Always add the weight of the bar when tracking your lifts. Here's how to find out how much it weighs. Olympic Barbells Normally an olympic style 7ft long bar on the bench press rack weighs 44 lbs or 45 lbs. 44 lbs is common because of the conversion from kilograms for international usage. 20kg = [...]
https://youtu.be/Y_mwDu8fXuQ Being a personal trainer on the side for the last twenty years, I knew exactly what I wanted in my home gym when my wife and I built our house about two years ago. Of course, it would be easy to go with all commercial gym equipment, but it would also be very expensive. [...]
Several online gym equipment stores give discounts to firefighters, police, emergency medical technicians, rescuers, active US military, and US military veterans. Depending on the store, they might give a discount to all of those groups, but I've listed the ones they specifically mention on their site. Stores will most likely require proof of your status [...]
As you know, the internet is full of big-name fitness blogs associated with magazines and employing a hundred writers, and many more junk fitness blogs that try to imitate them. I'd like to share with you some "medium sized" blogs run by experienced strength coaches and trainers who offer good advice and ideas on their [...]
Don't miss our most popular new posts from this year! I understand you don't have time to read everything we publish. Things drop off the front page before long, and you'll miss some of our best stuff because of it. Lucky for you, I've picked out the highlights... #1 - How Much Does a Smith [...]
As usual, some random interesting things I collected over the last month! Squats and Bad Knees? Youtuber hard2hurt has videos on MMA and self defense I like watching. One new video is on squats. "I can't squat cuz I've got bad knees!"You don't have bad knees. You just have knees. They're all like that. Immediately [...]
Crossfit enthusiasts who head to their local Crossfit box five days a week have all the equipment they need there. That doesn't mean they don't need a few things. Here is a guide to buying for Crossfitters. Crossfitters are known for all the little accessories they use to make hard workouts a little easier on [...]
Introduction If deadlifts are such an important exercise, it follows that you might want to get an extra piece of equipment that's perfectly made for doing it, right? Not so fast. It depends on where you are in your training. A brief explanation first, to help you see past the marketing hype... Note: The hex [...]
This is a real guide, from a guy who lifts weights, telling you what a lot of us would like. There are a thousand gift guides like this on the internet. 99% of them are nonsense, written by people who have no idea what they're talking about and just go by "hot sellers" on Amazon. [...]
Oops, Titan Does it Again You know, at least they keep trying. Eventually they get it right. I've got to give them an A for effort. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jIpU25S__zc&feature=youtu.be This is a video of their Hefty Bench. Titan got back to him and is sending him a replacement leg that should fit right. But another person in [...]
Your garage looks absolutely perfect for a gym. Concrete floor, oodles of empty space... And a floor that turns out to not be level. Doh! Typical slope of 1 to 2 degrees towards driveway This is no accident. Due to building codes, a garage has a minimum slope towards the opening of 1/8" per foot. [...]
Why Bother with a GHD? While deadlifts are known for being the best exercise for your glutes and hamstrings, glute ham raises are an excellent accessory exercise or the best option for people who are not able to deadlift due to back problems. The problem with most weight machines is the muscles in your body [...]
First Off: Go With Rubber Soooo many dumbbells to choose from! How do you know where you should be buying them to get the best deal, and what kind is right for your needs? I recommend going at least one step above the cheapest quality dumbbells, opting for rubber-coated dumbbells instead of the cheaper cast [...]
Hey there brothers of iron and sisters of steel (credit goes to Dave Draper for that one), I'm back in action for another review. This time we'll take a look at the Rogue Adjustable 2.0 Bench. First, when picking out the right bench for barbell work and dumbbell work, you want to look for something [...]
The Right Way to Hang Powerlifting Chains Alan Thrall goes over the proper hanging of powerlifting chains on a barbell to create accommodating resistance in your training, most often used in squats or bench presses. In one sense you can have a single chain hanging from the bar, as long as it is touching the [...]
Lower Back Pain: Rip and Inversion I've been getting lower back pain over the last year, on and off, from bad deadlift form, bad posture, and probably other factors. Rip has some advice on lower back pain for people over 40 or so: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xSF2ezSnpFU The gist of it is this: Wiggling your spine around, whether [...]
Heavy lifters benefit from specialty 8ft deadlift bars and other oddly-shaped bars that can let you move the weight in new ways. Let's take a look at several specialty squat bars that could help you lift more weight safely and smoothly. 8ft Long Squat Bars The first type of specialty squat bar looks much like [...]
Picking Bumpers Brandon's latest videos go over plates. Great, we love plates! Amazing how much can be said about these things you stick on the barbell to weigh it down. One thing I never thought of: Urethane competition-style bumpers are crazy hard to pick up flat off the floor. They're so slippery smooth, and like [...]
When it comes to building muscle; this question always seems to pop up. It would be pretty much impossible to find a gym that hasn’t seen people going crazy over this. “Should I squat with a freeweight barbell or Smith machine?”, “should flys be done with dumbbells or a pec-deck?” Well, at the end of [...]
Who is Brandon? A quick intro for those of you who don't know about him. Brandon Campbell Diamond is a competitive powerlifter and well-known Youtuber with a following of 190,000. Although he does make a portion of his income from Youtube, he works at a data storage company as his main job. All of his [...]
Deadlift Pause Length Deadlifts are named that way, "dead," because they are meant to be done from a dead stop. With other exercises you can bounce the weight off your shoulders, chest, or whatever it is, which is fine to a small degree because you still are holding the weight in the air the whole [...]
The perfect weight of dumbbells you should start with as a beginner will depend on your modality, or in other words the type of training and its objective. First let's look at the modalities that user lighter weights that I don't write about a whole lot on this site. Barre I've sold many sets of [...]
With only dumbbells, can you get a good deadlift workout in, or does it require a barbell? The deadlift is a classic compound exercise that is one of most important lifts you can do in the gym for overall strength and muscle growth. It works your back, lats, hamstrings, quads, traps, and other stabilizer muscles. [...]
First, Traditional Cardio for Burning Calories All those cardio machines at the gym spit out the number of calories you've burned during the workout. On the surface it can seem handy: "I burned 490 calories today! I can eat a cupcake!" This is why doing cardio is such a popular method of burning calories. It [...]
You can't deny the lightweight portability of resistance bands for helping you do some kind of workout routine while traveling. Another benefit is they are pretty cheap, even for a whole set of varying resistances, compared to any machines or freeweights, and they're popular as a kind of home gym that you can stuff away [...]
The EZ curl bar at your gym most likely weighs 18-22 lbs. Round it off to 20 lbs as an estimate. That isn't necessarily the case, though. Let's look at some variants that could weigh different amounts. If you have a scale available, the easiest way is to simply weigh the bar, either by holding [...]
Herniated disc in your lower back? Screw it, lift weights anyway! No, seriously - Alex Krazewski, a physical therapist and strength coach, describes how it doesn't necessarily mean you should stop going heavy. read more: Why You Can and Should Lift Weights with a Herniated Disc A redditor found that this plastic shockproof ipad case [...]
Hi there fellow gear hounds, I'm back in action with a review compliments of Fringe Sport. This time I got the opportunity to test out and use their 2" 20kg "El Gordazo" Axle Bar (or to the crowd like me, their 2" 44 lb rounded to 45 lb "El Gordazo" Axle Bar). First let me [...]
I ran into an issue that you should know about if you plan on getting a custom logo applied to the wood surface of a new lifting platform you're buying, whether it's a York or any other brand. Look at this. When our customer received the platform that York made for him, with his custom [...]
Hey there brothers and sisters of iron, Tony here with another detailed review. This time we'll take a look at a luxury item of sorts with a somewhat valuable feature of an automatic hand off of a loaded barbell (and unloaded too if you start your warm ups with just the bar first)... This is [...]
https://youtu.be/DY4nhArsdHw Anyone who lifts regularly eventually gets some nagging aches and pains that they can't figure out. Usually they go away if you work around them and lighten up a bit. Ryan's latest problem was pain in his forearms that had been there for months. He went to see a doctor to see if medical [...]
Each and every person will bring a different skill set with them when they begin their CrossFit journey. Some people have strength, some have endurance, while others have flexibility. However, no matter what you bring to the table, there is bound to be something that is going to trip you up in the programming. It [...]
So you are working out hard, eating clean and feeling awesome. Congrats to you! You are getting strong and looking good, especially naked. These are great things, things that we all work toward. You should be very proud of your accomplishments. However, being fit is not a license to be a jerk. Just don’t do [...]
Crossfit is an evolving fitness idea that is beginning to catch fire across the world. For those of you who haven’t heard of Crossfit it is an intense type of fitness regimen that has affiliate gyms all across the world. The program is designed to get you in the best overall shape possible. You will [...]
When it comes to CrossFit there is no shortage of hot single bodies looking to mix and mingle. Many people roll into the CrossFit gym as couples and build stronger relationships by training together. However, if you are single, here is a guide to CrossFit dating. Use this guide with caution… The Girl Next Door [...]
What you absolutely need when starting your garage gym is a matter of opinion. That's why you should find the person with the best opinion! Josh Bridges has appeared in 6 Crossfit Games, finishing three times in the top 10. He lives this stuff, and you can learn a thing for two from his training [...]
Obese reporters and lazy bloggers love to write about how any given real activity could result in an injury. The same type of readers love to point to it as justification for not doing intense workouts. “Surely”, they ooze, “If we could rid ourselves of rugby, MMA, boxing, indeed all martial arts (except that nice [...]
We have developed a list of common shoulder injuries with simple explanations to help you better understand what Shoulder Injuries you might have Biceps Tendonitis The most commonly reported symptom of biceps tendonitis is pain along the upper arm bone and shoulder joint. The pain is usually most severe while making overhead movements or lifting heavy objects, [...]
https://youtu.be/5ly6kV6jWps Benjamin got a pair of the Fringe mini farmers walk handles to add to his sweet garage gym. These have the same advantage of the larger sized "top load" style farmers handles where the plates don't have to touch the ground when you load them. You can drop it on its side. That makes [...]
Credit This is adapted from the "Athletic Skill Levels" table created by Dave Werner of Crossfit Seattle in 2007. Crossfit Seattle closed in 2017, and the handy table disappeared along with the website. I have re-created it in web format here. The Table Level I Well Rounded Beginner Level II Intermediate Athlete Level III [...]
Introduction A utility bench, or a bench without an attached rack, is a key piece of a home or commercial gym. You can slide them into a power rack, do dumbbell work or do other exercises like pullovers that don't need a rack. But the question is, should you get a flat utility bench or [...]Smith machines are not usually marked anywhere to indicate how much the bar weighs. Without knowing that, how do you keep an accurate log of your progress? When you jump on a Smith machine at another gym, you wouldn't know for sure whether you're lifting the same amount as before. Here's what you need to [...]
It would be nice to know what that oddly shaped trap bar weighs so you can keep an accurate log of your training. A straight 7ft olympic bar typically weighs 45 lbs or 44 lbs / 20 kg. With a trap bar it's a bit more complicated... First - What is a trap bar? A [...]
When I see videos like this, I'm amazed by the strength displayed by kids at such a young age. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TlRiNoElnvg But is it a good idea? Let's go over some things. Does weight lifting stunt growth? We've all heard the claim that kids will stunt their growth or cause other lifelong problems by lifting heavy [...]
The thing that everyone buys first One of the first things a lot of people do when they want to start working out and get stronger is buy a bench press like the one pictured here. It's the most recognizable exercise. It's easy enough to do reasonably right. But is that kind of equipment the [...]
This article is so comprehensive that we had to separate it out from our main article on cleaning and maintaining workout equipment. So you just got a new olympic bar and you want to keep it in good condition for years to come. See our section below on regular maintenance. Or maybe you have an [...]
Here's how you determine what length of barbell you need. First, the common lengths of barbells Typical length of shaft and sleeves of 7ft olympic barbell A 7 foot barbell is usually around 51-52" long between the shoulders / inside collars. Each of the sleeves is about 16". Add another couple inches for [...]
You get a hold of a great power rack or squat rack, but then you find out that the company doesn't make the attachments / accessories that you want. No problem! You should be able to find a compatible attachment or accessory, as long as your rack is made with one of a few standard [...]
Here's some info that folks need sometimes on the sizing of olympic plates, including their diameter, hole size, and thickness. 45lb olympic plate diameter A 45 lb plate diameter measurement is supposed to be 450mm (17.72″). This is the IPF (International Powerlifting Federation) and IWF (International Weightlifting Federation) regulation size. This goes for most models of olympic [...]
What jerk blocks are A jerk block, also called a jerk box or olympic weightlifting technique box, is a stackable, raised platform to get the barbell a few feet off the floor so you can practice jerks. A jerk is the final portion of the clean-and-jerk, moving the bar overhead These are not common in home gyms, and [...]
What is a power rack? This is also known as a power cage or "full" power rack. A power rack is a popular piece of weight training equipment that is mainly used as a conveniently shaped rack for freeweight barbell exercises: squats, bench presses, and anything else where you could normally use a friend spotting you [...]
Intro This is for olympic weightlifting bars (often called WL bars for short) that are best for doing the clean and the snatch. For powerlifting bars for deadlifts, squats and bench press, see the powerlifting bars comparison. Or learn about the difference between the two. Muscle & Fitness also has a good basic article on the difference between [...]
What are battle ropes? Although it's been associated with MMA training, the Battling Ropes System was created by John Brookfield, a strongman and trainer who practiced the rope training method in his backyard and went on to teach it to soldiers at a military base near him and with other athletes. Since then, it has [...]