Don't be a Noob: Loading the Bar
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(A Blast from the Past article originally posted on 01/06/19)
You have probably noticed (hopefully!) that whenever we load metal plates on a barbell, we always load them so that the numbers printed on the plates face inward (Figure 1), i.e., the numbers of the plates on one end of the bar can “see” the numbers of the plates on the other end of the bar.
figure 1: ted demonstrates the proper method of plate loading on his 405 lb squat.
You may also have wondered to yourself, “Self, why do we always load the plates this way?”
We briefly allude to the primary rationale for this method of loading on everyone’s first day at Testify, but in case you’ve forgotten, let’s chat.
Each metal plate has a lip - a ledge - that makes grasping the plate easier. Loading a plate with the lip facing inward (i.e., away from you) allows your fingers to grasp the plate in a very secure manner. This secure grip is important since the most common injury in a weight room is not a back injury, it’s not a knee injury, and it’s not a wrist injury - it’s a broken toe (or other bone in the foot) caused by dropping a plate on one’s foot.
Every plate is easier to grasp with the numbers facing inward rather than outward, and this is especially true for the 25 lb and 45 lb plates, which - dropped from even a few inches up in the air - are superbly unforgiving to one’s tarsals, metatarsals, and phalanges (mind you, dropping the smaller plates can have some nasty effects as well). With this in mind, we always load the plates with the numbers facing inward.
What about the bumper plates, you say? Bumper plates have a lip on both sides (albeit a rather small one), so load them as you please. There’s no rules!
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