How to Strip Weight Off The Bar Quickly
Step-by-step Instructions
Here is what you need to do...
Step 1
Keeping a pump during your workout is something you should always aim to do. You have to bounce from exercise to exercise with efficiency, take as little rest as possible in between sets, and when you're doing drop-sets you need to learn how to quickly get that weight off of the bar. Luckily there are a couple options that can help you clear the bar of weights with ease.
Step 2
First, try and ask for help. If you can get one or two people from the gym to stand by and remove weight every time you rack the bar, you'll be in good shape. This way you aren't even forced to move away from your ready-form, and you can keep barreling into the exercise. People inside the gym are normally pretty nice and don't mind taking a few minutes to help out a fellow lifter. Not to mention that you never know when you'll randomly find a new friend or lifting partner. Ask for help- it helps.
Step 3
You're going to need a solid fallback plan for those times when you can't find anybody at all to help you out. If you're planning to remove weights from the bar during a dropset, the best method might be to just not include a collar-tie. However, sometimes the exercise has too much movement for the weights to not be secured onto the bar: i.e. standing barbell curls. If this is the case, buy yourself a Lock-Jaw Pro Barbell Collar, which is easy to put on and take off, giving you more time to strip weights instead of fighting with a collar tie. The Lock-Jaw Pro Collar is also known for its reliability on the bar. It won't get pushed around no matter how much weight it's holding back. Buy one now and you can thank me later.
Step 4
The last recommendation I have for you is to simply feel out the weights. Sometimes a lifter tries to remove plates with just one hand, thinking it'll make everything go faster or maybe that it looks cooler. It does look sort of cool to take a 45 off with one hand and swing it down to a rack of 45's, but it really isn't quick or efficient at all. If you grab the weights with two hands, you can quickly pull them off and drop them to the floor, giving you more time to perform the set and less time struggling with weights.
Special Attention
Difficulties people often experience or parts that need special attention to do it right.
Stripping weight off the bar quickly ultimately comes down to how active you are. If you lazily get up and stroll over to the weight, hassle yourself with the collar-tie, and then try using one hand to take off each plate, you're gonna burn up 30 seconds dealing with stripping the bar. That's prime time to be performing a set. So either get the help, or get up and be quick- use two hands, and use Lock-Jaw Pro Barbell Collars on each side.
Stuff You'll Need
| Brand | Product | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Lock-Jaw Pro Barbell Collar | No Price |
Suggested Further Reading
| Author | Title | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Killer Bodies Glamorous Bodybuilding Paperbacks | No Price |
This Student Author
This Student Author's Background
Funny or interesting story about this topic...
I was always way too nervous to ask other people for help in the weight room. And you can't blame me; I was a scrawny teenager who was surrounded by full grown men who had been lifting for years. So during my drop-sets, I would usually fend for myself as far as stripping weight was concerned. One day, though, a guy who had watched me struggle for a few months decided to come up and offer me some help. We got the set done and afterwards he said, "hey man, don't be scared to ask any of us to spot you or help you out with a drop-set. We're all weightlifters too. We understand the struggle." I appreciated that guy for the help he gave me, and more so for the advice. He's right- we're all weightlifters. We don't mind helping each other out when the going gets tough. Now I ask for help whenever I think I might need it, and I find that 99% of people are happy to help and also happy to make a new friend.
When did you first do this & how did you get started?
I first started doing drop-sets when I was a teenager just breaking into weightlifting. I always struggled with quickly taking the weight off of the bar by myself, and I couldn't figure out how to make it happen faster. Luckily for you guys, you can take the lessons away from my struggles and go into drop-sets with the knowledge of how to quickly strip weight and keep the pump going. Enjoy,
J