Pop quiz: You want to lift 185 pounds.
How many plates do you put on each side of the barbell, and what sizes?
Yes, you count the bar
Lets start with the basics.
The bar is part of that.
If the rest of your weight plates are in pounds, go ahead and assume its 45.
Your gym might also have lighter bars, which could be 25 pounds or even 10.
Just write down the total weight you loaded onto itthats enough for record keeping purposes.
What about the clips or collars that hold the weight on?
Start practicing and soon youll be able to load a bar correctly without thinking about it too much.
Heres how:
Memorize common weights in pounds
Lets assume were working with a 45 pound bar.
It’s common to describe these weights in terms of the number of platesper side.
Memorize common weights in kilograms
Some gyms have their plates in kilos instead of pounds.
(Some have both, so keep your wits about you!)
The principles are the same: count the bar, and memorize common combinations.
I recommend this approach rather than trying to convert units on every lift as you do it.
Apps and calculators help
Yes, there are calculators that will do the job for you.
An online equivalent isthis calculator from ExRx.
