NO! This is a squat rack!

13

Replies

  • ncahill77
    ncahill77 Posts: 501 Member
    I do curls in the squat rack, on a bench, incline or shoulder press station in able to use the long straight bar. My gym only has the curl bars and those hurt my elbow joint whereas the straight bar does not. So really isn't working out about about fitness and safety? If so then who cares what you do where, I will however concede that if I see someone waiting to use any of those I make sure to hurry and finish, unlike many who spend half an hour doing a grand total of 25 squats.
  • ZoeLifts
    ZoeLifts Posts: 10,347 Member
    If you are a gym that only has a power rack or bench presses, where are you *supposed* to deadlift? I usually take the supports out of the power rack and do them there. If there is no where else to do deadlifts, yes, people who want to squat have to wait their turn.

    On the floor maybe?

    With what? Are we supposed to steal a bar from the bench press? Then I piss off people who want to bench.

    So you are saying there are o EXTRA bars and weights and the only ones are on a rack like that. Okay that makes since. You or someone else just kept saying "pre-loaded bars". Doens't really explain that there's no extra ones without racks. Thanks for clarifying...... BUT, if your gym had extras, you still wouldn't do deadlifts in a rack would you?

    Actually my regular gym has a power lifting pad where I deadlift. But yes, one of the gyms I've been didn't have any besides the one in the one squat rack, and the two on the bench press. I deadlifted in the squat rack. But the only other people there were 70 year olds NOT doing squats are deads.

    None of my gyms had extra bars. And the "preloaded" ones only went up to 45, so way too light for deadlifts.
  • Rae6503
    Rae6503 Posts: 6,294 Member
    I do squats, good mornings, and deadlifts in order in that. If you aren't supposed to have something supporting the bar while you load the weights and then move it back to the ground for deadlifts, someone please tell me how you are loading the bar on the ground? It seems inefficient.
    Well, I tilt the end up a little I want to put a plate on...

    I'm a pretty strong woman and no, I can't lift a 45lbs plate with one hand, and tilt the bar with the other easily.

    Thats what I do, but its not a smooth motion. Its more like lift the 45 pound plate and wiggle it on the bar xD

    Definitely, that's how it goes. That's why I added the "easily".
  • reneegee23
    reneegee23 Posts: 232 Member
    You know what I think? I think some smart fella should post weight room etiquette (WITH PICTURES) for some of the most commonly implemented training sets because that is the one thing that keeps me out of the weight room and in a weight training class - I don't want to look like a rude dumb *kitten*.

    Any takers? :)



    ( also, too bad I missed this: http://faithinactionellsworth.org/site/index.php?option=com_jcalpro&Itemid=42&extmode=view&extid=59791 )


    EDIT: or smart lady. how sexist of me.
  • Awkward30
    Awkward30 Posts: 1,927 Member
    Ok, to clear it up a bit.

    In the gyms I go to, there are between 5-7 other olympic bars. There is only one place to squat.

    I think I have my answers now though, why I rarely get to do back squats.

    If that were the case, I'd suck it up and load the extra bar on the floor. At my gym, you're occupying a piece of equiptment no matter what, might as well be the one that's most convenient for me: squat rack!
  • farmgirlsuz
    farmgirlsuz Posts: 351 Member
    And this is exactly why I don't do weights. I have no idea what the hell is what. I work out at my office gym so there are no trainers to ask. And I am too embarrassed to ask one of the muscle heads in there what I can do where.:blushing: For now, I will stay on the dreadmill and observe and learn. Besides, the view is pretty good from there. :tongue:
  • IronmanPanda
    IronmanPanda Posts: 2,083 Member
    I DL in the rack. In my gym there is little to no floor space to DL so that is the only space to do it.
  • TluvK
    TluvK Posts: 733 Member
    And this is exactly why I don't do weights. I have no idea what the hell is what. I work out at my office gym so there are no trainers to ask. And I am too embarrassed to ask one of the muscle heads in there what I can do where.:blushing: For now, I will stay on the dreadmill and observe and learn. Besides, the view is pretty good from there. :tongue:
    No! Don't let something like that stop you from lifting!
  • IronSmasher
    IronSmasher Posts: 3,908 Member
    I do squats, good mornings, and deadlifts in order in that. If you aren't supposed to have something supporting the bar while you load the weights and then move it back to the ground for deadlifts, someone please tell me how you are loading the bar on the ground? It seems inefficient.
    Well, I tilt the end up a little I want to put a plate on...

    I'm a pretty strong woman and no, I can't lift a 45lbs plate with one hand, and tilt the bar with the other easily.

    Thats what I do, but its not a smooth motion. Its more like lift the 45 pound plate and wiggle it on the bar xD

    Yeah, rolling and wriggling.

    I see a lot of people struggling when they have lots of plates the same size on a bar on the floor. Get a small weight, put it on the floor, then roll the loaded bar onto it, so only the inner-most weight is on the small weight. This lifts the bar off of the floor and you can slide the outer one off, or another one on.
  • beckajw
    beckajw Posts: 1,728 Member
    It'd be like doing your stretches while standing on a stationary treadmill.
    This is kind of how I stretch. I put it on the slowest speed stretch one leg and when I'm about to fall off take a couple steps forward then stretch my other leg. I'm so lazy I won't even count to 10 on a stretch!

    I do this too! It's the perfect way to stretch after a run.
  • ZoeLifts
    ZoeLifts Posts: 10,347 Member
    You know what I think? I think some smart fella should post weight room etiquette (WITH PICTURES) for some of the most commonly implemented training sets because that is the one thing that keeps me out of the weight room and in a weight training class - I don't want to look like a rude dumb *kitten*.

    Any takers? :)



    ( also, too bad I missed this: http://faithinactionellsworth.org/site/index.php?option=com_jcalpro&Itemid=42&extmode=view&extid=59791 )


    EDIT: or smart lady. how sexist of me.

    ^^ This! I know this is what keeps a lot of ladies out of the weight room. It is like playing the game without knowing the rules and thinking everyone is laughing at you... I do it anyway because I love to lift weights, but I totally understand the intimidation factor.
  • IronSmasher
    IronSmasher Posts: 3,908 Member
    Ok, to clear it up a bit.

    In the gyms I go to, there are between 5-7 other olympic bars. There is only one place to squat.

    I think I have my answers now though, why I rarely get to do back squats.

    If that were the case, I'd suck it up and load the extra bar on the floor. At my gym, you're occupying a piece of equiptment no matter what, might as well be the one that's most convenient for me: squat rack!

    Eh? What am I supposed to do with it once I've loaded it?
  • WifeNMama
    WifeNMama Posts: 2,876 Member
    How would you use a power cage for a bench press? You have to lie down for those. People get really creative when they want to use something the wrong way...

    You slide the bench in. I do this often, when I don't have a spotter.

    Example (not me):
    bands-bench-press1.jpg

    Thank you. I feel incredibly stupid, but thanks. :-) sigh. One of those days.
  • Yanicka1
    Yanicka1 Posts: 4,564 Member
    Duplicate
  • Lost_Mermaid
    Lost_Mermaid Posts: 136
    I should not have read this thread...now i'm even more terrified to go to the gym for the first time on friday. i was afraid of being laughed at and made fun of for not knowing what im doing, but pissing people for not knowing the 'right way' to do things is even worse
  • joejccva71
    joejccva71 Posts: 2,985 Member
    Curling in the squat rack is making a statement. The only time I'll do it is if my gym is so busy that the barbell rack is being used as well as the flat bench bars to where I have no choice but to go in the squat room.

    Although, all the time I'll see teenage punks or early 20's bro's go in the squat room to do curls or deads, etc. They normally will get bullied out of the room when a few IFBB guys come in there, and we have quite a few of them at my gym. (Gold's at Crofton, MD.)
  • Shfiftyfive
    Shfiftyfive Posts: 261
    When I worked out at Planet Fitness (when they actually didn't give me crap about Deadlifting) I would do it off the floor, however I would usually load it up on the outside pins of the squat rack (note: not power rack) and then drop it to the floor or on some stacked plates to get proper height when I was doing below 135lb. I have no idea why you would do it inside a power cage though. The only exception I see is some advanced Powerlifting lifts where you attach bands to the cage and to the ends of the bar. However, there are other exercises to be done in them. Anything that needs to start at a shoulder height really. Honestly, unless I'm planning on doing Cleans, I'm not going to Clean a bar off the floor to do Overhead Presses.


    Now my new gym has a lever for loading the bar that makes it 10x easier to load a bar on the floor. A simpler version of this:

    1zd6l1y.jpg
  • IronSmasher
    IronSmasher Posts: 3,908 Member
    I should not have read this thread...now i'm even more terrified to go to the gym for the first time on friday. i was afraid of being laughed at and made fun of for not knowing what im doing, but pissing people for not knowing the 'right way' to do things is even worse

    Don't be. 99% of people at the gym haven't got a clue, and people that care what others are doing are extremely rare.
    You've been on here reading, so you probably know more than most.

    Anyone on here, or anyone at your gym, will be more than happy to help you.
  • Shfiftyfive
    Shfiftyfive Posts: 261
    I should not have read this thread...now i'm even more terrified to go to the gym for the first time on friday. i was afraid of being laughed at and made fun of for not knowing what im doing, but pissing people for not knowing the 'right way' to do things is even worse

    Everyone *****es about something at their gym. Don't make this thread into an excuse.
  • joejccva71
    joejccva71 Posts: 2,985 Member
    Shifty planet fitness is a joke of a gym with their ignorant "Judgement Free Zone" crap lol.
  • Lost_Mermaid
    Lost_Mermaid Posts: 136
    I should not have read this thread...now i'm even more terrified to go to the gym for the first time on friday. i was afraid of being laughed at and made fun of for not knowing what im doing, but pissing people for not knowing the 'right way' to do things is even worse

    Don't be. 99% of people at the gym haven't got a clue, and people that care what others are doing are extremely rare.
    You've been on here reading, so you probably know more than most.

    Anyone on here, or anyone at your gym, will be more than happy to help you.

    Thanks :)

    I've been studying it up for the last two months while trying things out with my standard weights at home, but what I have isn't cutting it and I want to progress.
  • Lost_Mermaid
    Lost_Mermaid Posts: 136
    I should not have read this thread...now i'm even more terrified to go to the gym for the first time on friday. i was afraid of being laughed at and made fun of for not knowing what im doing, but pissing people for not knowing the 'right way' to do things is even worse

    Everyone *****es about something at their gym. Don't make this thread into an excuse.

    it's not an excuse, i'm still going to go :)

    I was just talking about finding the gym even more intimidating now
  • nutandbutter
    nutandbutter Posts: 447
    I actually had an elderly man come up to me while I was squatting to ask how many sets I had left so I kind of hurried through them so he could have the rack (actually a power rack, not a squat rack). I gave him the rack and he proceeded to do effin calf raises (didn't even put the bar on his back, just held it). Now I know who actually squats and who wants the rack to do shrugs, so I know if I can take my time or not. My gym also has multiple extra olympic bars so that's not an excuse.
  • Shfiftyfive
    Shfiftyfive Posts: 261
    I actually had an elderly man come up to me while I was squatting to ask how many sets I had left so I kind of hurried through them so he could have the rack (actually a power rack, not a squat rack). I gave him the rack and he proceeded to do effin calf raises (didn't even put the bar on his back, just held it). Now I know who actually squats and who wants the rack to do shrugs, so I know if I can take my time or not. My gym also has multiple extra olympic bars so that's not an excuse.

    Offer to let them work in. I know people are more weird in big box gyms about working out alone (from my experience at least), but if they don't want to work in, then there's no reason to hurry for them.
  • sweetheart03622
    sweetheart03622 Posts: 928 Member
    I should not have read this thread...now i'm even more terrified to go to the gym for the first time on friday. i was afraid of being laughed at and made fun of for not knowing what im doing, but pissing people for not knowing the 'right way' to do things is even worse

    Everyone *****es about something at their gym. Don't make this thread into an excuse.

    it's not an excuse, i'm still going to go :)

    I was just talking about finding the gym even more intimidating now

    Definitely don't be scared! Read up on-line (lots of times you can find videos for all sorts of lifts) or ask a personal trainer for a quick overview of what to do. Or, pull the "I'm a cute, young female" card and ask someone. You'd be surprised how willing to help you they are as long as you're open to their advice. Enjoy it!!
  • Shfiftyfive
    Shfiftyfive Posts: 261
    I should not have read this thread...now i'm even more terrified to go to the gym for the first time on friday. i was afraid of being laughed at and made fun of for not knowing what im doing, but pissing people for not knowing the 'right way' to do things is even worse

    Everyone *****es about something at their gym. Don't make this thread into an excuse.

    it's not an excuse, i'm still going to go :)

    I was just talking about finding the gym even more intimidating now

    Well good. :) And the more you get used to the place, the less intimidated you'll be.
  • GasMasterFlash
    GasMasterFlash Posts: 2,206 Member
    I actually had an elderly man come up to me while I was squatting to ask how many sets I had left so I kind of hurried through them so he could have the rack (actually a power rack, not a squat rack).
    Did he ask for your digits?
  • taso42
    taso42 Posts: 8,980 Member
    I should not have read this thread...now i'm even more terrified to go to the gym for the first time on friday. i was afraid of being laughed at and made fun of for not knowing what im doing, but pissing people for not knowing the 'right way' to do things is even worse

    Everyone *****es about something at their gym. Don't make this thread into an excuse.

    it's not an excuse, i'm still going to go :)

    I was just talking about finding the gym even more intimidating now

    Meh, don't worry. We're mostly just dorking around in this thread. In reality, most people would be more than happy to help out, especially if you ask. No reason to be intimidated. Glad you're going!
  • aproc
    aproc Posts: 1,033 Member
    I wokout at anytime and the only thing we have with an olympic bar besides the bench press is the power cage which everybody seems to call the squat rack. Therefore I do my squats and deadlifts in it as well as the occasional rows, military presses, and lunges if I'm wanting to go heavier. I work out early and if there are some people in there who might use it then I don't stay on it long and just do squats or deadlifts. Sucks not having more than one or other areas to load a bar. It's usually just me in there though when I do those exercises.
  • 40120.jpg
    oh crap. i've been dead lifting with this thing ^^ because A) that's where the trainer showed me how to do it and B) i've seen a lot of muscly guys DLing there too so i figured it was ok :ohwell:

    but i think my main reason for DLing there is probably a bad reason... when my i start to lose my grip i'd rather put the bar back up on the holder when i rest, before i try another set. because when i dead lift i guess i don't bring the bar ALL the way to the ground, it almost touches but just barely. whenever i try to lift it from the ground i just have these visions of my spine snapping in two or something, it just feels like such an awkward maneuver. i guess if i keep the momentum going, and don't let the bar touch the ground completely, it's a little less dangerous feeling.... i'm assuming i'm doing it wrong? do i need to be setting the bar completely on the ground before i lift it up again?
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