Progressive loading works best using increments of 2.5lbs/1.25kg. But some gyms don’t have small plates. They only have plates of 5lbs/2.5kg or worse 10lbs/5kg. Here are some solutions for microloading.

Benefits of Microloading. The main benefit of using increments of 2.5lbs/1.25kg and more is to prevent stalling. Examples where this is useful:

• Upper-body Exercises. You can get away with 10lbs/5kg increments for a while on Squats & Deadlifts, but not on the Overhead Press and Bench Press. The smaller & less experienced you are, the more this is an issue.
• Specific Weight. Routines like StrongLifts 5×5 Advanced or Smolov use calculators. Without smaller increments you’re forced to use the nearest weight up/down which can be too big of a jump or not enough.
• Females. Progress is usually slower with women. Increments of 2.5lbs or even 1.25lbs per workout delay stalling. Especially on exercises like the Overhead Press or Bench Press.
• Dumbbells. If you have adjustable dumbbells and 2.5lbs plates, you’ll be increasing the weight by 5lbs/side. Going from 40lbs to 50lbs is a 20% increase. Hard to sustain this kind of progression for long.

Fractional Plates. The best solution is to get manufactured small plates. These are easy to take with you to the gym.

• Iron Woody. 8 plates with weights ranging from 1/4lb to 1lb. Metric plates also available. 2″ or 1″ hole. Ship to Europe.
• ATP. 8 weight plates of 1/4lb, 1/2lb, 3/4lb & 1lb (2 each). 2″ holes so they fit on your bar or dumbbells. With a bag to keep them together.
• Platemate. Offer magnetic weights of 1.25lbs. You can attach these to your barbell or dumbbell.

Chains. Another solution is to get 2 chains and slide them on your barbell next to your plates. Cheap but take more space than fractional plates.

• 6 links + 1 clip. 1x 5/16″ chain weighs 1,5oz/link. 1x spring link clip weighs 1,5oz. 6 links + 1 clip weighs 10oz or 0,625lbs
• 8 pairs. Get 16 chains + 16 clips and you can work with increments of 1.25lbs, 2.5lbs, 3,75lbs & 5lbs.

Last cheap solution for microloading is to get 2 washers with a 2”/50mm hole. Glue these together and you’ll have increments of 2.5lbs/1.25kg.

Copyright © 2007-2009 STRONGLIFTS BVBA. Disclaimer.

Well this isn’t true. You can get injured using the Smith Machine. And although you’re using a bar, it’s a machine. Meaning you’ll get subpar results compared to free weights. Here are 10 reasons you shouldn’t use the Smith Machine.

1. False Sense of Security. You’ll tend to take more risks on the Smith Machine because the barbell is fixed. Putting on weights you might not be able to lift yet since you can stop it more easily anyway.

The Smith Machine isn’t as safe as it looks. You can injure yourself if you don’t watch what you’re doing. Read this story & watch this video for examples of Smith Machine accidents.

2. Unnatural Movements. On a free weight Squat your body goes down in an arched path. Smith Machines force your body into fixed, unnatural movements patterns. This can cause injuries, especially with heavier weights.

New generation Smith Machines — like the Jones Smith Machine — try to solve the problem by allowing 3D movements, including front & backward movement. But they’re still machines with drawbacks. Read on.

3, Knee Injuries. Knee pain from the Smith Machine is common. It forces your body into fixed movements patterns and places shearing loads on your knees. And it’s hard to position yourself correctly under the bar.

• Feet Position. Feet too much under the bar: more knee flexion and knee stress. Feet too much forward: more knee stress because they want to slide forward and your lower back gets in a weak position.
• Hip Extension. You’ll tend to lean against the fixed bar, causing less hip extension. Your hamstrings — knee stabilizers — will shut down. More shear force on your knees and thus more risks of ACL injuries.

4. Lower Back Injuries. The fixed bar tends to make you rest against it and the Smith Machine forces you into unnatural movements patterns.

• Lower Back Stress. You’re pushing your spinal erectors & neck muscles more against the bar. More back stress, especially with heavier weights.
• Lower Back Rounding. Feet too far forward puts your lower back in a weak position and will tend to make your lower back round.

5. No Balance. The Smith Machine balances and stabilizes the weight for you since its bar is fixed. You won’t strengthen your stabilizing muscles or improve balance & coordination. Things you need for daily activities & sports.

6. Less Strength. All exercises become easier and less stressful since the Smith Machine balances the weight for you. You won’t get as strong. Expect to lift less weight when switching to free weights.

7. Less Muscle. If you aren’t making gains: switching to free weights will often make you break that plateau. Free weights force you to balance the weight, making the exercise harder on your body. Bigger adaptive response.

8. Muscle Imbalances You only build strength in 1 plane since the bar is fixed. This causes muscle imbalances and increases the risks of injuries in the other undeveloped planes of movements.

9. Technique is Different. Common advice is to learn to Squat inside the Smith Machine before switching to free weights. The thinking behind this is that the Smith Machine is safer and helps with balance.

But it’s a waste of time. Technique is different using free weights since you have to balance the weight yourself. You’ll have to lower the weight when switching and relearn technique from scratch.

10. Less Potential. You can minimize some of the above problems. But even if you do, the Smith Machine remains less effective for strength and muscle gains. Instead of trying to minimize problems: do the exercises with most potential.

How to Increase Safety on Free Weights. Weight lifting has the lowest rate of injury. You’ll prevent injuries by learning & lifting with proper technique. Read all the exercise technique articles in the left sidebar. Extra tips:

• Start Light. Control your ego. Start with light weights, focus on learning proper exercise technique and add weight slowly but gradually.
• Have a Spotter. Especially on the Bench Press. Your spotter should be there to catch the weight if necessary, not to lift the weight for you.
• Use The Power Rack. And set the safety pins so they can catch the weight. Read how to Squat if you don’t have a Power Rack.

Good Uses for The Smith Machine. Again: don’t Squat, Bench Press, Deadlift or Overhead Press using the Smith Machine. Here are some exercises you could do in all safety inside it:

• Inverted Rows. Put the barbell somewhat lower than your belly height and use it for Inverted Rows.
• Pull-ups. Use the Pull-up bar of the Smith Machine or set the bar high and do Pull-ups from there with your knees flexed.
• Push-ups. Not strong enough yet for Push-ups? Put the barbell at belly height and do incline Push-ups. Lower the height as you get stronger.

For all other exercises: use the Power Rack so you can use free weights. If your gym has no Power Rack, consider building a home gym.

Copyright © 2007-2009 STRONGLIFTS BVBA. Disclaimer.

This post will teach you everything about how to build a home gym. Benefits & drawbacks, what gym equipment you should buy and where, and how much it will cost you to build your home gym.

Benefits of Home Gyms. Some build home gyms because they’re intimidated by bigger guys in commercial gyms or because gym people training wrong stresses them. Get over both. Here are real benefits of home gyms.

• Time-efficient. No more waiting for the Power Rack to get free. No more driving back & forth to the gym several times a week.
• Cuts Expenses. No more gym membership fee. You get your investment back within 2-3 years. Gym equipment doesn’t lose value, so if you ever quit you can always sell it on Craiglist or eBay.
• Freedom. Gyms often have no Power Racks and forbid Deadlifts & chalk. Home gyms allow you to train how and when you want.

Drawbacks of Home Gyms. Unless you invite friends, you’ll be training alone in your home gym. While this builds character it has drawbacks.

• Self-discipline. You have nobody to motivate you during heavy sets or to drag you to the gym when you don’t feel like training.
• No Spotter. Nobody to spot you during a heavy Squat or Bench Press. Nobody to hand out the weight on the Bench Press.
• Need Space. The deal-breaker for most people. You need enough space for your Power Rack, bench, barbell & plates to fit in.

1. Home Gym Space. Most people build their home gym in their basement or garage. Here’s how much space you need:

• Width x Depth. 108 square feet (10m²). Space for your Power Rack and to Deadlift outside of it. If you don’t have this space: at least 6′/3m to give your bar clearance, Deadlift inside your rack.
• Height. High enough so your Power Rack fits. Your length + 3 feet (1m) so you can Overhead Press without the barbell hitting the ceiling. If you don’t have this space: press outside or seated.

2. Home Gym Flooring. Point is to protect your floor and reduce the noise from the barbell hitting the floor during exercises like Deadlifts.

• Plywood. 2-3 layers plywood. Optional heavy carpet on top. Make sure the carpet is hard (not compressible) and doesn’t slip around.
• Rubber Mats. Get 2 stall mats of 2 square feet (0,2m² ) from your local farm supply. Put them under the plates of your barbell during Deadlifts.
• Platform. Or build a lifting platform if you’re serious about Olympic lifts like Power Cleans. Read muddy’s post in the forum.

3. Power Rack. The Power Rack facilitates getting the barbell in the starting position on the Squat & Bench Press. Its safety pins increases safety. And it usually comes with a Pull-up bar and Dip bar attachments.

• Tall. Your Power Rack should allow you to Overhead Press inside of it. Otherwise you’ll have to Clean the bar on each set or press seated.
• Strong.Your Power Rack should handle weights up to 1000lbs/450kg. You never know how strong you get on Squats.
• Safety Pins. Power Racks have lateral pins that you can set at multiple heights. These safety pins catch the bar if you miss a lift.

You won’t be able to lift heavy and safely without a Power Rack. Your home gym needs one if you’re serious about weight lifting. Here are some popular but less safe alternatives to Power Racks:

• Squat Rack. Open Power Rack. Less safe since it usually doesn’t have safety pins (some do, but they can’t be adjusted). Example.
• Squat Holds. Also no safety pins, but you can use saw horses. Can fall over if you don’t watch what you’re doing. Example.
• Smith Machine. Power Rack with fixed barbell. Not as safe as it looks like and less effective than free weights. Example.

EliteFTS sells the best Power Racks. They’re made by lifters for lifters. However the quality comes at a price. Cheaper alternatives that will do:

• New Power Racks. Amazon offers Power Racks with prices ranging from 299$ to 499$ and free shipping. Examples: this, this & this.
• Homemade Power Racks. Can be cheaper. Read this, this, this & this guides on building a Power Rack and this, this & this forum threads.
• 2nd Hand Power Racks. Several forum members have found great deals using Craiglist, Search Tempest & eBay.

4. Barbell. Quality barbells are safer & feel better. Don’t be cheap on this. Here’s what to look for when choosing a bar for your home gym:

• Strong. Never bends, handles up to 1000lbs/450kg, 45lbs/20kg weight, 7ft/2m20 length, 2″/50mm sleeves, 28mm grip, center knurling, …
• Revolving Sleeves. Fixed bars are harder on your grip, meaning less weight. And they makes olympic lifts impossible. Get revolving sleeves.
• Collars. Barbells usually come with spring collars. They’re fine, although many forum members prefer Muscle Cramps.

Don’t waste your money on cheap 6ft barbells weighing 22lbs/10kg and without revolving sleeves or middle knurling. Get a quality barbell from the start. Some companies you should look at ranked on price:

• High Class. EliteFTS, Eleiko, Ivanko, Iron Woody, Werksan, …
• Middle Class. MuscleDriver, Rogue Fitness, BS Olympic, Iron Company, …
• Low Class. Craiglist, Search Tempest & eBay (2nd hand).

5. Plates. With 50mm holes to fit your barbell. Watch for special deals. Often you can get a barbell and weight set from one of the above companies at a reduced price. Here’s what to look for:

• Weight. Get 4 plates of 2.5/5/10/20lbs and 6 of 45lbs (so 4x 1.25/2.5/5/10kg and 6x 20kg). Totals for 440lbs/200kg when including your bar.
• Iron. Usually cheaper than rubber coated. Consider the more expensive bumper plates if you’re serious about Olympic lifting.
• Round. Angular plates make exercises where you pull the bar from the floor, like Deadlifts or Barbell Rows, impossible. Get round plates.

Consider a weight tree to keep your home gym safe and organized. Example.

6. Bench. You need one to Bench Press. You don’t need a Bench with uprights supports like this one. Get a regular Bench and put it inside your Power Rack.

• Width. The bench shouldn’t be too wide so it doesn’t get in the way of your arms & shoulders in the bottom position.
• Sturdy. Handles weights of 440lbs/200kg and doesn’t tip back when you rack a heavy weight into the uprights.
• Flat. You can get an adjustable bench too if you want more versatility in the future. However a flat bench will do too.

Don’t get a bench with a leg raise like this one. It will prevent proper feet placement. Get a regular Bench like the one from Apex or Ironmind.

7. Extras. You only need a Power Rack, Barbell, Plates & Bench to do a routine like StrongLifts 5×5. If you get serious about weight lifting & strength training, you’ll probably end up getting some of these extras.

• Shoes. You need shoes with a hard, incompressible sole. Chuck Taylor’s are best. Read the post on weight lifting shoes.
• Chalk. Improves your grip by preventing sweating. Chalk also decreases callus formation by filling your skin folds.
• Dip Belt. Easiest way to add weight on Pull-ups, Chin-ups and Dips. Homemade dip belt or Ironmind’s dip belt.
• Resistance Bands. Assisted Pull-ups, Push-ups against bands, mobility exercises,… Read the post on resistance bands and check Iron Woody.
• Rucksack. Wear a rucksack filled with plates for weighted Push-ups, Dips, Pull-ups & Chin-ups. Cheaper than an Xvest.
• Foam Roller. For soft tissue work. Cheap PVC or paperboard rollers are hard but work. Or get Perform Better’s foam roller plus with cover.
• Bumper Plates. You’ll break your bar & plates if you do Olympic lifts like Power Cleans without bumpers plates. Get some like these.
• Box. You need a sturdy box for Box Squats. Check EliteFTS’ adjustable box or read how to build a box for Box Squats.
• Adjustable Dumbbells. With 50mm sleeves so your plates fit on them.

Total Price for Home Gym. Count 1000$ for a new Power Rack, Bench, Olympic Barbell & 400lbs/180kg plates. Go 2nd hand and you can find the same setup at half the price on Craiglist.

If you have questions about building a home gym or want to share tips, check out the gym equipment section in the forum.

Copyright © 2007-2009 STRONGLIFTS BVBA. Disclaimer.

Weight lifting is a cheap sport. You usually don’t need gym accessories like bar pads, gloves, straps or expensive clothing. Once you got your Power Rack, bar & weights, you’re ready to go.

But there’s 1 important gym equipment accessory that people tend to overlook. Shoes. This post will teach you everything about which shoes you should wear and NOT wear for weight lifting, and why.

Wrong Shoes: Running Shoes. The air & gel filling is great for reducing impact shock from running. But bad for lifting. Running shoes will limit your strength & prevent good lifting technique.

• Unstable. Soles are squishy so you can’t predict their behavior on each rep. This makes it harder to control your technique and lift properly.
• Power Loss. The soles absorb the force generated against the floor instead of directing it towards moving the weight. You lose strength.
• Dangerous. Higher risk of injury, especially with heavier weights, since the soles make it hard to balance yourself and are less stable.

Benefits of Good Lifting Shoes. Good lifting shoes have incompressible soles. They must be non slippery, have excellent support and fit snug. Benefits:

• More Stability. Better traction against the floor and improved balance under the bar because the soles are hard.
• More Strength. Your heels will sense the pressure of the weight better, which will make your legs contract harder.
• Better Technique. Good lifting shoes will fix many technique issues. You’ll sit back better, your heels will stop coming off the floor, …
• More Safety. Better balance, better technique, … All of it decreases the risks of injury during lifting.

Best Shoes for Squats. Depends on how you Squat. But the sole should always be incompressible for maximal stability, power transfer & technique.

• Low Bar Squats. More leaning forward, less depth. Chuck Taylor’s are the best shoes for Low Bar Squats. Recommended by Louie Simmons.
• Olympic & Front Squats. Torso is more upright, more depth. Shoes with heels make it easier to go deep. Examples: Adidas Adistar, Do-Win, …

Best Shoes for Deadlifts. The closer your feet to the floor, the less distance the bar has to travel and thus the more weight you can Deadlift. That’s why thinner soles are better. These should be flat & incompressible.

• Barefoot. Can’t get closer to the floor than this. However barefoot is not allowed on competitions. You’ll usually have to wear socks or slippers.
• Ballet Slippers. Less slippery than socks because ballet slippers usually have a rubber sole. But still very thin.
• Chuck Taylor’s. Soles are flat enough to work for Deadlifts. However the bar will have to travel more distance compared to slippers.

Chuck Taylor’s. These are the best all around shoe. Chuck Taylor’s are efficient & cheap. And they will last forever as lifting shoes.

• Hard Sole. Sole is thin, flat & incompressible. Your feet are close to the floor. You’ll feel your feet better during lifts: more stability & control.
• Strong Canvas. This allows you to push your feet to the outside on Squats which helps keeping your knees out and activating your glutes.
• Ankle Mobility. Full ankle mobility with low tops Chuck Taylor’s. If you buy high tops, leave the top part unlaced.

Do You Need Shoes With Heels? Olympic weight lifters wear shoes with heels because these make it easier to hit depth on Olympic lifts like Power Cleans, Olympic Squats, Front Squats, Overhead Squats, …

However for low bar Squats and Deadlifts, shoes with flat soles are better. If you’re serious about Olympic lifting, consider weight lifting shoes like Adidas Adistar or Do-Win. They’ll make things easier.

Barefoot Lifting. Lifting barefoot strengthens the small muscles of your feet & improves ankle mobility. I always lift barefoot except for Power Cleans and unless it’s too cold in my gym. I also walk barefoot all the time at home.

Try lifting barefoot at least once. You’ll understand the importance of good lifting shoes. Is it safe? If a big plate falls on your foot, it will hurt whether you wear a shoe or not. Be careful and it won’t happen.

Vibram Five Fingers. The Vibram Five Fingers shoes are an alternative to lifting barefoot. They’re great for running & lifting, especially if your gym forbids lifting barefoot. Less great for Olympic lifts though since they have no heels.

Recommend Lifting Shoes. You need shoes with incompressible soles for low bar Squats & Deadlifts. Remember barefoot or slippers is best on Deadlifts. These are the best shoes for weight lifting:

• Converse Chuck Taylor’s All Stars
• Adidas Superstars
• Adidas Sambas

Recommended Shoes for Olympic Lifting. If you’re going to do Power Cleans, Front Squats, Overhead Squats, High Bar Olympic Squats and Snatches, you’re better of with shoes with heels. Some brands:

• Adidas Adistar or Ironwork
• Do-Win
• VS Athletics Weight Lifting Shoe

More Reading. 2 discussions in the StrongLifts.com Forum about weight lifting shoes & Squatting barefoot.

• Shoes. Several pages discussing what shoes to buy. Forum members share their experience lifting in those shoes.
• Squatting Barefoot. Read the experience of forum member Sandbender.

Copyright © 2007-2009 STRONGLIFTS BVBA. Disclaimer.

Power Racks allow for maximal safety during lifts since they have safety pins to catch the barbell if something goes wrong. They also allow for plenty exercises since they usually have built-in Pull-up & Dip bars.

However a Power Rack takes a lot of space. Your ceiling might be too low. And moving your Power Rack is a pain each time you need that space for something else. A more practical & cheaper solution: Squat Stands.

Drawbacks of Squat Stands. Squat Stands need less space than Power Racks and you can find them at half the price. But Squat Stands have drawbacks too:

• Less Versatile. Squat Stands don’t work well if you Bench Press often. And you’ll need an additional Pull-up bar.
• Less Safe. Unless you use saw horses as safety pins to catch the bar, you’ll have to dump the weight when you get stuck on Squats.
• Bumper Plates. You need more expensive bumper plates if you plan to dump the weight. Otherwise you’ll break your bar & plates.

The only benefits of Squat Stands over Power Racks is that they take less place and are more mobile. They’re not cheaper in the long run since you’ll need extra equipment like a Pull-up bar or bumper plates.

Buying & Building Squat Stands. If you have the time & skills, build your own Squat Stands in wood. Otherwise I’d recommend the Ironmind Squat Stands. But at that price and if you have the place, a Power Rack is a better idea.

• Valor Fitness BD-3. Separate bar supports. Comes with short safety catch bars. Free shipping. But only handles 250lbs.
• PowerLine PSS60X. Takes more space since the bar supports are attached. But more stable. 5 star review. Free shipping.
• Ironmind Vulcan II+. Used at US Olympic centers. Adjustable for Bench Press. Optional Pull-up/Dip bar. Handles 1000lbs. But expensive.
• Homemade Squat Stands. Cost less than 50$ and takes 1 day work. Read this guide and this one (bottom). Check the pictures in this set.

How to Dump The Bar When Using Squat Stands. If you don’t use saw horses to catch the weight when you get stuck on Squats, you’ll have to dump the bar like Olympic weight lifters do all the time. 2 options:

• Dump Backwards. Move forward while dumping the bar backwards. Be quick so the bar doesn’t hit your back. Example. With Front Squats, you can drop the weight in front. Example.
• Dump Forward. Jerk the weight overhead to the front. Tricky since you might not be able to this with heavy weights. Check this video at 4:45.

Backwards is the safest way. Practice dumping the bar with lighter weights so you know what to do when using heavier weights. Remember you need bumper plates to avoid breaking your bar and plates.

Copyright © 2007-2009 STRONGLIFTS BVBA. Disclaimer.

There are tons of gym equipment accessories available. Unfortunately a lot of these are useless. Worse: you often get better results without them. Here are 7 popular gym equipment accessories you don’t need.

1. Belts. Some people at the gym always wear a belt. Because they have back pain or because they believe it prevents injuries. The problems with belts:

• False Sense of Security. Belts can give you an illusion of safety without fixing one of the main causes of injuries: bad technique.
• Don’t Prevent Injuries. You can still injure yourself wearing a belt. And if you do, the injury will be more severe. Read this post.
• Prevent Core Strength. Your natural belt (abs/obliques/erectors) won’t get stronger if you wear a belt all the time.

Only wear a belt past the beginner’s stage. When you’re doing heavy singles at 90% of your max. Otherwise lose the belt and use correct technique.

2. Gloves. To prevent callus formation and moisture from sweaty palms. Or because your hand hurts. Wearing gloves is a bad idea for 2 reasons:

• Make Grip Harder. Gloves add inches to the bar. This makes it harder to grip. Especially on pulling exercises like Deadlifts or Pull-ups.
• Prevent Proper Technique. To avoid wrist pain the bar must be close to your wrists on the Bench & Overhead Press. Impossible wearing gloves.

Drop the gloves and lift with your bare hands. Your hands will stop hurting after a while if you’re patient and let grow callus. 2 tips to minimize callus formation and improve your grip.

• Use Chalk. Chalk decreases callus formation by filling your skin folds and prevent moisture from sweat. Your gym forbids chalk? Use liquid chalk.
• Grip The Bar Correctly. The bar will slide down on pulling exercises like Deadlifts if you put it in your palm. Put the bar close to your fingers.

3. Bar Pads. Provide cushioning during Squats if the bar hurts your upper-back. Bar pads are useless for 2 reasons:

• Prevent Correct Technique. Padding makes the bar thicker, moving it upwards. This causes more forward lean and thus lower back stress.
• Useless with Heavy Weights. Bar pads only help with lighter weights. They won’t be of any help once the weight gets heavier.

The world record raw Squat is 948lbs/430kg. Without using a bar pad. If they can do it, so can you. Alternatives to the bar pad:

• Put The Bar Correctly. The barbell will hurt if you put it on your spine or neck. So put it where it should be: on your upper-back muscles.
• Tighten Your Upper-back. Shoulder-blades back and down. Chest up. Shrug your lower (not upper) traps to give the bar extra base.
• Be Patient. Especially if you just started. You might lack muscle mass in your upper-back. Keep Squatting, it will come.

4. Straps. Lifting straps help you to keep the barbell in your hands on pulling exercises like Deadlifts if your grip is to weak. However:

• Weaken Your Grip. Your grip will never get stronger if you always use straps. You’ll have to keep using them.
• Forbidden on Competitions. If you ever decide to compete, Powerlifting federations do not allowed lifting straps on Deadlifts.

Only use straps on Deadlift variations where you can’t use a mixed grip, like the Snatch Grip Deadlift. Otherwise bare hands. Andy Bolton pulled 1008lbs/458kg without straps. If he can do it, so can you. 2 tips.

• Grip The Bar Correctly. Put the barbell close to your fingers, squeeze it hard and use a mixed grip on your heavy sets.
• Use Chalk. Chalk decreases callus formation by filling your skin folds and prevent moisture from sweat. Your gym forbids chalk? Use liquid chalk.

5. Under Armor. The Under Armor t-shirt wicks away moisture and keeps you cooler. Great idea but not for weight lifting. Too constricting and the bar can slip if you wear it during Squats. Cotton t-shirts, like these ones, are better.

6. Perfect Pull-ups/Push-ups. The Perfect Push-up has rotating handles. The Perfect Pull-up is a pull-up bar that also has rotating handles. But the handles don’t move independently, so they’re useless. Alternatives:

• Push-ups Alternatives. If you have wrist pain, do them on closed fists or using hex dumbbells. Try Rings & Blast Straps for extra depth and balance. Push-ups against resistance bands or wearing an Xvest.
• Pull-ups Alternatives. Pull-ups using Rings, wearing a rucksack or an Xvest, towel Pull-ups, thick rope Pull-ups, …

7. Mirrors. To check how much “pump” you have after a set or to check your technique. Mirrors work for the former, but not for the latter.

• Give Only Info About 1 Plane. You can’t judge depth when Squatting in front of a mirror. You need to stand aside from it for this.
• Can Cause Injury. You can tweak your neck looking up during Deadlifts or Squats. Or looking to the side when standing aside from the mirror.
• Prevent Kinetic Sense Development. You’ll always rely on visual input vs. using proprioception to feel how your body moves through space.

You don’t have mirrors when playing football or tennis. You don’t need them for weight lifting neither. If you want to check your technique: tape yourself or ask someone at the gym to give you feedback.

Save your money and invest it in a quality Power Rack & barbell, gym equipment like resistance bands and books to get smarter. If you have doubts about any equipment, ask advice for free in the forum.

Copyright © 2007-2009 STRONGLIFTS BVBA. Disclaimer.

Benefits of Power Rack. Free weights build more muscle and strength than machines. Work stations like Bowflex will give you subpar results and don’t work for routines like StrongLifts 5×5. Benefits of Power Racks:

• Safety. Power Racks have lateral safety pins to catch the barbell in case something goes wrong. You can lift safely without a spotter.
• Easier. Squats are key to building muscle & strength. But without Power Rack you’ll struggle to get the bar on your back for Squats.
• Versatile. Tons of exercises you can do: Squat, Bench Press, Inverted Rows, Dips, Pull-ups, Chin-ups, Rack Pulls and many more.

Drawbacks of Power Rack. In terms of results, buying a Power Rack is the best decision you can make. But there are drawbacks:

• Takes Space. Your basement or garage needs to be big enough for your Power Rack to fit in. Especially your ceiling must be high.
• Needs Extra Equipment. You need a barbell, bench & plates if you want to do as many exercises as you can with your Power Rack.
• Costs More Money. Because you must buy extra equipment on top of it. And a Power Rack is more expensive than Squat Stands.

Power Rack Alternatives. Whatever you do: do not get a work station like Bowflex or a Smith Machine. Free weights will give you best results. Some alternatives that might or might not work:

• Squat Rack. Open Power Rack. Less safe since they usually don’t have safety pins (some do, but you usually can’t adjust them). Example.
• Squat Holds. Can fall over if you don’t watch what you’re doing. Don’t come with safety pins, but you can use saw horses. Example.
• Half Racks. Half the height of a Power Rack and cheaper. Great if you have a low ceiling but doesn’t come with a Pull-up bar. Example.
• Smith Machine. Power Rack with fixed barbell. It looks safer, but isn’t. And it’s less effective than using free weights. AVOID. Example.

How to Choose a Power Rack. The higher the quality and the more options, the more expensive the Power Rack. Things you must look for:

• Sturdy. Quality construction with little plastic. Load capacity of minimum 1000lbs/455kg. Power rack shouldn’t be too light.
• Size. Tall enough so you can Overhead Press inside of it. Wide enough for increased stability and so you can do exercises like Sumo Squats.
• Uprights. Adjustable to many heights and with narrow spacing. Outside uprights so you can Press outside of your rack if it’s too short.
• Safety Pins. Removable or adjustable to all the way down so you can Floor Press inside your Power Rack. Narrow spacing for pin work.
• Pull-up & Dip Bar. For Pull-ups, Chin-ups and Dips. Best is a Power Rack with a straight Pull-up bar.

Quality Power Racks in The US. The following Power Racks don’t always have everything listed above. But they’re good enough for routines like StrongLifts 5×5. I recommend the Powerline PPR200X: it’s similar to what I have.

• Powerline PPR200X . 1000lbs capacity. Pull-up bar. Outside uprights. Short rack: great if your ceiling is low but you won’t able to Overhead Press inside of it. No Dip bars. 5 star reviews. Free shipping.
• Powertec P-PR. Deeper base: stabler but takes more space. Too short to Press inside it but you have outside uprights. Built-in Dip & Pull-up bars, but the Pull-up bar isn’t straight. 1000lbs capacity. Free shipping.
• New York Barbell. 1000lbs capacity. Pull-up bar. Lifetime warranty card. Too short to press inside of it. Very light. Read the reviews.
• Craiglist. Several forum members have found great 2nd hand deals on Craiglist, Search Tempest and eBay.
• EliteFTS. High quality customizable Power Racks which last forever. But more expensive and with options that you might not need (like band attachments). Handle more weight than you’ll ever lift.

Quality Power Racks in The EU. Some of these companies will ship to other countries in the EU. Mail them for delivery options & costs.

• UK. Check out Fitness Superstore, Powerhouse Fitness, Watson Gym Equipment and Pullum Sports.
• Benelux. Check out Fitness Seller’s Barbarian Power Rack & Helisport’s Bodycraft Power Rack (I own this one).

How to Build a Power Rack. If you have the time & skills building a Power Rack can be cheaper than buying one. You decide its measurements which helps in case you have a low ceiling. Some guides:

• Wooden Power Rack. Read this guide on how to build a wooden Power Rack. Check out this, this & this examples in the forum.
• Power Rack from Scaffold. Read this, this & this guides on building a Power Rack from scaffold. Check this example in forum.

If you need opinions before buying a Power Rack or want to share tips, post in the gym equipment section of the forum.

Copyright © 2007-2009 STRONGLIFTS BVBA. Disclaimer.

Resistance bands are one piece of equipment every gym should have. I’ve been recommending resistance bands from Iron Woody for some time. Here are some ways you can use them:

• Pull-ups & Chin-ups. If you can’t do a single rep, use a resistance band to assist you on the way up. Loop the band around your pull-up bar and your knee. The band will help you from the bottom up. This is one of the easiest ways to get stronger at Pull-ups & Chin-ups. Video.
• Push-ups. Wrap a resistance band across your back while holding it in your hands. Now push yourself up. The stronger the band, the harder push-ups become. This is an easier way to make Push-ups harder than wearing chains, a rucksack or Xvest. Watch the video.
• Mobility & Activation Exercises. Shoulder dislocations, x-band walks, band pull-aparts, band tractions, … You can do all of them using a mini or light band.
• Pulley Exercises. My home gym has no pulley system. So I use a mini band for exercises like Face Pulls. You can do most pulley exercises with bands: lat pulldowns, seated leg curls, seated rows, push downs, …
• Speed Work. The faster you lift, the more weight you can move. You can use bands for speed work. Squat, Bench or Deadlift against bands: the resistance increases as you get closer to lockout. This forces you to lift fast on the way up and to keep pushing until lockout. Speed work is an advanced technique that I’ll get into in the future. For now you can read this discussion I had with Doo in the forum for more info.

Where to Get Resistance Bands? The 2 big companies selling resistance bands are Iron Woody & Jump Stretch Inc. I have bands from both companies. I prefer the Iron Woody’s because they’re stronger & cheaper.

Don’t waste your money on other companies selling resistance bands: they usually come with handles that prevent you to use them the way I explained above. Get the right resistance bands from the start.

Which Resistance Bands Should You Get? Get a set of mini and light bands. If you’re a big guy doing assisted Pull-ups: use the 2 bands combined to get the same assistance as heavier bands at the same cost.

When you get stronger: use the light band only. Then the mini only. If you start with stronger bands, you’ll have to go to nothing or buy extra bands. Stick with mini & light bands and make sure you get the 41″ bands, not the short ones.

Iron woody offers 2 band packages:

• Assisted Pull-up Package. If you’re only interested in bands to help you on pull-ups & chin-ups, get the package that include 1 band instead of pairs. This saves you money.
• Starter to Elite Package. Pairs of bands with different resistance, from mini to monster. I’ve got the professional package because I like to do exercises like good mornings with monster bands. But if you just get started, I recommend the intermediate package (the starter’s package has a monster mini band, you won’t use it much).

Click here to get resistance bands from Iron Woody.

Copyright © 2007-2009 STRONGLIFTS BVBA. Disclaimer.

Stuart McGill. Author of Ultimate Back Fitness and Performance & Low Back Disorders. Stuart McGill is the authority on lower back health. He has several articles on his site for those who haven’t his books yet.

One article deals with the use of weight belts. It’s adapted from the chapter on back belts in Ultimate Back Fitness and Performance. Click here to download this free pdf. View the file with Acrobat Reader.

Do You Need Weight Belts? If you don’t feel like reading the whole pdf, here are some of the key points of Stuart McGill’s research.

• If you never injured your back, wearing a belt adds no safety.
• If you injure yourself while wearing a belt, the injury is more severe.
• To get the most out of weight belts, you must lift with bad technique.
• If you want to lift a few more pounds, wear a weight belt.

Why I Never Recommend Weight Belts. Guy subscribes to a gym. Does Biceps Curls like the other guys. Gets stronger. Hyper-extends his back on each rep to get even stronger. Gets lower back pain.

He wears a belt upon recommendation of the gym people. No more pain. Back to curls, but still hyper-extending his back. Pain comes back, but worse. Doctor diagnoses him with a hernia. Weight lifting gets bad reputation again.

It was Biceps Curls, but it could have been Squats or Deadlifts. If you don’t lift correctly, you’ll injure yourself. That’s why I don’t recommend belts: they give a false sense of security. And according to McGill, injuries get more severe.

Choosing Your Weight Belt. You’ll need a weight belt to perform Weighted Dips/Pull-ups/Chin-ups. I use a leather belt with chain/caliper to attach the weight. Ironmind’s dipping belt handles up to 1000lbs (it works for Pull-ups).

I never wear a weight belt on Squats, Deadlifts or Presses. My lower back is fine. Wearing a belt messes with my technique. But if I decided to compete, then I’d train more with a belt to get used to it.

Copyright © 2007-2009 STRONGLIFTS BVBA. Disclaimer.

This article was submitted by reader Jim Doolittle.

If you have a home gym, equipment safety is your responsibility. Ensuring your equipment is safe is even more important if budgetary constraints forced you to buy equipment that may not have been designed and manufactured with a sufficient level of quality.

For equipment like power racks and benches, failures can be related to loose bolts or weak weld joints. In my case, the leg curl/extension attachment to my bench failed. I found there was a missing weld joint on the bottom of where 2 2”X2” steel tubes were joined. The stress on this joint is lower than the sides and top so it took years of repeated movement for the failure to occur. This type of material failure is called fatigue.

The warranty for the equipment had expired so I had to pay for a new part. I argued this was a design flaw which represented a safety hazard. I talked the customer service representative into giving me the part if I paid for shipping & handling ($20!).

In retrospect, I should have held my ground and not paid anything. You should not let expired warranties stop you when it comes to design or manufacturing flaws that compromise safety. The ironic thing is that I no longer even use this equipment since I am following StrongLifts 5×5.

For barbells, material fatigue, material quality, weight load, impact (such as when bar is dropped) or a combination of all of these can cause failures. The point of failure is most likely where the bar diameter is smallest such as within the grooves cut near the knurls of the bar. A 2nd major point of failure is due to load and impact and tend to be about 1 plate width away from the collar.

How Can Your Ensure Your Equipment Is Safe? I do not have any data that suggests the best inspection frequency but I recommend thorough inspections at least on a monthly basis. If you tend to drop your bar with heavy weight, inspect the bar after the workout. It shouldn’t take too long.

Except for testing whether bolts are tight, most of your inspection will rely on visual inspection because other methods such as ultrasonic testing are costly. Visual inspection only allows you to observe flaws that are… well…visible.

Most failures occur from an existing defect. You can increase your chances of finding defects by using a magnifying glass or microscope. RadioShack has a small one that magnifies up to 100X.

What To Check? This is what you should check on a monthly basis.

All weld joints. Check for cracks near the weld.

All nuts and bolts connecting equipment parts. Check for tightness.

Check for cracks near the knurl marks of your barbell.

Check for cracks at the collar.

Check for cracks about a about 1 plate width away from the collars.

Make sure that bolts on ends of barbell are tight. There may be caps covering the bolts. The caps are typically held in place with a small set screw.

Note whether your barbell has areas flaking of the chrome plating, especially if the flaking is linear. Cracks are linear and they can open and close (fatigue) causing chrome plating to spall off.

Note that flaking can be normal for older barbells so don’t be too alarmed. In my opinion, it is better to be safe than sorry.

What To Do? If you find loose bolts, tighten them. If you have weld cracks in your bench or rack, find a welder to fix them or replace equipment. If you find a crack in your barbell, then ditch it and get a new one. Or, spray paint it red and use it only for empty bar work.

This article was submitted by reader Jim Doolittle.

Copyright © 2007-2009 STRONGLIFTS BVBA. Disclaimer.