Deadlift equippment...

[Morondava]

So I'm curious what you all use for deadlifts. In the past, I've alternated between the prefabricated, stuck-together barbells and taking the olympic bar right out of the squat rack. None of the gym's I've ever belonged to have had any piece of equipment which looked like it was set up for deadlifts. I'm in a new gym right now, which is tight on space, and I'm wondering what the proper procedure is. I'd like to graduate from the pre-made barbells soon, but I'm not sure if I'm supposed to be taking the bar out of the squat rack. (FYI - I'm in stage 1, week 1, just did the second workout today).

[missjane]

Any Oly bar and weight plates. I put it in the squat rack on the lowest rung since I don't use the big 45 lb plates yet. That lowest rung in the squat rack simulates the exact height the bar would be at if the 46 lbers were on the bar. Once I graduate to the 45 lbers I will take it out of the squat rack.

[Emoore]

I have a standard bar and plates. (Different from an oly bar with oly plates) I don't see any reason you shouldn't use the bar that's in the squat rack.

[Littlemermaidklb]

I use the bar that's in the squat rack, I've never had a problem

[pursuingpurls]

Originally Posted by Littlemermaidklb

I use the bar that's in the squat rack, I've never had a problem

Same here ... but I am joining a new gym next week that has a deadlift platform and I'm excited about that ... funny the things that excite me these days!

[karenmc6]

Originally Posted by pursuingpurls

Same here ... but I am joining a new gym next week that has a deadlift platform and I'm excited about that ... funny the things that excite me these days!

kewl! i'd be excited too!
my (tiny) gym has an olympic weight room (owner was a powerlifter once upon a time) and is filled with oly bars and various paraphernalia. sadly, i'm about the only one who ever uses it for anything but curls and bench presses.

as for etiquette - if it's not in use, it's fair game to use, even if you are dragging it in a corner to get some square footage. if you are really short on space, you can always stand backwards in the squat rack with the bar on the floor (or lowest posts - like missjane). that would probably put you back to the mirror, but you're probably better off feeling the lift rather than watching it - i think it promotes better hamstring activation thus better form.

karen

[marv]

its funny you ask this question, I was gonna ask it earlier today...

the other day when i was doing deadlifts, one of the worker guys came up to me and was like "you can use the trap bar (the one that goes all around you), it weighs the same, and is easier on your back"...which is was...
however, i didn't feel as sore in my shoulders, would it be better to stick with the regular bar, so it works my shoulders more, or would it be the same??

[Cynic]

Trap bar deadlifts are good too. The weight is more central in relation to the body's posture, making them a good choice. Keep in mind, it's all in the form, so whether you use a BB or a TB, it's all good.

[Lisa~]

I'd stick with a conventional deadlift with the standard Olympic bar. Why switch to a trap bar deadlift, which is a variation of a deadlift, before you've even learned the real lift? A trap bar deadlift makes the movement a lot more like a squat, which you're already doing. While there's certainly nothing wrong with using a trap bar deadlift in a program, it's not the lift called for in this program.

[LaraT]

Is there anything "wrong" with using the "prefab" bb's? My gym is short on oly bars/plates and it often means standing around waiting. But the pre-fab bb's are alwamost always open. They have 20-80 lb ones.

[stingo]

I'd also suggest dumbbells as a possibility too, though you may need to find some kind of risers to put them on to simulate the height of the barbell w/plates on the ground.

[Lisa~]

Originally Posted by LaraT

Is there anything "wrong" with using the "prefab" bb's? My gym is short on oly bars/plates and it often means standing around waiting. But the pre-fab bb's are alwamost always open. They have 20-80 lb ones.

Not at all. I just expect that you'll outgrow them very soon. An 80 lb deadlift isn't a very big load.

Another, although minor, issue is that preset barbells usually have a smaller bar that's easier to grip (a smaller circumference). If you have the opportunity to use a regular barbell, it will help you prepare for the bigger bar with bigger loads, rather than having to switch only when you can deadlift more than 80 lb.

[LaraT]

Originally Posted by Lisa~

Not at all. I just expect that you'll outgrow them very soon. An 80 lb deadlift isn't a very big load.

Another, although minor, issue is that preset barbells usually have a smaller bar that's easier to grip (a smaller circumference). If you have the opportunity to use a regular barbell, it will help you prepare for the bigger bar with bigger loads, rather than having to switch only when you can deadlift more than 80 lb.

Thanks! I did notice that the cirucmference is smaller. When I last did conventional deadlifts (Stage 2) I was doing 60 lbs. I started at 40 lbs so I am slowly getting there!

I find my grip gives out before my legs...need to work on grip moer and using the thicker bar would probbly help with that too.

[Lisa~]

If grip is a problem for you, then you have to decide what you want to stress the most. With moderate to high reps I'd say use the smaller bar, so you can get the reps without as many grip issues. As the reps go down (we do 6, then later 4), see if you can use the bigger bar so that your grip gets worked some too. That's just what I'd do. It makes just as much sense to say go to the thicker bar now and get your grip up to speed, but you might not get 10 reps without having to set the bar down. Either way, you're making a decision about how to work on your deadlift and your grip.