On Counting the Bar

When I first started weightlifting at a local gym in August, 2024, I started with dumbbells. Social anxiety was a strong barrier for me and dumbbells were simple and easy:

• it didn't require me knowing how to use any equipment,
• I could spend a few minutes doing a short circuit, and
• I could stay in one place.

The dumbbell section was also at the front of the gym, which had floor-to-ceiling mirrors. The mirrors allowed me to watch others use the gym and learn gym etiquete and norms.

Even though the first day was rough (I almost went to the hospital since my upper traps were in so much pain), I got used to the gym. Eventually, I got the courage to do the big 3 compound lifts:

1. bench press
2. barbell squat
3. deadlift

I watched videos on YouTube about the proper form and technique for doing each lift. From my initial pain when I started the gym, I knew to start from 0.

What's 0 when you use a bar?

From my experience with dumbbells and some cable machines, I thought the bar counted as 0. When I did sets with dumbbells, I tracked the number/weight of the dumbbell I was using. When I had to set the pin on a machine, I tracked the number/weight I selected. Therefore, a bar with no plates/numbers/weights counted as 0.

A year later, I still counted a bar with no added weight as 0. Even the sign in the gym that said what each type of bar weighed, I just ignored. Even when I overheard a lady ask her training partner how much the bar weighed in order to track it, I ignored it. It was a YouTube community post asking whether to count the bar or not was when I realized there was a different way.

Why count the bar?

You lift the bar, don't you?

When you move weight, you should count the weight. Since you're lifting the bar along with the added weight, you should include the bar's weight.

Exercise Comparison

By counting the bar, you'll be able to compare across exercises in the same muscle group. When comparing my quad exercises with each other, I found it disheartening and frustrating my barbell squats were much lower than my leg extensions and leg press. For example, here are my logs for my quad exercises from the week of November 10th:

From the looks of it, my barbell squat is far behind my other quad exercises. It had me question if my form was bad or some ancillary muscle was limiting my growth. However, when I include the bar, which is usually 45 lbs, it doesn't actually look that bad:

Person Comparison

When comparing your previous self to your current self, as long as you're consistent in how you measure the weight, it doesn't matter if you count the bar or not. However, when you compare yourself with others, you'll have to agree on a common standard. The common standard seems to count the bar, therefore you'll need to include the bar's weight.

Why not count the bar?

You always have to lift the bar, so why count it?

If you follow progressive overload, it doesn't matter where you start: it's the steps that matter. As long as you add reps or weight or sets each workout or week, you'll make progress in strength and size.

Mental Math

When I step up to do barbell squats, I look at my previous sets and aim to add a rep or increase the weight. Once I know what weights I'll be using, I then calculate the plates I need to get. I don't calculate the plates for the next set: I calculate the plates for the entire exercise. For example, consider this hypothetical barbell squat (bar not included):

If I simply used my fitness app's plate calculator, it would select these plates to use:

In the end, I would end up moving

1. 50 lbs on
2. 50 lbs off
3. 100 lbs on
4. 90 lbs off
5. 70 lbs on
6. 80 lbs off

which adds up to 440 lbs.

I aim to minimize the plates I have to move in order to maximize the energy I use for the exercise. For this hypothetical barbell squat, I would use the following plates:

I would end up moving

1. 50 lbs on
2. 50 lbs on
3. 20 lbs off
4. 80 lbs off

which adds up to 200 lbs, the optimal volume. The calculation also assumes I have access to these amount of plates; sometimes, there aren't four 10 lbs plates in the squat rack. Therefore, I would pick difference plates.

This calculation is hard enough for me without adding the 45lbs I need to subtract from each set for the bar. Even the dividing by 2 can be too much for me at times.

What will I do?

I'll probably stick with not counting the bar. I don't compare myself with others, only with myself; therefore, consistency wins over following a common standard. More importantly, I want to keep the mental math simple. When I do compare with others, or with exercises in the same muscle group, I'll have to correct for the missing bar. This is infrequent enough to not warrant me changing my measurements.