I get asked a LOT of questions at the gym. Some intelligent. Some so stupid, you might puke if I repeated them. The one I get asked the most is how much does this bar weigh. My answer is All Bars Weigh 45 Pounds.
This could be called the Murph Rule, the Selkow Rule, or the Casey Williams Rule. I’ve used this rule for almost 25 years and it has never failed me.
So, how did the All Bars Weigh 45 Pounds rule come about?
Great question.
You see, way back at our original location we had a lot of specialty bars and they all were different weights. No different than today. I had better things to do with my time than remember the individual weight of 20 different bars, so I counted them all as 45 pounds. Since we trained on a Westside Style Conjugate, it really didn’t matter as long as we compared apples to apples. It’s kind of like asking how much does that band weigh at the top; it doesn’t matter. Just count it as whatever band it is.
Now let me go back and correct myself. One band will “weigh” more at the top for someone who is 6’4’ versus someone who is 5’4”, but it’s not a huge deal.
Unless you are using percentages and so forth but that is a topic for another log.
Getting back on track to the All Bars Weigh 45 Pounds subject, why doesn’t it matter if you count a specialty bar at it’s full weight?
Well, it does, sometimes. Sometimes it doesn’t.
For the most part, I really don’t think it matters much because most bars are within a few pounds of each other and it is not that big of a deal. And here is something you probably don’t know. A 45 pound plate isn’t always 45 pounds, unless it’s calibrated. You don’t see too many people getting bent out of shape on that do you?
Why?
Because they don’t know.
But!
If you weigh your plates I guarantee that some will be off, especially if they are on the cheap end. I have plates made by a MAJOR company the vary up to 5 pounds each. So, if you aren’t worried about that, don’t worry that your bar weighs 50 pounds instead of 45. Just work hard.
That is the key.
Work hard, and write down what bar you used.
As with everything, there is an exception.
So, why do the All Bars Weigh 45 Pounds, Unless they don’t.
What?
Well, some bars are so heavy, you have to count them as the correct weight if you are using a percentage based program. We have a prototype Safety Squat Bar at TPS that weighs almost 100 pounds. You have to account for that!
So, in closing, in my humble opinion, you should be more concerned with HARD and FOCUSED work than if a bar weighs 5 or 10 pounds more than a standard bar. Of course there may be exceptions but for the most part, All Bars Weigh 45 Pounds. Now get to work.
If you are in the Boston area this weekend, Saturday June 24th from 12:00 pm to 2:00 pm RAIN OR SHINE, we are hosting the annual Big Rig Charity Gig.
Come on down to this family friendly event and learn the Truck Pull and raise some money for our two local charities. 100% of your entry fee will go to Bread of Life in Malden and the Claddagh Fund.
Every participant gets a t shirt too.
Spectators are free. Registration link is in my Instagram bio: @tpsmalden
I hope to see you there.
Did you see my episode of Table Talk?
Did you miss last week’s log?
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Vincere vel mori
C.J. Murphy
June 22, 2023
