If you're relatively new to weightlifting, you may sometimes hear people talk about their lifts in terms of "plates."
For example: “I just met someone.Bench with two panels!”
When I started I had no idea what that meant.
What is a plate and how much does it weigh? What does it mean for someone to "deposit" a plate?
When people in the United States (or other countries that use the imperial system of measurement) refer to a plate or plate in weightlifting, they are usually referring to a 45-pound Olympic plate.
I would say the most common usage is to talk about plates in the bench press. So a one board bench would be a 45 pound plate per side of the bar plus the weight of the bar (45 pounds) for a total of 135 pounds.
Two plates generally means two 45-pound plates per side of the bar, for a total weight of 225 pounds, including the Olympic bar weight.
Three boards, on the other hand, usually means three boards on each side. Add 45 pounds (that's the weight of the bar) for a total of 315 pounds.
Four plates usually means 405 and five plates usually means 495 pounds.
The exception here would be moves that don't use a bar. For example, a two-plate pull-up would only involve the two 45-pound plates and nothing else, for a total resistance of 90 pounds.
Why are the weight plates 45 pounds and not 50?
This is a very good and frequently asked question, and it makes sense.
Wouldn't 50 be a much rounder number? It would certainly make the "fitness math" much easier.
The answer is in the metric system.
Weight plates were originally rated in kilograms instead of pounds.
So the 'dish' we know of today is really a 20kg dish in disguise, it's a nice round number now. That's about 45 pounds in imperial units.
Types of weight plates that you will find in the gym
When someone talks about how much they lift in terms of plates, they are almost always referring to how many 45-pound plates they use.
But there are many othersTypes of weights in the gym.with which you can load the bar.
Most good, reputable gyms have a wide variety of weights you can use, such as:
- 45 pounds
- 35 pounds
- 25 pounds
- 10 pounds
- 5 pounds
- 2.5 pounds
The exception may be 35-pound boards. Some gyms have it and some don't.
It is very easy to do without them if your gym does not have them. They are only 25 and 10 together!
But it's much more convenient when you can get a 35.
Most gyms should also have 2.5 pound plates, although I find they are sometimes in short supply. These are super helpful as adding or removing 5 pounds (2.5 per side) from a riser really helps.
With progressive overload, you'll often find it difficult to add 5 pounds at a time to your big lifts like the bench press, bench press, or even squats and deadlifts.
(Also read: The 6th.different types of free weights)
What are microcharge fractional plates?
a vast majority ofgymno, but you can buy your own partial plates and take them to the gym.
Broken discs are discs thatweighless than 2.5 lbs. The most common size for broken slabs is 1.25 pounds each, but you can even get them as small as a half pound!
Here is a really great and versatile breakout board kit.you can check it on amazon.
If that sounds ridiculous, don't laugh! In fact, microplates are very useful strength training equipment and can be useful for two types of people:
Microloading for advanced beginners
As I wrote above, most training programs require you to add 5 pounds at a time to your core lifts once you hit a certain rep limit.
Take the bench press, for example.
Let's say you can lift a slab (135lbs) for 6 reps, and now your program says it's time to try 140lbs.
It may only be a few pounds, but in percentage terms it's a huge jump. (about 3-4%)
Adding 5 pounds to a two plank bench (225 pounds) is a much smaller step.
Some specialists write that increasing the strength ofmore than 2.5%more or less at a time is very difficult for most people who have milked their initial beginner gains.
Using partial plates to add 1, 2, or 2.5 pounds to the bar instead of 5 pounds can be a great tool to break a plateau.
Microloading for advanced strength athletes
At the other end of the spectrum are people who have been lifting weights for a long time and have built a lot of strength.
These people are very close to the limit of how much muscle they can build and how much weight they can lift.
Adding 5 pounds to such an exercise is a very difficult task for elite lifters.
A smaller increment can be a useful training tool when you are deep in your journey and struggling to progress.
Are the weights really accurate?
In most cases, it's the dishes you find at the gym.not perfectly calibrated.
That means a 45-pound plate at your local LA Fitness could weigh 43 pounds, 45 pounds, or even 47 pounds. Or it could be just a few ounces.
This shouldn't be a big problem for most recreational lifters. If you stay in the same gym and equipment for a while, I'm not sure it really matters that much.
(Though it can be a bad thing if your gym uses very cheap, poorly calibrated plates. Lifting an unbalanced bar can be dangerous.)
At any time, you can grab the tiles you want to use and drag them to theScale, if your gym has one. If the chainrings are wrong, it's probably a good idea to adjust them to at least get the balance right (for example, pair two 46lb chainrings instead of 43 and 47).
For competitors, it's best to get some really good, highly calibrated cymbals (something from a trusted brand like Rogue).
How much do 6 boards of 45 pounds per side cost?
This is too much!
You don't hear a lot of people talk about 6-plate risers because just about anyone can do them.
A 6-plate riser weighs 585 pounds.
That's a staggering number no matter how you break it down, and probably the only exercises you'll pray to get 6 plates on are the deadlift and maybe the squat.
Although a 6-plate squat is an elite exercise for most people.
packaging
Let's recap.
A plate at the weightlifting gym weighs 45 pounds.
When people refer to one, two, three, four, five or six plate lifters, they are mostly referring to that number of plates.each side of the bar, plus the 45-pound bar itself.
A single-panel elevator then weighs 135 pounds. Two plates weigh 225 pounds. Three courses are £315. Four courses are £405. Five courses are £495. Six courses are £585!
However, there are plenty of plates you can use at the gym that aren't 45 pounds. That's just the standard measurement when it comes to recording and discussing your level of strength.
Also, it's important to remember that 6 plates on a machine like the leg press doesn't involve the weight of a 45-pound bar. So 6 plates per side on the leg press would be 540 pounds, while 6 plates would be 270 pounds total.
The more you lift, the better your mental arithmetic will be, don't worry!
Hope this helps guys!
(You can also check out my comprehensive guide for more information.gym slang.)