What to do if gym is without collars?!

[DannyP]

Was on the road recently and very excited to find two squat racks, complete with bumper plates, in my hotel's gym! Ok, so that's the reason I picked the hotel in the first place, but I digress...

Went to work out and found everything I needed, except for collars! None! Searched the whole gym. What's the right approach in that case:

1. Squat without them and pay special attention to balance.

2. Spend 45min you don't have finding a store to buy some.

3. Don't lift that day.

4. Improvise.

I went with #4; believe it or not in spite of having no collars the gym had wraps for deadlifting, so I just wound them around and tied them tightly, which kept the plates in place well enough. Shame to go to so much trouble to have the best hotel gym I've seen in my time, only to forget something like that.

And, by the way, if anyone needs to be in the Seattle area for travels, the Hyatt Bellevue is the place.

[mjrpwrlfting]

Buy collars online, bring them with u to the gym
Search results for: 'Collars'
I do it everyday I go to the commercial gym. It is annoying, but safe...

[Mark Steele]

1. Squat without them.

I only use collars for pulls from the floor, typically only on cleans unless the plates fit sloppy, then for deadlift as well. Buy a set and keep them in your bag.

[Chebass88]

Or make every rep picture perfect. Maybe you'll have to take a few pounds off, but it can be done.

I like the idea of taking your own.

[melody]

I never use collars. Maybe for a 1rm attempt.

[Chris McCarthy]

I use collars more out of habit than anything else - even on the sloppiest bar and plate sets I don't ever recall any problems not using them.

[perman]

I think how much it matters has a lot to do with the exercise. Squats are the one lift I want them on, so I think the only consequence to me is I wouldn't perhaps go above RPE 8 on squats just to be sure to remain in control.

[Murelli]

So what to do when you have no collars, are on travel, and the plates are loose?

Shim the first and last plate with some paper towel pieces wrapped around the bar to snug it up and keep them from sliding. The plates will still slide off if the bar is tipped enough. This is just to slow them from starting.

ETA: which is pretty much what you did.

I'd do this, but I would shimmy all plates smaller than a 20kg and the last 20kg, and it would never happen again because from that day on I would take a set of collars in my gym bag. Thankfully I go to a gym that has both spring and 2.5kg screw-in collars.

[Chebass88]

You must have extremely snug fitting plates

It just means she has suitable technique so that she doesn't wobble the bar all over the place.

[manveer]

Walking out the squat can shift the plates. Frustrating to have to re-rack because a 45 slid over a few inches. Only lifts I do without collars are benching and sometimes OHP.