The Deadlift Jack

What the heck is this wild looking hunk of metal? Is it for working on a car? Or maybe for storing dumbbells on?

Not quite… it’s actually the best piece of equipment you never knew you needed! Ok, maybe a bit exaggerated, but this thing definitely comes in handy.

What this jack does is quite literally jack your barbell up so you can easily load and unload your plates when you’re deadlifting. As shown in the pictures, there are a few different styles.

The first style (1st picture) is the most robust option. This gives you plenty of leverage and is great for heavier weight. The second option (2nd picture) is a more compact design that is designed for not as heavy of weight. The third option (3rd picture) is actually not a jack. It’s a rubber insert you put under the plates on your barbell so they are slightly higher off the ground, giving you the same functionality as the other options without having to jack the bar up. One note: with this option, some people find it hard to ensure they keep the plates on it when they drop the barbell. That is why it has the ”ramp” design you can roll the bar up

Instead of talking about pros and cons, I’ll give some guidance on whether you need one of these or not and which option you should choose.

Personally, I think that if you have the space for it in your gym, and deadlift fairly often, this is a great piece of equipment to have in your gym. That being said, I’ve noticed not many of my customers have them and they’re usually slow sellers for me. I’m assuming that is because people aren’t lifting as heavy, don’t know about this piece of equipment, or don’t see the value in it. All very fair reasons.

So, let’s say you decide to get one. Which style should you go with?

I personally like option 3 the best. It’s the cheapest, takes up very little space, and requires the least effort. If you don’t like that style… then:

If you’re looking for one that is the most robust and you have no space constraints, go with option 1. If you have space constraints or don’t need as much robustness, go with option 2