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Thread: Deadlift shrug bar and a ‘level 4 PT Gym Manager’

  1. #1
    Join Date
    Dec 2018
    Location
    Manchester, England
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    90

    Default Deadlift shrug bar and a ‘level 4 PT Gym Manager’

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    There is a deadlift area at my gym but it’s only equipped with a shrug bar, and you therefore have to pinch a barbell from one of the cages. This causes issues during busy periods. I asked the manager to get another barbell and his response was ‘the shrug bar is safer and enables you to lift heavier’. I told him I wanted to use a double overhand grip at first so that wouldn’t work. His response was ‘I’m a level 4 PT, been doing it 8 years and you should NEVER use that grip’. Please can get some suitably educated responses so I can get him to put his hand in his pocket.
    I mentioned starting strength LP, to which he acknowledged it and knew what I was talking about, but still dismissed my request.

    Cheers.

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Jul 2007
    Location
    North Texas
    Posts
    53,557

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    Your problem, James, is that you need a different gym. You think your problem is making a "Level 4 PT" into a Starting Strength Coach, and this cannot be done.

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Nov 2018
    Posts
    134

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    My guess is that the gym has "hex" plates and doesn't want it's clients to slam weights on the floor, nor grunt or carry their own water bottles and chalk either. Don't want the place messy and noisy. If you are good gym goers, we will have pizza on Monday.

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Dec 2018
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    Manchester, England
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    it's a deadlift platform and there are many members who use barbells on it, I merely wanted a quick education as to why this 'manager' was talking bollocks.

    - You should NEVER use a double overhand

    - The shrug bar is safer and enables you to lift heavier

    My problem isn't trying to convert him into a SS coach, the gym just needs another barbell.

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Apr 2011
    Location
    Syracuse, NY
    Posts
    427

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    Quote Originally Posted by James7 View Post
    There is a deadlift area at my gym but it’s only equipped with a shrug bar, and you therefore have to pinch a barbell from one of the cages. This causes issues during busy periods. I asked the manager to get another barbell and his response was ‘the shrug bar is safer and enables you to lift heavier’. I told him I wanted to use a double overhand grip at first so that wouldn’t work. His response was ‘I’m a level 4 PT, been doing it 8 years and you should NEVER use that grip’. Please can get some suitably educated responses so I can get him to put his hand in his pocket.
    I mentioned starting strength LP, to which he acknowledged it and knew what I was talking about, but still dismissed my request.

    Cheers.
    Change gyms?

  6. #6
    Join Date
    Jan 2012
    Location
    The Gym
    Posts
    548

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    Quote Originally Posted by James7 View Post
    it's a deadlift platform and there are many members who use barbells on it, I merely wanted a quick education as to why this 'manager' was talking bollocks.

    - You should NEVER use a double overhand

    - The shrug bar is safer and enables you to lift heavier

    My problem isn't trying to convert him into a SS coach, the gym just needs another barbell.
    Just bring your own barbell!

  7. #7
    Join Date
    Jul 2018
    Posts
    392

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    I don't think this guy can be convinced. The double overhand comment might be evidence of how far gone he is. Like how else do you pick things up? Your feet? Hands are for grabbing.
    Though I'll have some fun and try to counter it here:

    -The double overhand grip is one way to safely grab a barbell, such as in a deadlift. This is symmetrical and allows the lifter to strengthen their grip. When grip becomes a limiting factor, alternatives such as the over/under, hook grip, or straps can be used. There is no comprehensible reason to say that it can never be used.

    -A barbell deadlift is safe and more stable than a shrug bar. A barbell will be in contact with the legs throughout the pull, and in contact with the thighs or pelvis at lockout. This is much more stable than a shrug bar in the pull and lockout. A shrug bar is held with the arms away from the body and is not in contact with the lifter.
    Those who have not taken the time to learn the barbell deadlift will find that they can lift more with a shrug bar. Trainers who have failed to teach their lifters how to deadlift with a bar will make this observation as well. This is obvious.
    The shrug bar deadlift is not even a good substitute for a deadlift, as the movement pattern mimics the concentric half of a half squat.

    Let me know how I did.

  8. #8
    Join Date
    Dec 2013
    Location
    Indiana
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    1,927

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    Shrug bar does not rest against the thighs, therefore is less stable, and therefore is more dangerous. Thus, if it did allow you to lift more weight, it would be even more dangerous.

    Above indicates that a DOH is preferred.

  9. #9
    Join Date
    Jun 2019
    Posts
    21

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    How about you buy your own bar and ask the owner where you can store it when you aren’t using it.

  10. #10
    Join Date
    Apr 2018
    Posts
    318

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    starting strength coach development program
    How are you even going to respond to something that silly? Logic isn’t going to do it for this guy, you’re going to have to become a level 5 PT if you want to convince him.

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