Gym Accessories
Choosing the right weight plates
Jul
Choosing the right weight plates is very important since each sport or form of fitness has its own requirements and peculiarities.
So the answer to the question “which discs should I buy” comes through weighing our training needs.
For example :
If one of us does simple weight training at home to maintain muscle tone, all he needs is a simple Φ28 barbell or dumbbells and the corresponding weights with a 28mm diameter hole to match. Φ28 bars can safely handle up to 100 kg of weight which is more than enough to maintain our fitness.
In this case, the weight discs should have a rubber cover so that there is no damage to the floor and have handlebar-shaped handles so that they can be easily transported and also used by themselves for various exercises. We recommend the following
If, on the other hand, training at home is harder and aims to systematically develop strength with basic free exercises (bench presses, squats, dead lifts), then we should use Φ50 diameter bars that can withstand more weight and the corresponding 50mm diameter weights.
And in this case the discs should have rubber casing and steering wheel type handles as below
When things get very serious and our training includes Olympic movements such as Arache and Epole Zete or other free multi-joint exercises that require fast rotations and possible barbell drops as in crossfit the weights should be Bumber type which are the only ones that can withstand the fall to the ground and protect the bar and the floor. *
But which Bumber discs should we buy? There are many :
If two friends are training together and we don’t have an unlimited Budget, the simple classic black Bumber disks are enough. They will protect our floor and bar sufficiently as long as the weight is not too much and the use is amateurish.
If our garage gym has become crowded to the extent that you are thinking of putting in a ticket and the fellow athletes are starting to resemble strong men, there are two disc options.
a) the most economical with the High Temp Bumber plates which have much greater resistance and elasticity compared to the simple Bumber without escaping in price.
b) the ideal but more expensive choice of Competition bumper plates. Racing Bumbers are constructed with a steel inner ring and a thicker rubber perimeter. The result is superior strength, less thickness allowing more discs to be loaded on the bar and better grip with the body of the bar.
Finally, whatever your choice, we wish you strong and injury-free workouts!
* To protect the floor and discs from being thrown on the ground, it is necessary use of a bar crossfit (they have bearings and construction that withstands the burden of falling)
as well as a protective rubber floor, preferably 2 cm thick
