Slamming Bars

I believe that it is ok to slam the bar at weightlifting meets because I think that expressing your emotions makes the sport more interesting, the equipment is guaranteed to last a lifetime, and there’s really no damage that can be done by following a bar down with momentum.

Eleiko competition barbells are made out of Swedish steel that is guaranteed to last a lifetime. They test these bars with 1500 kilos of pressure then repeatedly perform drop tests on them before they ship them out to customers. Do you really think that slamming a couple hundred kilos will harm the barbell?* I’ve never heard of a bar breaking at a competition. Ever. In the history of weightlifting a bar has only been broken once or twice and weightlifters have been slamming bars since the very beginning.

People don’t love to watch weightlifting like they love to watch other sports. It’s just not interesting enough, and with each person taking six attempts weightlifting meets can get pretty drawn out. The most exciting things at a weightlifting meet are maybe that someone has a really cool singlet on or there’s a close battle between two (or more) athletes. Maybe having a little bit of extra excitement would make it more appealing to the general public.

You may disagree and say that it is disrespectful to slam bars, but it really isn’t unless the owner of the gym or some other person of authority asks you not to. I also feel the need to point out that respect is the last thing that is going to be on someones mind after lifting a heavy-ass weight that could potentially paralyze them over their head. When you think about how hard you’ve trained to make the lift and adrenaline is pumping through you, sometimes its hard to control yourself in the moment. Respect is a choice, and making a rule that doesn’t allow people to the slam the bar will just upset certain individuals to the point where you will have more to deal with than just bar slams.

Overall I think that their is no harm in allowing athletes to slam the bar at weightlifting competitions. There is a lot of controversy about this topic and this is just my opinion. I choose to slam bars.

*Assuming that all competition sets are made out of quality steel.

Does this really look disrespectful?