Deadlift Platform? Whut?

[PandaPaw]

So after many weeks of pacing about, I finally let my curiosity get the best of me and joined a gym. I'm happy to say that I LOVE lifting. Not only do I just love it as exercise, it has been very good for my self esteem. Never was much of an athletic kid, so it's awesome to be able to show myself I am able to do stuff.

 

Which brings me to my point. While on my tour of the gym, the lady said in passing "and that's the deadlift platform," as if I would know what that is. It's like a metal platform with a rack for the barbell at just under knee height on one side. It's not wide enough for the plates to rest on the platform itself. 

 

What is this thing? How do I use it? I don't lift the bar off the rack and put it back on the rack, do it? that seems silly.

 

It's a well-stocked gym with not a lot of space, so I kinda interpreted her statement as "this is the place where you deadlift" and I don't want to monopolize a power rack and deadlift in there unless I need to. Help a noob out! 

Mike

[PandaPaw]

 

kind of like this, the platform itself is slightly larger

[PandaPaw]

HELP ME

[bigm141414]

Looks like it is used for deficit deadlifts. I've never seen them myself but were you to do deep RDLs or straight leg deadlifts on it you'd get a wider range of motion/stretch reflex.

[Oramac]

Can't say I've ever seen anything like that either.  Though I would guess Bigm is right.  

 

Honestly, though, just ask someone at the gym.  I know it's nerve-wracking to have to ask, but I've never yet had anyone scoff at me for asking anything, and I've asked some really stupid questions at my gym.  In my experience, the trainers (any everyone else) would rather you ask a question than do something unsafe without knowing it.  

[Silo]

It looks like you could do rack deadlifts on it too. You don't really need to stand on a platform for those but maybe the rack was added to give it an additional use?

[PandaPaw]

Cool cool. Next question: Is it bad etiquette to just deadlift in the power rack? I'm obviously not out to do sets and sets of them. thoughts here?

[bigm141414]

Cool cool. Next question: Is it bad etiquette to just deadlift in the power rack? I'm obviously not out to do sets and sets of them. thoughts here?

 

 

If there is a line, yeah it's kind of a faux pas. Deadlifts can be done anywhere there is floor space for a bar. I tend to grab one from the bench setups and do my DLs to let others squat. 

 

If the gym is empty then go for it. 

[jfreaksho]

If there is a line, yeah it's kind of a faux pas. Deadlifts can be done anywhere there is floor space for a bar. I tend to grab one from the bench setups and do my DLs to let others squat. 

 

If the gym is empty then go for it. 

Agreed.  Don't hog the squat rack, unless you are doing something you can't do anywhere else.  And even then, let people work in.

[Mark D]

My gym has a similar platform, it's for Romanian deadlifts (according to the guy who gave me the tour).

 

As for deadlifting, I usually just find a chunk of open floor (frequently right in front of the platform mentioned) and deadlift there.  I wouldn't deadlift in the rack unless the place is empty and there's no place else to deadlift.  

 

My general rule for the rack is that there are things that SHOULD be done in the rack (squats, maxed out bench presses if you don't have a spotter), there are things it's more convenient to do in the rack (overhead press) but can be done elsewhere, and there are things where the rack just isn't needed (deadlifts, rows).  I don't use the rack for the last, and will move from the rack for the second if there are people who want to use it.

 

That said, my gym has one power-rack and two squat racks, so if no one is using the squat racks I don't feel too bad about hogging the power rack.  I DID have to wait for the power rack once because someone was doing burpies in it, and there's one guy who insists upon doing landmines in the rack.

[Oramac]

As for deadlifting, I usually just find a chunk of open floor (frequently right in front of the platform mentioned) and deadlift there.  I wouldn't deadlift in the rack unless the place is empty and there's no place else to deadlift.

 

and there's one guy who insists upon doing landmines in the rack.

 

I typically do my deadlifts in the rack out of convenience.  My gym is focused mostly on MMA classes, so there's precious little open floorspace in the free-weight section.  And there's 2 racks which, most of the time, aren't being used.  If it ever got so busy that I needed to, I could probably find a piece of floor that was only mildly in someone's way.  lol. 

 

And what the hell are Landmines?  (other than explosive devices)

[Mark D]

 

And what the hell are Landmines?  (other than explosive devices)

 

That thing where you put plates on one end of a barbell, stick the other end in a corner, and sorta curl it up.  He uses the corner of the squat rack.