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The Best Weight Plates for Home Gym Exercises
If you are building a home gym, it’s going to be hard to do it right unless you include weight plates. They are universal and you can use them for every exercise if you have at least a pair of plates for each interval of pounds. Weight plates can get expensive, but depending on what your goals are, you might not be able to do without them. If you are an advanced weightlifter, you won’t be able to get by with just dumbells. You won’t be able to achieve progressive overload and continue pushing yourself unless you have weight plates because you simply won’t have enough weight to work with. Even if you are a beginner or intermediate athlete, plates are going to be your best option for building muscle and gaining strength. The truth is the only reason you wouldn’t put weight plates in your home gym is because of your budget. We put together this guide for the best weight plates for home gym exercises so you can see the options that are out there.
Best Weight Plates for Home Gym Barbell Exercises
Bumper Plates
Bumper plates are great for a home gym. They are made out of rubber so if you drop them they won’t be as likely to damage your floor. If you don’t have a rubber or foam floor in your home gym, your floor is going to take some damage if you plan on doing deadlifts or power clings. You definitely want to be able to do deadlift so you need to make sure you either have bumper plates or a floor that absorbs shock. Keep in mind that weight plates don’t only hit the floor when an accident occurs. You are a lot less likely to have a spot at home so if you plan on lifting heavy you might have to dump weight if you get stuck. Once again, bumper plates will allow you to do this without tearing up the floor.
Bumper plates are the best overall type of weight plates you can have in your home gym. They are also the most expensive. They have always cost more than steel plates, and the coronavirus has caused prices to rise even further. However, there are still some places you can find bumper plates for a good price. You can get them color-coded if you like that but that is just another markup in price. If you are buying equipment because your gym was shut down due to coronavirus and you plan to go back when it opens, colored bumper plates don’t make much sense. If you don’t plan to return, however, and you see yourself working out at home from now on, it would be a good investment.
Budget
AMGYM
Least Durable
Standard Black
45 lb Pair
Standard
IFAST
Durable
Black with Colored Lettering
45 lb Pair
Competition
Fringe Sport
Highly Durable – Truest Weight
Color Coded
45 lb Pair
Steel or Cast Iron Plates
Just because bumper plates are the best option doesn’t mean that steel plates aren’t any good. A lot of people actually prefer steel or cast iron over bumper plates. They have a classic feel and for some people there is just something about pumping iron versus rubber. Steel plates are a little easier on the wallet which means you can get more weight for less. If you can lift 300 or 400 lbs, bumper plates are going to cost a fortune since a single 45 lb plate is going for close to $200 right now. You can buy a 45 lb steel plate right now for as little as $99. If you are trying to lift heavy on a budget, steel is the way to go.
Some things to consider if you decide to go with steel plates are where you are going to store them. You will want to put them somewhere safe where they can’t fall over and damage the floor, walls, or whatever they hit on the way down. You also need to be careful when lifting heavy because if you drop the weight you are going to have some big problems. Investing in rubber floors is a good idea if you are going to use steel. When you buy them, note that there are some steel or cast iron plates that have holes in them for better grip. It’s convenient and for ten more dollars per plate, it might be worth it since you are going to be by yourself a lot.
Budget
Sporzon
Least Durable
Cast Iron
45 lb Single
Standard
Daneli
Durable
Cast Iron
45 lb Single
Grip Plates
CAP
Durable – Ease of Use
Cast Iron
45 lb Single
Best Weight Plates for Home Gym Curl Bar Exercises
Bumper Plates
Bumper plates aren’t as important when using a curl bar because you won’t be using as much weight. The standard curl bar has a weight capacity of 300 lbs which is a lot less than the barbell standard of 700 lbs. The types of exercises you will be doing with this type of bar will be more suited for smaller weights. Remember, even 10 lb bumper plates are the same height as the 45 lb, they just aren’t as wide. This means if you use them with the curl bar which isn’t as wide, the weight might get in the way of your elbows depending on the exercise.
Steel or Cast Iron Plates
The best weight plates for home gym curl bar training are made out of steel or cast iron. The weights are smaller and don’t get in the way of the curl bar which is narrower. You aren’t going to be dropping the weight after doing curls, tricep extensions, or upright rows so there isn’t really a point in buying bumper plates specifically for a curl bar. Affordability and durability are both great for these types of weight plate.
Plastic
You can buy plastic weights to go on a smaller curl bar but unless you are really on a budget, it’s not the best option for seeing good results in the gym. The bar you have to use is really small and the weights are too big compared to the size. If steel or cast iron weights are too expensive you would be better off buying a kettlebell or some other piece of equipment like a sandbag.
Click here for Sandbags – #1 on our list of the top home gym equipment for under 500$
Plastic
STEP
E-Z Bar Included
Plastic
56 Total lbs
Cast Iron
CAP
Weights Only
Cast Iron
50 Total lbs
Rubber
XMark
Weights Only
Rubber
115 Total lbs
Our #1 Choice is Bumper Plates
Surveys have revealed that a lot of people who are investing in home gym equipment during coronavirus do not intend to re-instate their gym memberships when things get back to normal. A lot more people were starting to workout at home anyway and the pandemic just sped up the process that was already occurring. If you are looking at your home gym as a long term investment, we recommend bumper plates as the best weight plates for a home gym. Safety is vital and being able to dump weights on the ground on low energy day is a big deal. Being able to do exercises like deadlift, clean & jerk, or any of the compound exercises that require you to set the bar on the ground after each rep is important. Cast iron weights are great but you do have to give more consideration to how much weight and what type of lifts you are going to do if you use them.
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