If you look forward to performing Olympic lifts, purchasing weight plates for your barbell is worth it and necessary. But if you only want to do exercise that involved bench press, squat, and other normal strength routines, then you don’t need bumper plates.
What kind of weight plates are you planning to buy? There are not one or two but different varieties, including iron, urethane, rubber, and more. But, if you notice closely, buying bumper plates should do the job neatly for you.
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What Are Bumper Plates?
Please don’t be misguided by the look of a bumper plate as, at first sight, you might feel that these are bright-colored versions of weight plates that all of us known of.
It might even make you feel why you must invest so much on a plate just for the color. But when you look closely, you figure out that the color difference is only a small part of the larger picture.
On a serious note, bumper plates are designed for competitive lifting. Made of dense rubber, these plates are designed to withstand the toughest of all—they don’t cause any damage when dropped onto the floor, on a lifting platform, or when dropped.
At the same time, you need to remember that any weights repeatedly dropped onto the floor do cause damage to your flooring.
This aspect is crucial while doing exercises such as CrossFit or Olympic style lifting as you mostly drop the weights while doing snatches, cleans, or squats.
These exercises are exerting, and when you do such lifts, you often expose your body to intense workouts.
There are chances that you might not finish the lifts in such cases and are prone to dropping the weights. So, it becomes necessary to get a piece of equipment that helps you do this safely.
To protect the plates, the flooring and keep you safe, you need to buy weight plates designed with special qualities supporting your requirements—this paves the way for the birth of bumper plates specially designed for competitive lifting.
What Are Bumper Plates Used for?
Bumper plates are primarily designed for competitive lifting. Use bumper plates when you are doing Olympic lifting as they help prolong the bar, plates, and floor.
For deadlifts, too, many individuals love to use bumper plates as they reduce maximum noise and vibration. For this, you need to check whether there are any weight limitations as basic bumper plates differ on this front because of the thickness of the material used.
Bumper Plate Options – Training Plate or Competition Plate?
Besides the regular black color, there are bumper plates in various bright colors, different materials, and measuring either in kilos or lbs.
If I simplify this, bumper plates generally come in two different types: training and competition plates.
The primary difference between both is that while competition plates are just for using them in competitions, training plates suit the rest of the people who love exercising.
So, I suggest that you go for training plates until and unless you would participate in a competition.
Lifting events follow a set of protocols. When you are hosting an event, you are required to ensure that the equipment used invariably meets all universal and predetermined standards set for the competition.
Those who wonder who sets the golden rules for the competition are none other than the IWF (International Weightlifting Federation).
While the principles laid down by this governing body are great from the competition perspective, these don’t mean anything in terms of home gym use.
So, we are left with none other than training plates suitable for 99% of you. I guarantee that you can choose a good set of bumper plates for your training purpose as you get to save ample money.
The costing difference is primarily because the competitive plates are designed as per certain specifications—the equipment needs to match weight, diameter, and collar size. There must also be a certain level of lack of bounce as per the IWF guidelines.
Another important factor is that the weight of competitive plates must be certified that they meet these criteria. All of these incur additional costs and increase the expense of the plates.
Training plates are the type of bumper plate used by competitive lifters, too, as the equipment is durable and a great choice. These plates meet most of the standards set by competitive plates, given that reputed manufacturers make them.
Uniform Sizing of Bumper Plates
Every piece of equipment generally has a special characteristic, and the one feature that makes bumper plates is their sizing.
You would agree that standard plates’ unique weight is also different in their diameter for those of you knowledgeable about weights. In contrast, all bumper plates are of the same diameter.
So, how do the bumper plates differ? Rather than size, they differ in thickness and construction, which helps you achieve two primary benefits.
While we drop the bar onto the ground, the plates’ uniform size leads to all the weights hitting the ground at the same time. This way, your flooring, as well as the plates, escape from any resulting damage as the force is distributed over a large area.
Also, if you perform certain exercises such as the barbell hip thrust, it is advantageous to use lighter plates with a larger diameter. Why so?
It’s mainly because you can get your hips and legs under the bar and the perfect starting position when the plates have a larger diameter.
Bumper Plates’ Bounce
We are not done listing the benefits as yet another major benefit of using bumper plates with uniform diameter is their bounce, or rather, how they bounce.
You could question their bounciness as these are not softballs, but the bumper plates bounce when dropped despite being so heavy.
So, when you design them with uniform sizing (all the plates hit the floor simultaneously), it reduces the plates’ bouncy characteristic multi-fold times.
The materials used for making the plates also play a vital role in determining the bounciness quotient. Generally, bumper plates are made of very high-density rubber around an inner weight and collar.
The density of the material is inversely proportional to the bouncy effect of the plate. The greater the density, the lower the risk that the plate dangerously bounces back.
Despite all these benefits, there is one important factor that you must take care of. As these plates are made of rubber, whatever might be the rubber’s quality, there is the greatest risk that the plate might smell.
Even the most expensive bumper plates have the risk of emanating an unpleasant smell, and any plate made of stinky rubber must never be considered for purchase for your home gym use.
While choosing, try to go for plates made of virgin rubber or rated to have low odor. Remember, no plates are free of odor, and all we can do is choose the ones that guarantee a light smell that vanishes in a couple of weeks after purchase.
Standard Plates vs. Bumper Plates – Which One Should I Choose?
The type of plate that you choose depends on the type of lifts that you would be performing. If your primary exercise goals include doing close grip presses, EZ bar exercises, French presses, and curl variations using an EZ bar, it is better to go for standard plates.
You can avoid using bumper plates for these exercises as the plate’s larger diameter can be a disadvantage instead of beneficial. You needn’t add heavyweights for such exercises and always stick with 25- or 35-lb plates.
If your regular fitness routine involves doing CrossFit or Olympic-style lifts, it is always recommended to go for a set of bumper plates.
This is because, as discussed earlier, you would be dropping the bar regularly while doing these exercises. If you don’t choose bumper plates, there is always the risk of ruining your flooring as well as your weights much earlier.
Dropping any bar would be a risk for your floor, and hence, I suggest that you think about setting a lifting platform or get a special flooring that’s designed to withstand such repeated dropping.
The general thumb rule here is that if you decide to use barbells, it is always recommended to use bumper plates. You might not be dropping the barbell onto the floor, but you will be at least keeping it on the floor sometimes.
Color Styles of Bumper Plate – Does It Matter?
Look-wise, the main attraction of bumper plates is their varied coloring. Unlike rubber or urethane plates, bumper plates are available in different colors and designs.
Though colors might not make an impact initially, you start to realize their importance in due course.
Colored weights help you quickly identify the weight on the barbell and quickly change them between sets. Another big advantage is that these colors become handy when working out with a partner who does not lift the same weights as you.
As with every other plate, black color bumper plates are the commonest ones available in the market. The color oozes tradition, grittiness and gives you the feel of working out in a gym.
If you decide upon going for these plates, you can always put colored tapes on the plates’ edges to know the difference between the various bumper plates you have. This way, it is easier for you to quickly pick the right plate size that you need for any exercise.
If the goals mentioned above are not your priority, you can always go with colored plates. Without these colors, it isn’t easy to differentiate them from traditional plates as all the plates are of the same diameter.
With different colors, you can know the difference between the two plates just by glancing at them. Realizing the different weights at a glance is most helpful when doing drop sets or changing exercises.
Also, you don’t get ample time between sets to change weights, and having colored weights becomes extremely useful to realize how much weight is on the bar and how much you must increase/decrease to perform the next set of exercises.
Why Use Bumper Plates?
It is always better to use bumper plates when you are doing CrossFit training, Olympic lifts, or when you are involved in other functional fitness regimes. The plates are designed with utmost sturdiness and can withstand repeated dropping onto the floor or any surface.
Made from dense rubber and the same diameter irrespective of the plate’s weight, these don’t bounce much or cause heavy damage to the plates or the bar.
When to Use Bumper Plates?
Are you training for Olympic lifts? Do you drop the bar from overhead or waist level? If the answer to both these questions is yes, then you must use bumper plates.
Besides this, bumper plates also have a classy look and feel loved by some athletes, and I am sure you would also love using them.
What Does the Shore or Durometer Rating on the Bumper Plates Mean?
The shore or durometer rating is basically to convey the hardness quotient of an object. For instance, a flexible object such as a gummy bear might have a durometer reading of 10, while a pencil eraser might have a reading of 40.
Bumper plates generally have a durometer rating between 70 and 95. A value of 95 denotes that the plate is hardest and would be less bouncy and has the minimum risk to split.
The material used for making the plates has a strong impact on the reading value. Virgin rubber bumper plates have a higher durometer rating than crumb rubber as they are durable, harder, and less bouncy.
The only disadvantage with this type of rubber is that they produce a louder noise when dropped onto the floor.
What Are Some Best Bumper Plate Brands?
Some of the best bumper plate brands available in the market include Rogue, Vulcan, York Barbell, Fringe Sport, Villian Fitness, Origen, Hulk Fitness, CAP Barbell, Kabuki, Again Faster, Ivanko, Eleiko, Werk San, Uesaka, and Titan Fitness.
Criteria to Consider When Choosing a Bumper Plate
Before buying a set of bumper plates, be sure that you have cross-checked all of the criteria listed below, as they are responsible for the plate’s quality and performance.
#1. Plate Types: Competition or Training
Before hunting around for different plates produced by different manufacturers, analyze and understand what type of plate you want for your fitness goals.
For most of you, selecting the basic training or technique plate must do the job as these types are hard and don’t incur any damage to the equipment even when they are dropped repeatedly from overhead.
If you are a beginner, or if your workout regularly involves performing Olympic lifts and deadlifts, you can confidently choose training plates that are just like the competition plates minus a few grams.
Another benefit of training plates is that they are comparatively less expensive than competition plates.
#2. Bounce
The bounce factor of a plate is crucial when it comes to measuring safety. Whenever you feel like selecting a bumper plate model, don’t go ahead with your purchase before understanding the plate’s ‘dead bounce.’
Dead bounce is nothing but the plate’s tendency to not bounce upward after being dropped onto the floor. Remember that the best quality bumper plates will never bounce back even after being dropped from an overhead position. Such plates are usually made using dense virgin rubber.
#3. Center Ring Quality
Every bumper plate has a center ring attached to it, and if this ring is not made of good-quality material, the plate’s durability becomes a big question mark.
The center ring must be integrated perfectly with the plate to avoid any loosening, and for this, rings made from steel and ones that are hooked would be the perfect fit.
Though you won’t see the hooks (they are integrated with the rubber internally), you can always speak to the dealer. The presence of hooked inserts is highly beneficial as they prevent the insert from shifting or moving when the plate is dropped.
#4. Check Your Barbell Collars
If you would be dropping the weights regularly onto the floor, you must have a good set of barbell collars as these help the weights stay in place and are well-equipped to withstand any amount of abuse.
#5. Rubber Types
Premium-quality rubber plates are mostly made from virgin rubber, recycled rubber, or recycled crumb rubber, but they are also the most expensive.
If you don’t have the budget for such plates, you can always go for recycled rubber. Some vital characteristics of both virgin and recycled rubber include:
Virgin rubber is denser, more durable, has a slimmer profile, is less bouncy, harder, and expensive.
Recycled rubber/crumb rubber is less expensive, prone to chipping apart, not so durable, bonded together, softer, and more bouncy.
Final Words
Define your goals, and if they require purchasing a set of bumper plates, go ahead and buy good-quality ones that satisfy all the important features.
High-quality plates last for years, and when you purchase the right one, you are a step closer to building the perfect home gym.
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