Lifting with no bumper plates and a cement floor?

[GoldnBlack]

I've been lifting weights for a while but I'm very new at Oly. lifting. Didn't even really think I would be able to do it so I started playing around with light weights that I knew I would very rarely fail with.I wasn't really attached to doing it but now I've grown a taste for it. I have only failed a few times and everything has been fine. However, I'm actually making really good progress and I was starting to get worried for the first time today.

It's a garage like I said. The floor is cement and there's no basement or anything like that under it. It's just cement over ground.

There already are cracks and wear and tear from years of weightlifting.(Dead lifting and that type of stuff.)

I did 170# for the first time yesterday in the clean and jerk and then 170# for the first time weirdly enough with the snatch. I have done plenty of power-cleans over the years and I've dropped some reps around 170ish by accident with no problem.

I'm using a normal Oly. Bar with the usual iron plates you would get for power-lifting. None of the equipment is especially expensive or special.

I obviously would prefer not to break and plates or bend the barbell but what's really scaring me is the thought of damaging the floor in some sort of terribly expensive way.

Does anyone have experience with this type of thing?

[Griddlelol]

Make a platform.

You can get some wood for the main platform, then some cheap foam or rubber from your local hardware store to protect the weights and the floor.

There are easy to find guides online too.

[olyw8lifter]

If you continue this way not only are you going to destroy your concrete (and that is expensive to repour!!), but you'll destroy your bar and crack your plates.

I highly recommend building a platform and investing in bumper plate, even the cheap economy composite rubber plates. Platform ideally would be 2 layers of 3/4" plywood and a third layer of 3/4" solid rubber, such as horse stall mats.

[JosephDubya]

I've been lifting weights for a while but I'm very new at Oly. lifting. Didn't even really think I would be able to do it so I started playing around with light weights that I knew I would very rarely fail with.I wasn't really attached to doing it but now I've grown a taste for it. I have only failed a few times and everything has been fine. However, I'm actually making really good progress and I was starting to get worried for the first time today.

It's a garage like I said. The floor is cement and there's no basement or anything like that under it. It's just cement over ground.

There already are cracks and wear and tear from years of weightlifting.(Dead lifting and that type of stuff.)

I did 170# for the first time yesterday in the clean and jerk and then 170# for the first time weirdly enough with the snatch. I have done plenty of power-cleans over the years and I've dropped some reps around 170ish by accident with no problem.

I'm using a normal Oly. Bar with the usual iron plates you would get for power-lifting. None of the equipment is especially expensive or special.

I obviously would prefer not to break and plates or bend the barbell but what's really scaring me is the thought of damaging the floor in some sort of terribly expensive way.

Does anyone have experience with this type of thing?

Seriously... like everyone else has already said INVEST in bumper plates at a MINIMUM, build a platform or just buy some stall mats at your local tractor supply or home depot.
ORRRRR... Learn to CONTROL the weight down SLOWLY...