Proper Ways to Load and Unload the Boom

Loading a barbell is easy, right? You just place the plates; and at the end of the workout you remove the plates. But if you’ve ever stood puzzled in the middle of the gym, you might wonder why no one ever told you exactly how to do it. There are little tricks and moves that seasoned gym goers know, as well as simple facts and tools that we take for granted. Today I will tell you all the secrets. And chances are, even if you’ve been exercising for a while, you’ll learn at least one new thing today.

What is a barbell and when to use it?

Yes, we start from the very basics. A barbell is a long barbell, long enough to easily rest both hands on, and weighted so that you can perform exercises with it.

If you’re having trouble remembering which is the barbell and which is the dumbbell, perhaps a story will help. A “dumb bell” literally means a bell (similar to the one being rung) that makes no noise. Historically, it is unclear whether the first dumbbells were made from old bells, or if someone thought they looked like bells, or if they were simply a reference to the idea that you could exercise with them by swinging them, which was popular at the time. .

Either way, the weights you hold in each hand are dumbbells. A kettlebell with a handle on top, like a teapot, is a kettlebell. A kettlebell that includes a long barbell is a barbell.

I have a guide to the different types of barbells you can find at the gym . The main types that I will talk about today:

• Fixed Barbells : The weights are permanently part of the barbell. You can find them on the rack next to the dumbbells. The handle can be straight or wavy. You don’t put weight on them because the weight is already there. We won’t talk about this anymore today.
• Short Barbells and Curls : These are short, about four feet in length, and can be kept next to the dumbbells in your gym. They can be straight or wavy (this is called an “ez-curl” shape because it’s easier on your wrists when performing bicep curls). You will still have to load plates on them to use them. Most of the tips in this article apply to both these and full-size barbells.
• Full-length barbells : These are about seven feet long and wide enough to be used in a power rack or bench press rack. You need to load the plates on them. This is the main thing we will talk about today.

How do I know how much weight I need to gain?

First, perform several repetitions of the exercise with an empty bar. (This is a normal part of the warm-up anyway.) A full-size barbell weighs about 45 pounds empty. (Curl bars will be lighter, often around 20 pounds.) How did that feel? If you think you need more weight to make the exercise challenging enough, it’s time to add some weight. A simple answer to the question “how much?” this: add a little, and if that’s not enough, add more . If you want a more detailed answer, I wrote about it here .

And yes, you are counting the total weight of the barbell. If you place a 10 pound weight plate on either side of a 45 pound barbell, you will lift 65 pounds.

The largest plates in most American gyms weigh 45 pounds, so people will refer to the bench press (or squat or deadlift) as a “shave” if they use one full-size plate on either side of the barbell. That would be 45 pounds on each side plus a 45-pound barbell, for a total of 135 pounds. “Two plates” means you lift 225 pounds; “three plates” – 315 and so on.

How to choose a plate

I told you we covered the basics! The plates are usually stored on stands in the gym. You place your hands on both sides of the plate (at 9 and 3 o’clock) and pull it towards you.

When the plate comes off the pin, make sure you are prepared to support its full weight. You can place the plate on the floor or on your body (placing the bottom edge of the plate on your waist, stomach, or front of your thigh) to rest while you change the position of your hands if necessary.

If the plate is on the floor, place your foot on it, then place both hands on the other side of the plate opposite where your foot is. Use your hands to press the plate against your leg as you rise. Then you can slide your fingers under it and lift it up as usual.

When lifting something off the ground, treat it like a deadlift. Keep your back straight, hold on tight and stand up. If you’ve been taught to “lift with your feet,” that works, too. Either way, keep the weight close to your body.

How to wear a plate

If you load the plate on the ground (for example, for a deadlift), you don’t need to carry it at all. Roll it back to its destination.

If you want to carry it with you or will be loading it at squat or bench press heights, hold the plate on both sides (9 and 3 o’clock again). As you walk, you can place the bottom of the plate on your stomach or the front of your thighs.

Another way is to hold the plate under your arm with your hand in the center hole. If the plate has a built-in handle or if your hands can comfortably grip it by the ridge, you can also carry it this way.

How to Load and Unload a Deadlift Barbell

Carry or roll the plate onto the deadlift platform or wherever an empty bar awaits. (If your gym doesn’t have a platform, find a spot on the floor where you won’t be in anyone’s way.)

To load the first plate : Place the plate on its side and insert the rod into it. Push the barbell until it can no longer go any further.

To load the plate on the other side , place it upside down and flip it over to the still empty end of the bar. You should stand close to the center of the bar so that when you put the plate on you will be able to pull it towards you. Rock the plate until the end of the rod fits into the hole in the plate. Then sit on the bar and hold the plate at the 9 and 3 o’clock position. Pull firmly with both hands to place the plate on the bar.

To load more plates , if possible, invert the first plate onto a small plate so that the bar is slightly higher off the floor. (If your gym has a deadlift jack, use that.) Then do the same as above: insert the end of the barbell into the hole of the plate, then grab both sides of it and pull firmly.

When finished, put on the collars or clips.

To unload the barbell , place it back on the small plate or jack and remove each plate one at a time, using your hands at points 9 and 3. This is one side down. For the second side, simply remove the collar and pull out the placket . (You can tip the bar upward, sometimes called an “Excalibur” motion because it’s like pulling a mythical sword out of a stone, but there’s really no need for that. Just slide it out to the side.)

How to Load a Barbell for the Squat, Press, or Any Exercise That Uses a Rack

For these exercises, the barbell will be in a rack position. Set the bar to the correct height, install the safeties, and make sure the bar is pointing in the correct direction. ( I have a guide to all of this here .)

Lift the load as we described earlier and transfer it to the rack. You can bend and straighten your knees to give the plate a little push as you lift it to the end of the bar. Once you attach the hole of the plate to the end of the bar, place your hands at the 9 and 3 o’clock positions (if they weren’t already there) and push down with both hands until it’s tight. Repeat for the other side.

When loading or unloading a boom, you don’t want to have one side empty and the other side fully loaded with multiple full-size (45 lb.) plates; the bar will tip over. So, load one plate on each side, then load the rest, one or two at a time.

To unload the bar , simply do the same thing we did above, holding the plates at points 9 and 3 and pulling. Remove one or two plates at a time and take them home.

How to use collars

To keep the pancakes tightly on the crossbar, you can use clamps. They come in different varieties. Some are spring-loaded metal clamps with long handles, and some are plastic with a latch.

Whatever type you use, make sure that the plates fit snugly against the crossbar and that there are no gaps between them and the center of the crossbar. Apply the clip. Do the same on the other side.

Some gyms will require you to use collars every time you lift. Some gyms prohibit you from using collars when bench pressing. The idea is that if you ever fail to complete a rep on the bench, you can pull down on one side and push up on the other, thereby moving the weight off one end of the bar. (This end of the bar will rise sharply upward, and the weights on the other end will pull it down; hold on tight so it doesn’t fly away.) This isn’t the only way to stay safe when bench pressing , so it’s very important. It’s best to use the safeties if your bench rack has them, or simply lock your core and roll the barbell down your body until you can sit down. But if you are asked not to use collars on the bench, here’s why.

Does it matter what plates I use and what order I load them in?

For etiquette reasons, yes. Use the largest plates you can and load the largest ones first.

So, if you want to lift 125 pounds (40 on each side of a 45-pound bar), you can load 10, then 10 more, and then 10 more, and then another. But now you’ve used eight 10-pound plates, and everyone else who wants a 10-pound plate is mad at you.

Instead, you should load a 25kg dish, then a 10kg, and then a five. After that, if you want to increase the weight to 135 pounds (45 pounds per side), don’t just add another five pounds of plate to each side. Remove all weights and replace them with one 45-pound plate.

Which way are the plates facing?

Short answer: it doesn’t really matter. For a more detailed answer, it might be helpful to know that in competitions, plates that have a “front” side and a “back” side are typically loaded this way for maximum visibility:

1. The first plate on each side is loaded with the face facing the center of the rod (facing “in”).
2. All other plates are loaded with the front side away from the center of the rod (facing “out”).

Some people like to load all plates face down. Call it a custom or a superstition (“keep the power inside the bar”). Whatever the reason, if you find yourself in a gym where everyone is doing it, follow the instructions. You’ll look like you’re in the know.

In many gyms, large pancakes look the same on both sides, and this issue does not matter. My personal opinion is that small plates (like fives and tens) should always be loaded face-out because otherwise it’s hard to tell how much weight you have on the damn bar.

When can I use bumpers?

If your gym has regular iron or plastic coated plates, but also has a set of thick, rubber, perhaps multi-colored bumpers, you might be tempted to use bumpers because they look cooler.

The purpose of the bumper plates is to absorb shock when you hit the floor. Olympic weightlifters use bumpers for everything; they usually drop the loaded barbell onto the floor from above. If your gym allows Olympic-style lifts, that’s what bumpers are for.

There are other uses too. In a gym where both types of plates are available, bumpers are often preferred for deadlifts. You may not be throwing deadlifts , but using bumpers makes these exercises a little quieter and reduces wear and tear on floors that aren’t designed for dropping the barbell.

All this is to say: If your gym only has a few sets of bumpers, please don’t use them for squats or bench presses, and don’t load them with leg presses. Keep them available to people who perform exercises that benefit from bumpers.