The Best Weight Plates
When you choose weight plates, consider both your equipment and your goals. First, you have to know if the plate is going on a standard bar or an Olympic bar, so get your bar at the same time or before you buy your plates. Then, consider how often you will be using the plates and how much weight you expect to lift.
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Plate Size
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Standard barbells are 1 to 1 1/16 inches in diameter, and the hole in the center of plates for those bars should be about 1 5/32 inches. This is the bar most common in home gyms and in barbell and weight sets. Olympic bars are from 1.949 to 1.969 inches in diameter, and the hole will be from 1.976 to a maximum of 2 inches. If the plates vary from these dimensions, they probably will not fit at all or may slide around on the bar.
Plate Type
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Plates that fit your barbell preferably come from the same manufacturer. Besides the traditional plates, many manufacturers make grip plates, with cutouts in the metal to make it easier to grasp the plates, but this is a matter of personal preference. Use the same type for all your plates, or for the ones you will use on a given bar. It is worth the investment to buy more expensive plates because they fit the bar better and are more consistent in size, although they cost more than inferior-quality equipment. Good weight plates can last 50 years.
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Bumper Plates
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Bumper plates are made of rubber. They are used in Olympic-style weightlifting, including the clean and jerk and the snatch. It is dangerous to try to save a missed attempt with these overhead lifts, so the lifter will drop the bar and plates on the floor. He also drops it after a successful lift. This is not appreciated by most gyms, so weightlifting is only done where there is a special platform. Do not get bumper plates if you will not be doing Olympic-style lifting.
Usages
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Buy a variety of weight plates. If you are a beginner, you can add heavier weights to your set later. Check that the plates are smooth at the edges and the inside of the hole. Small weights are important when you are adding weight to your lifts. Small standard weights can also be used on adjustable dumbbells. Good plates carry a guarantee.
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References
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