shitty equipment

[mrmorden]

Hi coach,

thanks for answering my previous question.
I got another problem. I just started SS and I am squatting fairly light weights so far (60 kg). However I will progress und soon squat 90- 100 kg in a couple of weeks.
Now, I work out in a very small gym, and 99 % of the people training there are curlmonkeys or people using machines. We don?t have a proper squat rack, it?s just like two sticks adjusted to some weight under them, that you put on the floor and your suposed to put the bar on them. Well, while I am able to rack the weight on these shit things right now I don?t think I can safely do so when im gonna be able to squat heavier weights. I read somewhere here on the forum that you should find a way to drop the bar off of you. Can you explain that further? The ground where the ,,squat rack" is, there is a bumper plate ( I guess, it is a black rubber ground); can i drop off a bar with 80 kgs attached to it without damaging it?

[Mark Rippetoe]

Bumper plates live on the bar, not the floor. You can't drop iron plates on the floor even if it is covered in rubber and expect to be allowed back in the gym, or even finish your workout.

[Tuesday]

Lucky you, you get to learn how to control the weight when racking the bar. If Rezazedeh can put 280kg on what are essentially a pair of bar stools without knocking them over, and a 56kg girl can rack nearly 2.5x her body weight on independently wobbling "sticks" without incident, you'll manage just fine.

[youtube]hkSN3f-a3Ok[/youtube]

[youtube]DrLsyXTTLyU[/youtube]

Edit: fixed video links.

[Jamie J. Skibicki]

I've seen guys squat 200 kilos (thats 440 lbs) with the stands you've mentioned. They are just a base with an adjustable pole. Tommy Kono trained for mr Olympia and 3 Olympics in his basement.

Learn how squat, see if you can get intelligent spotters (you need 3 for a squat) and keep squatting.