calculating weight lifted

dylbert

When doing the bench press should I include the bar when calculating the weight I lift, what weight is the bar, do they vary or are they a standard weight?

Cheers

g'em

A standar Olympic bar is 20kg and yes include it in the weight - you're lifting it after all!!

rubadub

Of course add it in. A solid 1" 6ft bar is around 6.5kg, so I imagine a 5ft one is about 5-5.5kg. I think the proper cast iron york argos set bar is 5ft and solid. The concrete bars are usually hollow. I have a hollow ezcurl bar, only about 2 or 2.5kg.

You can sometimes calculate them from what your set is. i.e. a york 20kg dumbell set includes the weight of the dumbells and their locks. Therefore you add up the weight of the plates, subtract it from 20kg, divide by 2 and you have the bar weights.

Know you know those weights you can check the york 50kg set, which is also 50kg including all bars. Now substract the plates and the 2 dumbell weights to get the 5ft bar weight.

Of just whack it on a scale! but bathroom scales can be bad at low weights, best weight it like a turkey, stand on and pick it up and note the difference.

dylbert

Cool, it's probably just psychological but that extra 20kg makes me feel alot better:D

dylbert

rubadub wrote:

Of just whack it on a scale! but bathroom scales can be bad at low weights, best weight it like a turkey, stand on and pick it up and note the difference.

Might get some strange looks in the gym if I try this..:o

King of Kings

i don't add the 20k.

davyjose

King of Kings wrote:

i don't add the 20k.

Why not? As G'em said, you're lifting it.

Hanley

Well every compeition that measures strength includes the bar weight....

TerrorFirmer

I never knew that. So I've being quoting somewhat less then I'm 'really' benching.

rubadub

HavoK wrote:

I never knew that. So I've being quoting somewhat less then I'm 'really' benching.

Yes, not really a problem though, but is disheartening when looking at charts like the average bench press in the other thread.

But it also skews your own improvements. e.g. say you started at 10kg, but that is really 30kg. So you go to 20kg (40kg) and you are telling yourself you have doubled your strength, from 10 to 20kg, while really it is 30-40kg.

Some routines might have you increasing weight by 5% each session which can also cause problems.

I did the math and argos york dumbells with collars are 1.5kg each. The 5ft solid york bar is 6.5kg with collars. So I expect a 6ft bar is about 7.5kg, it is not as simple as dividing by 6.5kg by 5ft, since the 6.5kg includes the collars and there are those thicker bits on the bar where the plates lock against, so it is only an extra foot of solid bar.

These bars should really have the weights engraved/embossed on them.