So many weights out there, but which ones to buy... Here's our guide:

Metal vs Rubber, and the various other options:
Pretty simple this: If you're going to have the weights overhead at any time (clean, jerk, snatch, over head press, over head squat etc.), or are likely to drop the bar at any time (back squat attempt) then you need rubber bumper plates. They bounce, won't destroy your floor or other equipment if they bump into it and are quiet. Good quality bumpers will last decades, but you get what you pay for, and not all bumpers are created equal. If you go cheap, some will mark, some fall apart and the metal insert in the centre may deform. On the other hand, go for quality, and you'll probably never have to replace them. If all you're doing is bicep curls (this means you, bodybuilders... :-), save yourself the money and go with metal plates. Having some large metal plates around for dead lifts is a good value way of adding a lot of weight. Small metal plates (1.25Kg, 2.5kg etc. are handy because they make better dumbells and are more convenient for adding weight to a dip belt or kettlestack handle than larger plates.

Fractional Plates:
Fractional plates are 5Kg set made up of 2 each of 0.25Kg, 0.5Kg, 0.75kg and 1Kg small, coloured metal plates. They aren’t cheap, but will last you forever. The benefits will be clear if you have ever tried to move a bar that is loaded to your limit and then faced putting another 2.5Kg or 5Kg on the bar. Before you can lift a weight, you need to believe you can lift it. A failure of confidence will lead to you missing the lift. Fail to invest in some fractional plates and you will limit your development, and possibly invite injury. Micro-loading the bar is a clever way to consistently increase

Don’t  go ugly, early...
Between metal and solid rubber bumper plates, are some ugly compromises. The first type have a concrete inner covered by rubber (often 7 sided with grip holes). We have first hand experience of this type of plate. Expect your 5Kgs to break in half and lumps of rubber come off the corners of the bigger plates when you drop them. Be aware that when advertised they won't usually tell you the inner is concrete. We once sent a broken 5Kg 'Olympic' plate back to a fitness supermarket, only to be told that they weren't designed for Olympic lifting or to be dropped. Of course they made no mention of this on their website.
The next option is better, these have a metal inner covered in rubber, eventually the rubber will come off the metal, but in the mean time you're better off than rubber over concrete.

Plastic, the technology of the future...
One of the issues faced by bumper plates is that you need to have enough rubber in a plate to make it strong enough to survive being dropped, it also needs to be wide enough so it sits straight on the bar. This makes 5Kg bumper plates problematic. Two solutions have been tried. The first makes the plates full size (17.75"/455mm) but thin, the result is the plates are the right heigh on your shins for lifting, but break easily and are wobble around on the bar like a new born lamb (your gym will not thank you for dropping these). The other option is to make the 5Kg plates slightly smaller (around 14" rather than 17") so they are wide enough to survive, but put the bar lower than it should be.

Hi-Tech plates have come up with a radical new solution - Plasic plates.
These are made from fully recycled materals and are all full size (450mm/ 17.75"), but unlike other training plates available on the market these are tough, they are stable on the bar and are designed to be dropped on a lifting platform.

We have decided that as Hi Tech plates are so good, and 5Kg bumpers so poor, we will not import any more 5Kg/ 10lbs bumper plates.

What to avoid:
Any bumper less than 10Kg – steer away.
Anything with holes, usually called ‘Grip plates’. Quality bumper plates are solid for a reason and that reason is longevity. I know, I know they look cool and are probably calling your name seductively, but resist their siren call (unless you are a body builder, then crack on! :-). Particularly avoid the 7 sided rubber ones sold in a set by the fitness supermarkets as a set. The 5Kgs will break in half, the larger plates will have the rubber come off in chunks and the angles will allow the bar to bounce into your shins after a heavy dead lift.  Go on, ask me how I know this... The best thing I can say about them was they were good enough until they broke :-)

How much weight do you need?
This depends on what you plan on doing, how strong you are and your experience.

For CrossFit, bodybuilding and general training, we would recommend a 20Kg bar + 140Kg of bumper plates + a set of fractional plates. This should keep you going for the first year or two. If you are strong, then you could be deadlifting more than 140Kg within a year or so, but at that point all you'll have to do is come back for another pair of 25 and you'll have 210Kg all up, which is probably enough for most people.

For Powerlifters I would aim for 200Kg + a 20Kg bar, if you get to the point that isn't enough, adding a  pair of 25kgs will give you enough to be getting on with. If you're deadlifting or squatting over 300Kgs, then you will run out of space on the bar if you're using bumpers and will probably want to switch over to thinner metal plates.

For Olympic lifters 140Kg of bumpers will be more than enough to start with. Add a set of fractional plates + a pair of small 5Kg metal plates, and you can pretty much go up from 20kg up to 150Kg in 0.5Kg increments .

For anyone teaching Olympic lifting or indeed any of the lifts, consider investing in pairs of Hi Tech plates, their full size and robustness mean you'll get decades of use out of them. They will place the bar at the correct height for deadlift, clean, snatch etc. and paired with a 5Kg technique bar, could give an all up weight of as little as 10Kg, ideal for beginners learning technique, kids or anyone who's not trained for a while. Unlike 5Kg bumper plates Hi Tech plates won't bend when dropped.

Got any top tips or information that should be included in this guide, email brian@strengthpowerspeed.co.uk

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