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Train Safely with Lifting Clamps
Weight training can be considered as one of the safest sport activities you could engage in. However, this does not mean that working out in the gym is totally accident-free. You may have heard of injuries caused by overworking, neglect, lack of warm-ups and cool-downs, or the misuse of weight lifting equipment. It is important to follow gym regulations for your own safety. Precautions have been laid down for weight trainers to follow. These safety measures include the use of lifting clamps or collars.
What are Lifting Clamps?
Also referred to as weightlifting collars, clamps are used to secure weight plates to weight bars, including standard bars, Olympic bars, and even dumbbells. Commercial gyms and anyone with a personal mini-gym at home needs a precise and dependable set of lifting clamps. Collars secure even the heaviest weight plates in place to ensure safety during workouts.
When we use barbells and other free weights, you may notice that the bars cannot stay in a perfectly horizontal position at all times. They may take an inclined angle in the middle of an exercise routine. Imagine what will happen if a 45-pound plate slides down from the bar because the user did not use a locking mechanism for the plates. It may cause injury to people or property damage at the very least. That is exactly what clamps or weight lifting collars are made for.
Muscle Clamps
"Muscle clamps" is the term used to refer to weight collars used specifically for Olympic bars. This means that they are just the right size to secure Olympic weight plates into 2"-diameter Olympic weight bars. As far as lifting clamps go, muscle clamps are one of the most reliable around. Available for USD 25 and above per pair in online stores, these are made of high-impact nylon and are available in a variety of interesting colors. With muscle lifting clamps, all it takes to lock weight plates in place is pushing down the clamp’s tab.
Muscle clamps carry a non-slip design, making it a better preference compared to screw-on collars, which have been known to slide off Olympic bars. They are easy to remove and replace for re-racking purposes and are lightweight, weighing less than one pound. The inner lining of this type of lifting clamps effectively protects weight bars from scratches or dents.
Spring Collars
Spring collars are a type of lifting clamps that are inexpensive and very reliable. The device secures weight plates tightly with a self-locking mechanism that can only be released manually. To use a spring-loaded lifting clamp, you only need to squeeze the hand grips and slide the clamp into the bar after the weight plates have been loaded. To remove or replace the plates, you only need to squeeze the hand grips together to release the lifting clamp.
Spring-loaded clamps are cheaper compared to muscle clamps; you can buy a trusty pair online for as low as $15. Make sure you get the right size for your bar and your weight plates. Never take for granted the added safety of using lifting clamps.