Barbell Basics: How to Load, Grip and Unrack Safely

Before you squat, bench or deadlift with a barbell, learn four small skills: know what the bar weighs, load and unload the plates evenly so it never tips, use collars every time, and grip the bar the right way for the lift. Then unrack it with your whole body, not your arms. None of this takes long. Ten minutes of practice with an empty bar covers it, and it removes most of the minor accidents that happen to beginners: dropped plates, pinched fingers, a bar sliding off one side, or a shoulder tweaked pulling a loaded bar out of the rack at a strange angle.

Know the bar you are using

Not all barbells are the same, and the bar is part of the weight you lift. The standard men’s Olympic barbell is 2.2 metres long and weighs 20kg. A women’s Olympic bar is shorter with a thinner grip and weighs 15kg. Many commercial gyms also have fixed-weight bars and lighter technique bars, and some cheaper “standard” bars have one-inch sleeves and weigh much less. If you are not sure, ask, or check the end cap, which is often stamped with the weight.

Look at the bar itself:

• Sleeves: the thick ends where plates go. On a good bar they spin, which matters for fast lifts.
• Collar (inner): the raised ring that stops plates sliding inwards.
• Knurling: the rough crosshatched texture that helps your grip. Some bars have a centre knurl, which sits on your upper back in a squat.
• Knurl marks: smooth rings cut into the knurling. They are reference points so you can put your hands in the same place every time. Use them.

Loading plates without tipping the bar

A bar in a rack is balanced on two narrow hooks. Load one side with 20kg more than the other and it will see-saw off. This happens more often than people admit, usually when someone strips one side completely before touching the other.

1. Load heaviest plates first, innermost. Big plates go next to the inner collar, smaller ones outside them. It keeps the load close to your hands and makes the bar more stable.
2. Alternate sides. One plate on the left, the same plate on the right. Never more than one plate’s difference between sides.
3. Push plates fully home. A gap between plates lets them slide and clang as you move.
4. Collars on, every set. Spring clips or lock-jaw collars stop plates creeping outwards. A plate sliding off one end mid-squat is how a bar suddenly tips.
5. Unload in the same order, reversed. Collars off, then alternate sides, lightest first.

When the bar is on the floor for a deadlift, lift one end slightly by rolling a small plate under the big plate or using a bar jack, then slide plates on. Lifting the whole bar end to load it is a poor use of your lower back.

Lifting plates safely

A 20kg plate is awkward rather than heavy. Lift it from the floor or the plate tree with a hinge or a squat, holding it close to your body by the rim or the handles. Keep fingers out of the gap between plates when sliding them together, and never carry a plate with your fingers through the centre hole.

Grip: which one, and when

Grip	How	Use it for
Overhand (pronated)	Palms facing you, thumbs wrapped round	Bench, overhead press, rows, lighter deadlifts
Underhand (supinated)	Palms facing away	Some row and curl variations
Mixed	One hand over, one under	Heavy deadlifts, once overhand fails
Hook	Thumb wrapped under the fingers	Deadlifts and Olympic lifts; secure but uncomfortable at first

Always wrap your thumbs on pressing

The “thumbless” or suicide grip, with the thumb on the same side as the fingers, is sometimes used on bench press because it feels more comfortable on the wrist. It is called what it is called because the bar can roll out of your hands onto your chest or face. Beginners should not use it. Wrap the thumbs.

Where the bar sits in your hand

For pressing, the bar should sit in the heel of the palm, roughly over the forearm bones, with the wrist only slightly bent back. If it sits up near your fingers, your wrist folds and the bar feels heavier than it is. For pulling, the bar sits lower in the fingers, close to where they meet the palm, so the skin does not fold and tear.

Hand width

Use the knurl marks. For bench press, a common start is with the ring finger or little finger on the ring; for overhead press, slightly outside the shoulders; for deadlift, just outside the legs. Whatever you choose, write it down so every set starts the same.

Unracking safely

How you take the bar out of the rack matters more than people expect, because the bar is often heaviest relative to your position at that moment. The details of setting hook and safety height are covered in our guide to using a squat rack safely; the movement itself goes like this for a back squat:

1. Set the bar at about mid-chest height so you can step under it without tiptoes.
2. Grip evenly using the knurl marks, then duck under and place the bar on your upper back.
3. Feet under the bar, not in front of it. Brace your trunk.
4. Stand up with your legs to lift the bar clear of the hooks. Do not pull it up and back with your arms.
5. Take two or three short steps back. Small, controlled steps. Then set your stance and begin.

For bench press, the same principle applies: shoulder blades set, arms straight, and the bar moved out over your shoulders in one smooth arc. Do not press it out from behind your head with bent arms. A spotter for the lift-off helps a lot. Our bench press form guide covers the rest.

Beginner mistakes worth avoiding

• Not counting the bar. Loading “40kg” of plates and calling it 40kg when it is 60kg.
• Skipping collars “just for a warm-up set”.
• Uneven hands. One hand a finger-width further out than the other changes how the bar moves.
• Walking out too far. More steps means more instability and a longer walk back with tired legs.
• Racking with one side first. Walk the bar into the uprights, feel both sides touch, then lower it.
• Leaving plates on the bar. In a shared gym it is poor manners; in any gym it is how a bar tips for the next person.

Starting with the empty bar

For most beginners, the empty bar is the first working weight, and that is not a slight. It lets you practise your grip, your unrack, your stance and the path of the bar without the load hiding errors. Once those feel automatic, small jumps in weight follow quickly. The NHS has general guidance on strength exercises if you want a broader starting point. Check with your GP first if you have a heart condition, high blood pressure, a back or shoulder injury, are pregnant, or are returning to exercise after a long break.

Learning the barbell in a private studio

Learning these basics in a busy gym can feel exposed, and nobody likes fumbling with plates while someone waits for the rack. Our basement studio on Archway Road is booked to you alone during your session, with a squat rack, barbell and plates, and enough room to practise without an audience. In private personal training in Highgate, the first sessions with a new lifter usually include exactly this: bar handling, loading, grip and the unrack, before we add weight. You can read more about how coaching works on the personal trainer page or the Highgate House homepage.

Questions we get asked

How much does a barbell weigh?

A standard men’s Olympic bar weighs 20kg and a women’s Olympic bar 15kg. Fixed and technique bars vary, so check before you count.

Do I really need collars?

Yes. Plates creep outwards with every rep, and an uneven bar is how most racking accidents start.

Should I use lifting straps or gloves?

Not at first. Build your grip with chalk if needed, and save straps for heavier pulling once your technique is settled.

Is the barbell safe for complete beginners?

Yes, with sensible loading and good set-up. Many people start with dumbbells or a goblet squat and move to the bar after a few weeks.

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