11 Rules of Barbell Etiquette

Just like any public space, the gym has its own etiquette – unspoken rules people follow to maintain order and express respect. But unlike a dinner table, many of the gym’s rules are a matter of safety. While some rules simply say, “Hey, I’m a baddie. I know what I’m doing here.” 

While you don't have to follow every single rule, we'll detail what you should know when working with barbells.

11 Barbell Etiquette Rules

Walk into a gym with these common barbell etiquette rules and you'll be safe, polite, and respected by your peers. 

1. LOAD THE BAR PROPERLY

You may feel cool (and like you look stronger) by stacking 10s on 10s on 10s. But in truth, your barbell isn’t impressed. It puts less stress on your bar to use as few plates as possible. Not to mention, it’s heckin’ rude to hog all the smaller plates. Instead, if you can go up a plate size, do it – even if it’s a little extra loading and unloading. 

Also, you’ll want to load the heaviest plates on the inside: 45s first, then 35s, 25s, 10s, you can do the math. This better distributes the weight by keeping the heaviest weight closer in on the bar. Going out of this order might make more experienced lifters dry heave a little bit. It’s just a no-no.

Powerlifters have their own preferences when loading a bar. When using single-sided plates, they like to place the first plates (usually 45s) facing inward and the rest facing outward. This makes it easier to see what’s loaded on the bar from various angles. Check out this video by Meg Squats on how to load like a boss.

Just as important as loading the bar properly is to unload it right. If your bar’s racked, don’t take too much off one side at once, or your bar will flip and spill. If your bar’s on the floor, don’t be a monster and let the end of the barbell crash onto the floor as you pull off a plate. Use one hand to remove the weight and the other to kindly place the bar onto the ground all nice like. If you can’t coordinate that, ask for help or use a deadlift jack.

3. DON’T DROP AN EMPTY BAR

Never drop an empty bar. Dropping an empty barbell on the ground can damage the hardware inside, which can affect the spin or sleeves, damage the bearings/bushing, and break your barbell. Oof. 

4. BE SMART WHEN YOU DROP A LOADED BAR

While you shouldn’t drop an empty bar, in instances of safety, it is OK to drop a bar if it has bumpers on it to help absorb the shock. Still, you always want to have control over your bar. Bumpers can bounce. Don’t bounce your bumpers in a busy gym. Keep your hands on the bar as much as possible so it doesn’t fly off into someone else’s personal bubble, and please, for the love of Odin, don’t walk away before the bar has stopped moving.

Drop the bar only if you can’t safely lower it to the ground, avoid dropping the bar from overhead unless you fail the lift or lose balance, and never drop the bar when it's loaded with 10lb plates (or less). While REP’s 10lb bumpers are made sturdier than most, these small plates are really not meant to withstand that much impact and it can cause them to wear out sooner – and not protect your precious barbell. 

5. BAIL SAFELY (IF YOU MUST)

Bailing a lift is different than dropping one. You sometimes see this with heavy back squats — to get out from underneath a heavy bar when the lift isn’t going as hoped.

Instead, it’s best to lift in a power rack with safeties and reliable squatters and never need to bail. But if you find yourself in a doozy and must bail or get pinned, make sure you know how to properly do it.

That being said, don’t put yourself in this position. Even a properly bailed barbell can be dangerous to yourself and people around you.  

6. CLEAN UP AFTER YOURSELF

Yo mama taught you this when you were 4, and the rule stands. Clean the bar after you use it – even in your own home gym. Take your plates back, brush off chalk (which can make the bar rust), and sanitize blood and filth. Don’t be gross. K thanks. 

7. DON’T WALK IN FRONT OF A LIFT

This is especially true for weightlifters doing a big lift. It’s distracting and potentially dangerous, if they need to drop the bar or walk forward. Many lifters pick a cue – a spot on the wall, for example – to focus on while performing their lift. Not your big head.  

8. BE RESPECTFUL OF OTHERS

Duh, right? Yet it’s easy to forget in the excitement of the gym. Always watch out for others. This includes not walking or standing on the platform someone else is lifting on, and not standing too close to someone getting ready for a lift (including behind them).

9. LOCK IN YOUR HIGH LIFTS

Some lifters don’t use collars when they’re benching heavy without safeties or spotters (never ideal); this opens up the emergency plan to dump the weight on one side rather than getting pinned under a fully loaded bar. But when you’re throwing weight overhead, or tackling any lifts at or above shoulder height, make sure you properly secure the plates with clips so the weights don’t fly off. 

10. WATCH YOUR FEET

Don’t put your shoes or bare feet on the barbell. You’ll actually get three reds (no lift) if you touch the bar with your foot on the platform at an IWF competition. One reason? The same reason you don’t want shoes on the table. Your shoes aren’t clean, and we put our hands on the bar.

Furthermore, in Slavic and Eastern European countries, it’s considered disrespectful to put your foot on the barbell – and even step over the bar (with no foot contact). It’s considered bad luck and offensive. Some say this etiquette even has religious and cultural ties. 

11. DON’T SLAM YOUR BAR

We’ve all seen the bro intentionally slam the bar down like a caveman asserting dominance. Don’t be that guy. No matter how jazzed you are that you pulled that deadlift.

Control it. Respect it. Respect others around you.

In fact, controlling the negative (descent) of the deadlift is half the lift and reaps massive benefits. 

Takeaway

When you walk into a gym with these common ettiquette rules locked and loaded, you'll be armed with the proper way to act to protect yourself, the barbell you're throwing around, and others working out.