Why carry a knife at the gym?

hank_rearden said:
just looking at the title, the thought that comes to my mind is a place where accidents and injuries could happen. a knife that can cut clothes, bandages, wood for splinting, etc will be very handy. and it's not just you, it's everyone around you at risk. during an emergency, being the only guy with a knife will raise your good looks level by at least a few notches. that's from experience.
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+1

I carry a Spyderco Squeak with me at the gym for that exact reason. Accidents happen alot at gyms, and mine has no actual staff, so there is nobody on hand to do the saving for me. If someone gets hurt, I have a great tool on hand to render SABC with. The Squeak is light, thin, and corrosion resistant, so it works great for this.
 
Hi Guys -

No offense, but I had to look and see if I was in practac.

I do not carry my knives for self defense, nor as a weapon at all.

I never think of my knives as weapons, unless I meet up with a surly piece of cheese that needs to be taught a lesson.

If there were an injury to someone at my gym that required medical attention, the gym staff would be the people to apply bandages and emergency medical treatment. If I had to retrieve my knife, my truck is literally 10 steps outside the door.

I might mention that my electronic pass to get in the door is on my Vic waiter, so my waiter is always hanging on the key-board inside the gym, so I still have ability to cut something if necessary.

All good - I don't think twice if someone wanted to carry in the gym - I just don't like crap in my pockets when I am working out.

best

mqqn
 
The thing about useful tools is, many of them are not very useful when they are not in the same location as you.

I have used my knives during workouts several times. The most memorable time was a kid who's shoe lace was loose and became twisted around the pedal spindle on an stationary bike. In an instant the lace wrapped and tightened his shoe to the point where he was screaming in pain. It actually drew so tight it ripped 2 eyelets out of his shoe before cinching down on his foot. I was able to cut the lace and free his foot in seconds. Not life or death, but everyone seemed happy with the solution.
 
Wow, all you guys that don't like stuff in your pockets need to try a Spyderco light weight clip it. I clip mine to the inside band of my sweat pants (Nike Nylon) and I can't even feel that it's there, but I know it is. Same when I'm swimming, mountain biking, whatever. The Pacific Salt does not have liners like an Endura 4 so it's super thin, light, and nearly rust proof.

What need do I have for my knife at the gym? I don't know....that's why I carry it.

If you don't have it with you, you don't have it.
 
Got to watch your back 'round these fellows.

6854898757_d597647b32.jpg
 
The question was asked "Why carry a knife at the gym?". There were no conditions put on the answer. I answerd honestly.

On August 4th 2009 a man walked into an LA Fitness in Pittsburgh and shot ten people, 4 of them died. I imagine that was a big surprise to everyone there. I can't help but wonder if any of those 4 people would still be alive if someone was armed and willing to act. I imagine their families wish someone had been. If you do a Google search for "gym shooting" you can read all about it. Or perhaps people would prefer to believe that such things never happen. Lots of people in Pittsburgh don't have the luxury of such ignorance.

I fully understand the limitations of a knife as a weapon. But I'd prefer to have something rather than nothing. If I had been in that gym on that night, I wouldn't have wanted to simply wait in a corner for my turn to be shot.

I take many precautions in life. I have fire insurance for my home, not because I live in fear of my house burning down, but because I consider it a wise and reasonable precaution.

I lock my doors at night. Not because I live in fear of someone breaking in, but because I live in the real world.
 
With regards to the previous post, a knife would be one of the last things I would reach for if a random gunman walked into my gym. To be honest, I'd probably start flinging weight plates at him. A 10 pound weight plate will put someone on the ground plenty fast. Or imagine getting hit with a dumbbell, or a 45 pound bar. Or any number of the other field expedient weapons available in a gym. Jump ropes, heck, even the cleaning spray bottle could be useful. A little 3" or 4" blade is irrelevant, and not very high up on my list of smart things to reach for in that circumstance.

Seriously, what am I going to use a knife for in a gym? Should I bring my BK2 there so I can baton a weight plate into a custom weight for me? The only reason I'd keep my knife on me is if I forgot my lock. But it's pretty easy for a knife to fall out of my pocket while I'm working out, and then it's just as gone as if it was stolen out of my locker. Unlike some of the other posters, I've never had need for a knife at the gym, nor heard of a situation at my gym where one might have come in handy. And I can't imagine that many circumstances where I wouldn't be able to just go fetch it out of my locker if I needed it.
 
killgar said:
The question was asked "Why carry a knife at the gym?". There were no conditions put on the answer. I answerd honestly.

On August 4th 2009 a man walked into an LA Fitness in Pittsburgh and shot ten people, 4 of them died. I imagine that was a big surprise to everyone there. I can't help but wonder if any of those 4 people would still be alive if someone was armed and willing to act. I imagine their families wish someone had been. If you do a Google search for "gym shooting" you can read all about it. Or perhaps people would prefer to believe that such things never happen. Lots of people in Pittsburgh don't have the luxury of such ignorance.

I fully understand the limitations of a knife as a weapon. But I'd prefer to have something rather than nothing. If I had been in that gym on that night, I wouldn't have wanted to simply wait in a corner for my turn to be shot.

I take many precautions in life. I have fire insurance for my home, not because I live in fear of my house burning down, but because I consider it a wise and reasonable precaution.

I lock my doors at night. Not because I live in fear of someone breaking in, but because I live in the real world.
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Please take this as someone concerned for your well being rather than some teenager stirring things up.

You don't know me and have no reason to listen to me.
So would see that as a reason to blow off what i'm saying, others will think that because i don't know you i do not need to blow smoke.

If you truly believe your last post then you really do need to speak to a professional mental health person.

Again i'm not judging you or having a go, i really am truly concerned.


The reason i say that is, in the 42 years i have been on this earth i have never once in my civilian life wished i had a knife on me for personal protection.
It's not as though i've lived my civilian life wrapped in cotton wool either.
I've done everything from cycling across the US at 17, have visited every continent on earth and was bought up in an extremely violent area in the UK, i've was held hostage with many many others in a shitehole little country in Africa (sounds worse than it was, as it was a fairly common occurrence), i've been threatened and got into many many fights as a youth, some i lost other i won.

If you walk around fearful all the time like you are then it WILL get worse.

There are sensible precautions like wearing a seatbelt, not walking through certain areas alone at certain times, as you say locking your doors and even fitting a decent alarm system, all are sensible and wise precautions to take.

But carrying a knife with you for personal protection is fundamentally flawed from the outset, carrying a knife because someone one time went crazy in some circumstances is just plain crazy though.

As i say, i realise i am on a knife forum and a forum that has a majority of members in the US, many citizens of which i've had discussions with about personal protection, knives, guns etc, so i know i'm going to come off as the bad guy here.

But in the civilian part of my life i've seen more bad things than i'd like to remember, in my other parts of my life these bad things seem like child's stories, but through it all i've not once seen a knife used well as a personal protection tool except on unsuspecting and unarmed adversaries.

So my advice is, enjoy life and stop being afraid of the implausible.
Carry a knife because it serves a purpose of because you like the design not for some action flick imaginary self defence situation.

Plus in the end we all die.
So if you die going up against a armed guy with no weapon then at least you get your name in papers and on TV rather than in some wheelchair aged 90 smelling of what you left in your diaper 2 hours previous.

P.S.
Just joking on the last part, if someone comes at you armed then run or hide unless you can find a situation where the odds are swung dramatically in your favour :thumbup:

Ohhhh lastly,
Please please please don't attack anyone with a knife even if it's in self defence, as all you'll do is give the "anti everything" lobby more ammunition to stop the rest of us carrying "tools" to do a job.
 
-Lucky- said:
I normally have a knife clipped to my sweatpants pocket while I work out, when I go for a run I'll go stash my pants in my locker and clip the knife in my waistband, normally a thin small knife. Why? Because that's rule #1 - Never go anywhere without a knife.
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Where do you keep your knife while in the shower at the gym?
 
cbr6fs - Being constantly fearful and being constantly prepared are not the same dude. If you are not able and/or willing to use a knife as a weapon it doesn't reflect on others. People have been using them as such for thousands of years. A jack ass can whip out a knife and put himself in more danger than he was before, but another person can have a bad guy going to the morgue faster than you can sing the ABC's.

There are other emergency uses for a knife besides being used as a weapon and couple, quick definition look-ups show "A serious, unexpected, and often dangerous situation requiring immediate action" and "an unforeseen combination of circumstances or the resulting state that calls for immediate action" - zombie apocalypse might happen while you are on the treadmill
 
I'm a fixed blade edc knife person. I may not always need a knife but nothing is worse than needing a knife and not having it. I'm also not carrying for self defense. It's a tool first. I use a folder at the gym or a neck knife "just in case." I'm discreet but believe in being prepared. Just my .02
 
stabman said:
I never did till they started having breakins in the locker room on a regular basis.
I ain't gonna have my wallet and a $400 knife get stolen to feed some junky's crack habit, so now my workout pants are cargo pants.

Certainly don't need a knife as a weapon or tool at the gym.
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exactly why my workout shorts are cargo style.
 
Cbr6fs,

Uh, yeah, don't quit your day job.

Your attempt to psychoanylize me from a few brief postings on the internet fell way short. You're right, you don't know me. Perhaps you should have tried to get to know me a little first before passing judgment. Maybe ask me a little about myself and my background. But you didn't bother. Personally, I try to get to know a person before forming my opinion of them. But that's just me.

Coincidently, I too am 42 years old. I too have been around awhile and have experienced much.

Though it's not something I like to talk about (I've been here over nine years and never mentioned it), I have been trained in the defensive use of a knife (as well as un-armed and pistol) and unfortunately, I have also found it necessary to use a knife to defend myself. A most horrible experience.

Now if you were a friend of mine, or someone I respected, I might have been inclined to share the details of my background, my history, my experiences. But you chose to jump to conclusions. That's not a trait I look for in my friends. Not a trait that I respect.

Good-bye, have a good life, It's a shame we didn't actually get to know each other.
 
mqqn said:
Hi Guys -

No offense, but I had to look and see if I was in practac.

I do not carry my knives for self defense, nor as a weapon at all.

I never think of my knives as weapons, unless I meet up with a surly piece of cheese that needs to be taught a lesson.

If there were an injury to someone at my gym that required medical attention, the gym staff would be the people to apply bandages and emergency medical treatment. If I had to retrieve my knife, my truck is literally 10 steps outside the door.

I might mention that my electronic pass to get in the door is on my Vic waiter, so my waiter is always hanging on the key-board inside the gym, so I still have ability to cut something if necessary.

All good - I don't think twice if someone wanted to carry in the gym - I just don't like crap in my pockets when I am working out.

best

mqqn
Click to expand...

That works if you are working out at a gym where there are medically trained staff. The gym on base here is open 24 hours, but has exactly ZERO staff. Just a cleaning guy that comes through twice a day. If my knife is light and small enough to not be a hindrance, then it doesn't make me a mall ninja to carry it in a gym where the likelyhood of an emergency situation is much higher than at the desk job that a lot of people carry their knives at. With the limits on carry in the UK, it is not like I would have a much bigger knife in my car than I carry at the gym anyway. I believe in being prepared, especially when I can do so with out impeding myself even slightly (seriously, its a 1.5 ounce knife that is the size of a silver dollar, not a freaking BK-2.

If it is a hindrance to you to carry a knife at the gym, fine, I understand, and I am not gonna look down on you for feeling that way. Some of us however feel different. Does not mean we need psychological help (not directed at you).
 
where again do you live and which gym do you go to? If you really dont care then you wouldnt mind if everyone knows where you like to hang out. I mean your such a bad ass that you have been to everywhere and dont even sweat when someone takes you hostage. you obviously can either talk your way out of any situation or disarm anyone with your super internet kung-fu skills even if they are armed with guns. you must be related to chuck noris!!! I mean god damn, your one impressive SOB!



P.S. It would be impossible to get your laces stuck in a stationary bike's gears/pedals right? I mean that has never happened before on earth.



cbr6fs said:
Please take this as someone concerned for your well being rather than some teenager stirring things up.

You don't know me and have no reason to listen to me.
So would see that as a reason to blow off what i'm saying, others will think that because i don't know you i do not need to blow smoke.

If you truly believe your last post then you really do need to speak to a professional mental health person.

Again i'm not judging you or having a go, i really am truly concerned.


The reason i say that is, in the 42 years i have been on this earth i have never once in my civilian life wished i had a knife on me for personal protection.
It's not as though i've lived my civilian life wrapped in cotton wool either.
I've done everything from cycling across the US at 17, have visited every continent on earth and was bought up in an extremely violent area in the UK, i've was held hostage with many many others in a shitehole little country in Africa (sounds worse than it was, as it was a fairly common occurrence), i've been threatened and got into many many fights as a youth, some i lost other i won.

If you walk around fearful all the time like you are then it WILL get worse.

There are sensible precautions like wearing a seatbelt, not walking through certain areas alone at certain times, as you say locking your doors and even fitting a decent alarm system, all are sensible and wise precautions to take.

But carrying a knife with you for personal protection is fundamentally flawed from the outset, carrying a knife because someone one time went crazy in some circumstances is just plain crazy though.

As i say, i realise i am on a knife forum and a forum that has a majority of members in the US, many citizens of which i've had discussions with about personal protection, knives, guns etc, so i know i'm going to come off as the bad guy here.

But in the civilian part of my life i've seen more bad things than i'd like to remember, in my other parts of my life these bad things seem like child's stories, but through it all i've not once seen a knife used well as a personal protection tool except on unsuspecting and unarmed adversaries.

So my advice is, enjoy life and stop being afraid of the implausible.
Carry a knife because it serves a purpose of because you like the design not for some action flick imaginary self defence situation.

Plus in the end we all die.
So if you die going up against a armed guy with no weapon then at least you get your name in papers and on TV rather than in some wheelchair aged 90 smelling of what you left in your diaper 2 hours previous.

P.S.
Just joking on the last part, if someone comes at you armed then run or hide unless you can find a situation where the odds are swung dramatically in your favour :thumbup:

Ohhhh lastly,
Please please please don't attack anyone with a knife even if it's in self defence, as all you'll do is give the "anti everything" lobby more ammunition to stop the rest of us carrying "tools" to do a job.
Click to expand...
 
I am one of these, in fact I have a dedicated gym bag knife.... a knife guy without a knife is just a guy:o
 
stabman said:
I never did till they started having breakins in the locker room on a regular basis.
I ain't gonna have my wallet and a $400 knife get stolen to feed some junky's crack habit, so now my workout pants are cargo pants.

Certainly don't need a knife as a weapon or tool at the gym.
Click to expand...

so leave your wallet and knife in the car...
 
My co-workers expect me to have my knife-therefore I do. I cannot believe forum members are critical of other members for carrying or not carrying. As far as the 42 yr old guy: You are a rookie to the planet!!!!I got more time crapping in the bush than he does on the planet.(Ok maybe not I'm 49 :rolleyes:)
I carry in the gym and pool(Spyderco Pacific Salt).
You can't make an appointment for an emergency
Jeff Cooper (RIP)
 
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