Barbell Etiquette Here are a few friendly reminders regarding barbell use and etiquette in the gym. A few items can go a long way for helping to keep the barbells spinning well (and lasting a long time), and you and your fellow athletes safe. We're fortunate at to have mindful and courteous athletes/members, but a little reminding never hurts anyone. First, regarding the barbells and bumper plates themselves: Please do not drop an empty (unloaded) bar, or allow a loaded bar to skip into the wall or pull-up rig. Yes, I know they drop empty bars in the training room at the World Championships, but like many things you've seen on Youtube that you shouldn't do yourself, this move is not OK. When we coach at Nationals or Americans some of the lifters do it there too, and they all look like assholes. Dropping the empty bar breaks the bushing/bearing thereby rendering it unable to spin during the lifts (snatches, cleans, etc), and that can present some major safety issues for athletes. What's the big deal about the bars spinning you may ask? Try snatching or cleaning with a cheap bar from a commercial gym and let me know how that goes for you (kidding, don't actually do that). Wipe off any blood, skin, excessive sweat, etc with a disinfectant wipe immediately after barbell use. And if you notice you're bleeding during a workout please tend to it immediately (i.e. before continuing the WOD). Just let a coach know you need them and we're happy to help. Contrary to what you might see on social media, bleeding all over the place during a workout is not badass, it's just gross... and unsafe. Put the collars (AKA "clips") on for all your lifts, and load the heaviest plates on the inside. Use as few plates as possible. I know it's fun to load seven 10s on each side.