Bench pressing-- including the weight of the bar?

Alright, I'm curious about something. When people say "I CAN BENCH PRESS 200 LBS", are they including the weight of the bar, or can they bench press 200 lbs in addition to the weight of the bar?

Kind of a silly question but it's bothering me.

not a lifter, but i think if the weight of the bar is relevant, you're not lifting very much.

The regular Olympic bar you see people using to bench press, squat, etc weighs 45 pounds, and IS included in the total.  For example, if you wanted to bench press 225 pounds, you would put two 45 pound plates on each side (180 pounds in weight plus 45 pounds for the bar).

but viper, not all of the plates can account for the bar.  right?  if the plates are less than what they say, then the more plates you add to the bar, the less you're actually lifting in relation to the numbers on the plates.

right?

Original Post by pgeorgian:

but viper, not all of the plates can account for the bar.  right?  if the plates are less than what they say, then the more plates you add to the bar, the less you're actually lifting in relation to the numbers on the plates.

right?

You sound a little paranoid there...LOL I can see it now. Next on "Nightline" - a massive conspiracy has been uncovered that shows gyms across the country using weight plates that don't match up. More at 11:00..LOL

Now I suppose what you say would be true if the plates weighed less then they claimed. However, you have to assume that the companies that sell the plates keep the weight up to spec to match what is listed on the plate. Of course no one can say with absolute certainty that there haven't been anamolies where there were descrepancies. However, I still believe that is highly unlikely though. If you walk into any mainsteam gym like Gold's, 24 Fitness, Bally's, etc. and weigh the plates on a scale, you are probably going to end up with what's advertised.

Now assuming that the weight plates do weigh what they claim ( I don't see why they wouldn't), it is all a matter of simple addition. You start with 45 pounds (the bar), and any weight you put onto the bar, only adds to the overall total.

aw. well, you edited your post (#2), huh.

edit: cool.  you edited your second post, too.  wouldn`t it be cool if you just figured out what you were going to say before you said it.

Original Post by pgeorgian:

aw. well, you edited your post (#2), huh.

edit: cool.  you edited your second post, too.  wouldn`t it be cool if you just figured out what you were going to say before you said it.

I will admit that I didn't quite understand what you were getting at there at first. Reading comprehension has always been an area that I was a little weak in. However, once I read back over it a few times, I got what you were trying to say about the plates weighing less than advertised. So I went back and edited my post accordingly.

I do agree with you that it would be cool if I could get through a post without editing..LOL The funny thing though is that I am a video editor, and once you get into editing as a career, you are always bringing the editing mentality of changing and making things better into everything you do.

editing isn't a problem.  publishing, then editing, then not saying "Oh, by the way, this is the edited version" is a problem.

i'm a writer.  i know me some editing .

no sweat, man.  like i said, i don't lift.  but i think i'm taking up paddling.

thank you : D

Yes you include the bar, otherwise you'll be denying yourself 45lbs extra of bragging rights lol

Original Post by littlesimongeorge:

Yes you include the bar, otherwise you'll be denying yourself 45lbs extra of bragging rights lol

 

 OH, yes.  Otherwise I'd just be doing 0 weight on some things, and my muscles KNOW that ain't so!  I'm new to lifting, and wondered that too, so I would say XX weight on the bar, just so I knew what I was talking about.

What about the small bars, the little ones that are used for curls and such, how much do they weigh?

Edit:  Never mind, I just saw the other thread that answers this question.