Why do some people feel the need to throw down a barbell?

nz_deevaa

Well it is because of how heavy it is. See, when done lifting a heavy weight the lifter has very little strength left in their grip and to avoid injury or dropping it on something or someone it is easier to just throw it down in a safe place.

If you have enough strength and control left to set it down gently then you must not have lifted hard enough. You can do better than that.

No, it's because they're being an attention-seeking pillock.

Yeah, that is pretty much what I was thinking also lol!

Here's a picture of me being an attention-seeking pillock ... You can see I'm doing it on purpose, not trying to keep hold of the bar at all.

CrankMeUp

While I don't "throw" a loaded bar down after a lift, I will "drop" it especially on things like heavy power cleans or maxed out deadlifts.

^^^ This, after my 5th deadlift, there ain't no setting it down gently.

yep.

siany01

Dude at my gym was throwing his dumbbells around this morning, once or twice fine but by the 8th or 9th time I was pretty fed up of hearing the crash. My gym is not set up for dropping weights like that and they bang really loudly on wooden flooring

lilcassers

I am a heavy lifter. You're basically pushing yourself soooo hard to a limit that when that final set is over, it's easier to throw it down then to set it down nicely, LOL.

BeachIron

This is almost too much fun to watch. Non-lifters with an opinion about how lifters should lift.. lol

ttippie2000

There are some weight lifters who slam down weights. They are called boneheads. However, there are also a couple of exceptions that are worth noting.

First, when doing very heavy squats or deadlift singles you can experience a similar kind of near black out that fighter pilots experience. Or as we say in powerlifting , sometimes it takes a few seconds for your spirit to re-enter your body. It comes from tightening your core muscles to the point where you have the stability to support the lift, but one side effect is that blood is forced into your head. Under those conditions, reasonable safety precautions, such as a platform or power rack should be used, and the lifter should get a bit of slack if the return is not controlled because of dizziness.

Second, advanced power lifters learn to initiate their muscles very quickly at the bottom of a lift. Otherwise you'll never have enough speed to lock it out at the top. Neuromuscular coordination training of this type involves a brief break between the eccentric and concentric phases of a lift, after which you explode into it with all your muscle motor units. Done correctly, this is a disciplined motion and will not occur with sufficient force to be considered a slam. However, there is room for error and misperception, especially among people that think they know what they're doing, but don't.

Third, an Olympic lifters returning a near max weight from an overhead will have difficulty controlling the descent, almost by definition. They should be using a platform specifically made for those kind of stresses if they're going heavy. If that's not available, you can reduce the stresses with the kind of rubber mats they use for horse stalls.

DancingDreams1234

They are heavy! The person lifter has put much of their strength into lifting and to prevent hurting themselves it's better for them just to throw it down. I see no harm as long as when they are throwing it down that they are not deliberately trying to damage something or someone.

lilcassers

They are heavy! The person lifter has put much of their strength into lifting and to prevent hurting themselves it's better for them just to throw it down. I see no harm as long as when they are throwing it down that they are not deliberately trying to damage something or someone.

This.

LoudmouthLee

At Crossfit, we are trained to throw down weights in certain situations, and I don't feel like a tool when I do.

ChaseAlder

I prefer to throw mine like a javelin after each lift. Maybe I'm not lifting heavy enough?

Lupercalia

I drop the barbell when I'm doing power cleans and heavy dead lifts. My gym has rubber mat flooring and the weight plates are rubber as well, so while it does make a bit of noise, the floor isn't being harmed and neither is the equipment. I honestly don't care if it annoys someone who is clueless about why I do this. If you're the type who is too delicate to tolerate the sound of weights hitting the floor, perhaps a gym isn't the right place for you to exercise.

chrisdavey

lol

You want to see throwing down of weights...go and see a strongman comp that involves deadlifts for reps.

siany01

I drop the barbell when I'm doing power cleans and heavy dead lifts. My gym has rubber mat flooring and the weight plates are rubber as well, so while it does make a bit of noise, the floor isn't being harmed and neither is the equipment. I honestly don't care if it annoys someone who is clueless about why I do this. If you're the type who is too delicate to tolerate the sound of weights hitting the floor, perhaps a gym isn't the right place for you to exercise.

When your gym is set up for it then its all cool, my gym isn't, it has wooden floors and the dude this morning was just lobbing his weights. I have never seen one of the genuine regular lifters do anything other than a controlled drop which is cool but seriously, this dude made me glad I had finished in the weight room this morning.

contingencyplan

This is one of the main reasons why I prefer sandbags over barbells. Dropping a 160 lb sandbag is just fine.

In any case, Oly style lifting, which is commonly done in Crossfit as well, pretty much demands that you do this. However, these gyms used specialized bars, plates, and flooring designed to accommodate this. If you attend a globo gym that doesn't use flooring, bars, and plates designed to accommodate it, then it's perfectly reasonable for them to ask that you not do it, and this is one of the things you should take into consideration when initially joining a gym.

Jonesingmucho

There are some weight lifters who slam down weights. They are called boneheads. However, there are also a couple of exceptions that are worth noting.

First, when doing very heavy squats or deadlift singles you can experience a similar kind of near black out that fighter pilots experience. Or as we say in powerlifting , sometimes it takes a few seconds for your spirit to re-enter your body. It comes from tightening your core muscles to the point where you have the stability to support the lift, but one side effect is that blood is forced into your head. Under those conditions, reasonable safety precautions, such as a platform or power rack should be used, and the lifter should get a bit of slack if the return is not controlled because of dizziness.

Second, advanced power lifters learn to initiate their muscles very quickly at the bottom of a lift. Otherwise you'll never have enough speed to lock it out at the top. Neuromuscular coordination training of this type involves a brief break between the eccentric and concentric phases of a lift, after which you explode into it with all your muscle motor units. Done correctly, this is a disciplined motion and will not occur with sufficient force to be considered a slam. However, there is room for error and misperception, especially among people that think they know what they're doing, but don't.

Third, an Olympic lifters returning a near max weight from an overhead will have difficulty controlling the descent, almost by definition. They should be using a platform specifically made for those kind of stresses if they're going heavy. If that's not available, you can reduce the stresses with the kind of rubber mats they use for horse stalls.

^^ so well written, informative, and ...oddly arousing! LOL

downsizinghoss

For you people that do heavy lifting, why do some people feel the need to overload their barbell, then throw it down on the floor after attempting a lift?

I belong to a YMCA and a privately owned gym, and neither would allow that kind of behavior.

But I see it all the time on YouTube videos.

This whole thread is about something you haven't had to deal with, but saw on youtube?

Iron_Lotus

I lift at home, so no attention seeking here! It's because I have really squeezed out my last rep on my last set and my arms are about to fall off I have no other choice but to semi drop the weight instead of lightly placing it on the ground.

ItsCasey

Some of you really need to pull up your panties and quit actively seeking things to be offended by (particularly things you clearly don't understand). Unless someone is actually throwing a bar AT you, get past it and mind your own business.

shutupandlift13

The OP wasn't talking about those guys, though. She was talking about everyday people at everyday gyms, and for those folks my comment stands.

The OP was actually talking about videos on the internet. Who knows if they were average joes or professionals.

TonicSapphire

You do realize that bumper plates are meant to be dropped? And lifting platforms are built to have certain types of plates dropped on them?

This is spot on. You need to distinguish Oly lifting ( bumper plates) from Power lifting ( iron plates). Power lifters will rack the bar (except for dead lifts) Iron plates don't bounce too well.