The topic of stripping weights off the barbell recently came up in the Get Glutes forum. Since many of the ladies are currently deadlifting, hip thrusting, and barbell glute bridging with much heavier loads, it becomes more cumbersome to drag the plates off. Having spent half my life in commercial gyms, I assumed that the method shown in the video below was common knowledge, but apparently it’s not. If you’re not aware of this method, it can save you some time and energy. Check it out below:
Get Glutes!
I thought everyone did this…one can never assume though!
I never knew this! I always hated pulling those plates off (or trying to), thanks Bret!
after the 5 years of training, THIS, would have to be the best damn advice i have ever recieved 😉
Easy and quick. How we do it at Swing This Kettlebell and Strength!
I have never seen this in any gym I’ve trained at. Thank you for showing this.
OMG – the most helpful thing I have EVER seen!
Very simple, yet I see people doing it the hard way every day!
Great use of video too, however I recommend grabbing a microphone which will help with the sound quality.
Let me know your camera type and I’ll offer some recommendations if you like.
Hayden
Great idea! Wonder how it would work with rubber bumpers?
For James, do you have a video of you stripping plates like this prior to this video being made? I’m assuming you do but hey can’t assume anything :))
As a graveyard employee of 24 hour fitness who has to put all the weights back… it’d be great if members put the weights back where they found them! At least the really heavy ones 45# + (if you can exercise with ’em, you can put ’em back…)
That was so helpful! Thank you!!
I missed it on GG. ….. Glad I get your emails. This is so helpful!
Ummmmmmm. Well this is embarrassing. Been lifting for 20 years and never knew this. Thanks Bret.
I’ve never seen that. Great idea. Fortunately, my gym has a couple of barbell jacks in the deadlift area. They make things even easier.
My mind is blown! And I’m just thinking off all the accumulated hours of lift-drag, lift-drag, lift-drag that I could have saved over the years
There 4 people other than me that have been doing this in the gym. Saw it youtube this morning, then had to click again on facebook to see the pic of the cute girl! Great way of getting attention to your informative clips. Continue with everything you’ve been doing man!
This is hilarious!
Slight variation:
First, choose a five pound plate to roll the inside 45 onto, as it provides slightly more ground clearance, plus you can wedge the furthest inside 45 a bit better in the 5-lb. plate hole.
Next, slide two plates off at a time, and farmers walk them to the plate tree.
Here’s why:
You’re going to have to crouch down and pick up all those plates off the floor anyway, so why not save that extra ROM and lift them from the elevated “still on the bar” position?
Sure you can dump all the weights onto the floor in one swoop, but that extra sliding off plate by plate effort is made up by the ease of lifting a still vertical weight by the lip at 16″ off the floor vs. flat on the floor.
Method #2: DL the load and walk over to set them down on pins/safety supports.
🙂
Thanks Bret…for illuminating me :D…this is so helpful
Hello Bret,
I actually didn’t know this.
There are probably lots of little tips and tricks like this that we don’t think of.
Thanks for the little tip.
John.
Do you understand now, why the other guy said we only use 10% of our brains?
Shhhhh! So noisy! Planet Fitness *DOES NOT APPROVE!* LOL :p. great tip, thanks!
I’ve never seen the first end done this way, but I do implement the second. Sharing this with my gurlz as they are all going to 3 separate gyms, but I know none of them are doing this.
Pffff 2.5lb plate…. that is nothing … I use a 5lb plate when taking the weights off my deadlift 🙂
Thank you! I’ve learned so much from you, your book and videos.
I never knew that!! Glad I caught this
My workout area is on a slight slope so my bar would roll off a 2 1/2lb plate. So I grabbed a couple pieces of scrap lumber and built a little bar lift to set the bar on to pull the weights off the first side. Just a little T with a notch on the top to set the bar in to lift it an inch to get plate access. Only took about ten minutes to build and cost nothing.
Works great and no more pinched fingers! 😉
I always hated looking like a weakling who couldn’t get the plates off! YES!! Thanks Brett!!! 🙂
Wow…. been weight lifting 17 years at mainstream gyms and have NEVER seen this. Thanks!
What was all that short pulling for? Haha. FUNNY.
I had never seen this done with the first end, however, I just started doing it about a month ago as my weight warranted it, and it seemed to be the best solution I could come up with. I do do it with the other side as well, can’t help but feel that dumping the weights on the floor just seems disrespectful to the equipment, which is totally irrational I know.
The best ideas are generally the simplest. I follow a similar protocol, but will often times place the remaining loaded side with the inside of the plates up against the rack and just slip the bar out. The plates generally stay upright and can be rolled right over to the rack. To each his own. Clever post my friend.
that is the best advice i have ever seen on striping wts.
tnx bret.
ps how do i get the glute lab t shirt?
As I would always say, the worst part of deadlifting was trying to take the blasted weights off… so easy, and so simple… i am such a moron…
Hahaha. When a client is grumbling about the heavy deads, I’m gonna show them this video…………I thought this was common sense. 🙂
Awesome stuff!
-Jason
OMG…duh! This is freakin’ genius…simple genius. How have I not been doing that all of these years?!
Cool thanks saves my back and frustration thanks bud