How to tighten spinlock collars properly

Our gym equipment range includes a few different bars and bar and weight packages with spinlock collars and get a lot of anecdotal feedback from people about how unreliable they are and how easily they come unscrewed.

Unfortunately, if they are not tightened properly - this can be correct. And who wants to lift a loaded dumbbell over their head with loose collars on it?

The problem relates to the size of the collars relative to the amount of torque required to lock the collars up tight. If the collars were three times as big and you could get better leverage on them, you'd be able to lock then up a lot tighter.

The good news is that there is an easy way to ensure you lock your spinlock collars up nice and tight that will ensure they do not come loose any time soon. What you need to do is:

1. Put your plates on the spinlock bar (barbell, EZ curl, dumbbell, whatever).
2. Put your collar on, and tighten it as tight it as you can with your fingers. This should ensure that the rubber ring on the inside of the collar butts up with and grabs hold of your plates.
3. Grab the outermost plate (the one hard up against the collar) and twist the plate clockwise, ensuring that your bar itself does not turn (I normally stand on the bar, or grip it between my legs). As the collar is tight up against the plate, you should see the collar turn as well, tightening it up a little more. This will help protect the other fitness equipment in your gym, and yourself from any unsecured weight plates.

Once you've completed this exercise, you will find the collars are very tight, and unlikely to loosen off any time soon. 

Want to remove them? Turn the plate counter clockwise.