Deadlifting with non-round plates.

[pjthiel]

Hey guys.

At the gym I train at, they use non-round plates; they are eight sided I think.

The problems with these plates and DL are two-fold. First, I have to believe I am starting a little lower in the lift (unless they compensate for that in the flange), and second, the corners can "catch" when you land on the eccentric portion of the movement, moving the bar and inch or two.

Now in general, these problems are manageable. But on the work set, the de-weighting between reps can essentially become a full reset, requiring me to reposition feet and grip etc. As a result, this has the effect of turning my work set of 1 x 5 into more of a 5 x 1.

As I get better at setup etc., the time between reps is reducing; but it is a pain in the ass.

My questions are:

1. Is there anything else I can do to minimize the disruption?
2. Assuming I can minimize the disruption over time, will the 5 x 1 format adversely effect my progress on DL to any significant degree?

Given this is the gym I go to, and these are the plates they use, I assume this is something that I and others just need to learn to train around.

[pjthiel]

Coach Rippetoe: Apologies for the original post in QA. I did search the forums before my post, initially with little success. Having refined my search somewhat, I did manage to get the answers I was looking for.

As a result, I'm largely going to reply to this (my own) thread, having searched the forums more thoroughly for an answer.

1. Non-round plates suck, this is not a question that needs asking. It's something everyone agrees on.
2. Unless you can encourage your gym to change plates, have them buy full-size, round spacer plates, or take along your own, you are shit out of luck.
3. If you can find just two, round 45s amongst the sea of shitty plates in your gym, you can stack these on first and negate the impact of the remaining hex/oct/dec weights.

Otherwise, yes, you are basically stuck with a sub-par environment for your DL, and you will have to reposition as well as de-weight between reps.

As an aside, while searching for answers, I did learn that you can use the hex plates with the grip holes for penis exercises. Just shove your weiner through one of the grip holes and rep away. Ingenious.

[MikeC1]

You're supposed to completely de-weight between reps regardless of the shape of your plates.

And just because you have to reset between reps doesn't mean it turns into 5 singles. It only takes a few seconds to reset for the next rep.

[pjthiel]

Awesome Mike... thanks. That's EXACTLY the advice I was looking for.

I know I am supposed to de-weight, and I do so – fully; I just wanted confirmation that the additional few seconds to reposition/reset is not considered detrimental to progress.

Thanks again.

[mstrofbass]

Otherwise, yes, you are basically stuck with a sub-par environment for your DL, and you will have to reposition as well as de-weight between reps.

It's not that hard once you get used to it. But it still blows ass.

[Kevin99]

It's not that hard once you get used to it. But it still blows ass.

I also hate how the plates sometimes rock into my shins. With work set-level weight on the bar, that sucks.

Gyms that have twelve-sided plates, Smith Machines, and trainers named "Lance" who like to "build those arms!" should be hit by meteors.

[pjthiel]

I also hate how the plates sometimes rock into my shins. With work set-level weight on the bar, that sucks.

Gyms that have twelve-sided plates, Smith Machines, and trainers named "Lance" who like to "build those arms!" should be hit by meteors.

Agreed ... "any" sided plates suck balls, plain and simple.

Yesterday though, I made a phenomenal discovery. Sitting dusty in the far corner of the gym, amongst a sea of 12-sided Iron Works plates, were TWO ROUND 45LB IVANKO plates... literally sent from God himself. I had those suckers on the bar for my DL work set and had a great session... a nice clean de-weight and not a full reset of feet, grip and everything in between. Perfect.

[vivek]

the hex plates are shit. seriously....everyone agrees on this.
the lack of normal round plates alone may be a reason to find another gym or train at home.
a few years ago, i think this was the final push that steered me away from commercial gyms forever....

[Swible]

Between 225 and 305lbs was a bitch, once I got three plates it was much less a factor. I stagger them so they are in an almost round arrangement.

My gym has Iron Grip O plates. I find it ironic that they claim they are 12 sided to KEEP them from rolling. Evidently their marketing dept has never tried them.

[Roy]

Between 225 and 305lbs was a bitch, once I got three plates it was much less a factor. I stagger them so they are in an almost round arrangement.

My gym has Iron Grip O plates. I find it ironic that they claim they are 12 sided to KEEP them from rolling. Evidently their marketing dept has never tried them.

I think this is really strange, too. Who would want this? I used to train in a gym with these and would do rack pulls with the lowest pin where the plates would clear the floor. It's a great way to make a huge commotion and highlight the suckiness of hex shaped plates.