For the Best Results, Women Must Use Fractional Plates for Barbell Exercises

Source http://www.niashanks.com/women-fractional-plates-barbell-exercises/

for best results women must use fractional platesWould you rather listen to this article? Use the player below or download on iTunes.

What the heck — I only added 5 pounds to the bar! Why does it feel so heavy?

Maybe you’ve done it — added a mere 5 pounds to the bar, lifted it for a few reps, racked the bar and immediately checked the plates. Surely you did the math wrong and added more to the bar than just 5 pounds.

Nope. The math was right. You added a 2.5-pound plate on both sleeves of the barbell. Why did that 5 pounds feel more like 15?

Putting 5 Pounds in Perspective

Most gyms have weight plates in the following amounts: 45, 35, 25, 10, 5, and 2.5 pounds. That means the smallest increase possible for a barbell exercise is 5 pounds (a 2.5-pound plate on each side). This 5-pound jump isn’t usually drastic for a squat or deadlift, since these two exercises can handle a lot of weight and can grow substantially. For example, a beginner may start out squatting an empty 45-pound barbell, but she can quickly progress to squatting 125 pounds or more in a few months.

The problem with this minimum…

Source http://www.niashanks.com/women-fractional-plates-barbell-exercises/

for best results women must use fractional platesWould you rather listen to this article? Use the player below or download on iTunes.

What the heck — I only added 5 pounds to the bar! Why does it feel so heavy?

Maybe you’ve done it — added a mere 5 pounds to the bar, lifted it for a few reps, racked the bar and immediately checked the plates. Surely you did the math wrong and added more to the bar than just 5 pounds.

Nope. The math was right. You added a 2.5-pound plate on both sleeves of the barbell. Why did that 5 pounds feel more like 15?

Putting 5 Pounds in Perspective

Most gyms have weight plates in the following amounts: 45, 35, 25, 10, 5, and 2.5 pounds. That means the smallest increase possible for a barbell exercise is 5 pounds (a 2.5-pound plate on each side). This 5-pound jump isn’t usually drastic for a squat or deadlift, since these two exercises can handle a lot of weight and can grow substantially. For example, a beginner may start out squatting an empty 45-pound barbell, but she can quickly progress to squatting 125 pounds or more in a few months.

The problem with this minimum…

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