34
votes
Accepted
Barbell says 20kg on each side. Am I lifting 20 or 40kg?
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 ...
- 14.9k
13
votes
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Afraid of dropping weight plates on feet
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 ...
- 14.9k
10
votes
Accepted
What's a good strength training program for a beginner?
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.
...
- 14.9k
9
votes
Barbell says 20kg on each side. Am I lifting 20 or 40kg?
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 ...
- 1,179
8
votes
Will barbell squats really strengthen back/deltoid/traps muscles?
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.
...
- 217
8
votes
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Loading the bar asymmetrically
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 ...
- 11.1k
7
votes
Accepted
How to deal with aggressive knurling?
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 ...
Alec♦
- 17.4k
6
votes
Accepted
Will barbell squats really strengthen back/deltoid/traps muscles?
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 ...
- 25.9k
5
votes
Accepted
Bar bell shrugs difiicult
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, ...
- 1,791
5
votes
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Do I need to switch up my squat stance?
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 ...
- 45.6k
5
votes
Center-less barbell. Would it be the same?
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 ...
- 1,179
5
votes
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Why knee and hip torques in Squat are always referred to the midfoot line?
To simplify matters let us ignore the weight of the body.
In this case the barbell must be placed directly over the pressure point of the groundforces on the foot.
The groundforces are in fact ...
- 3,327
4
votes
Accepted
Deadlift form and individual morphometry
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,...
- 25.9k
4
votes
Will incline press target shoulders more than chest?
It does both. The amount of chest involvement depends on the width of your hand placement. Experiment with that and make note of where you feel it in your chest most.
Flat bench also works your ...
- 45.6k
4
votes
Are barbells really more beneficial than dumbbells?
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 ...
- 2,745
4
votes
Do I need to squeeze my back when I am doing overhead(military) shoulder press?
A very common movement impairment is using the lower back to compensate for a lack of overhead shoulder mobility.
Here is a person with their hands above their head:
&...
- 1,647
4
votes
Accepted
Dead lift - Is it better to pick up racked weight or start from the ground?
What you seem to essentially be doing right now is starting with a negative for your first movement, which means that technically, your first lift is not a valid dead-lift, but something closer to a ...
- 8,447
3
votes
Accepted
What should hands do during Barbell Squats?
I’m a firm believer in making sure to remove any unnecessary movements that would otherwise affect my technique/form. I think that’s important to reduce any risk of form break or injury. And, extra ...
- 6,696
3
votes
Are barbells really more beneficial than dumbbells?
Bodybuilders are more concerned with isolation work than strength athletes are. Body building, at it's core, is about body modification. With dumbbells you can get a lot more specific and target ...
- 14.9k
3
votes
Accepted
Incline Row Machine vs BB Pendlay Rows
I wouldn't sweat the difference in weights you can do on one versus the other, there can be a lot of good reasons for that. The angles, range of motion, and muscle involvement all shift.
On heavy ...
- 14.9k
3
votes
Incline Row Machine vs BB Pendlay Rows
yes it does leave out the lower back, hips and hamstrings you use to help generate power resulting in far less weight used BUT... you get more stimulation on the target areas like the middle traps and ...
3
votes
Afraid of dropping weight plates on feet
What if I drop a weight plate on my feet?
It will hurt. It may injure you. It's possible it will injure you severely and permanently.
I've been lifting barefoot...Do people actually drop plates ...
- 25.9k
3
votes
Accepted
Confusion regarding barbells
I'd go with the larger one. Looks like it won't be as sore sitting on your shoulders.
The small one also looks like it will only take small plates. This will really limit how much weight you can put ...
- 436
3
votes
How to deal with aggressive knurling?
You could also try out "Fat Grips". You put them on the bar and have a rubbery feel to them. They can also be placed on dumb bells and regular bars.
Their purpose is to make the bar thicker to work ...
- 436
3
votes
Center-less barbell. Would it be the same?
From the point of a physicist, no, it would definitely not be the same. I cannot think of any position for that this would be stable, without taking much effort.
Above the head: Keeping the fancybar ...
- 595
3
votes
What are all the barbell collar types?
I'm not in a position to list all of the different collar types. I don't know why that would be useful knowledge.
But to answer your question of pros/cons:
They all serve the same fundamental ...
Alec♦
- 17.4k
3
votes
Accepted
Power Clean basic guide
If you want a guide to lift a heavy object from the ground (or close to the ground) to around shoulder height, I would say you more want to look at the stone lifting in strongman training than ...
- 4,644
2
votes
Accepted
bent over barbell row biceps usage
If you check out EXRX's muscle activation list on the bent-over barbell row, you'll note that the dozen or so muscles that make up the bicep and forearm are syngerists and dynamic stabilizers: not ...
- 14.9k
2
votes
Which barbell exercises can be done in an appartement?
I've had a home gym in the second bedroom of my apartment for over 20 years and I've never had any noise complaints. I have a power rack, a bench, and 350lbs of weights. I just never drop the weights ...
- 21
2
votes
Do I need to switch up my squat stance?
Just speaking for me personally, I find it pretty impossible to get my hips to go below my knee if I'm not at least shoulders-wide stance. I would go as wide as you need to in order to:
Achieve depth....
- 14.9k
Only top scored, non community-wiki answers of a minimum length are eligible