How many plates you need depends on how extensive your home gym is. It slows things down if you have to carry plates back and forth between the squat, DL, bench and any other equipment you need them for. Before CoVid, plates were cheap. Now they can be almost as costly as new ones. I took full advantage of the low cost a few years ago. Over time I picked up more than a ton of Oly plates and also more than a ton of standard plates. I have 4x100lb Oly and 2x100lb standard. I will never need more weight.
I personally like to workout with mostly 25s as I like to pyramid or just super set in general. I find 45 to be kind of pointless…..& I noticed 45 are more expensive I guess bc it’s the “norm” I decided to go with - 2x 55 lb 6x 25 lb 2x 15 lb 4x 10 lb It’s more than enough.
Did pretty much what you said automatically: A set of 15kg and 2 sets of 5kg, and a set of 2.5kg fractional plates to start (didn’t feel the need to have 0.5 or 1kg increments were critical) With a 15kg bar. Then added 25kg and 10kg (as trainer wanted to load more for deadlifts). Added the missing 20kg set last week - and now have the entire set of bumpers. But added as I needed them I like to load an EZ bar and a stubby/short barbell to jump between. And am Adding a half trap bar to allow me to super set .. may add a second set of 20kg bumpers in time if needed.
Great info. I started with a barbell and a pair of 45lb plates for my first purchase Lol. Then later 35's because the 45's were too heavy for me to do anything but bench press with. However I can do a lot of light compound movements with just 35's and a bar. I should have went with the smaller change plates first. For now though, I have to use changes in volume work to build up to using the plates I do have. Good thing is, its less time moving plates back and forth. Once I am ready for a home gym setup, the smaller change plates and a power rack will be my next purchase. Then, I'll have a nice, more well rounded set!
Nice video. I found your channel while looking for flooring. I just purchased weights after a long debate on what to buy and adding and changing over and over my shopping cart. So I ended up with metal urethane coated plated, 2.5, 5, 2x10, 25 and 4x45, plus a 1.25. I’m glad that your video confirms my choice! Thanks. Now to buy the flooring.
I keep buying plates since a lot of people are trying to sell their home gyms. Most likely people are moving, they need space, or they joined a club. I just bought a bunch of 45s for .75 a lb. Now I can keep some for the dl side and some for the squat/military press/ bench area.
I have a collection of vintage York standard plates I use along with two original York USA standard barbells 2x100 2x75 2x50 4x25 2x20 2x12.5 2x10 4x5 2x2.5 4x1.25
A couple other considerations for number of plates needed. Do you have two people training at the same time? It keeps the work out moving if you don’t have to wait for someone to swap plates. Another consideration is machines. if you have a leg press it takes more 45’s to train the legs due to the change in mechanical advantage compared to a standard low bar back squat.
I bought my plates on Craigslist so I took what they had, which often times came with a bar. I have multiple bars set up with warm up weight and then one bar for working weight. If you do what I did you can buy standard plates and bars for warmup which is much cheaper. I also have a cable machine that takes standard plates. The extra plates were sold for 50 cents a pound to Play it Again.
For people on a tight budget, standard bars and plates can be a really helpful option. My first weight set was a standard set from Sears waaaaaaay back in the day. They worked just fine. Do I like Oly barbells and bumpers better? Sure do, but they are exponentially more expensive! Great tip, and thanks for sharing it! Sometimes we get too caught up in the newest stuff and forget that all we are trying to do is pick up and put down some heavy things.
@@GymCrafter I agree that standard plates will work for someone on a tight budget, good point. My main reason for useing them is to avoid loading plates. I have five ez curl bars and two straight bars loaded with standard plates and it’s a time saver.
Right now I got 4 x 45 bumpers 2 x 45 iron 2 x25 bumper 2 x 15 bumper (not sure why I bought it) 4 x 10 bumper 2 x5 change plate 2 x 2.5 change plate 2 x 1.25 change plate Plan to buy another set of iron 45’s and I’ll personally be good. No going to lift 600 pounds any time soon or probably ever.
I got a good deal on a pair of 55 lb bumpers so next I went with 35s then 15s. I thought about 45, 25,10 lb bumpers too but saved a lot by just getting 4 iron 5 lb plates. Same idea I guess.
The background music is almost distracting from the video content maybe about 1/3 the volume would be a little bit official but great video good advice and thank you very much for making it
This is actually a very good point... That maybe we shouldn't start by buying fixed sets and above m about the 35 and 15. Might end up not using then.. Heh
@@AGC828 The owner of Living.Fit actually made a set on my recommendations that is 3 pairs of 45's, a pair of 25's, 2 pairs of 10's and a pair of 5's. For me, that's the perfect set for 90% of the garage gyms out there and it's crazy to me that no one else offers it that way!
My setup: 2x55lb bumper plates 2x45lb iron plates 2x35lb iron plates 2x25lb iron plates 2x10lb iron plates 4x5lb iron plates 2x2.5lb iron plates I’m going to get more 45s though
It's like dinner plates. I own 8, but only will ever use one at a time (cause I'm one person). The extra are good to have so I can load up the dishwasher and not wash dishes so often.
Thanks, John! I didn't cover that topic I this video, but I did write an article about mixing plate types on my site that you can out here: gymcrafter.com/mixing-bumper-iron-plates/
45s are heavy ass things to carry round, I prefer moving 10kg 22.5lbs, I have a pair of 15kg 34?lbs these are good for deadlifts as they are higher bar. I can think in metric and imperial 🤪
I regret buying my rep fitness bumper plates. Lol theybare too thick and have bo grip. Now I want some that have a grip and are thinner but don't know if I should get the once made from iron or the once coated with rubber? I may get a squat max md so bumperr plates are too bulky for my needs. I want some that are smaller in diameter and thinner. I was looking at some good looking color grip new french fintess plates.
Remember that you can mix iron and bumpers. A lot of people pick up a few 45lb iron plates for lifts that need extra room on the bar. That way you don't need to buy all new plates. I had to do this for a while because I could lift more weight than my trap bar could hold. Adding 45lb iron plates gave me the room I needed to load the bar heavier.
In another article of yours you mentioned adding 15s, 35s and 55s to fill in the gaps. Do you find these weights to be more useful now? I'm trying to decide whether to get another pair of 45s or to try 55s.
If I was to buy plates all over again, I'd only buy 45's and 25's (of course with some 10's, 5's, 2.5's, etc). I almost never use my 15's or 35's and am almost sure I'd. never use 55's.
The correct and best answer for average strong lifter: (2) pairs of 55s, (1) pair of 25s, (2) pairs of 10s. If you are even stronger just get additional pairs of 55s, nothing more.
Great video Tim. Just got in to the home gym scene. How does diameter play in to this? I have some rubber American Barbell plates from 2.5-25 lbs. Not sure whether to purchase their 17 inch 45 lb plates that match the set or to buy their black sport bumpers instead which are 17.72 inches (IPF/IWF spec) in diameter but also wider. Thanks for your insight and keep making informative videos!
Unless you are planning on dropping the loaded bar, it won't matter. If you are, you'll want your 45 lb bumpers to be wider than the others so they can absorb the drop. Also you never want more than a one to one weight ratio metal to bumper. You can see full details on mixing plate types here: gymcrafter.com/mixing-bumper-iron-plates/
@@GymCrafter Thanks for your response. I am not currently planning on any Olympic lifting. The most I would be dropping the bar is through relatively controlled descents on deadlifts.
i don't think bumpers are optimal as they take space it's better to get a mat and a good one that comes in one piece and it has to be very thick and you'll be good
Everyone's needs will vary. The recommendations made in this video are for the weights you will train with. If you need more to hold stuff down, that would be extra.
@@GymCrafter That's for the total weight. But what about changing plates? Just double your suggestion so that both people can do their own progression at the same time?
@@samuele.marcora If you see yourselves having to use them at the same time, sure. I'm wondering how often that would really happen? Maybe start with 50% more and see if you run into situations where you need more?
Oh really? It's rack and bench for me. Those are what protects you from dying or being seriously injured the most. There's some pretty decent bars out there for a 1/3 or even 1/4 of the price of these high end bars. No point in paying way extra for the brand name or fancier knurling imo.
I trained with cheap bars (Body Solid and Amazon bars) and cheap plates for many, many years and they do work. but having trained now with better bars and bumpers, I'd never go back unless that's what my budget required. There are distinct advantages to better bars and plates and to many people, those advantages are well worth the extra money.
By far, used plates will save you the most money. Not sure where you are located, but in the US, apps like LetGo, OfferUp, or Ebay are all great sources. So is your local used equipment store like Play it Again Sports.
I find it amazing how people want a crazy squat rack, unless you are a world class power lifter or strongman, you aint squating over 600 homie, you are over buying!
@@GymCrafter LOL! Buying weight equipment is my only vice, and my wife is very understanding. Been “collecting” for 30 years, mostly Eleiko and York USA, though my prized sets are my Schnell bars and plates and my Ironwolfe bars (all stainless steel). Everything I have is in kilos, too. Lift hard, there is NO tomorrow!
How many plates you need depends on how extensive your home gym is. It slows things down if you have to carry plates back and forth between the squat, DL, bench and any other equipment you need them for. Before CoVid, plates were cheap. Now they can be almost as costly as new ones. I took full advantage of the low cost a few years ago. Over time I picked up more than a ton of Oly plates and also more than a ton of standard plates. I have 4x100lb Oly and 2x100lb standard. I will never need more weight.
That's a lot of weight!
I personally like to workout with mostly 25s as I like to pyramid or just super set in general. I find 45 to be kind of pointless…..& I noticed 45 are more expensive I guess bc it’s the “norm”
I decided to go with -
2x 55 lb
6x 25 lb
2x 15 lb
4x 10 lb
It’s more than enough.
The video no one thought of but we really needed
Thanks!
Did pretty much what you said automatically:
A set of 15kg and 2 sets of 5kg, and a set of 2.5kg fractional plates to start (didn’t feel the need to have 0.5 or 1kg increments were critical)
With a 15kg bar.
Then added 25kg and 10kg (as trainer wanted to load more for deadlifts).
Added the missing 20kg set last week - and now have the entire set of bumpers. But added as I needed them
I like to load an EZ bar and a stubby/short barbell to jump between. And am Adding a half trap bar to allow me to super set .. may add a second set of 20kg bumpers in time if needed.
Great way to approach it! Now you need to trade them all in for plates in lbs.! 😂😉
@@GymCrafter we don’t get LB plates here where I am (South Africa). Everything is metric here - KGs, Kilometres, millimeters and Celsius.
I was just kidding you🙂
Great channel. Very mellow and more close to ground than screaming and shills out there running gym equipment review channels. Keep it up!
Thanks, Andrew, I appreciate that!
35lb plates have become my landmine attachment holder.
That's perfect!
Nice video! Can we get a home gym tour, please?
Thanks! Coming soon for sure.
Great info. I started with a barbell and a pair of 45lb plates for my first purchase Lol. Then later 35's because the 45's were too heavy for me to do anything but bench press with. However I can do a lot of light compound movements with just 35's and a bar.
I should have went with the smaller change plates first. For now though, I have to use changes in volume work to build up to using the plates I do have. Good thing is, its less time moving plates back and forth.
Once I am ready for a home gym setup, the smaller change plates and a power rack will be my next purchase. Then, I'll have a nice, more well rounded set!
Sounds like a plan! Good luck on your gym build out!
i think you can sell them
Nice video. I found your channel while looking for flooring. I just purchased weights after a long debate on what to buy and adding and changing over and over my shopping cart. So I ended up with metal urethane coated plated, 2.5, 5, 2x10, 25 and 4x45, plus a 1.25. I’m glad that your video confirms my choice! Thanks. Now to buy the flooring.
Solid assortment! Glad the video helped.
I keep buying plates since a lot of people are trying to sell their home gyms. Most likely people are moving, they need space, or they joined a club. I just bought a bunch of 45s for .75 a lb. Now I can keep some for the dl side and some for the squat/military press/ bench area.
With the economy taking a downturn, there should be a lot of really good deals in the used gear market!
I have a collection of vintage York standard plates I use along with two original York USA standard barbells
2x100
2x75
2x50
4x25
2x20
2x12.5
2x10
4x5
2x2.5
4x1.25
Love those old steel plates! Although I've smashed my fingers in them more times than i care to admit!
This is the best video on weight plate recommendations for me. Thank you so much!
Thank you, I appreciate that!
A couple other considerations for number of plates needed. Do you have two people training at the same time? It keeps the work out moving if you don’t have to wait for someone to swap plates. Another consideration is machines. if you have a leg press it takes more 45’s to train the legs due to the change in mechanical advantage compared to a standard low bar back squat.
I am morally opposed to leg press machines 😂, but otherwise great points! Thanks for adding the comment!
Out of all the videos, yours had what I was looking for Thanks!
Thank you! That's the best feedback you could give me!
Best explanation of the how's & why's of plate selection of seen. Thanks.
Thank you!
I bought my plates on Craigslist so I took what they had, which often times came with a bar. I have multiple bars set up with warm up weight and then one bar for working weight. If you do what I did you can buy standard plates and bars for warmup which is much cheaper. I also have a cable machine that takes standard plates. The extra plates were sold for 50 cents a pound to Play it Again.
For people on a tight budget, standard bars and plates can be a really helpful option. My first weight set was a standard set from Sears waaaaaaay back in the day. They worked just fine. Do I like Oly barbells and bumpers better? Sure do, but they are exponentially more expensive! Great tip, and thanks for sharing it! Sometimes we get too caught up in the newest stuff and forget that all we are trying to do is pick up and put down some heavy things.
@@GymCrafter I agree that standard plates will work for someone on a tight budget, good point. My main reason for useing them is to avoid loading plates. I have five ez curl bars and two straight bars loaded with standard plates and it’s a time saver.
Lucky me I watched this video before I purchase my plates! super thankful for this, you got a new subscriber here 👍
Awesome! Glad it helped.
Keep up the good work!! Found your page from the fellas over at Mindpump. Great reviews on there too(prime vs pro)!
Thanks! I appreciate that.
This is exactly what I was looking for. Removing 35s from my amazon cart.
Glad the video helped out!
Right now I got
4 x 45 bumpers
2 x 45 iron
2 x25 bumper
2 x 15 bumper (not sure why I bought it)
4 x 10 bumper
2 x5 change plate
2 x 2.5 change plate
2 x 1.25 change plate
Plan to buy another set of iron 45’s and I’ll personally be good. No going to lift 600 pounds any time soon or probably ever.
I'd for sure mix the types if I was starting over. Good call.
I got a good deal on a pair of 55 lb bumpers so next I went with 35s then 15s. I thought about 45, 25,10 lb bumpers too but saved a lot by just getting 4 iron 5 lb plates. Same idea I guess.
Lots of great deals these days that are hard to pass up! Thanks for checking out the channel!
The background music is almost distracting from the video content maybe about 1/3 the volume would be a little bit official but great video good advice and thank you very much for making it
Agreed. Made this 3. years ago and have hopefully gotten better since then! Some of my early videos make me cringe
This is actually a very good point... That maybe we shouldn't start by buying fixed sets and above m about the 35 and 15. Might end up not using then.. Heh
@@AGC828 The owner of Living.Fit actually made a set on my recommendations that is 3 pairs of 45's, a pair of 25's, 2 pairs of 10's and a pair of 5's. For me, that's the perfect set for 90% of the garage gyms out there and it's crazy to me that no one else offers it that way!
My setup:
2x55lb bumper plates
2x45lb iron plates
2x35lb iron plates
2x25lb iron plates
2x10lb iron plates
4x5lb iron plates
2x2.5lb iron plates
I’m going to get more 45s though
Good information video
Thanks!
35s are pretty nice for loading a hex bar though! Thanks for all the great videos 🙏🙂
Thanks for the compliment! A lot of people love 35's. I know my take on them won't be shared by everyone for sure!
I have 45's, 35's, 25's, 15's, 5's, 2.5's
It's like dinner plates. I own 8, but only will ever use one at a time (cause I'm one person). The extra are good to have so I can load up the dishwasher and not wash dishes so often.
Interesting way to look at it. Now I need to go see if my bumpers are dishwasher safe! 😂
The smaller iron 25 pound plates are a lot easier to use for weighted dips and chins than the 25 pound bumpers.
Agreed! You can only put so many bumper plates on a chain between your legs before it becomes unusable!
This was a very informative video A+. Thank you for the suggestions.
Thanks!
The exact video I needed to see. Thanks!
Thanks, glad it helped!
Great vid!
Thanks!
Good video. Hadn't really thought about superset, but I don't really do those often. You might've spoken to whether you mix bumpers with iron, or not?
Thanks, John! I didn't cover that topic I this video, but I did write an article about mixing plate types on my site that you can out here: gymcrafter.com/mixing-bumper-iron-plates/
I'm a newbie. Just doing t bar rows and bench press.Adding a kilo a day and stuffing my face....so there!
Thanks for the video. Very informative.
Glad you enjoyed it!
My recommendation:
45# 4+
25# 4 or 6 if you can
10# 4 or 6 if you can
5# 2
2.5# 2
Good recommendations! I'm making a video soon encouraging people to get back to 45, 25, 10 and to leave the 15's and 35's out of their gym.
How about dumbbel vs barbell stick ? Which one we focus on first ?
For me, if I could only buy one to start with, I'd start with dumbbells. Much less of an investment and also more versatile.
45s are heavy ass things to carry round, I prefer moving 10kg 22.5lbs, I have a pair of 15kg 34?lbs these are good for deadlifts as they are higher bar. I can think in metric and imperial 🤪
Yes, weight plates are heavy... Isn't that the whole point?
I got the 35s just to have a set. But I knew they weren’t needed lol just my ocd I guess 😅
I get that completely! If I could only have all the money back that my OCD has made me spend over the years, I could prob pay off my house!
I regret buying my rep fitness bumper plates. Lol theybare too thick and have bo grip. Now I want some that have a grip and are thinner but don't know if I should get the once made from iron or the once coated with rubber? I may get a squat max md so bumperr plates are too bulky for my needs. I want some that are smaller in diameter and thinner. I was looking at some good looking color grip new french fintess plates.
Remember that you can mix iron and bumpers. A lot of people pick up a few 45lb iron plates for lifts that need extra room on the bar. That way you don't need to buy all new plates. I had to do this for a while because I could lift more weight than my trap bar could hold. Adding 45lb iron plates gave me the room I needed to load the bar heavier.
@@GymCrafter thank u. I like the new grip color french fitness ones
In another article of yours you mentioned adding 15s, 35s and 55s to fill in the gaps. Do you find these weights to be more useful now? I'm trying to decide whether to get another pair of 45s or to try 55s.
If I was to buy plates all over again, I'd only buy 45's and 25's (of course with some 10's, 5's, 2.5's, etc). I almost never use my 15's or 35's and am almost sure I'd. never use 55's.
The correct and best answer for average strong lifter: (2) pairs of 55s, (1) pair of 25s, (2) pairs of 10s. If you are even stronger just get additional pairs of 55s, nothing more.
@@pablozarate2675 That could work, but I think I prefer 45's over 55's. Both work though! Thanks for checking out the channel.
Great video Tim. Just got in to the home gym scene. How does diameter play in to this? I have some rubber American Barbell plates from 2.5-25 lbs. Not sure whether to purchase their 17 inch 45 lb plates that match the set or to buy their black sport bumpers instead which are 17.72 inches (IPF/IWF spec) in diameter but also wider. Thanks for your insight and keep making informative videos!
Unless you are planning on dropping the loaded bar, it won't matter. If you are, you'll want your 45 lb bumpers to be wider than the others so they can absorb the drop. Also you never want more than a one to one weight ratio metal to bumper. You can see full details on mixing plate types here: gymcrafter.com/mixing-bumper-iron-plates/
@@GymCrafter Thanks for your response. I am not currently planning on any Olympic lifting. The most I would be dropping the bar is through relatively controlled descents on deadlifts.
No real reason for bumpers unless you just want them then. I'm in the same boat and probably wouldn't buy bumpers again if I was starting over.
i don't think bumpers are optimal as they take space it's better to get a mat and a good one that comes in one piece and it has to be very thick and you'll be good
But what if you plan to buy a half rack and don’t plan to bolt it down? You’ll need plates to help anchor it, no?
Everyone's needs will vary. The recommendations made in this video are for the weights you will train with. If you need more to hold stuff down, that would be extra.
Any suggestion for couples (a man and a woman) working at the same time especially in terms of changing plates?
I'd start with the max weight you see both of you lifting at the same time and work backwards from there.
@@GymCrafter That's for the total weight. But what about changing plates? Just double your suggestion so that both people can do their own progression at the same time?
Great channel by the way
@@samuele.marcora thanks!
@@samuele.marcora If you see yourselves having to use them at the same time, sure. I'm wondering how often that would really happen? Maybe start with 50% more and see if you run into situations where you need more?
Thanks 🙏
👍🏻👊🏻💪🏻
Oh really? It's rack and bench for me. Those are what protects you from dying or being seriously injured the most. There's some pretty decent bars out there for a 1/3 or even 1/4 of the price of these high end bars. No point in paying way extra for the brand name or fancier knurling imo.
I trained with cheap bars (Body Solid and Amazon bars) and cheap plates for many, many years and they do work. but having trained now with better bars and bumpers, I'd never go back unless that's what my budget required. There are distinct advantages to better bars and plates and to many people, those advantages are well worth the extra money.
Does anyone know when Schisler first made plates? I tried Google no luck.
I'm 48 and not interested in ego lifts. I have
4 x 45
2 x 35
4 x 25
4 x 15
4 x 10
8 x 5
8 x 2.5
I think you made a mistake, you wrote 2*2 kg(at 2:30), which should be 4*2kg, otherwise the numbers won't work
My set up:
4x45
2x35
2x25
8x10
4x5
4x2.5
This setup is with loadable dumbbells in mind.
Cool! How do you like that type of dumbbell?
Where i can find the cheapest plates?
By far, used plates will save you the most money. Not sure where you are located, but in the US, apps like LetGo, OfferUp, or Ebay are all great sources. So is your local used equipment store like Play it Again Sports.
@@GymCrafter Santa Clara, CA.
Nice video, lower the music please
Or, how about no music? I'm pretty sure that's the way I'm going to go if I ever get back to making videos
Deadlift is the most expensive lift. 😅
Ha! I never thought of it that way, but you're right!
👍🏻
I find it amazing how people want a crazy squat rack, unless you are a world class power lifter or strongman, you aint squating over 600 homie, you are over buying!
Agreed!
As many as I can afford.
😂👍🏻💪🏻
@@GymCrafter LOL! Buying weight equipment is my only vice, and my wife is very understanding. Been “collecting” for 30 years, mostly Eleiko and York USA, though my prized sets are my Schnell bars and plates and my Ironwolfe bars (all stainless steel). Everything I have is in kilos, too. Lift hard, there is NO tomorrow!
Good content with annoying background music
Agreed!