How do you weigh yours

[Tim Francis]

Whether it be strongman equipment, lifting stones, odd objects or random heavy metal equipment, how did you weigh your equipment? Bathroom scales, weigh bridge, industrial scales, commercial gym scales, guess work or see saw :) ?

[Dave Lemanczyk]

Industrial scales for my boulders & heavy duty strongman equipment at a local stoneyard. I weigh everything else on the digital scale I have in my gym. Everything I own seems to be a random number. I don't have one 45 pound plate that is exactly 45 pounds, for example. When I took the time to weigh everything out, the readings gave me quite a shock. Kinda' makes me glad I "just lift" and worry about my own effort instead of "how much". All my equipment has a number written on it in marker representing what it weighs.

[Jedd Johnson]

I took all my plates used in competition to the Post Office and weighed it there. It is a required for Grip Sport events to count on the lists.

[Randall Strossen]

Talking to Steve Justa was what really inspired me on this - he'd lift all this junk, but because he'd have everything weighed, he knew exactly what he was really lifting.

So, taking a deep breath, I bought a beam-type platform scale some years ago. They're not cheap, but they are terrific because you can calibrate them and then when you weigh whatever, you can believe the number, and because they have a large platform and are made for industrial use, you can weigh rocks, barrels or whatever else you're lifting.

How's this for cool: Odd Haugen was given a good scale for his last birthday by the guys he trains with. He was really tickled by this and told me they'd been destroying every other scale they'd ever used. These are guys who train with things like a 300-lb. sandbag.

For stuff that's small and not so heavy, Jedd's method probably works well; the electronic scale we use in our warehouse for UPS shipments is pretty accurate and it goes to 150 lb. so it's fine for things like checking a Blob quickly.

[Chris Rice]

I mostly use our local Post Office seeing as how I worked there and it is only 3 doors from my house. Our HS has a wrestling scale that is kept certified each year also that I can use because I coach there - I imagine anyone could use it if they made arrangements in advance really. We have an industry here with a scale that weighs up to tons but matches up very well at "normal" weights with the certified scales - not certified but good for big stuff that doesn't fit on a smaller top scale (did you ever try to "gently" put a big Atlas stone up on a Postal scale on the counter?). Sometimes you have to dig around a bit to find certified scales in your location. All Post Offices are not as accepting to weighing a gym full of bars - plates - stones etc as mine is.

[Ronald A. Strachan]

This looks like the appropriate place to ask, as it's on topic.

I was at a contest last weekend and to rate how heavy the car dead lift would feel, the promoter placed an industrial scale under his feet, strapped up, and stood up... The readout was 725-750, I guess his scale only measured in 25lb increments. By eyeball, I'd say the guy weighed 250 max.

So, in the court of public opinion, what would you experts figure the car dead lift translated to on a barbell. My guess would be 450, 475 max.