Most people would agree that getting stronger is a better thing than worse in every respect for the body. When you can lift more, your confidence improves, you increase your muscular size, and you enhance your athletic efficiency. So what’s the problem?
Well, the problem lies with the amount of plates you now have to stack onto your deadlift. Once you hit the three plate plus barrier, it becomes increasingly more of a hassle to strip plates. In reality, it’s not that bad and an honor to deadlift a lot, but why not optimize the way we do it?
Most of our exercises in the gym are performed to enhance our efficiency in sport and lifting, so why not do the same for how we unload our barbells? Some plates are easier to strip than others, so below are two methods that will more than likely work with the plates you use. If you find yourself absolutely gassed after a workout and have been looking for a better way to strip your bar, then check out the two videos below.
1. The Roll and Flip Plate Removal
In the video below, Omar Isuf takes us through one of the oldest plate removal tricks in the books. This method involves rolling one side of the barbell onto a smaller plate and using levers to easily move weights.
- Roll a small plate under one side of the barbell (make sure the smaller plate is closer to the inside collar so there’s no friction between plates when you’re pulling them off).
- Strip the plates off the side with the small plate under them.
- Once stripped, flip the barbell upwards and lift the barbell out of the stacked plates.
This method will work for most plates (even squared edge plates…thanks LA Fitness) and is the easiest when it comes to saving energy after a workout.
2. The Gentle Push and Roll Plate Strip
Australian powerlifter Cam McKenzie shows us his favorite method for taking off plates after deadlifts. Keep in mind, his method won’t work on all plates (like squared edge plates…thanks again LA Fitness), but if it does for your plates, then it’s by far the less taxing on the body.
- Gently push one side of the barbell with plates on it and slide out the barbell.
- Maintain a little lean towards yourself with the plates.
- Avoid the plates toppling over, and gently roll them all once to the tree.
For those who use skinnier plates and kilo plates, then this method will be more useful.
After a heavy deadlift session the saying, “Work smart, not hard,” is one of the sayings I live by. These are only a few simple tricks you can do to maximize your efficiency in the gym, and in times of need….aka heavy deadlift sessions.
Feature image from @camstrength Instagram page and OmarIsuf YouTube channel.
