Deadlift and Pendalay row height?

MoveTheMountain

I'm just starting out and I need a way to raise the barbell off the floor a few inches for deadlifts and rows, since I'm not using 45's yet. Any recommendations?

DaveRCF

Lots of ways to do it but I have these foam blocks in our gym that are about the size of a banana bread loaf. Two on top of each other is perfect. Others use plates but that is a lot of weight to move around just to get a bar off the floor.

jfan175

Stacked plates on each side worked for me. It's good that I don't have to use them anymore.

sjohnny

I set the bar on cinder blocks. It's almost exactly the height of 45lb plates.

I workout at home though. Might not work if you're at a gym.

chuckyp

Are you using a power rack? If so, you can set the safety pins/bars in one of the lowest settings and just do those exercises in the rack.

MoveTheMountain

I set the bar on cinder blocks. It's almost exactly the height of 45lb plates.

I workout at home though. Might not work if you're at a gym.

It's funny, I was thinking about cinder blocks - and yeah, I'm working out at home, too. If I were at a gym, I'm sure there'd be extra plates lying around that I could use.

About the power rack - no, but I do have a squat rack. I tried setting the pins on the catch bar to their lowest, but it's about 6 inches too high. I'd rather just lift from the floor than start from too high, especially since it's light weight.

I'll probably just keep doing what I'm doing, and pull from the floor, which starts me lower than standard height. I've actually seen a few articles on starting deadlifts from 'below normal,' which makes me think I can do it safely if I'm careful about my form. And since the solution is inherent in pulling more weight, by the time I'm going heavier, it won't be an issue any more.

sjohnny

It also sounds pretty awesome when the bar crashes down on the cinder blocks. I'm going to feel like a total badass the day I crush one of the blocks setting the bar down :devil:

MoveTheMountain

Oh man, I hadn't thought about that... Now I'm going to have to reconsider the cinder block thing. My wife will think I'm Hercules the day I crush a cinderblock.

sjohnny

There you go then. Now you HAVE to do it.

MoveTheMountain

There you go then. Now you HAVE to do it.

I do believe you're right... I might even already have the cinder blocks somewhere in the shed...

sjohnny

[cmontgomeryburns]Excellent[/cmontgomeryburns]