Health

What Do You Need To Know Before Buying Weight Plates?

As you know, weight plates can be inserted into a weightlifting bar. They are an essential part of any strength-loving athlete’s workout and an excellent choice for exercising at home. They are used in numerous routines, from classical lifting to Olympic and Crossfit. Therefore, getting your ideal disc will be the best investment.

One can only train with barbells and discs, this being a complete workout, but we can also use only the discs; this will bring you many advantages. Depending on the weight of the disc you choose, we can perform different movements and thus, work the whole body. Here are some exercises you can do with them.

As a support: Stacking several weight discs to form a bench, we can use it to go up and down to work the legs. We can also use the discs to perform “box jumps.”

As a load: With the discs, we can do “bench press” (lifting from a lying position and starting from the pectoral). It is also possible to hug the disc in front of the body and perform trunk lifts to intensify abdominal work. In addition, we can do strides and squats to train the lower body.

We must take into account that weight discs can be classified into two main criteria or classes. One of them has to do with the weight and outer diameter of the discs. The other refers to the purpose of the discs and their manufacturing material. In the following, we will go into each of them in more detail.

According to weight and diameter

Standard Olympic discs: They do not exceed 45 cm in diameter. The thickness is variable, although they are thicker than those used in competitions.

Intermediate Olympic discs: Their diameter is less than 45 cm, and their weight is less than 10 kg. They are used for the progression of loads, avoiding weight jumps.

Technical discs: These have a weight less than or equal to 5 kg. They are used to improve technique.

According to the material of manufacture

Basic: They have an intermediate hardness, which allows them a standard rebound.

Cast iron: The most common, you can find them most commonly in home gyms.

Machined cast iron: They usually have a more realistic weight, but their cost is higher.

With rubber cover: These are the most commonly used in gyms because it prevents them from making noise when falling.

Metal discs: These are used in workouts where the bar does not fall to the ground, as in powerlifting. Here are the main types.

Calibrated: They are calibrated. You can find them in yellow, blue or red. They have a smaller thickness than all the previous ones.

Bumper weight plates: Made of rubber. Bumper weight plates are used in CrossFit and weightlifting. Like metal discs, we can find several types in the market. These are divided according to the following classification.

Hi-Temp: They are harder than the basic ones. Higher rebound capacity than the previous one.

Regulatory: Greater hardness and a more limited rebound.

Due to its variety of size and weight, a weight disc is the ideal element to exercise any part of the body. 

What exercises can we do with a weight disc?

Because weight discs can vary in size and weight, they are the perfect element to exercise any part of the body. They can be lifted, thrown, or used to increase the intensity of exercises such as sit-ups or squats. Therefore, carrying out workout routines with a disc is not only possible but very practical. Here are some of them:

  • Disc front raise. With your arms outstretched, raise the disc until you bring it over your head. Then, slowly lower the disc. Do three sets of 20 repetitions.
  • Discus twist. Grasp the disc with both hands, right at chest level. Rotate the disc sideways until one hand is up and the other is down. Do 20 repetitions on each side.
  • Triceps extension. Bend your arms; the disc should be behind your head and elbows pointing up. Repeat 3 times in reps of 12.
  • Stride with the disc. Advance each step in a stride. While doing so, leave your back knee almost in contact with the floor. Hold the starting position for at least one second. Take ten steps with each leg.