no idea what i am doing, today some random guy was complaining at me because I was squating and taking room of the gym! Can you believe it! I think here in Brazil we have a long road to drive towards weightlifting, the instructor guys at the gym have degree in p.e and don't know shit about technical moves like squats,deadlifts and oh boy, never heard about power cleans and jerks.

Regards,

Vitor aka Seneca

[mjh]

welcome to stronglifts seneca, I'm sorry to hear about the attitude at your gym. Hopefully your example will encourage a few of the guys there to re-think their training.

[rere]

the instructor guys at the gym have degree in p.e and don't know shit about technical moves like squats,deadlifts and oh boy, never heard about power cleans and jerks.

Regards,

Vitor aka Seneca

Shame on them, just goes to show with the knowledge they supposedly have they don't have a clue about real weight training.
Welcome to stronglifts seneca
Lift long and prosper



Peace.

[Love_Deadlifts]

They may not know much about weight lifting... but you're at the freaking MECCA of Brazilian Jiujitsu! That's exciting as hell to me.

[XFatMan]

I've been living here in Brazil (Minas Gerais) for quite some time. Yes, Brazilian instructors are that ignorant - all over the country. That's no surprise. What they learn at university - if they learn anything at all - is useless. I even had to sign a term of responsibility so I can squat and deadlift. This guy didn't know anything about the lifts and thought they looked too dangerous to allow. Now, others are starting with squats and deadlifts because they see results on me. But that's not all: even bent-over rows look too dangerous, and all the other lifts except bench press. The instructor didn't even want to allow standing OH presses and power cleans. My God, is this country ignorant.