Loading and racking weights is something that every gym goer will have to master.
It sounds simple enough, right?
Take the weight plate off of rack, slide it onto the bar, lift, then repeat in reverse.
But if you’re not careful, loading and racking weights can add to your gym fatigue, and we want to save all of that energy for your lifts!
So first up, let’s talk about how to load the bar efficiently.
Loading the Barbell
Picture this, you’ve finally gotten confident at the gym and you’re feeling strong. Overall, deadlifting and squatting with the barbell make you feel really strong, but there’s one thing keeping you from feeling like a total baddie.
The dumb plates just don’t slide onto the barbell as easily as they should!!
After all, you can deadlift the weight, but holding the bar off the ground while gripping and sliding the plate with one hand?
HARD.
So, instead of wrestling with the barbell, try this instead.
Grab yourself a 5 or 10 lb plate and lay it flat on the floor in front of the barbell. Then, roll the barbell onto the plate so it’s elevated off the ground.
Voila! The barbell is now elevated high enough off the ground to easily slide your weight onto the bar. Then, roll the barbell off the plate and repeat on the other side.
Easy. Peasy.
Want a visual of how this works? Check out Coach Amber demonstrating here.
Racking Weights After Your Lift
After a heavy set of deadlifts, there is no reason to put extra strain and fatigue on your body by racking your weights and lifting the heavy barbell again.
To safely and easily re-rack your barbell and weights, follow these simple steps:
First, unclip your weight clamps from the end of your plates.
Then, step over the bar so one foot is on each side of the bar, and your body is just over the plates. With one hand, grab the bar and with the other hand push the plates away from the bar so they slide and fall off the end, then gently lower the bar back down and put the plates back on the rack.
Great! Now, repeat on the other side!
Now that the bar is plate-free, lift and place the bar on the safety bar catches. Then, reset your grip on the bar and flip the bar to an underhand grip under your chin to re-rack on the J-hooks.
Want a visual? Here’s Coach Kierstin giving a quick “how-to!”
Now you know the most energy-efficient way for loading and racking your weights when using the barbell. No more wriggling and wresting with the barbell as you load, and certainly no racking weights while they’re still on the barbell!
Simple, easy, and energy efficient. You got this!
Want more gym tips like these? Read: 6 Moves for Improving Shoulder Instability, On a Roll: Self-Myofascial Release, the Key to Recovery?, Romanian Deadlift Form Fix: A Training Tip
