Barbell weight?

[kathy65]

I am doing the pyramid workouts and want to know if the barbell weight is included when Cathe says the weight she is lifting. My barbell weighs 15lbs unloaded, do I add another 30 lbs when she says she is using 30lbs or just 15lbs?

 

[mrsprincess07]

I don't have the DVD you do, but in other workouts when she says she's lifting "X", it looks as if she is loading that amount onto the bar. She may also be using a lighter bar too. I know my bar is about 7-8 lbs. If you can't add her weight onto your heavy bar subtract 15 from what she says she's loading and put that on you're bar, that way you're lifting the same...or close to it.

 

[Pearlstrand]

I generally consider the total weight of my bar and plates. I think Cathe uses the York barbell, which is 5 lbs (or less). But if I'm using my 15-lb bar, I want to count that weight toward the total.

I think you have to pick a standard and stick with it -- for example, always include your bar or always exclude it. That way you can judge your progress (especially when doing STS).

Having said all that, I believe that Cathe includes the weight of the bar because it looks like she has on two 10s, two 5s, and two 2.5 lb plates when she says 40 lbs. That, plus the bar, would be 40.