Squat Rack Etiquette

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  • Obeg
    Obeg Posts: 49 Member
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    yopeeps025 wrote: »
    Obeg wrote: »
    Don't curl in a rack. Don't shrug in a rack. Don't bench press in a rack (unless your gym does not have a dedicated bench press). Don't deadlift in a rack.

    In my opinion, the Squat rack is for Squatting and Overhead Press.

    or you can clean in up. Sorry I cannot clean my squat weight and I am not sure who can. So while I wait for someone who can clean what they shoulder press I will be staring hard until you are done overhead press in the squat rack.

    The work I do with OHP is pretty much to failure. While I may be able to get it up safely with a clean, I may not be able to get it down safely thus I will have to stop a rep or two short in order to stay safe. If I am in the rack, I can OHP to failure.

    However, with that said, I do agree Squat takes all precedence. If I am aware someone is wanting to squat and I am on OHP - I will use the Press station (sitting) or even the Smith (yuck).
    -
  • yopeeps025
    yopeeps025 Posts: 8,680 Member
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    Obeg wrote: »
    yopeeps025 wrote: »
    Obeg wrote: »
    Don't curl in a rack. Don't shrug in a rack. Don't bench press in a rack (unless your gym does not have a dedicated bench press). Don't deadlift in a rack.

    In my opinion, the Squat rack is for Squatting and Overhead Press.

    or you can clean in up. Sorry I cannot clean my squat weight and I am not sure who can. So while I wait for someone who can clean what they shoulder press I will be staring hard until you are done overhead press in the squat rack.

    The work I do with OHP is pretty much to failure. While I may be able to get it up safely with a clean, I may not be able to get it down safely thus I will have to stop a rep or two short in order to stay safe. If I am in the rack, I can OHP to failure.

    However, with that said, I do agree Squat takes all precedence. If I am aware someone is wanting to squat and I am on OHP - I will use the Press station (sitting) or even the Smith (yuck).
    -

    You do know you do not need to go to failure to get stronger right? Yes I know about time under tension. The program I am on actually uses training max 90% of max and not true max.
  • Obeg
    Obeg Posts: 49 Member
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    yopeeps025 wrote: »
    Obeg wrote: »
    yopeeps025 wrote: »
    Obeg wrote: »
    Don't curl in a rack. Don't shrug in a rack. Don't bench press in a rack (unless your gym does not have a dedicated bench press). Don't deadlift in a rack.

    In my opinion, the Squat rack is for Squatting and Overhead Press.

    or you can clean in up. Sorry I cannot clean my squat weight and I am not sure who can. So while I wait for someone who can clean what they shoulder press I will be staring hard until you are done overhead press in the squat rack.

    The work I do with OHP is pretty much to failure. While I may be able to get it up safely with a clean, I may not be able to get it down safely thus I will have to stop a rep or two short in order to stay safe. If I am in the rack, I can OHP to failure.

    However, with that said, I do agree Squat takes all precedence. If I am aware someone is wanting to squat and I am on OHP - I will use the Press station (sitting) or even the Smith (yuck).
    -

    You do know you do not need to go to failure to get stronger right? Yes I know about time under tension. The program I am on actually uses training max 90% of max and not true max.

    I am currently doing 5x5 - so come the 4th or 5th rep on the last set, I should be pretty close to a natural failure.
  • SideSteel
    SideSteel Posts: 11,068 Member
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    IMO: OHP in a squat rack is totally fine.
  • Sam_I_Am77
    Sam_I_Am77 Posts: 2,093 Member
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    SideSteel wrote: »
    I saw someone wheel a bench into the squat rack, bring two DB's into the rack, and do standing DB curls in the squat rack with a flat bench next to him. So he never used any feature of the squat rack and he never used the flat bench.

    Totally blew my mind. To this day I still LOL at it.

    That's hilarious.

    Saturday I was squatting and in-between sets I would go do a quick set of pull-ups. I was walking back to the squat rack and this dude was starting to take plates off my bar, keep in mind he was working on the other side of the gym on the bench press and there are other plate trees with what he needed. I go early morning so there's next to nobody in there and there's another rack, so I don't feel bad about cranking out a quick set of pull-ups in-between sets. I couldn't believe this dude.
  • SideSteel
    SideSteel Posts: 11,068 Member
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    So he was just taking your plates to use the plates, not to use the rack? LOL
  • hill8570
    hill8570 Posts: 1,466 Member
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    Sam_I_Am77 wrote: »
    SideSteel wrote: »
    I saw someone wheel a bench into the squat rack, bring two DB's into the rack, and do standing DB curls in the squat rack with a flat bench next to him. So he never used any feature of the squat rack and he never used the flat bench.

    Totally blew my mind. To this day I still LOL at it.

    That's hilarious.

    Saturday I was squatting and in-between sets I would go do a quick set of pull-ups. I was walking back to the squat rack and this dude was starting to take plates off my bar, keep in mind he was working on the other side of the gym on the bench press and there are other plate trees with what he needed. I go early morning so there's next to nobody in there and there's another rack, so I don't feel bad about cranking out a quick set of pull-ups in-between sets. I couldn't believe this dude.

    Was there any indication that you hadn't just run off and left your mess (water bottle, towel, notepad)? All the "if you can lift it you can rack it" signs to the contrary, lots of folks will leave their iron on the bar. If there's no placeholder, and I can't find anybody who's seen someone working the bar recently and I need a plate, it's fair game from my POV.

  • JeffseekingV
    JeffseekingV Posts: 3,165 Member
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    I can't out OHP my cleans so I just choose not to tie up the squat rack while doing OHP
  • giantrobot_powerlifting
    giantrobot_powerlifting Posts: 2,598 Member
    edited January 2015
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    Does anyone remember when curling on the flat bench was the thing? Now that squat racks have proliferated in almost every gym, I haven't seen that in a long time. A very long time. There are less flat benches too.
  • wolfsbayne
    wolfsbayne Posts: 3,116 Member
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    In general, in public gyms, it is always rude to super set. Just because no one is using the 3 or 4 areas you are hogging, and just because it doesn't seem like anyone wants to use them, you're probably wrong and you're hogging. Just because no one says something, doesn't mean they don't want to use the stuff you're hogging. It's unfortunate. But, if you want to super set, get a home gym. Or, do it in a way where you aren't hogging the only squat rack in the gym. We only have 2 squat racks. It's so annoying when people are doing abs, and curls and shoulders, ...everything but squatting. I have gone up to people and pointed out that they can do that somewhere else. It is never met with kindness. I think they know they are being an @$$hole and don't like being called out on it.

    It's best to only squat in the squat rack.

    ...and don't even get me started on deadlifting in the squat rack. OMG! I will lose my *kitten* on that one.

    A gym I went too had 3 cages, 2 with platforms. Only place to deadlift.

    There was a day, I was in one of the cages with the platform, shared it with a girl. She was deadlifting behind me while I was squatting. Worked out well. And when she was done deadlifting, I had her leave the set bar set up since I had to deadlift. It's all about sharing.

    I have even been to a stereotypical meathead gym and there wasn't a designated deadlifting spot

    There's no platform in my gym, either. There's a space between the squat rack and the power cage, so that's where I deadlift and it's where I've seen the only other person I've seen deadlift do it.
  • Sam_I_Am77
    Sam_I_Am77 Posts: 2,093 Member
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    SideSteel wrote: »
    So he was just taking your plates to use the plates, not to use the rack? LOL

    Yes! LOL! After I said, "hey man I'm still using that" he found the plates he wanted elsewhere and went back to the bench.
    Was there any indication that you hadn't just run off and left your mess (water bottle, towel, notepad)? All the "if you can lift it you can rack it" signs to the contrary, lots of folks will leave their iron on the bar. If there's no placeholder, and I can't find anybody who's seen someone working the bar recently and I need a plate, it's fair game from my POV.

    Not at all, my sweatshirt that I took off after my 2nd set was still there, gym bag right there, training log right there and he saw me training there; it's a very small gym. I was doing pull-ups in-between sets from warm-up through my 3rd work-set, so I don't know what he's thinking. The only way our gym doesn't have enough plates for everybody would be if Dan Green and Brandon Lily were deadlifting separately at the same time.
  • arditarose
    arditarose Posts: 15,575 Member
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    Bad squat rack etiquette: The guy next to me was dead lifting in the squat rack as I approached mine. He then ripped the worst fart, and fled the scene during his session, leaving everyone who was walking by to think it was me as I was the one left standing.
  • hill8570
    hill8570 Posts: 1,466 Member
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    arditarose wrote: »
    Bad squat rack etiquette: The guy next to me was dead lifting in the squat rack as I approached mine. He then ripped the worst fart, and fled the scene during his session, leaving everyone who was walking by to think it was me as I was the one left standing.

    Yeah, whatever. If you can't blame it on the dog, blame it on the bro. Just own it.
  • giantrobot_powerlifting
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    arditarose wrote: »
    Bad squat rack etiquette: The guy next to me was dead lifting in the squat rack as I approached mine. He then ripped the worst fart, and fled the scene during his session, leaving everyone who was walking by to think it was me as I was the one left standing.
    Maybe he eat way too many almonds? Or cashews. lol

    But what were you to do? You don't want to leave your equipment and get snaked, but then you don't want to take the blame either.

    It's like the Sofie's choice of weight training.
  • arditarose
    arditarose Posts: 15,575 Member
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    arditarose wrote: »
    Bad squat rack etiquette: The guy next to me was dead lifting in the squat rack as I approached mine. He then ripped the worst fart, and fled the scene during his session, leaving everyone who was walking by to think it was me as I was the one left standing.
    Maybe he eat way too many almonds? Or cashews. lol

    But what were you to do? You don't want to leave your equipment and get snaked, but then you don't want to take the blame either.

    It's like the Sofie's choice of weight training.

    I just put on this air like "yeah, it wasn't me. And if it was-SO WHAT?!"

    Today someone also came up to me and asked why my feet were so far apart. He told me to keep them smaller than hips width and only squat above parallel. I guess that's not bad etiquette but I was confused.
  • hill8570
    hill8570 Posts: 1,466 Member
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    arditarose wrote: »
    Today someone also came up to me and asked why my feet were so far apart. He told me to keep them smaller than hips width and only squat above parallel. I guess that's not bad etiquette but I was confused.

    I'll take bad etiquette over bad advice any ol' day. What if you'd been a newb and actually taken the advice?
  • arditarose
    arditarose Posts: 15,575 Member
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    hill8570 wrote: »
    arditarose wrote: »
    Today someone also came up to me and asked why my feet were so far apart. He told me to keep them smaller than hips width and only squat above parallel. I guess that's not bad etiquette but I was confused.

    I'll take bad etiquette over bad advice any ol' day. What if you'd been a newb and actually taken the advice?

    I don't know! I'm so confused. He's a body builder and looks great so what is going on with this advice?
  • giantrobot_powerlifting
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    arditarose wrote: »
    arditarose wrote: »
    Bad squat rack etiquette: The guy next to me was dead lifting in the squat rack as I approached mine. He then ripped the worst fart, and fled the scene during his session, leaving everyone who was walking by to think it was me as I was the one left standing.
    Maybe he eat way too many almonds? Or cashews. lol

    But what were you to do? You don't want to leave your equipment and get snaked, but then you don't want to take the blame either.

    It's like the Sofie's choice of weight training.

    I just put on this air like "yeah, it wasn't me. And if it was-SO WHAT?!"
    lol. I always own them because at that point what can you do?
    arditarose wrote: »
    Today someone also came up to me and asked why my feet were so far apart. He told me to keep them smaller than hips width and only squat above parallel. I guess that's not bad etiquette but I was confused.
    Too bad that you could not, at that moment, have really have farted in that person's general direction.
  • arditarose
    arditarose Posts: 15,575 Member
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    arditarose wrote: »
    arditarose wrote: »
    Bad squat rack etiquette: The guy next to me was dead lifting in the squat rack as I approached mine. He then ripped the worst fart, and fled the scene during his session, leaving everyone who was walking by to think it was me as I was the one left standing.
    Maybe he eat way too many almonds? Or cashews. lol

    But what were you to do? You don't want to leave your equipment and get snaked, but then you don't want to take the blame either.

    It's like the Sofie's choice of weight training.

    I just put on this air like "yeah, it wasn't me. And if it was-SO WHAT?!"
    lol. I always own them because at that point what can you do?
    arditarose wrote: »
    Today someone also came up to me and asked why my feet were so far apart. He told me to keep them smaller than hips width and only squat above parallel. I guess that's not bad etiquette but I was confused.
    Too bad that you could not, at that moment, have really have farted in that person's general direction.

    lol.
  • DavPul
    DavPul Posts: 61,406 Member
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    arditarose wrote: »
    hill8570 wrote: »
    arditarose wrote: »
    Today someone also came up to me and asked why my feet were so far apart. He told me to keep them smaller than hips width and only squat above parallel. I guess that's not bad etiquette but I was confused.

    I'll take bad etiquette over bad advice any ol' day. What if you'd been a newb and actually taken the advice?

    I don't know! I'm so confused. He's a body builder and looks great so what is going on with this advice?

    he was giving you advice for a body builder. he's more interested in filling out his quads than getting his hams or glutes involved. depending on your goals the advice could be correct or extremely off base. MFP tends to be ALL POWERLIFTING ALL THE TIME so a wider stance is going to go over better here.