Math is hard. Barbell math is basically impossible. (unless you know the tricks)
Do you toss weight on your bar but have no idea how much you are lifting?
Do you wait and try to add it all at the end?
Maybe you’ve never even tried to figure it out?
Well, today you’ll learn all the tricks to add the barbell weight up quickly & accurately.
First, we must talk about the importance of knowing how much weight is on your bar.
The answer is simple: PROGRESS
“If you don’t measure it, you can’t manage it”
You have goals, maybe not a specific lifting goal, but most definitely to be healthier and get stronger. How will you know if what you are doing is working if you are never measuring it?
At CrossFit TRUE we do a ton Progressive Overloads to build strength, but if you’re not recording your weights you’re not using these techniques to their full potential and may not be reaching your full potential.
Knowing your weights also helps you get past mental hurdles. If you know that last week you lifted X amount of weight, throwing that weight on the bar seems less daunting. When you know your weights you spend less time & energy deciding what weight to use and you’ll get more time to actually rest between sets.
Not only will you be missing out on improving your health & strength but there is also a safety component to think about. Is the weight you are putting on the bar way beyond your means?
Taking the time to know how much weight you are lifting will not only keep you safe, but will also keep you making progress and celebrating personal records!
Let us help.
Below are some simple ways to make adding up all your weight easier.
How to add your Barbell (quick tips)
- Know your base weight- If you have a 45# bar and 25# on each side that = 95# – as you add weight to your bar don’t recount the bar plus those 25”s you already know that equals 95# from there just add any additional weight
- The 33# bar. Its weird, here’s why
- Barbells are in Kilos, the 33# bar is 15 Kilos (15 Kilos = 33.06lbs) – The 45# bar is 20 Kilos which is technically 44.09lbs, but for whatever reason the world rounds up on that one. Our 15# bar is actually 15#
- Two ways to make adding the 33# barbell easier:
- Think of the bar as 35…add all your weights and at the end subtract 2lbs
- Unless you are adding 1# or less, the 33# bar will either end with a 3 or and 8 i.e. 53# or 58#…103#…173# …288# It doesn’t matter how heavy your bar gets. If you have 2.5# plates on your bar (1-pair) it will end with an 8 otherwise it will end in a 3
- Bigger plates are easier to add
- Switching out your plates makes it easier to add. Instead of having (2)10# and a 5# ..switch it out for a 25#
- Come with a game plan.
- Look at the workouts ahead of time.
- Our progressive overload lasts anywhere from 4-8+ weeks. If you know you did X-weight last week, plan on hitting that again and more
- Write down what it might look like on your bar. What bar will you use? What additional weights will get you to the weights you need?
Common Base weights (Always a pair of weights)
45# Bar + 10’s = 65#
45# Bar + 15’s= 75#
45# Bar + 25’s = 95#
45# Bar + 45’s = 135#
45# bar + (2) 45’s = 225#
33# Bar + 10’s = 53#
33# Bar + 15’s = 63#
33# bar + 25’s = 83#
33# Bar + 45# = 123#
33# Bar + (2) 45’s = 213#
Summary:
Switch out your plates, the less little plates you have on your bar, the easier it is to add them up. It is much easier to add 25+25 then 10+10+5+10+10+5
Once you have the base weight on the bar, simply add from there. Less math is better
Come prepared. Know what weights you want to hit. Make yourself a cheat sheet. If you know last week you hit 165# and this week your goal is 170#. What does that look like on your bar? What plates will you need?