Guide To Bumper Plates
Bumper plates, bars, kettlebells, medicine balls… the list goes on. The reality is that, in today’s market, gym memberships are expensive due to the countless amount of equipment and staff needed. Not only that, but many gyms are often overcrowded. For many of us who like our personal space and don’t like to feel the pressure of people queuing up behind us to use gym equipment, the thought of having our own personal gym seems rather ideal. But won’t it be too expensive? Well, depending on what you want to achieve and your fitness program, no – it doesn’t need to be.
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What Are Olympic Bar Bumper Plates?
Weights are the single most important thing you can own in a home gym. Combine this with health products like those from BodyBuilt Sarms UK and you have the winning formula. But one thing that can put people off owning weights in their home can be the potential damage they can cause. Of course, in a gym environment, that’s fine and to be expected; but, in your own home, that’s different. But that’s why the likes of Olympic bar bumper plates exist. Bumper plates are specifically made of a material that is smooth on contact so will have a much smaller chance of damaging surfaces. The plates are what connects to a bar to add weight to a lift. When, for example, you see Olympic athletes drop weights, they don’t drop through the floor because the plates absorb the impact to reduce damage from any drop. This is because they are bumpers.
A good material for this is rubber. Within CrossFit or Strength training, this is now the generally accepted material of plates that are used. Not only do they produce far less surface damage, they are also more durable and far less noisy. The great thing about using a barbell at home is that it’s easy to progress without the need for a trainer. Once you learn the basics from a trainer, it’s possible for most of us to start lifting at home instead. It offers, in theory, unlimited progression – this is because you can just add more weight to the bar; either in the form of more plates or larger plates.
Where Do I Buy Bumper Plates?
When you look to buy bumper plates, you’ll note that they’re not exactly a staple of the high street sports stores. The number one place where you should look for bumper plates for sale is obviously online – specifically with stores that specialise in exercise gear.
However, there are a few options to consider when looking for your ideal plates. Firstly, you can go with competitive weightlifting discs. These are the weights that are colour-coded and what you will see in competitive weightlifting. They can often be listed as training bumper plates. There is a consistency to them so you’ll know what to expect. They’re also guaranteed to be within 10 grams of the labelled weight – which makes them the more expensive option. However, they are made to survive and are made from higher-density rubber.
For most, however, they are likely to find their ideal home weights in the form of standard weights. In terms of colour, these are the black rubber bumpers that you will often see in gyms. While perhaps not as attractive looking, or as precisely-weighted, as their competitive counterpart, these standard weights still do the trick. However, it should be noted that they are bigger than the competitive plates – meaning you can’t stack as many on a bar.
