What are weight plates?
According to Wikipedia, a weight plate is a flat, heavy object,usually made of cast iron that is used in combination with barbells or dumbbells to produce a bar with a desired total weight for the purpose of physical exercise.
Main types of weight plates
According to the material the weight plate are made out of and the structure, the weight plate can be divided into many categories, such as cast iron weight plates and bumper weight plates.
1. Bumper weight plates
The bumper plate which is made of resilient rubber, is used for Olympic weightlifting, a kind of movements that involve lifting a barbell high overhead, then letting it fall. its design permits a loaded barbell to be dropped (and to bounce) after a lift, with negligible damage to the floor, plates, and bar.
Bumper plates used in competition have a diameter mandated by the International Weightlifting Federation of 450millimetres(17.72 in) ± 1 millimetre (0.04 in), with lighter plates being narrower than heavier plates.
The benefits of bumper plates
Being safer,quieter, more durable and more comfortable to use, bumper plates are mainly used in Crossfit, a form of fitness you need to pick up the barbell drop it down repeatedly. With the use of bumper plates, you don’t need to worry about the floor and the plates being damaged, you also don't need to worry about the noise when the barbell falls to the ground. Their high-density rubber exteriors helps reduce noise, protect floors, and better ensure the plates themselves won’t suffer damage.
2. cast iron weight plates
Different from bumper plates, cast iron plates have the different diameters depending on their weight. You can take a look at this photo of cast iron Olympic weight plates below, the 45lb plate is 17.7in in diameter, while the 35lb plate is 14in and the 25lb plate is only 11in. The inter diameter is 2in according to the International Weightlifting Federation standard.
The benefits of cast iron plates
Although bumper plates are quieter, more durable, and safer, if you don't need to consider these factors, you won't let the bar drop to the floor during training or the floor and plates are protected well, nobody cares about the noisy, and you want to focus on powerlifting and bodybuilding, the cast iron plate will be a great choice. It provides a classic grip feeling which is really helps with motivation. It is also more easy to grab and more affordable.
Which one should you choose?
It should be considered in three aspects.
1. what exercise are you going to do
Bumper plates and cast iron plates have different benefits for different workouts.
2. where will you do these workouts
Do you need to worry about the floor being damaged or making too much noise to annoy the neighbors?
3. Your budge.
Bumper plates are always more expensive than cast iron plates.
