Category: Weight Plates

Bumper plates look great and at first, we all think we need them. But the truth is they are not great for most home gyms! Here are the reason to buy and not buy them:

1. If you are dropping weight at chest level or above (ie oly or crossfit lifts) bumper are needed. If you are just dropping at waist level doing deadlifts, iron is fine.
2. Bumper plates are quieter. They dont make as much noise going on the bar or when they hit the floor.
3. They wont rust
4. They look cool

Reasons you should not get bumper plates:

1. They suck to carry. They are big and awkward. Not fun when your arms are burning in the middle of your workout
2. They are thick and take up a ton of space vs iron plates
3. They are typically more expensive then iron plates, even the cheap ones
4. While they dont rust they can break and fall apart. They aren’t meant to last forever like iron plates. The metal insert can fall out too.
5. Most are not made in the USA. Even the Rogue ones are made in china.

I made the mistake of buying bumpers when I first put together my gym. Please dont make my same mistake. Get them if you need them for oly lifts, otherwise, save yourself the trouble and get iron plates.

The basic idea here is to ask yourself how much are you lifting and how much space do you want to take up?

In general you should get the following and adjust from there:

45lbs – 1 pair if you lift under 225lbs, 2 pair for 225lbs+, 3 pair for 315lbs+, 4 pair for 405lbs+, etc.

25lbs – 1 pair

10lbs – 2 pair

5lbs – 1 pair

2.5lbs – 1 pair

What about 55lbs, 35lbs, and 15lb pairs? They are fine but the issue is they take up extra space that could be better used elsewhere. They are also not typically needed. For example your 25lb and 10lb make 35lbs. Having said that, if you have a reason to get them, then get them. Like powerlifters, those that compete, and those that lift lots of weight might want or need 55lb plates.

Another reason to have more pairs of plates is if you have multiple set ups. Like I have 3 different machines I keep loaded all of the time so I have tons of 25s and 10s.

More detail in video: