So, the thing is that I can’t afford a gym card for a while, but I still powerlift in my crappy home gym. Squat, Dead lift and Bench press.
So today, I dead lifted 300lbs with a “school bar”, the thin bars.
What I’m wondering about is how my 300lbs DL carries over to an olympic bar once I start training with one. I’m thinking that I’ll end up lifting less than 300lbs due to my bars being thinner “school bars”, and my grip will be weaker.
Cross that bridge when you get to it dude. For now worry about what you can lift with the bar you have. Why do you think your numbers will be less? What kind of optimism is that…shitty optimism man! Smash that shit! Lift so much your bar is bent to shit and you have to buy a new bar & keep an eye out on Craigslist for Olympic bars. You find them on there all day long for cheap.
Skip a night out with the boys and you got money to buy a bar. Hell, I’ve seen whole olympic weight sets on there for $30. Even a shitty olympic bar will hold 500 or so pounds before they bend much.
Oh, If you are really worried about your grip, do some grip training. This stuff is easy man. Plate holds, rice digs, buy a gripper, that wrist roll up thing, shrugs without straps, load up a barbell and just hold it for as long as possible etc. Get ahead of the curve now and it’ll be a NON issue.
I have run into many issues and had nights sleeping on this. I was used to a texas power bar and then went to college. The college gym’s bar felt easier. Then when I went back home and used the texas bar it felt allot heavier. I believe this is because the texas power bar has less whip. I didn’t noticed a difference on bench at all, but definately different on deadlift and squat. This is why I think they may be the same weight but different flexibility. Now, I have my own power bar at the gym I go to. If I used the commercial bar it feels a bit easier, but if I switch week to week I get the same reps.
I actually went from my friend Damon's garage gym to a commercial gym. We started training at the commercial gym to use more equipment. Their bars felt heavier. Like I felt allot weaker on them. When I went back to damon's garage to train months later, the texas power bar there felt much heavier, particularly in squats.
i remember I one time came back from school, and told my old gym buddies I hit 495x4 on deads, I couldn't even budge it at the aforementioned commercial gym's bar. i blamed it on the bar and probably sounded like an idiot.
Perhaps, some people just train their technique to work that type of bar. I might change my coordination to work better w/ a bar w/ allot more whip for instance. This is why I don't think my bench changed at all bar to bar. I probably don't lift enough for bar whip to be a factor. But if i am deadlifting think if their is bar whip, I can pull the bar higher and get my hips higher before the plates actually start moving.
Anyhow, if i were you I would work with what you got. The place you workout at now bars are probably at least sufficient to get the job done. A 500lb squat is a 500lb squat same with a 500lb deadlift, regardless of bar. if you have sufficient funds you could get a texas power bar online for $260 and keep it in the maintenance closet or on the floor if they let you.
Speaking of bars though check this one out(made w/ swedish steel,ipf approved(i attached the image too):
http://www.eleikosport.se/Powerlifting/product.asp?PageNumber=1&Product_Id=240
I get the same feeling looking at a ferrari or other high priced sportscar…
Yeah, I do grip training. That’s cool.
I like what you write. I should really just focus on one thing first, then fix my numbers when I get there. Thanks a lot.
I’m just a worrying guy. I start worrying about stuff a year because they’re going to happen. Hehe!
[quote]silkyhorse wrote:
Yeah, I do grip training. That’s cool.
I like what you write. I should really just focus on one thing first, then fix my numbers when I get there. Thanks a lot.
I’m just a worrying guy. I start worrying about stuff a year because they’re going to happen. Hehe![/quote]
Just remember this stuff is supposed to be fun. If we sweat the small stuff It detracts from that fun. Unless you are getting paid to lift don’t worry about it and even then, you can only do what you can do right… later bro
Don’t know about everyone else, but I have a better grip on an Olympic bar with chalk then a thin bar without chalk!
Actually I think commercial equipment isn’t calibrated to be balls-on weight-wise. Some plates might be heavier than 45 or lighter. This is why you can buy a 300 lbs. olympic set for around 0.50 per pound including the bar…but if you want to step up to calibrated plates you’re talking huge money.
Jesup power bar is $165 delivered. Money well spent.
I’ll second the jesup bar. I have one.
[quote]thirdnalga wrote:
I’ll second the jesup bar. I have one.[/quote]
Well, it isn’t called “Jesus” for nothing. “The Jesus bar, buy it and be as buff as Jesus!”
Or “Jesus bar, for that little extra divinity!”
Yeah, I know, I suck…
[quote]unstable wrote:
Actually I think commercial equipment isn’t calibrated to be balls-on weight-wise. Some plates might be heavier than 45 or lighter. This is why you can buy a 300 lbs. olympic set for around 0.50 per pound including the bar…but if you want to step up to calibrated plates you’re talking huge money.[/quote]
Yes, my previous gym used weights lighter than 45lbs. We used the scale in the locker room to weigh’em.
[quote]challer1 wrote:
Don’t know about everyone else, but I have a better grip on an Olympic bar with chalk then a thin bar without chalk![/quote]
i second this. focus on getting better, and it’ll come. I was afraid of my grip giving out at my last meet, so I set my weights lower. I was having trouble gripping 440 at my college gym, but throw in some chalk and a good bar, and I hit 450 absolutely no problem.
Just keep working, and strengthening everything, and the weight will come.
Jesup bar is a little thicker than your standard bar. It has deep knurling, and no flex that I’ve noticed. It’ll blast your grip.