Weigh Your Plates

[Ayrsson]

yeah, you said "dial".
A dial is usually a round indicator with a needle-pointer, associated with a cheap radial-spring scale.
But what a miracle that your 1 kilo bag of rice is accurate out 3 decimals...that it wouldn't be 1.002 or something. Wow.

Christ almighty. Unpucker your anus, man.

Yeah, i said 'dial', i was careless in my word selection. I'll bend over now and you can apply the cane.

And who in the hell buys a 1 kilo bag of rice?

Guys who regularly eat rice, obviously.

[

Good luck with your PR'ing.

Dankeschön.

For those of us with home gyms using the same plates each day, does this discrepancy actually matter? If you use the same plate loading scheme during an LP, for instance, eventually these deviations will average out in the accumulated adaptation right?

I suppose, if one uses the same plates day in, day out, in reality it doesn't matter, as far as linear progression is concerned. But i think it makes sense to know exactly what weight you're lifting, especially for those of us who've been using paper training diaries. And besides, i'd say having 104.2kg loaded when the plates say it should be 100kg is a large enough discrepancy to be worthy of noting.

I've been using these discs for almost 2 years now, and i've only just noticed this difference in stated plate weight, so this means all the weights listed in my training diaries going back that amount of time are wrong. [however, since it means the weights were heavier than i originally assumed, it's no bad thing] And, the 1.25kg and 2.5kg plates are fine - it's just the larger ones that are wrong, so i can still make accurate 2.5kg/5lb increases.

[Matt James]

Consistency is important, especially with microloaded lifts like press and bench. By that I mean, if you have multiple pairs of 45s, make sure you're using the same ones for the pressing movements. I have a rag-tag collection of plates that I've acquired via craiglist/fb marketplace over the last few months. Finally borrowed a parcel scale from work and weighed all of them. Two of the old school 45s are dead on at 45, two are around 44 3/4, but the two Fitness Gear plates are dead on at 46. That's worth knowing when I'm increasing my press and bench by 2lbs. I have three pairs of 25s too and two pairs are in the 25 1/4 range but one pair is 26 1/2. Fortunately each pair is pretty close to each other. All are marked now and I can load my presses accordingly.

Speaking of fitness gear, the 45s are under 15 1/2" in diameter, so buyer beware, as they are semi-available at retail now as well as the secondary market.

[GammaFlat]

I'm surprised to see so many folks with "overweight plates" as opposed to "underweight plates". My inaccurate plates are almost all shy (manufacturer saves on raw materials and shipping ).

I've not modified any of my prized Troy plates (buyer beware warning) but here are some thoughts (apologies in advance if this has already been covered):

Automotive wheel weights can be added if your plates are shy: Robot Check. I would add in pairs, 180 degrees from each other (assuming you want balance and the plate is balanced in the first place). Choose "free area" (no lettering) on the dished side. ..as much toward the center as possible. Who knows how well they'll "stick" over time. I wouldn't do it if the weight increased the overall width of the plate (if weight is thicker than dish depth). My brother (welder) tells me that welding on cast metal is generally messy and ill-advised (think welding on a cast iron engine block.. doable but specialized, ugly and inconsistent). I consider it "off the table".

To remove weight, holes can be drilled, two holes at a time 180 degrees apart.. stepping up drill bits paying attention to RPM and lubrication. My first thought is to make holes in the flat side, more toward the center but I'd avoid the area where plates contact each other. Stay away from the "distal" (can I say that? ) part of plate so your fingers don't get tangled up in modifications. Sharp edges should be cleaned up. I'd also avoid being close to finger sized holes. You're just asking to break a finger if your holes are deep enough... For a professional look (completely unnecessary), finish with an end mill bit (flat bottom of hole) if it's not a "through" hole.

From a practical standpoint 25s and 45s might be the only plates worth modifying. 10s and less tend to be off less overall (of course). The overall weight of each side of the bar is what's really important. I have 45s off by well over a pound. My 10s are maybe off by a few ounces.

[Fatfacts25]

I would say to just lift. Technique focus and programming focus is the way to go. There’s always something off with weight plates....always. Put more plates on the bar, that’s the bread and butter

[Steve Cox]

Automotive wheel weights can be added if your plates are shy: Robot Check. I would add in pairs, 180 degrees from each other (assuming you want balance and the plate is balanced in the first place). Choose "free area" (no lettering) on the dished side. ..as much toward the center as possible. Who knows how well they'll "stick" over time.

I'd use those weights you link to or something similar, and once attached in place or glued with JB Weld, put a small piece of 3M duct tape (my favorite) or Gorilla tape over the top to ensure the weights don't fall off.

[Elle]

Just an anecdote. I have Fringe plates that are exactly 25 and 15 pounds. And I have 35s and 10s that are China quarantine specials and are all shy by 1/4 to 1/2 pound each.
The other day I hit "135" squat using a 35+10, no sweat.
The next session, due to lazy loading during warmup, I tried to hit 140 using 25+15+5+2.5. Didn't even get 2 reps. Pulled off the 2.5s to bring me back down to a true 135, and *barely* finished my sets.

So, I'd say it does matter even for home use.