Bumper plates??

Pinkranger626
Pinkranger626 Posts: 460 Member
edited November 2024 in Fitness and Exercise
Ok, so I am not new to lifting and I haven't really been able to find an answer to my question while searching around the web. So, can someone please explain to me the difference between bumper plates and regular plates? Do they weigh the amount that is posted on the plate? And, what is the purpose of using bumper plates over regular plates??

My new gym has them and I've always used regular plates for my olympic lifts... I was just wondering if I was missing something since I'd say 80% of the people that I see also using the power rack are using the bumper plates rather than regular plates. I'm doing slow, regular squats and deadlifts, 8-10 reps 3 sets with 1-2 minutes between sets, so no crossfit type fast lifting or anything like that.

Replies

  • jimmmer
    jimmmer Posts: 3,515 Member
    Bumper plates are designed to take impact.

    They're great for stuff like Oly lifts where you might drop the weight from overhead and you might otherwise damage a metal plate (or unduly damage your lifting surface).


  • Azexas
    Azexas Posts: 4,334 Member
    edited June 2015
    Wrong information..oops- sorry.
  • ninerbuff
    ninerbuff Posts: 49,084 Member
    Bumper plates are "cushioned" and designed so that when they are dropped there's less issues of the outer coating or covering from cracking or splitting.
    Weight is weight though. They may just be seeing the weight and not the difference in plates. Bumper plates are "thicker" so maybe the illusion of a thicker plate makes it psychologically looking heavier.

    A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
    IDEA Fitness member
    Kickboxing Certified Instructor
    Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
    9285851.png
  • jacklfc88
    jacklfc88 Posts: 247 Member
    bumper plates are as they say on the tin - if you're doing compound exercises like deadlifts or presses or something like that, and you let them go, they're just gonna bounce when you drop them, so a bit more forgiving and you're less likely to damage equipment. metal weights be more prone to damage if you do that, depending on the surface you're training on.

    i'm pretty sure that's the only difference, although I don't powerlift or anything like that so could be wrong, someone else may know more than me with that, but whatever the weight is on the plate is what the weight is.
  • Pinkranger626
    Pinkranger626 Posts: 460 Member
    Ok thanks guys!! I've been trying to figure it out. I never drop the weights since I'm not doing anything overhead at the moment. It actually makes me cringe when people drop the weights since I work in a gym and see how messed up the equipment gets from dropping them.... not to mention the floors.
  • jacklfc88
    jacklfc88 Posts: 247 Member
    i know right, so annoying isn't it. yeah if your gym has a carpeted or wooden floor then it can be very damaging doing that, i've been at gyms where you're not allowed to do that. the one i am at now has a rubber floor so it's not too bad, but i train with a spotter 80% of the time so save my heavier weight training for when i have someone to take the weight if needs be, rather than drop it on the deck.
  • JoRocka
    JoRocka Posts: 17,525 Member
    You're less likely to snap a bar with bumper plates if you drop it from any height- you drop a bar with regular plates on it from a snatch and you might snap it. and or do some serious damage to the floor.

    Secondly- the balance of the bar is off- so it may feel different- it's wider- so it sometimes feels heavier- i find it more balanced- and I like pulling sumo with the bumpers- dislike bumper +conventional - makes me feel a little unwieldy since I already don't pull quiet even so I struggle to get it my grip just right in the middle for a nice straight pull.
  • jacklfc88
    jacklfc88 Posts: 247 Member
    Serena Williams ^ :D:p
  • jimmmer
    jimmmer Posts: 3,515 Member
    workoutgrl87 wrote: »
    Ok thanks guys!! I've been trying to figure it out. I never drop the weights since I'm not doing anything overhead at the moment. It actually makes me cringe when people drop the weights since I work in a gym and see how messed up the equipment gets from dropping them.... not to mention the floors.

    Thing is, if you're doing Oly variations and your program has you doing them at a high intensity and frequently, you'll want to drop the weights.

    But then that's why you have the bumper plates + lifting platform combo (or plywood and horsestall mat combo if you're doing it on the cheap!).

    It's not wrong to drop weights - it's about context and situation.
This discussion has been closed.

Categories