Newbie question - bar problem

[VanceMac]

I have done this twice, and it is VERY embarrassing. I am deadlifting, so I go to a bench press, add the weight and take the bar off the rack and onto the floor. I do all my sets and go to put the bar back, but now I am very worn out. So, while I am lifting the bar high enough to get it on the rack, it tilts and on plate slides off and onto the floor! Then, of course, the other side dips and drops that plate as well!

Now, I could use the squat rack (since no else EVER uses it), but it is very far away from everything else and I can't do supersets that way. No one else at our gym does ANY deadlifts, so I can't even see how they do it. Any suggestions (once you get done laughing at the newbie!).

BTW, why is it that no one is doing any squates or deadlifts at my gym? I asked this question over at Men's Health forum, and most of them agreed that no one else seems to be doing them. Very strange since that is all I hear about from Men's Health, t-nation and here.

[Lisa~]

Use clips! Always use clips.

Load and unload the bar on the floor. It's much, much safer than loading it on the rack and then walking it back and forth.

[VanceMac]

I am not even sure our gym has clips, I will have to check. I had not even thought about taking the plates off while it is still on the floor, do you just lift the bar with one hand and slide the plate off with the other? The weight I am using is light enough that I think I could do that. Thanks!

[Lisa~]

Yes, you just lift the end of the bar with one hand and slide the plate off with the other. It doesn't matter how much weight you have on the bar, each 45lb plate is taken off individually. If the load is heavy it's really nice if your partner can lift the bar and inch or so while you pull off the plate, but you can do it yourself if you need to. Just let the bar bang onto the mats. It makes a loud noise, but so what. This is a gym, lol.

You gym just MUST have clips. No matter how light the load is, I always have everyone use clips. If you get just the slightest bit crooked during a lift the load can shift and even 10lbs sliding down a bar can cause an accident.

[Lisa~]

Speaking of no clips, I've got a story from several years ago.

The Y isn't perfect and our equipment tends to be a bit too crowded. At the time this happened one of the bench press stations was perpendicular to a seated overhead press machine. This guy loads up his bench press (only about 185lb) with no clips and no spotter and proceeds to fail the lift, getting really crooked in an attempt to return the bar to the rack. As a result, the plates slide off one side, the resulting imbalanced bar rolls across his body as the plates on the opposite side careen toward the floor. The bar goes airborn and lands, with lots and lots of noise, squarely across the seat of the overhead press machine!

It happened so fast and I was so grateful that nobody was currently using that overhead press machine. There have been other accidents in the gym, but no other that I've seen that made so much noise and had the potential for so much damage! Of course, the equipment was rearranged after this event!

ALWAYS USE CLIPS!

[Kevin T.]

When you're done, prop the 45 closest to the bar up on a 2.5lb plate. The other plates will slide off a lot easier.

[gregl515]

That's a great idea. I just straddle the bar,lift one side and take a plate off, then do the other side.

[Jason B]

This is where a deadlift bar jack comes in real handy. Since I'm sure your gym doesn't have one, Kevin's idea is the easiest.

Originally Posted by Lisa~

ALWAYS USE CLIPS!

And spotters!!

[Frank.S]

I would never use clips on a bench. If you fail a lift and you have no clips on it.. you just roll the weights off, It sucks but oh well.

I guess if you always have a spotter, use the clips.

As for the deads, I do what kevin said with the 2.5lbs plate.

[VanceMac]

Thanks guys, those are great ideas! Sometimes I feel like such a newbie in the gym. Luckily, I make up for it on the basketball court!