Desperate act, but what is your opinion?

Well, since I'm starting Madcow 5X5 and need micro loading and have no temporary access to chains I've come up with a desperate solution.

I'm going to put 3 weight clamps on each side of the bar and hope all 6 weigh 2lbs. What do you think about this? It's desperate and probably extremely weird but do you think it could be cool until I can find an alternating method?

ACE-CPT, NASM-CPT, AFPA-Nutrition Consultant 

Lol. It probably won't hinder, but I don't know about it adding up to two pounds..

Red PittBull's Log.

Could you put a 2.5 lb plate on one side and shift your grip an inch or two to that side?

I'd say that would be potentially dangerous.

If only I knew something that weighted 1lb that I could at least tie around my bar.

ACE-CPT, NASM-CPT, AFPA-Nutrition Consultant 

JMBS


Could you put a 2.5 lb plate on one side and shift your grip an inch or two to that side?

  lol


I always thought micro loading was stupid.  And if you workout at a regular gym just using a different bar and different plates is already gonna throw the whole thing off.

Why dont you just shave rest times by 20 seconds or something...theres so many ways to increase workload

working on explosive phase
vertical: 35
weight: 206

Big 3: 300/440/515

Strength and growth come only through continuous effort and struggle.

Get a pound of apples from the grocery store and put it on the bar. Lol.

Pumakreig posted in your Madcow Calculator thread about tying a sock full of change that weighed a pound to the the bar.

Red PittBull's Log.

Well I'm trying to go by Bill Starrs program as much as possible. It's like 1 and 2lb difference, I workout out at home.

I don't know if I have that many pennies around. I could just tie a jacket to the bar

ACE-CPT, NASM-CPT, AFPA-Nutrition Consultant 

If you're serious about micro plates but don't want to purchase expensive one's you can always go to your local hardware store and puchase some giant washers.. Unfortunately I don't know what size to tell you to ask for but one large enought to go over the end of an olympic bar should be about 1lbs... and much cheaper than purchasing micro plates..

There is never enough time to do everything, but there is always enough time to do the most important thing

 

Is the difference between 165 and 167 pounds really that big? lol.


But smoundzou's suggestion is bank.

Red PittBull's Log.

Okay, I think I've got it!
McGuiver all the way here:  get a couple plastic spring water bottles.  Fill each w/a pint of water (a pint's a pound the world around).  Either band them to the bar or perhaps even more clever, place each bottle between two of the plates on either side and make the clamp tight.  Waddaya think?

Okay, okay, now I've got it.  This is so easy!!  I can't contain myself!
Here goes:
Get a couple pair of gym short with pockets.  Put coins in pockets that add up to a pound.
Slide pants over end of bar.

No, no.  I just thought of something even better and easier.  This one da bomb:

Get a couple plastic grocery bags.  Put a pound of whatever in each.  Hang them on the end of the bar.  Come on, that is shear f***ing genius!!!   Come on, man!  Damn I'm good!
 
Or get a couple long dress socks, fill them with beans or coins, and knot them around the ends of the bar.  The ideas are flyin' fast and furious!

Red PittBull


Is the difference between 165 and 167 pounds really that big? lol.


But smoundzou's suggestion is bank.

 
well..... if your true 1rm is 165, then 170 might as well be 300lbs..    (edit)
 
Seriously, micro plates are great but I do tend to agree with RS.. If you're going to a big gym where you have to use various bars and plates.. it's really difficult to know if you're lifitng the same weight.. some of the old iron plates are off as much as 2 lbs.... the newer rubber coated one's are fairly accurate thought.. and lets not even talk about the bar variances.. :(

There is never enough time to do everything, but there is always enough time to do the most important thing

 

JMBS


Okay, okay, now I've got it.  This is so easy!!  I can't contain myself!
Here goes:
Get a couple pair of gym short with pockets.  Put coins in pockets that add up to a pound.
Slide pants over end of bar.

No, no.  I just thought of something even better and easier.  This one da bomb:

Get a couple plastic grocery bags.  Put a pound of whatever in each.  Hang them on the end of the bar.  Come on, that is shear f***ing genius!!!   Come on, man!  Damn I'm good!
 
Or get a couple long dress socks, fill them with beans or coins, and knot them around the ends of the bar.  The ideas are flyin' fast and furious!

 
Actually the coins in a small platic bag attached to each side of the bar isn't such a bad idea... poor man's progression..

There is never enough time to do everything, but there is always enough time to do the most important thing

 

Smoundzou my theory of you being a genius have been proven right , that's an excellent suggestion. My neighbor owns a hardware store.

It's not that I don't like micro loading, it's just that the routine recommends it and I want to follow the routine as it is. I'm not even going to apply accessory movements.

As far as the bar difference goes, you're correct. But luckily, I workout here at home and it's always the same bar and the same weight plates. So I got off a bit lucky on that.

Tomorrow is my Friday session with 1X3 applied, I'm pretty anxious

Thanks for all of the helpful tips fellas.

Edit:- JMBS I just read your suggestion and it's spot on!!!

Edit:- Do you guys think a can of tuna on each side of the bar should equal 1lb per thing? Or maybe 1 can of soda?

ACE-CPT, NASM-CPT, AFPA-Nutrition Consultant 

MVP


My neighbor owns a hardware store.

Thanks for all of the helpful tips fellas.

Edit:- JMBS I just read your suggestion and it's spot on!!!

Edit:- Do you guys think a can of tuna on each side of the bar should equal 1lb per thing? Or maybe 1 can of soda?

I was gonna say, Not for nothin', but how was I to know your neighbor works at a hardware store?  ;)
 
Also, I weighed ME vs. ME+tuna.  Tuna didn't add any weight for whatever reason.  Scale does tenths of lb.
ME vs ME+can of soda.  Can of soda was exactly 1 pound!  195.6 vs 194.6 or something.  So a can of soda it is!
 

Haha, kick ass man! THanks!

ACE-CPT, NASM-CPT, AFPA-Nutrition Consultant 

put your lunch or Pwo food and tie it to the middle of the bar motivation+ weight

219 weight trying to lower 217 now. 2 months later. lol.
250 bench
305 squat
345 deadlift

I had a few 0.5kg weight plates at home (dumbbells) but they weren't for the olympic plates so the holes were small. I basically tired a string and then i tired it to the end of the Olympic bars on each side. Problem solved =). But I gotta bring those plates each time to gym =)

I second (or third?) the washers suggestion here.

Yes, Smondzous idea all the way.  But you definately have to make sure you're using the same bar and plates everytime, as already said, because there will be weight discrepencies. 

"True genius, in many fields of human endeavor, is often revealed in elegant simplicity."

- A smart man

Journal: http://www.wannabebigforums.com/showthread.php?t=117358

MVP,
    Curious:  How did you end up solving your dilemma?

I took your advice with the bags and soda cans.

ACE-CPT, NASM-CPT, AFPA-Nutrition Consultant 

MVP


I took your advice with the bags and soda cans.

As I had been hoping.  My life's mission is now complete.  It's all gravy from here.  :)