I’ve noticed some damage to some of the newer 25# and 10# plates recently. Some of the barbell sleeves are beginning to spin slower, too. One of the rules on the board is to respect the equipment and drop as a last resort. Bumper plates are for your safety, not because you’re lazy!
IF YOU GHOSTRIDE A BAR, DROP IT FROM OVERHEAD, AND/OR ALLOW IT TO FALL TO THE GROUND IN AN UNCONTROLLED FASHION EVERYONE WILL STOP AND DO BURPEES
If you need to drop the barbell, you must do it under control: If going for a max lift, you just let the bar down in front of you, but you keep your hands on the bar and try to slow the descent and then don’t let the bar bounce all over the place. With light or warm-up weights in the snatch, you lower the bar to your thighs and then lower it to the ground. In cleans and clean and jerks, you lower to your shoulders, then to your thighs, and then to the ground.
WHEN UNLOADING YOUR BARBELL, TAKE OFF THE BUMPER PLATE AND SET THE END OF THE BAR DOWN, DON’T DROP AN EMPTY BAR! THIS IS WHY SOME OF THE OLDER 15KG BARS DON’T SPIN WELL!
So when should you drop the bar?
DO DROP
- When going really heavy: 1RM snatch/clean/press/anything overhead – if there is any chance of you getting injured by slowly bringing it down to your shoulders you must drop it! This is what bumpers are for!
- If you’re in a precarious situation and need to bail – don’t fight to keep the bar – drop it and try again another day
DON’T DROP
- An empty barbell
- A bar will only 5# or 10# plates – a 45# bar with a pair of 10# plates is 65# – if 65# is too heavy for you to control then use the 15# trainer bar with a pair of 25# plates (also 65#!)
- Any weight that you can easily set down in a controlled manner without risk to your health
This goes in effect immediately. Don’t like it? Well I hope you like burpees.