Dumb question - moving barbell from squat rack to floor
lmf1012
Posts: 402 Member
I hope this is not a dumb question but I just started furnishing my home gym and started Stronglifts 5x5. I set up a squat stand and purchased a bar and some plates. I am still lifting very low weight but even so, I am finding it not so easy to get the bar off and back on the squat level arms to do the deadlifts. I am imagining this will get progressively more difficult as I lift heavier weights.
My question is, do y'all have two bars or am I just missing a simpler way to get the bar on and off the arms of the squat stand?
My question is, do y'all have two bars or am I just missing a simpler way to get the bar on and off the arms of the squat stand?
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Replies
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Part of the problem can be in the type of squat stand you have, as there are different models shaped differently. Can you post a picture of yours?0
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You'll just have to unload the bar and reload it.
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When you say you can’t get the bar off the rack - what exactly are you struggling with? Without sounding patronising, have you got the bar set too high? So if you unload the weights, you should be able to squat a little to get under it, hold it in your hands and rest it on your collar bones (a front squat position) then you should be able to stand up and step back so it comes away from the rack. Then gently lower it to the floor and reload your weights. If it’s set too high then lifting it up can be tricky. Or have I got totally the wrong angle there?!0
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claireychn074 wrote: »When you say you can’t get the bar off the rack - what exactly are you struggling with? Without sounding patronising, have you got the bar set too high? So if you unload the weights, you should be able to squat a little to get under it, hold it in your hands and rest it on your collar bones (a front squat position) then you should be able to stand up and step back so it comes away from the rack. Then gently lower it to the floor and reload your weights. If it’s set too high then lifting it up can be tricky. Or have I got totally the wrong angle there?!
1 - I hadn't thought about resting it on my collar bones, I had been just trying to lift if with my hands/arms.
2 - I guess I was trying to avoid the unloading and reloading weights repeatedly but I guess it is either that or get a second bar and I am not sure I want to spend the money there.0 -
Until you can reliably clean the bar at the loaded weight it looks like you will just have to unload it to move it. The arms look too low to make a front racked squat feasible for lowering the bar. For raising the bar you'll need to clean it to the front rack position - I find this easiest to do by removing from the arms, stepping backwards and doing a hang clean so I can get momentum to raise the weight. Even so you'll be safer with an unloaded bar, especially towards the end of your session.0
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I hope this is not a dumb question but I just started furnishing my home gym and started Stronglifts 5x5. I set up a squat stand and purchased a bar and some plates. I am still lifting very low weight but even so, I am finding it not so easy to get the bar off and back on the squat level arms to do the deadlifts. I am imagining this will get progressively more difficult as I lift heavier weights.
My question is, do y'all have two bars or am I just missing a simpler way to get the bar on and off the arms of the squat stand?
When you're moving the bar, you move it unloaded...you would then load it again for deadlifts. It's part of lifting...and also more exercise.
If I'm doing front squats I can get it down and back up with a clean...but I can deadlift way more than I can clean so if I'm doing traditional back squats (also much more than I can front squat) I have to unload the barbell and load it back up to do my deads.2 -
But practicing those movements with an empty bar are still very functional and useful.0
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cwolfman13 wrote: »I hope this is not a dumb question but I just started furnishing my home gym and started Stronglifts 5x5. I set up a squat stand and purchased a bar and some plates. I am still lifting very low weight but even so, I am finding it not so easy to get the bar off and back on the squat level arms to do the deadlifts. I am imagining this will get progressively more difficult as I lift heavier weights.
My question is, do y'all have two bars or am I just missing a simpler way to get the bar on and off the arms of the squat stand?
When you're moving the bar, you move it unloaded...you would then load it again for deadlifts. It's part of lifting...and also more exercise.
If I'm doing front squats I can get it down and back up with a clean...but I can deadlift way more than I can clean so if I'm doing traditional back squats (also much more than I can front squat) I have to unload the barbell and load it back up to do my deads.
Thanks, this makes sense and God knows I could use the extra exercise! I just did not want to be doing something that was unnecessary if there was something obvious I was missing.0 -
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claireychn074 wrote: »When you say you can’t get the bar off the rack - what exactly are you struggling with? Without sounding patronising, have you got the bar set too high? So if you unload the weights, you should be able to squat a little to get under it, hold it in your hands and rest it on your collar bones (a front squat position) then you should be able to stand up and step back so it comes away from the rack. Then gently lower it to the floor and reload your weights. If it’s set too high then lifting it up can be tricky. Or have I got totally the wrong angle there?!
1 - I hadn't thought about resting it on my collar bones, I had been just trying to lift if with my hands/arms.
2 - I guess I was trying to avoid the unloading and reloading weights repeatedly but I guess it is either that or get a second bar and I am not sure I want to spend the money there.
You'll definitely reach a point where you have enough weight on the bar that you won't want to take a fully loaded bar off your squat j-hooks and drop it to your catches.
On a side note, I'd say the majority of any injuries I've experienced in the gym weren't from performing lifts but from doing dumb things like trying to drop a fully loaded bar from the j-hooks for my squat down to the catches, or from smashing my fingers putting a plate back on the plate stand, or from not being careful with my back when bending over to pick up a plate. So being careful to unload the bar in order to safely drop it down where you need it is a good idea. That's something I'm surprised I haven't hurt myself trying!
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@lmf1012
Talking about this. Just the clean portion of it for getting it back up to squat or OHP height.
https://youtu.be/IcCGLoNqN2U
https://youtu.be/Kk4lFOH4fQg
Don't worry about hook grip, though it might be good prep for deadlifting heavier anyway.
ETA - you can watch how they are lowering it without the dropping, which is the other part you'll want at home for now probably.0 -
Love the 5x5 Stronglifts program! I need to re-start doing it, I was doing so well and lost my lifting buddy, so I stopped doping it. Good luck. And yeah, loading and unloading the bar is the worse part of lifting - especially when you don't have someone to help with it, and you get into the heavier weights.0
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cwolfman13 wrote: »I hope this is not a dumb question but I just started furnishing my home gym and started Stronglifts 5x5. I set up a squat stand and purchased a bar and some plates. I am still lifting very low weight but even so, I am finding it not so easy to get the bar off and back on the squat level arms to do the deadlifts. I am imagining this will get progressively more difficult as I lift heavier weights.
My question is, do y'all have two bars or am I just missing a simpler way to get the bar on and off the arms of the squat stand?
When you're moving the bar, you move it unloaded...you would then load it again for deadlifts. It's part of lifting...and also more exercise.
If I'm doing front squats I can get it down and back up with a clean...but I can deadlift way more than I can clean so if I'm doing traditional back squats (also much more than I can front squat) I have to unload the barbell and load it back up to do my deads.
Thanks, this makes sense and God knows I could use the extra exercise! I just did not want to be doing something that was unnecessary if there was something obvious I was missing.
Loading and unloading the bar can take an age but it’s all part of it 😀 then you get the fun of trying to do bar maths to calculate how much weight you need to add! Once you get used to it you will be able to get the bar rested on your collarbones and lower it to the floor with weight on it - it’s basically a reverse clean. But don’t try that until you’ve got more used to the bar, as overextending backwards to balance can hurt. (I do weightlifting which is basically clean & jerks and snatches but I still usually unload and then reload the bar for safety’s sake.) have fun - squats and deadlifts are great for you 👍0 -
On a side note, I'd say the majority of any injuries I've experienced in the gym weren't from performing lifts but from doing dumb things like trying to drop a fully loaded bar from the j-hooks for my squat down to the catches, or from smashing my fingers putting a plate back on the plate stand, or from not being careful with my back when bending over to pick up a plate. So being careful to unload the bar in order to safely drop it down where you need it is a good idea. That's something I'm surprised I haven't hurt myself trying!
Hear hear. I tweaked my back last week adjusting the height of the pulley on the cable machine at the gym. Sigh.
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@lmf1012
Talking about this. Just the clean portion of it for getting it back up to squat or OHP height.https://youtu.be/IcCGLoNqN2Uhttps://youtu.be/Kk4lFOH4fQg
Don't worry about hook grip, though it might be good prep for deadlifting heavier anyway.
ETA - you can watch how they are lowering it without the dropping, which is the other part you'll want at home for now probably.
These are great, thank you!! Definitely something for me to practice0 -
Just unload weight, lower barbell, begin warm up with appropriate weight.3
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I use 2 separate bars and areas in my garage for squats and deadlifts, which eliminates the need to load/unload a single bar for both lifts.
The safety squat bar always in the squat rack and the other bar stays in a 9-bar bar holder until I need to use it and move the car out of the way to open up my deadlift space on top of a rubber mat, which can also be used for other lifts as well
Something to consider doing if you (the OP) have the extra space/$ available.0 -
I use 2 separate bars and areas in my garage for squats and deadlifts, which eliminates the need to load/unload a single bar for both lifts.
The safety squat bar always in the squat rack and the other bar stays in a 9-bar bar holder until I need to use it and move the car out of the way to open up my deadlift space on top of a rubber mat, which can also be used for other lifts as well
Something to consider doing if you (the OP) have the extra space/$ available.
Yeah, I definitely have the space, my whole upstairs game room is now my home gym. The $ is just a matter of spacing out my gym purchases so I don’t go crazy all at once
I think I will see how much I come to mind constantly unloading and reloading weights lol0 -
Only going to ask because I've seen others do it, and your reference to constantly unloading and reloading weight on a 3 lift workout makes me wonder.
Each lift is done 5x5 before you move to the next one, right?
It's not done as a circuit x 5 from lift to lift.1 -
If you're doing Stronglifts, then the prior exercise before your deadlifts is going to be shoulder press. So there generally shouldn't be very many plates in the bar anyway to take off, compared to other lifts. I just lift it off from the press, set it on the safety pins, and then change the plates out for the deadlift and take it out of the pins to the floor.0
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Only going to ask because I've seen others do it, and your reference to constantly unloading and reloading weight on a 3 lift workout makes me wonder.
Each lift is done 5x5 before you move to the next one, right?
It's not done as a circuit x 5 from lift to lift.
That's correct. I do all 5 sets of one exercise before moving to the next .Otherwise, I would definitely need to get a second bar! lol
I do follow the program as it has the exercises listed so I start with squats each workout and then move to the other exercises. So every day I have to move the bar from the squat rack down to the floor for one of the other exercises and then back up for the next workout set of squats. In the scheme of things that is not much, I was just wondering if maybe I was somehow just being dumb and missing something lol0 -
You'll just have to unload the bar and reload it.
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Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
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