31
Typically on those types of barbells the number marked is for the entire object: both ends, and the bar itself.
That's different than separate plates and bars, where you need to figure in the weight of the bar and each plate weighs as much as it says on the side. 135lbs on a typical Olympic barbell is 45 for the bar, and a 45 plate on each side (45+45+45).
...
20
There is a difference, in that you are changing the load on your core. Squats are not "just a leg exercise" as many people assume that it is. There are several variations of squats, and they each have their place.
If you choose to do dumbbell squats, I highly recommend Goblet Squats. Instead of the weight at your sides, it is in front of you. This ...
16
My # 1 recommendation is: start working out now with what you have. Body weight exercises, some dumbbells and a few cardio machines should keep you busy for a long time. Don't wait until you have all the equipment you might need or gym membership - those are nice to haves. The most important step is starting....there are plenty of people who get in great ...
14
Olympic Bars
The IPF (International Powerlifting Federation) and the IWF (International Weightlifting Federation) have set forth standards for what a barbell has to be for use in competition. These standards are largely compatible, so most manufacturers will manufacture for those standards:
Men's bar: 20kg (~45lb)
Women's bar: 15kg (~35lb)
Junior's bar: ...
12
Moving around a weight room has caused more injuries than training has, for me.
You can trip, people leave crap strewn about, and as you mentioned it's easy to drop a plate. Shoes won't protect you from a falling 45lb but they'll probably prevent or at least greatly minimize a stubbed toe. Something stupid like that can sideline you for a week. Walking ...
10
Preference
I collar my squats, deadlifts, and overhead presses just because it annoys the heck out of me if the plates slide around even an inch or two. The noise and the asymmetry irritate my aesthetic preferences.
With squats, only once have I seen the plates move more than an inch or so, and it was a good indicator that my set had been sloppy. However, ...
9
The general rule of thumb is that for free weights, a weight that is designed to be used interchangeably will have its own weight indicated on it, whereas a weight that is fixed will represent the total weight of the object.
For non-free weights, a weight that is located on a stack in a machine will indicate the weight of itself and all the weights on top ...
8
Two of the programs with a lot of following are Starting Strength (website / book) and Strong Lifts 5x5 (website). Whichever program you follow, the Starting Strength book is worth its weight in gold.
Both of these programs are built for novices, which should be defined by strength standards, not personal opinions. They focus on compound barbell exercises.
...
8
This can be calculated by figuring out the location of the centre of gravity of the unevenly loaded bar. If the CoG is outside of the pegs, then the bar will flip off.
Some assumptions:
80mm thick 20kg bumper plates are being used. (Thicker plates will
shift the CoG further out, so bumper plates are a
worst-case-scenario.)
The bar is positioned with its ...
7
The ball bearings allow the weights to rotate without the bar in your hand needing to rotate. As you move a weight in most exercises, unless you have amazing form, some amount of rotational energy will be transfered to the weight. This is true in Olympic lifts even if you have perfect form.
If the weight was not allowed to move freely, you would need to ...
7
Pro Dumbbell
Allows for a more natural movement.
You can do more movements. Could not do flies with a bar...
A seasoned lifter does not need a spotter.
Work your fixator/balancing muscles more.
Force you to use each side equally. Can really help if you have a muscle imbalance.
Can help stress smaller muscle groups.
Stretches muscles better (with correct ...
7
Sports tape to the rescue!
My gym used to have the same problem, to the point where some people actually started bleeding. Calluses don't really go away if you work out a lot, and so the injuries inside the hand compounded between exercises like deadlifts, pullups and EZ-curls.
The staff at the gym eventually started taping the bars every day because of ...
6
There are several different approaches I have found to deal with this very problem:
Get your own squat rack for your house.
Clean the bar from the floor.
Get a spotter to help you.
Use the bench press barbell rack so you are only cleaning from waist up.
Use the steinborn lift.
Each of these has their own pros and cons, and you'll need to evaluate what is ...
6
If you are doing it in proper form, it'll build your middle back, lower back, glutes, legs and it'll also help strength the sides of the abs. Your shoulders and traps should see almost no change.
You do get your traps sore because of all the weight that is resting on top of them but you are not putting them under tension.
If you want to build your ...
5
I would vote that you join a gym. It can certainly be expensive (and less convenient), but the net positives outweigh the negatives.
First, an Olympic barbell costs ~$100. Basic, cast-iron weights cost a little more than $1/pound (at least where I live.) So just to get started, you're probably looking at $300, just for a barbell and weights.
Second, ...
5
People get injured lifting with their back because their backs are weak. Not using one's back is one solution. Strengthening one's back is a better solution.
The point of stiff-legged deadlifts is to start light and slowly progress to weights that are challenging--that is, heavy for you--but still solidly doable. This is a safe way of loading the back in ...
5
I'd double check the rack to be entirely sure the pins can't be set outside the rack. Maybe I'd ask someone who works at the gym. Maybe the rack has holes on the side, and the pins can be turned backwards?
But let's assume you can't get a rack at chest height where you can press. Switching gyms is a fine option that sounds closed to you. Buying a power ...
5
The answer with all questions of this manner is "It Depends". Specifically, the factors that influence the decision are:
Are you competing in a strength sport? If so:
How close to the contest date are you?
Is the squat a contested lift (usually only Powerlifting, but occasionally this applies to Strongman as well)
Your individual lever lengths and ...
5
Friction between the barbell and your thighs effectively increases the bar's resistance to movement. I assume that the dumbbells do not rub appreciably against your thighs when you shrug them. So, you must work harder to shrug a barbell weight than to shrug dumbbells of the same nominal total weight.
Because the barbell is in front of you, its center of ...
5
Ridigity is only one issue. Center of mass is the other, and unless such a contraption either has negligible mass, or has its center of mass in the plane of movement, it will induce additional torque at the point where the lifter grasps it. This torque may be large enough to cause significant discomfort if not outright injury. Even if your device could be ...
4
Never trust a barbell.
The gym owner will swear it's 45 pounds. It ain't. Your workout partner will swear he weighed it last year and it's 25 pounds. It ain't. There are a lot of different bars, whether Olympic, standard, curl or whatever, and they're being built to different weights. When it comes to precision, different brands have different standards. A ...
4
The mats are a good idea even if you are in a single family home on the ground floor. They will help protect both the floor and your equipment.
Any lift where there is a risk of dropping the weight can't be done in an apartment. It's for the same reason you can't run and jump without bothering your neighbors. Impact noise travels through ceilings and ...
4
You have made solid progress. Congratulations, keep up the hard work.
If I were you I'd switch to a program that adds weight weekly or monthly, such as Rippetoe & Kilgore's Texas Method from Practical Programming, or 5/3/1, or another similar program. That will keep you adding strength for quite a while longer.
I'd consider switching up exercises, to ...
4
No one directly said this, so I thought I'd contribute (the other posters talked around this):
When you do a stiff legged deadlift, you maintain your spine in a fixed curvature, and pivot at the hips. If you curled and uncurled your back, yes, you'd probably injure it. But by holding it in position, you perform a powerful isometric exercise for the lower ...
4
Dumbbells are an excellent choice for bench and overhead pressing. For deadlifts they're kind of not great, because it gets awkward as soon as it gets heavy. I'd do lots of Romanian dumbbell deadlifts, or dumbbell power cleans, instead.
For squats, I'd do lunges with dumbbells before I'd do the Smith machine. That his is just not right.
4
When I start to pull, inevitably my knee angle "wants" to open first to the point that my back is horizontal before the bar actually leaves the ground
This sounds fine. Fully horizontal is a bit much, but lots of people get to near-horizontal and that's the way it should be. There's no need to keep your back angle constant from your setup. It's very common ...
4
Barbells lets you use significantly more weight than dumbbells because you don't have to use as much balance, very few people use dumbbells half as heavy as their barbells, personally, I can add about 25% of the weight I'd use with dumbbells in total.
This means you can put a heavier load on your triceps, pecs and shoulders (maybe), which in turn means ...
4
The lower back is the failure point of back squats, and gets a lot of work out of them. So yes, back squats build the back. Are back squats the best for the lower back? Not always; I find deadlifts slightly better for maximal loading, and weighted back extensions somewhat better for hypertrophy, but squats are a great middle ground.
I find that doing >1....
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