USE YOUR ENERGIES FOR WEIGHTLIFTING
By Bob Takano
The photo accompanying this post is of the front of the platform that was being used one day by my lifter Brian Dong. It shows the plates on the platform out of the way of the actual lifting area. This is the way I like it.
For some reason many individuals coming into the sport feel the need to always replace the plates on the plate trees when they are not in use. This serves no good purpose and uses up energy that could well be used to improve one’s lifting. I want my athletes to get the plates they need, keep them close at hand when not in actual use and put them back on the trees at the end of the session.
Nothing is gained by becoming a great plate replacer, but energy is lost. When an athlete reaches a peak and is struggling to muster every bit of energy to accomplish the demands of the training session, there is nothing more wasteful than replacing plates after every set.
Now there might be a member or two of the safety first crowd who might point on that on a rare occasion or two the barbell might land forward, ricochet off a change plate on the platform and bounce backward into the athlete. To that I counter that anyone claiming to be athletic enough to be a weightlifter should be able to get out of the way.
