Weight lifting is very popular among youth as everybody wants to build up muscles to have a good-looking body. Most people do it at home since it can be practiced easily and seems a basic exercise. To start it, you may need just a few weight plates with a bar and place for you to do that peacefully. Apart from knowing the weight you lift, you must also have a clear understanding of how many plates you should have in your workout place at home or anywhere. This article will explain you all necessary information how many weight plates you should have at your place.
How Many Weight Plates (Of Each Weight) Do You Need
You should have at least two of each size available. This may sound obvious but plates should be loaded symmetrically. If you are trying to lift with a 45lb plate on one side of the bar while a 35lb + 10lb plate on the other side, then this will not work. In this way, you will not be able to keep your balance due to increased diameter on one side compared to the other.
When selecting weight plates, two important considerations must be taken into account which are the size and weight of the plate or weight stack which you will be using for your barbell setup. Weight plates are mostly measured in either pounds or kilograms depending on where you live in the world. However, plates are themselves universal (a 25lb plate in the US is equal to a 10kg plate in the UK). Apart from this, weight plate sizes vary widely in the weight and material used. For example, a bumper plate or vinyl plate will be much larger having a wider diameter than an iron plate. This is mainly due to the material density and manufacturing design of the plate.
There are other sizes available that are for specific needs (like change or technique plates) depending upon the nature of training you are involved, low impact training or weight progressions for heavy weight lifting.
The Standard Set Of Weight Plates
A standard set of Olympic or bumper weight plates is pretty good for beginners. The most common sizes for weight plates for home gym consist of:
2 x 45lb. or 2 x 20kg
2 x 35lb. or 2 x 15kg
2 x 25lb. or 2 x 10kg
2 x 10lb. or 2 x 5kg
4 x 5lb. or 2 x 2.5kg
2 x 2.5lb. or 2 x 1kg
By adding a 45lb bar (20kg bar) you will have 300lbs total. This is a very good set to start your journey of weight lifting.
Is There Any Need of 35-Pound Plates
The need for 35-pound weight plates depends on your requirements of weight loads. If you want to do squat, bench press, or deadlift weight that exceeds the capabilities of a set of weight plates then definitely yes you need to have it. Additionally, 35-pound weight plates are most commonly required for commercial gyms because they offer a wide weight loading which is used for weight training exercises including squats and various compound movements.
Talking about incremental progress in the weight room, then 35lbs is not much necessary as you already have 45lb plates, 25lb, and some 10lb plates. So here you have a variety in order to load the bar.
Having 2 x 35lb plates in the home gym can be used for warm-up sets. For example, if you are a beginner and can’t move straight to using the 45lb plates then having 35lb plates can be useful here. Sometimes, it seems impossible to do a bench press with 45lb especially when you have to make a transition in your training.
If you are interested in a nice symmetrical collection of weight plates, you can opt for 35s however, if you are on a very tight budget then you can also skip these plates.
Consider Clutter and The Purpose Of Weight Plates
It’s very important to keep in mind the key purposes of weight plates while deciding how many plates do you need for a home gym. Two main things to consider include clutter and purpose. For a beginner and casual lifter, a standard set (two 45s, two 25s, two 10s, four 5s, and two 2.5lb weight plates) is enough. Apart from this, don’t forget to buy a standard 45lb dumbbell and any benches, deadlifts platforms, weight cages, or squat racks to fit them. If you have long-term fitness goals then you will have a very clear picture of how much you will be lifting later on. The standard set we mentioned above is a great deal for anyone fresh to the weightlifting world. As far as an experienced lifter is concerned then don’t be afraid to purchase more 45s or whatever you feel good in your fitness journey.
A good way to reduce clutter in your home gym is having a weight plate stand. There are traditional weight cages that offer pegs to store your weight plates however, a weight plate stand is a pretty convenient deal as its standalone storage vessel holds any extra plates you want to store. This way you can easily keep them in place rather than leaving them on the floor to trip over ultimately saving you from future injury.
The final answer to “how many weight plates do you need” mainly depends on how strong you are and how strong you want to become. Your fitness journey and your passion for weightlifting are very important while buying weight plates. So, if you are strong then you will definitely need more plates. There is no need of having five sets of 10pound plates unless you really enjoy doing some epic bicep curl drop sets. So, start this journey with how much weight you currently need depending upon your strength. Gradually, you can shuffle to the next milestone in your strength 315, 405, and so on. This way you can reward yourself with new set of weight plates. This will make your journey more exciting and you will literally wait for the next progress. Good luck in your weightlifting journey.
