Whats With The “Platform” Thing?
See, back in the days of platforms, the weights were made of iron, and dropping them on the floor was considered pretty “bush.” You were instructed to lower the bar to the floor under control back then, an act which had some pretty worthwhile benefits in and of itself, besides being allowed to remain in the gym. Of course, it was appropriately believed that the successful raising of the weight was the primary intent of standing there in the first place. So, the platform was there for two major reasons: To protect the floor if you inadvertently missed a lift, and to mark the safe zone for exercising. No one walked onto or in front of a platform back then as a matter of both safety and courtesy. In case you haven’t noticed, by the way, weights are STILL made of iron, although some are rubber coated for damage control. But let’s explore the benefits of the now-all-but-extinct platform a bit more. On the platform you could do cleans, snatches, presses with one arm or two, bent rows, jerks
