New Gym, Smaller Plates.

[kermit]

Hello Mr Rippetoe,

I've just recently moved towns and therefore I'm at a new gym, all the 20kg/44lbs plates at the new gym (the largest plates available) are only 40cm/15.8in instead of the Olympic size 45cm/17.7in that I was using at my old gym.

Deadlifts and cleans now feel a lot harder and I've had to drop the weight a bit more then I'd like to complete the lifts.

What would you recommend with the 5cm/1.97in difference? Should I stick with the 40cm/15.8in plates and get strong at lifting from a slightly different angle or should I Just go out and buy two 45cm/17.7in plates and leave them at my new gym?

I did mention it to the gym staff to see if they could order a couple of plates however theres only 3 or 4 other people who deadlift and 3 of them are pulling around the 500lbs mark so its obviously only me with the problem.

[Mark Rippetoe]

Then it's probably your problem to solve. You could shim the floor with some dense rubber mats stacked up 5 cm.

[Brian Harlin]

I have been known to use step extensions under the bar ends for power cleans (especially for warm up sets). I have found that 3 extensions raise the bar about the same height as standard 45lb plates... I'm talking within a couple millimeters. Not sure how well they would hold up to several hundred pounds. Of course if you were routinely destroying the gyms step extensions by setting your deadlift up on them, maybe they would be motivated to get some standard plates, or maybe they would be motivated to throw your ass out.

[Mark Rippetoe]

Share with me: what is a step extension?

[Brian Harlin]

Aerobic step extensions. They are pretty standard fare in most gyms. See vid from this post for example:
http://startingstrength.com/resource...ad.php?t=25627

If you really don't give a shit, you use the pink ones on purpose. My only regret is that I don't have an extra large Hello Kitty shirt to wear while doing my power cleans.

[RamenMcTavish]

I don't have that problem with deadlifts, but I'm still working my way up with power cleans; I just stack a plate or two under the barbell until it's about the right height. That's motivation to get to 135 for me.

Step extension...sounds like he's describing those ABS plastic step platforms that aerobics classes use. I've seen guys stand on them to do deadlifts, though not to prop weights on directly. I suppose they use those for extended ROM in the deadlift.

[Mark Rippetoe]

Ah. We don't have those here.

[Kyle Schuant]

Next you'll be saying you have no bosu balls, ridiculous!

Had a client today, I was getting her to do a minute of KB swings, minute of rows, minute of presses, minute of rest, etc. During a rest minute she was complaining how difficult it was, and said, "couldn't we do something different?"
"Like what?"
"Like that half-ball over there... couldn't we use that? Balance, I'm good at that."
"I'm sorry, Rhonda, but you will not use a bosu ball in a session with me."
"Never?"
"Never. Not if you're still my client in thirty years."

[Brian Harlin]

Ah. We don't have those here.

And you probably have round plates, and more than one squat rack,
- Sigh -

[Mulgere Hircum]

And you probably have round plates, and more than one squat rack,

Just to make you frustrated and jealous, so I don't have to bear the burden alone as I work out in the one power rack at Gold's:

The main room at WFAC is basically a power rack farm where the racks grow in rows like corn in Iowa, each on it's own platform. I think there were some other benches there too, but I couldn't see them because the rack forest was in the way. :-) The other room has only two or three times as many racks as you and I have access to, apparently because they were crowded out by all the platforms and bumper plates.

Me, I'm pretty lucky to have a single beat-up platform and 60kg of bumper plates in addition to a power rack and a squat rack, and the no-chalk rule isn't enforced--the other gyms in town don't even have that.