Pre loaded barbells for deadlifts?

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missbrendalynn
missbrendalynn Posts: 74 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
Hey guys,

As of late, I've been hitting the gym around 5-6pm when it's the most crowded and looking for an Olympic bar is pretty much impossible :sad: I've resorted to using preloaded barbells to do some of my compound lifts but it feels strange using them for deadlifts.

The preloaded plates are much smaller in diameter and requires bending a lot lower so that the plates hit the ground (man I hope this makes sense having it all typed out). It feels unnatural having to bend so low that sometimes it felt like I was gonna fall over so I just make my way back up when I feel a good stretch in my hammies/lower back.

Question is (might be a silly one), is it okay to DL with a preloaded barbell and do I have to touch the floor with the tiny plates? Would dumbbells be more effective? Or should I just stand around to wait for the Olympic bar to be free (very last resort haha).

Thanks guys! :flowerforyou:

Replies

  • JoRocka
    JoRocka Posts: 17,525 Member
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    No it makes sense- I know what you mean. I've done it before.

    It's a lot more deficit than a regular wheel for sure.
    You can just accept the deficit and go lighter (because you probably will be) OR- prop the bar up.

    I know DL with a shorter bar is harder. Also the weight placement is weird. It feels improper and just WRONG

    And at my gym - all those bars are preacher curl/ezcurl bars. they aren't straight- which makes it SUPER awkward.

    If you are going heavier- it's an issue- if you are still under 100 it's manageable.

    just take a bench bar and set up somewhere else!! Figure out which day works- I almost ALWAYS dead lift on Mondays. For most gyms- take a look around on monday- almost every chest machine/exercise/bench is being utilized- every knuckle dragger from under every rock is doing chest.

    I do dead lifts. so much easier- so figure out a day when the bar's are not being used- like most people have a bi's tri's day- see if you can figure that out and do squats/deads that day?
  • AlongCame_Molly
    AlongCame_Molly Posts: 2,835 Member
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    No it makes sense- I know what you mean. I've done it before.

    It's a lot more deficit than a regular wheel for sure.
    You can just accept the deficit and go lighter (because you probably will be) OR- prop the bar up.

    I know DL with a shorter bar is harder. Also the weight placement is weird. It feels improper and just WRONG

    And at my gym - all those bars are preacher curl/ezcurl bars. they aren't straight- which makes it SUPER awkward.

    If you are going heavier- it's an issue- if you are still under 100 it's manageable.

    just take a bench bar and set up somewhere else!! Figure out which day works- I almost ALWAYS dead lift on Mondays. For most gyms- take a look around on monday- almost every chest machine/exercise/bench is being utilized- every knuckle dragger from under every rock is doing chest.

    I do dead lifts. so much easier- so figure out a day when the bar's are not being used- like most people have a bi's tri's day- see if you can figure that out and do squats/deads that day?

    All this, except I'll add that I actually LIKE deadlifting with the ezcurl bars sometimes...I find it really helps with my grip, as that's something I'm still working on strengthening. I figure weight is weight, and as long as my form stays consistent, I'll still get the same benefits.
  • AlongCame_Molly
    AlongCame_Molly Posts: 2,835 Member
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    Oh, and OP: that is a b!tchin, B!TCHIN tattoo!
  • jwdieter
    jwdieter Posts: 2,582 Member
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    Couple 45 plates on each side should raise the floor to an appropriate level.
  • MisterDerpington
    MisterDerpington Posts: 604 Member
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    I hate preloaded barbells for a few reasons. One is how much smaller the ends are, so floor lifts are kind of weird. Second, they just feel clunky. All the weight is concentrated in these dense little parts on the end, as opposed to through plates on an olympic bar. I've tried doing hang power cleans with pre-loaded barbells. It was awful because of that.
  • FrnkLft
    FrnkLft Posts: 1,821 Member
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    It's probably too low for you to take a good position on them. I mean it's almost like deadlifting out of the hole on a squat.

    I would find something to prop them up on (stack some plates up on either side) and go from there. If you're going heavy, you should NOT be slowing before the ground. That's just going to open yourself up to injury.
  • FrnkLft
    FrnkLft Posts: 1,821 Member
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    Oh, or take some dumbbells that nobody is using and put them on their side so they act like platforms. That could work too.
  • missbrendalynn
    missbrendalynn Posts: 74 Member
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    JoRocka - HAHA I had no idea Monday was an unwritten, designated chest day for most people. But in my gym, for some reason, around 5 PTs would train their existing or new clients (every dang day around the time I hit the gym :huh: ) using the Olympic bar so I'm back at square one.

    AlongCameMolly - Thank you for the compliment!! :bigsmile:

    JWDieter - Good tip! Might use an aerobic step sans the riser though, thanks for the idea!

    MisterDerping - Yeah they feel pretty weird to say the least! The only time I don't mind using them is when I'm doing drop sets so that I don't have to shuffle around all the time to get the weight out.

    DrnkLft - Prop them up, got it! Seems to be the most rational thing thing to do.

    THANKS GUYS! Some solid advice here! :flowerforyou:
  • meshashesha2012
    meshashesha2012 Posts: 8,326 Member
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    you can also use aerobic step as a way to raise them.

    when DL'ing with dumbbells placing the weights on the outside of your feet is a good way to approximate some of the complete deadlift motion



    and everyday seems to be bro chest day in my gym.
  • kelly_e_montana
    kelly_e_montana Posts: 1,999 Member
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    They suck and I appreciate your posting this question because I wanted to know as well.:flowerforyou:

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