Does anyone bring micro plates to the gym or is that bush league?

[Erik Y]

Clyde old buddy, this is same as the post about dumping the squat and not squatting in the rack because of gym bros. Don’t let the opinions of idiots (gym bros) guide you when you know better.

Hear hear. Just get stronger than them.

I don’t bring microplates, although my gym has 2.5-pound plates. I did weigh the collars on my first day there, and each pair is half a kilogram, so I use those to microload. I wouldn’t bother microloading less than a pound or two unless things are really tightly calibrated at your gym.

Everyone thinks I’m a huge weirdo. It’s become less of an issue as my lifts have gone up and theirs haven’t.

[Oso Rojo]

It's bad enough that the aging Clyde is surrounded by mountains of bro muscle, but I am not sure I can endure the embarrassment ...

Clyde, why do you care?

There is only one person who's opinion I worry about that gym. That's the guy that owns the place. The rest of them are paying customers just like me, so they are no better or worse than me, but just ignored.

My gym has 1/2 lb plates but I prefer 1.25 lbs to make 2.5 lb jumps, so I carry a pair in my gym bag. The owner knows and agrees with me. He even said it's on his plan to get some one day, but more racks, bars, and platforms are higher on the purchase list.

I would normally say get another gym, but I think you need to change your focus. Another gym would bring the same problems. The only thing you should care about in the gym is your results. The reset of it is noise.

So get you self a set of micro plates you like, throw them in your gym bag, and get back to work.

[FatButWeak]

I do. I always bring my own 1.25 pound plates and I have washers that weigh about o.7lbs each, so I bring those also.

[Clyde]

Thanks everyone. I will get some and tell the bros to go pound sand.

[Les Hahn]

It really depends on what kind of micro plates you have. If it's just the 1.25# plates, then it might be ok depending on what you are lifting. If they are smaller than that, like 0.5# for instance, it's really mental masturbation at that point.

Think about it like this. Let's say someone is squatting 315 and decided to start using micro plates to go up 1# every time. That is honestly not a great idea. At a normal gym, unless you have calibrated plates, you may be going up 1#. You might also be going up 3# or even doing a lighter weight. This is why I say 2.5 is the smallest I would go for a jump. This would only be with someone lifting very little weight too. Adding 2.5# to 315 is also probably a waste.

When you get near the end of LP, I would just move onto more advanced programming. Because even if you can guarantee a 1 or 2.5# increase (like you workout with the same plates all the time, etc.), how hard it is should also be factored in. If you squat 315 for 3 sets of 5 with one in the tank for each set one day, and then did 317.5 the next training day, but barely got your 5's, you aren't necessarily stronger. And if you jump to 320 the time after that and miss reps, again you are just spinning your wheels.

I've tried both methods in my own training. For me it's not very smart. But I would use smaller jumps for women or weaker people on OHP and bench, but again they are benching 65#, so 2.5# is pretty much a guaranteed increase. And if the bar speed is holding up and you are getting reps, then you are actually getting stronger and should continue to ride out LP.

[keengkong]

I don’t bring micro plates to the gym. But that’s because I work out at home. I’ve have plates that weigh 1.25 pounds. Two of the collars that I use also weigh 1.25 pounds total. Therefore, for the exercises where I want to
increase only 1.25 pounds at a time, I just use two collars on each side of the barbell. I’ve bought two plates that weigh 1/4 pounds each, but I haven’t needed to use them yet.

I don’t really buy the idea that because your weights aren’t exact that you don’t need micro-plates. Even if there are some inaccuracies, going up in increments will still lead to me making slower advances. That’s good, considering that when I add much, I tend to get terrible DOMS. If you’re making fine progress without micro plates, then no, you don’t need them. But we live in the real world. If you need micro plates, use them. Although no one has commented on it, Rip did post a link to an article he wrote covering the subject.

[Oso Rojo]

Keengkong,
"I don’t really buy the idea that because your weights aren’t exact that you don’t need micro-plates."

Your comment got me thinking again about this subject of uncalibrated plates and micro loading. From a statistical point of view, unless you use a huge gym that is way understocked with plates, you are generally using the same plates in the same area each time. So your last lift at 200 lbs my not have really been 200 lbs, but it was plus or minus about the same amount as the last lift at 195 lbs. From a statistical sampling point of view, it is likely that the average barbell gym gives you close to the same sampling of plate weights each time. So micro loading does apply to even uncalibrated gym plates.

(I've wondered if you took a silver or black sharpie and made a small mark on the plates you use today, would then be there next sessions.) I'm lucky and have a few SS lifters and a lot of power lifters at the gym I use so most of the plates have been measured and marked. Most of them are plus or minus one pound which puts then about 2% error. Yes I might end up with a 3 or 4.5 lb just one day, but I also have days with a .5 lb jump. In practical terms what I ate for lunch and how much stress I brought from work is a great impact.

Bottom line, I think I can mathematically prove the uncalibrated plates at a public gym don't interfere with micro loading in the long run.

[CommanderFun]

As a simple answer to the OP question, I bring a pair of 1.25s every gym session. Even on days I don't anticipate needing them. Just try to tune out the big guys training like dummies. A lot of them benefit from advantageous genetics, or from "genetics", if you catch my drift. Odds are as time goes on you won't be the least in shape guy in the place. Happened to me, anyways.