Are Those Plates Labeled Correct?

Most times that I go to the gym it feels as if the plates weigh less than labeled, or less than the ones at home.
Even my lifts are higher at the gym compared to home.
Has anyone else noticed this?
Maybe I just get more pumped up at the gym, although I don’t try to show off, because that would be hilarious with my strength.
I swear those 45lb plates feel lighter at the gym.

on a totally different note, how does your stiff-leg deadlift compare to you normal deadlift? Would it be odd to be have a bigger SLDL?

[quote]KiloSprinter wrote:

on a totally different note, how does your stiff-leg deadlift compare to you normal deadlift? Would it be odd to be have a bigger SLDL?[/quote]

I’m going to guess that no, it would not be odd.

I’m basically clueless regarding pl’ing, but I’ve seen enough clips to pick up a few things, and on of them is, in competition, it looks an awful lot like many of the deadlifts turn into SLDLs…

There’s always a chance that they’re not using a standard 45 lb bar, it could be anything down to about 25 lbs. Go weigh their bars.

Or maybe you psyche yourself up better at the gym.

Plates seem to be accurate within a couple of pounds, so the worst I would guess is that if they’ve got cheapo plates at the gym you’re saving 2-4 pounds.

If your gym is like mine, and others I’ve heard about, it will have a scale somewhere laying around. As was suggested, you can weigh the bars. You might also weigh the weights to see how close they are. Also, if you’re working out in an older facility, try to avoid the more beat up plates, as those tend to loose some of their weight.

[quote]KiloSprinter wrote:

on a totally different note, how does your stiff-leg deadlift compare to you normal deadlift? Would it be odd to be have a bigger SLDL?[/quote]

I’m going to say yes, this is odd, depending on how you do your SLDL.

I don’t know how long you’ve been deadlifting but a common MISTAKE I often see is that the first thing guys will do when executing the deadlift is they shoot their ass up in the air. Read “The Dead Zone” by Dave Tate and “Precision Pulling” by… Mike Robertson I believe.

I had this experience too. When I figured it out, it turned out to be due to three things:

  1. I was lifting at a different time of the day (evening instead of early morning), so I was more awake,

  2. I had coffee before I lifted (see 1)

  3. The bars were much better-oiled, which allowed the plates/sleeves to spin more smoothly (I was doing OLs).

This last one was the main cause for my improvement, although I can’t imagine that it would apply to SLDLs.