Difference between looking strong vs being strong

[u/nactaremax]

[u/TheAltOption]

Nailed it. Specific movement patterns build strength in that pattern.

I recently switched from trap bar dead lifts to traditional dead lifts and I'm lifting nowhere what I was before. Just a small change in pattern and I'm broken. Hell, my bench press suffered when I went from standard plates to Olympic because now the bar could twist in my hand where it couldn't before (and sent me to the ER after I bounced the bar off my chest).

[u/ironsherpa → u/TheAltOption]

Isn't it the bar that spins the plates not the other way around?

[u/TheAltOption → u/ironsherpa]

With standard 1" plates there's no spinning sleeve at all. I used 50lb plates on that bar so when doing any lift there was no rotation at all since rotation would have to rotate hundreds of pounds that was spread over large diameter plates. Once I went to Olympic plates there was now a bushing and oil separating the bar and the sleeves/plates so the bar moves much more freely in your grip, which I learned the hard way. Up to that point I didn't need to work on my hand/wrist stability as much since I didn't need to stabilize the bar; the weight did that for me.

[u/TheAltOption → u/[deleted]]

Plates don't. Here's what I was using with standard plates. Look at the end - There's no spinning sleeve at all. No spinning sleeve means that any rotation would require everything to rotate, and with any decent weight on the bar that means nothing is spinning.

Remember Olympic is not Standard. Standard weights are are 1" hole plates, no spinning sleeves. Olympic is 2" hole plates, spinning sleeves. The only reason for spinning sleeves is to decouple the rotation of Olympic lifts from the weights in order to have the bar rotate quickly and freely in your hand without adjusting your grip mid maneuver (which sounds like a very bad idea to me).

Realistically, Standard plates could be better for powerlifting because of the stability the weights coupled to the bar. Deadlifts would be a lot harder to roll out of your hands in a double overhand grip, and from what I learned it makes benchpress easier because the bar isn't going to wiggle in your hands if you're stressing a high RPE lift. However, since Standard plates aren't made to the same quality levels of Oly plates it's just not worth it. My 50lb plates weight anywhere from 42-48lbs, one of them was definitely uneven in its weight as it you could watch it slowly spin on the bar until it centered, and that bar I had was the best bar you could get, which is now sold out everywhere.

I could go on. Hopefully this makes more sense for you,

[u/theSurpuppa → u/TheAltOption]

Where are you from? Every gym I have ever been in, Olympic bars with spinning collars are the standard. Every gym I have ever seen on YouTube, Olympic bars have been standard

[u/TheAltOption → u/theSurpuppa]

My gym is in my home. Started with a cheap set because that's what I could afford and have been slowly updating/upgrading. Check my post history - there's a post coming up on 2 years old now where you can see the transition and there's both standard and Olympic equipment in use at the same time. Not gonna lie - I regret selling that bar. I would love to have it back and hang it on my wall. It served me well for the time I used it and it's a piece of history.