@@WakaWaka221if you are buying complete sets, with the lower increments, (like 1.5, 2.5 and extra 5s, 10a for the occasional drops set and adjustable double use) I found strength co to be on par, but I bought mine a few years ago,
You must live in a mansion. I deadlifted with bumpers in an underground garage, three levels below my apartment and my wife could hear me. You buy them to protect your floor.
There’s silencing pads for that. I highly recommend that you buy a set for quiet lifting. Mine are from bells of steel, but the rep and rogue seem better
Love the sound of Iron. I was just telling someone that the other day. Just like car guys like the sound of a nice exhaust or engine, the SOUND is definitely an enjoyable part of the whole experience.
I've been lifting since 1984 and couldn't agree more. Iron(steel) is just part of the gym experience. I do a lot of my lifting out on my driveway and my neighbors have gotten use to me making noise(I've lived in the same house for almost 54 years.) I use a drop pad when I lift stones though(don't want to annoy the neighbors too much.)
Just got a bar and plate set from homegrown lifting. $1 per pound crumb rubber plates and American made. Not sure about durability yet but it’s seems to be a pretty great place to start, saved me hundreds and most importantly got me into the home gym game.
Strength Co. Plates are the best and im surprised they were not mentioned in this video ( probably not an affiliate ). Made in the USA iron plates and they now offer bumper plates.
Love the sound of iron. As to durability, I use plates all the time that we got in the early 70s--"Dan Lurie Brooklyn" plates. My kids would be able to use them, and their kids would be able to use them.
I've been interested in fitness for decades now and I've owned a pair of Bowflex Selecttech 552's for over a decade. I finally got myself a barbell and cap bumper plates. A pair of 45s 25s and 10s to start. Pray for my commitment 🙏
I love the sound of iron. Bench pressing my old ass iron 1 inch plates and hearing them clank at the top every time brings about a state of peace and tranquility for me in my iron temple. I finally decided to get into Olympic 2 inch and bought a cheap 370lb set of the everyday bumper plates for $320 and a Mikolo 7 foot Olympic barbell for $144 on Walmart app. Compared to everything else I couldn’t believe the price and I don’t like dropping weights so hopefully these last me a good couple of years - fingers crossed
Rogue steel calibrated plates. Grey black letters. Bought a full set. Also, vintage York 45's and a new pair of York 45's. I have a Rogue MR-390 rack. Bought just after the pandemic. Expensive now.
Am I the only one who likes the sound and look of bumpers more? The sound of sliding a bumper on is just so satisfying, and I love the fact that bumpers come in different colors to make up for the sometimes monotony of lifting.
Honestly same! I still remember the first time I did some barbell squats in a commercial gym with colored bumper plates and I honestly loved it. The colors were nice, I liked the sound, and it felt like I was lifting a lot more than I was bc the diameters were all the same (for context I’m a really skinny guy so I was hardly lifting anything lol)
I don't have any urethane bumpers but one of the main reasons I want them is because of the sound they make when you slide them on the bar against each other and they let out a nice thunk as the air squeezes out from between them.
Strength co plates are the absolute go to. They cost more but they are absolutely my favorite plates to use. I’d buy bumpers only if I absolutely needed them.
GET IRON PLATES, TRUST Something that wasn't mentioned, the different diameter iron plates make it convenient for certain lifts to get more range of motion and stretch. When I do rows or t bar rows, I put on the smaller 25lbs, instead of the bigger 45s, so that I can get more stretch at the bottom of the lift, same with RDLs, it's why bodybuilders prefer iron plates. Also if you get a ez bar or loadable dumbbells, the smaller diameter iron plates will fit better on them than big bumper plates. When I was building my home gym I really was contemplating bumper plates, but I'm so glad I got iron. Honestly, bumper plates aren't going to make it much quieter when dropping the weight, and won't protect your floor, a 45lbs plate is still 45lbs, you need to still get gym mats, even just doing deadlifts with bumpers is going to chip away at your flooring or concrete foundation. Iron is also still cheaper, since cheap irons will last a life time, cheap bumpers may last a year or two, bumpers that will last will cost more than cheap iron plates.
I went with cap for my first set of weight. The knurl on the bar was asymmetrical. Deffective. I didn't look all that closely and didn't realize it until a year later. Definitely check for stuff like that if you go with cap.
No mention of The Strength Co.? The Strength Co. plates are the go to plates of Massenomics Gym. Slim but rugged, smooth but easy to grip, and electric coated for durability, and to look great in your gym. Seems like a no brainer to me!
Terrible company. Every plate they shipped to me has serious damage to it. Who uses Fedex to ship 700+lbs of plates? If I had to do it over, I would have bought York Legacy plates. Half the cost and probably more accurate in weight. Every Strength Co plate is 5-8oz UNDER stated weight. They suck. Every time I look at these plates that cost over $2k I get depressed and pissed.
@@hitleractually8180 This is not correct. Definitely not my experience with getting over 700lbs. By the way ounces off are well within spec tolerances. Very few plates are ever perfect even calibrated plates. However If you are that concerned with it that’s why vintage Gainz calibrated weight kits exist .
@@hitleractually8180 That’s not my experience with ordering over 700lbs from The Strength Co. That sounds like they are well with in the advertised tolerances for the stated weights. Bye the way be aware that York legacy plates are not made in the USA and they have a smaller diameter than the Strength Co so you could be at a 1/2 to 1 in deficit with those because as they even say, the diameter varies and the centre hubs are not as tight tolerances
@@hitleractually8180 FYI the York legacy plates are cheaper because they are not made in the USA like the Yorks of the old. They also have a smaller diameter 1/2-1in shorter because you will see even rogue advertising the diameters vary. The center hub is not as tight tolerance and they are not ecoated. Not the same plates.
Vulcan Alpha bumper plates were my go-to and I don't regret it one bit. Virgin rubber bumpers are great if you're lifting indoors like in a basement (quieter if you drop them on stuff like deadlifts), but these can even be used outdoors!
Mad cause your channel sucks so you have to try to talk shit. Well, he fixed his mistake and admitted where he was wrong. Crawl back under your bridge.@@carps_gym
Why wasn't Strength Co iron plate not mentioned in here? I have some and they are great, good value for USA made plates. It's beloved in the home gym community and beyond.
I don’t have bumper plates but don’t do Olympic lifting. Mostly have rubber coated plates for bulk of my weights, they are quiet and easy to grip. But I do have a few rogue deep dish plates for when I am in the mood to hear the classic sound of yesteryear lifting. Grew up using iron plates and like the sound of them.
The sound of iron is the best. Like arnold said even if you are only putting a small amount of weight on the bar you can make it sound liks a 1000 pounds
Quality plates with a grip like American barbell. The holes make it easier to rack & re-rack that way you can focus on your training. It's like a deadlift Jack, which isn't necessary, but expedient. Train both hard & smart.
I know! I literally just bought an entire set of Urethane Coated Plates and they are my FAVORITE set to use. They look beautiful, feel amazing and are just a joy to use and own. I also own a set of bumper plates and a few sets of various traditional Olympic steel plates. The urethane coated are the best.... I have an entire set of urethane coated dumbbells also... It is the way to go... urethane coated over steel or rubber any day.... just my opinion as a user and collector of fitness equipment for the past 30 years... I also worked at FItness Depot early in my 20's.. just my thoughts and opinion.
I have 3 sets of the Rogue 6 Shooters and I love them. I also recently added a set of Competition bumpers (45,35,25). That is really all I need for my Olympic lifting needs and I have the steel 10s, 5s, and 2.5s to add if needed for Olympic lifting. Best of both worlds.
I got the Fray Fitness bumpers plates. I have been very impressed with them. If you are not extremely strong and aren’t dropping weight from chest high, I feel like you can go with cheaper weight like Fray or Everyday Essentials. For the average home gym owner I think that getting something cheaper is best. I have had these bumpers for about a year and I am going to order another pair of 45s since I have gotten stronger. It’s okay with starting your home gym to just get as much as you really need and then get more over time.
I love my Rogue six shooter plates. They are easy to grab and you can use the for a lot of movements because of the grips. Also no arguing about whether to put the writing inside or out when you load them :). I do mostly SBD type movements so I don't need to be able to drop them like bumpers, plus I love the sound of the iron chattering and clinking when you have multiple plates on the bar. How often do you buy plates or gym equipment? Not a place to cheap out.
PU Coated Gripper Plates for my homegym, and here's why: You can handle them easily in tight spaces, they make no noise, last forever without much wear, they are somewhat slim and look decent.
I had this question when I started my home gym and went down the path of cheap bumper plates and wasn’t happy with the product at all. I purchased some iron plates (from Strength Co.) and I haven’t looked back, very high quality and holds up well being thrown around. Had them for a year now and still look brand new! By quality!
Bumper plates were very rare before the 2000s. In the 80s and 90s I never saw them in any of the hard core gyms I went to. I have completed my gym with vintage machined York and Ivanco plates.
Not certain this is the whole explanation , but the explosion of CrossFit increased the demand for plates that could be dropped from overhead which was previously mostly needed for Olympic lifting. Add in that CrossFit requires everyone to be able to do these movements simultaneously in a way Oly lifting doesn’t and they needed a solution that was reasonably priced and didn’t require special platforms. Thus bumpers took off. Now cheap quality bumpers are priced similarly to iron/steel.
I've got bumpers for $1-.80 per pound many times the last couple years. Even got color coded plates at that 80c price. Admittedly this is also because I sometimes obsessively keep an eye on the market and flip equipment from time to time. I even got a completely different rack when buying a piece of equipment on closeout, but wasn't upset since it was worth a good amount more than what I purchased
I own rubber bumper, urethane coated, and a few types of steel plates. My home gym is pretty decent.... I've been collecting for over 20 years. My favorite (and most recently acquired) plates are the urethane coated. It matches my entire set of urethane coated dumb bells which still don't have a scratch on them after close to 20 years. They feel and look beautiful and are a joy to use. I was lucky enough to pickup a brand new set of the urethane coated dumbbells from 5 - 40 pounds. It included a gorgeous solid steel stand for the set all for $500 CAD from Costco years ago. Haven't seen a price that good for a set of dumbbells ever again. I buy almost all of my fitness equipment used / second hand. It has to be a super good deal for me to pick it up new... Northern Lights has some of the best made equipment for the best prices if anyone is curious. Canadian brand. Rock Solid.
I'm cheap, so I have a combo a 190lb Homegrown crumb bumper plates with the 265lb set from Dicks (you get a barbell too, but I don't suggest using it!). As I go along, I may opt for higher quality sets, like maybe a Fringe Sport set, but for now, this is fine.
I went with bumpers. Only reason was to protect the hardwood floor from any accidental drops, even though I have it mostly covered with thick rubber matting. But if it were a garage/concrete floor I'd likely have went with iron.
Ivanko RUBO's Kinda rare but I have a large set. Accurate, thickness of an iron plate but very good amount of cushioning (NOT like a bumper plate) but soft enough for deadlifts and very little noise. Easy to grip also. LOVE EM'!!!
Sleeping on ironmasters again. I bought their rubber coated Olympic plates with grip handles and I love them. I mainly do powerlifting type lifts, so these give me the durability of cast iron with some of the noise reduction from bumper. And they're easy to manipulate because they have handles!
Fringe "Contrast" bumpers are pretty dope and you can often find them on sale and they frequently offer coupons that stack with the sale. I bought a 250lb set of those to start my home gym because their sale+coupon compared so favorably to local used weight prices (which are absurd, very close to new weight prices). The second hand market is USUALLY a great way to save money, though, bumper or iron, especially if you're willing to clean up rust.
Hey Coop, long time listener, first time commenter. I grew up with standard size weights and that's all i wanted until recently. this weekend I bought my first set of Olympic plates. I prefer iron over rubber because they are more compact and the iron clanging has a good sound to it. I also bought a squat cage that you reviewed , a $250 amazon pick, because of the testing you did i was confident in the product. thanks...
Bought rubber bumper plates for the first time and the siZe kept haunting me, so I returned all but one, for misc use). Just went ahead and bought steel/ IRON plates FOR THE REASONS YOU MENTIONED @7:25-7:35😅
I was wondering what you think of REP’s rubber coated iron plates. The diameter on the 45lb plates is a little smaller, but I don’t really care about that. They seem nice and quiet as well, and are priced reasonably.
Other aspects that might've been useful to discuss is which ones are easier to grip/manipulate. For instances, competition plates look hard to carry, grip and manipulate if are not placed in a rack. I'd really like to buy those but appears that 55lb are not that many vendors or are out of stock. Also I wouldn't like to struggle to carry the plates, so I wonder how easy is to grab them Another interesting plate to talk about is the rogue 70 lb wagon wheel: size, grip
I'm extremely pleased with my luck on plates. I have two Tonic Performance sets, one coloured virgin rubber, one hi-temp style (from Costco Canada, bought a year apart) and the 4-45's are dead on 45.0 lbs. And, all the sub 45 plates across the two sets are exactly the same weight - perfect. Have four 45's from Gorila Fitness in Canada, Ox Bumpers, and they are fantastic and bang on 45.0 lbs and phenomenal quality. Wish I had bought more. Recently scored Bells of Steel E-Coat Deep Dish plates for half price and flat shipping as they are discontinued; scored 500 lbs and they are all within the 1% tolerance... some minor dings to fix with high gloss touch up automotive paint but pleased nonetheless. My steel change plates are the BoS in 2.5 and 5 machined gray ones... also excellent, no coating issues. HOWEVER, if cost was no object, I would have bought Strengthcos perhaps, but not feasible to my remote Canadian location.
I got a pair of red 25 kg. Orion plates from Northern Fitness. $249/pair, $327 CAD, total, tax & shipping. If you live close to Whitby/Mississauga, and pick them up yourself, it's $281 out the door. No better price anywhere. I needed thinner plates for my belt squat set up. A pair of these (110lbs) take up the same bar space as ONE 45lb. rubber grip plate, plus they are calibrated to within +/- 10g... less than an ounce! I love these plates and am working on getting a couple more of them. IF you want to save bar space, want THIN professional calibrated plates, can't beat Orion. Nobody has them cheaper anywhere. The thing is, they are not 'sanctioned' by federations, and THAT'S why you pay double the price for Rogue. They have to pay premium for that 'sanctioned' privilege. Why bother with that for the home gym?
Storage is definitely another factor. I use the PR-1100 rack in a small one car garage and I can fit as many plates as I want of every weight on that thing (with plate storage add on) since they are iron. No additional storage required to consume precious real estate.
I plan on doing a lot of deadlifts, power cleans so as much as I like the sound of iron I think having mostly bumper plates is a better choice, at least in the beginning.
Consider local options. A place near me sells them for 0.5 a pound used, metal ones. Some of them are rusty but you can find ones in pretty good condition.
I started my boy out on Olympic lifts. I picked up an Olympic bar for him from Rogue's Boneyard, and then bought Everyday Essentials bumper plates with the larger center hub (10's, 25's & 45's). The 25's have been used the most for 3 years now, and I'd say they work great and have held up perfectly fine. I need to get another pair of 45's at some point, but the price on these particular plates have recently gone up significantly. My shoulders do not allow me to do the Olympic lifts, and I am more of a powerlifter, therefore I'm not frequently dropping plates from overhead. I much prefer the iron. The commercial gym by our house went to rubber coated iron plates, and they're just not the same. I was was recently gifted the Rogue deep-dish Arnold plates, and they are the most awesome plate I have ever used!! Not related to the plates themselves, but I do NOT care for the Olympic bearing bar on all lifts. The easy spin of the sleeves is quite noticeable...especially on bench. As the weight gets heavier I'm having to use wrist wraps when using that bar. My next purchase is probably going to be a proper power bar.
For the budget-minded: Signature Fitness cheap amazon plates have worked fine for me (home gym use). I'm not dropping steel plates anyway. Otherwise, I'd go for the standard rogue 45lb plates, at 155 dollars per pair, that's pretty hard to beat imo. Haven't had any issues with the CAP barbell bumpers either, but I'm not dropping from overhead anymore (I use to bumpers honestly to protect my floor). I'm happy with my cheap amazon plates, they're not stuck outside in the rain, and I could care less if the paint chips a bit. Now, if I didn't care about cost, yeah I'd probably get the Strength Co, after shipping a pair of 45's is 20 bucks less than the deep dish.
I got my first plates (and bar) today. They are Rogue bumper 2.0 (colored ones) with an Ohio bar because there was a guy selling them for a good price on Facebook marketplace. Have only tried them out on a few deadlifts, but like them so far. I hate my equipment making noise, so I'm glad I've found bumpers. The home gym is slowly coming together finally. So ready to cancel my gym membership.
Love the sound of iron. Bumpers are bulky, difficult to grip and just go thud when deadlifting. Meh. I went with StrengthCo plates - great finish and accurate. Good hardware makes training more enjoyable.
Don’t let analysis by paralysis stop you from getting going. Anything is way better than nothing. Get strong now. If feel, fit and durability are priorities- the heirloom quality Strength Co plates are the best.
I got a set of Fringe rubber plates thinking i would be doing more oly lifts before switching to more powerlifting movements. Yeah, I might get a few iron 45's if my deadlift goes up much more.
Titan Fitness plates are great bumpers, free shipping when I purchased them (maybe if you spend enough) and one of my 45s got lost in shipping and the USA manufacturer shipped me another no questions asked.
I have both, mostly iron plates though. I do have a set of bumpers for Olympic lifts and deadlift. My iron plates are a mix of used plates but my bumpers are all fringe sport.
I have a bunch of crumb rubber from when I did more oly lifting, but I rarely do that anymore so transitioning over to iron since I do more powerlifting and have gotten stronger. I'm running into not enough room for the rubber plates on the bar so need something slim. Love the thorough video, Coop, think I'll go Rogue or Rep iron. Thanks!
I use a combo of both, the first 2 on deadlifts are bumpers and then irons from there. Loading a squat or bench with bumpers is annoying and you run out of room on the bar.
I for my basement gym, I prefer a mix. I love the sound of metal clanging together on squats, but, with only a 1” thick weight room floor, for deadlifting, I appreciate one or two bumper plates to lessen the sound on the “downstroke”. That said, for deadlifts, adding the smaller diameter iron plates (once you’ve already loaded some bumpers) is easier than having to lift or jack the bar to add full diameter bumpers. Again, give me a mix.
The deep dish plates are okay (trendy) but I think you are underrating the coolness of The Strength Co plates. You can fit more of them on a bar and they have a cool design based on old school iron, and they are impeccably finished and e-coated shiny black. The 45s are killer but even the 1.25lb ones look really good. Also made in 🇺🇸!
As casual lifter - almost any weights are acceptable - CAP sells a generic weight plate that's less than a buck a pound from amazon. They seem fine even though they do smell like a tire lol (bumper plates)
anyone have a good recommendation for bumper plates that hold up well for use in an outdoor gym? I know coop mentioned the high temps in the video just didn't know if anyone else had any thoughts. thank you and great vid as always coop!
The sound of irons cool when I had a good nights sleep and my glycogen stores are high. When I’m tired and cutting weight there are few things more grating to my ears than the sound of the iron 😂
I love the clank. I'm not dropping anything. I enjoy smooth control and there is just something about loading iron on the bar. I have a few different brands. Cap, barbell, Titan, and fray. I was most disappointed in the Fray cast iron. They fit tight on my barbell and storage horns. I contacted fray and they said "yeh, well, manufacturers are different, sorry for your luck". I really want some of those "pretty" Rogue or rep you spoke of at the end, but I'm on a CAP budget. Lol. Oh, the Titans I have are really nice and prolly my favorite.
I really feel like the best way to go are training bumper plates (similar width but a bit cheaper than competition plates). It sucks to be restricted by either the width of your bumper plates or the brittleness/floor impact of iron.
I have the everyday essentials from Walmart haha. So happy with them AND WALMART SENT ME AN EXTRA SET OF EACH ! So I bought a 150lb set and got 300lbs in the mail 😂👍 thank you Walmart ... I've. Noticed this happens a lot with them
Bumpers are more versatile if you intend to involve some Oly lifting in your regimen. 630 pounds is gonna be plenty for the non-professional trainee. Just get some extra iron/calibrated plates if you ever progress above that.
I have both iron and bumper. I started with bumper plates. But, I found that I prefer iron. I have a set of Rogue MilSpec bumper plates, a set of Vulcan Alpha bumper plates, and a set of Strength Co iron plates. Eventually, the goal is to add another plate tree. One for bumper plates and one for iron plates. I want to get some more Strength Co plates.
I love the sound of clanging iron plates onto the bar. Especially for heavy squats!
StrengthCo Plates >>> Rogue Deep Dish. Thinner but still have a good lip for easy gripping, made in USA, better E-coat, and cheaper too!
Bumper or Iron?
The cast iron StrengthCo plates are much more expensive than Rogue deep dish
100% agree
@@WakaWaka221if you are buying complete sets, with the lower increments, (like 1.5, 2.5 and extra 5s, 10a for the occasional drops set and adjustable double use) I found strength co to be on par, but I bought mine a few years ago,
@@WakaWaka221 No they're not. Shipped to my door for a pair of 45s the Rogue DD cost $264.13 for StrengthCo the price is $224.
I’m mostly bumper plates…need all the sound dampening I can get so my wife can sleep while I’m lifting early mornings
You must live in a mansion. I deadlifted with bumpers in an underground garage, three levels below my apartment and my wife could hear me. You buy them to protect your floor.
Dont care
King shit
There’s silencing pads for that. I highly recommend that you buy a set for quiet lifting. Mine are from bells of steel, but the rep and rogue seem better
@@furezj you dont have to slam weights regardless of what they are made of ....
Love the sound of Iron. I was just telling someone that the other day. Just like car guys like the sound of a nice exhaust or engine, the SOUND is definitely an enjoyable part of the whole experience.
I've been lifting since 1984 and couldn't agree more. Iron(steel) is just part of the gym experience. I do a lot of my lifting out on my driveway and my neighbors have gotten use to me making noise(I've lived in the same house for almost 54 years.) I use a drop pad when I lift stones though(don't want to annoy the neighbors too much.)
Just got a bar and plate set from homegrown lifting. $1 per pound crumb rubber plates and American made. Not sure about durability yet but it’s seems to be a pretty great place to start, saved me hundreds and most importantly got me into the home gym game.
How have the bumper plates held up. I just started a home gym and was thinking of buying those exact ones
@@Junior.271 they’ve been holding up super well with daily use. Also drop them regularly. I’m impressed to say the least
@@huntergodsey1765 ok thanks I will order some later this week
The ones mentioning strength co are the real mvps. Best value and made in the USA.
Amen!
Strength Co. Plates are the best and im surprised they were not mentioned in this video ( probably not an affiliate ). Made in the USA iron plates and they now offer bumper plates.
Dude same… I have a set and I love them.
Thanks fellas!
Strength Co. bumper plates aren't made in the USA.
@@SmokinBuddha Yes they are. Kentucky.
Love the sound of iron. As to durability, I use plates all the time that we got in the early 70s--"Dan Lurie Brooklyn" plates. My kids would be able to use them, and their kids would be able to use them.
I've been interested in fitness for decades now and I've owned a pair of Bowflex Selecttech 552's for over a decade.
I finally got myself a barbell and cap bumper plates. A pair of 45s 25s and 10s to start. Pray for my commitment 🙏
I am thankful to have a set of Strength Co and some Rogue USA thin steels and I definitely use the Strength Co’s most often. Both great though
Thanks brother!
you suck. overpriced, inaccurate garbage plates@@thestrengthco
I love the sound of iron. Bench pressing my old ass iron 1 inch plates and hearing them clank at the top every time brings about a state of peace and tranquility for me in my iron temple.
I finally decided to get into Olympic 2 inch and bought a cheap 370lb set of the everyday bumper plates for $320 and a Mikolo 7 foot Olympic barbell for $144 on Walmart app. Compared to everything else I couldn’t believe the price and I don’t like dropping weights so hopefully these last me a good couple of years - fingers crossed
Iron plates do have the best sound for sure. I need that clang sound when lifting
Rogue steel calibrated plates. Grey black letters. Bought a full set. Also, vintage York 45's and a new pair of York 45's. I have a Rogue MR-390 rack. Bought just after the pandemic. Expensive now.
Am I the only one who likes the sound and look of bumpers more? The sound of sliding a bumper on is just so satisfying, and I love the fact that bumpers come in different colors to make up for the sometimes monotony of lifting.
Honestly same! I still remember the first time I did some barbell squats in a commercial gym with colored bumper plates and I honestly loved it. The colors were nice, I liked the sound, and it felt like I was lifting a lot more than I was bc the diameters were all the same (for context I’m a really skinny guy so I was hardly lifting anything lol)
I don't have any urethane bumpers but one of the main reasons I want them is because of the sound they make when you slide them on the bar against each other and they let out a nice thunk as the air squeezes out from between them.
Strength co plates are the absolute go to. They cost more but they are absolutely my favorite plates to use. I’d buy bumpers only if I absolutely needed them.
GET IRON PLATES, TRUST
Something that wasn't mentioned, the different diameter iron plates make it convenient for certain lifts to get more range of motion and stretch. When I do rows or t bar rows, I put on the smaller 25lbs, instead of the bigger 45s, so that I can get more stretch at the bottom of the lift, same with RDLs, it's why bodybuilders prefer iron plates. Also if you get a ez bar or loadable dumbbells, the smaller diameter iron plates will fit better on them than big bumper plates.
When I was building my home gym I really was contemplating bumper plates, but I'm so glad I got iron. Honestly, bumper plates aren't going to make it much quieter when dropping the weight, and won't protect your floor, a 45lbs plate is still 45lbs, you need to still get gym mats, even just doing deadlifts with bumpers is going to chip away at your flooring or concrete foundation. Iron is also still cheaper, since cheap irons will last a life time, cheap bumpers may last a year or two, bumpers that will last will cost more than cheap iron plates.
I went with cap for my first set of weight. The knurl on the bar was asymmetrical. Deffective. I didn't look all that closely and didn't realize it until a year later. Definitely check for stuff like that if you go with cap.
Strength Co. iron plates are #1 in my book!
No mention of The Strength Co.? The Strength Co. plates are the go to plates of Massenomics Gym. Slim but rugged, smooth but easy to grip, and electric coated for durability, and to look great in your gym. Seems like a no brainer to me!
Hell yeah, brother!
Well all know it’s The Strength Co. So good even Rogue Shared them!
Terrible company. Every plate they shipped to me has serious damage to it. Who uses Fedex to ship 700+lbs of plates? If I had to do it over, I would have bought York Legacy plates. Half the cost and probably more accurate in weight. Every Strength Co plate is 5-8oz UNDER stated weight. They suck. Every time I look at these plates that cost over $2k I get depressed and pissed.
@@hitleractually8180 This is not correct. Definitely not my experience with getting over 700lbs. By the way ounces off are well within spec tolerances. Very few plates are ever perfect even calibrated plates. However If you are that concerned with it that’s why vintage Gainz calibrated weight kits exist .
@@hitleractually8180 That’s not my experience with ordering over 700lbs from The Strength Co. That sounds like they are well with in the advertised tolerances for the stated weights. Bye the way be aware that York legacy plates are not made in the USA and they have a smaller diameter than the Strength Co so you could be at a 1/2 to 1 in deficit with those because as they even say, the diameter varies and the centre hubs are not as tight tolerances
They keep deleting comments 😂
@@hitleractually8180 FYI the York legacy plates are cheaper because they are not made in the USA like the Yorks of the old. They also have a smaller diameter 1/2-1in shorter because you will see even rogue advertising the diameters vary. The center hub is not as tight tolerance and they are not ecoated. Not the same plates.
Apparently Coop needs to add a heater in his next gym upgrade.
He rather collect jackets like he does plates.
Or maybe he was just feeling his fit that day and wanted to show it off
Not including Strength Co. plates in this video is wild. They are the clear winner.
Vulcan Alpha bumper plates were my go-to and I don't regret it one bit. Virgin rubber bumpers are great if you're lifting indoors like in a basement (quieter if you drop them on stuff like deadlifts), but these can even be used outdoors!
You missed the goat iron plates: The Strength Co. Olympic Iron Plates. They recently worked out better shipping rates too.
Right?!? They’re too good to not mention. Love Strength Co. plates
I have the Troy Premium Cast Iron plates and love them. They look good and have the deep dish to help with carrying them around.
Surprised Strength co. wasn't mentioned
Thanks brother
It’s not that surprising they’re not paying him.
who's paying you?@@carps_gym
@@hitleractually8180I’m paying him
Mad cause your channel sucks so you have to try to talk shit. Well, he fixed his mistake and admitted where he was wrong. Crawl back under your bridge.@@carps_gym
Why wasn't Strength Co iron plate not mentioned in here? I have some and they are great, good value for USA made plates. It's beloved in the home gym community and beyond.
Thank you! 🎉
He’s not on their payroll
I don’t have bumper plates but don’t do Olympic lifting. Mostly have rubber coated plates for bulk of my weights, they are quiet and easy to grip. But I do have a few rogue deep dish plates for when I am in the mood to hear the classic sound of yesteryear lifting. Grew up using iron plates and like the sound of them.
The sound of iron is the best. Like arnold said even if you are only putting a small amount of weight on the bar you can make it sound liks a 1000 pounds
Love the IRON plates makes me feel like I’m at work. Constant clanking and banging from banging and hanging.
Ironworker 433
Quality plates with a grip like American barbell. The holes make it easier to rack & re-rack that way you can focus on your training. It's like a deadlift Jack, which isn't necessary, but expedient. Train both hard & smart.
I feel like not even acknowledging urethane iron plates is a miss for folks trying to understand what's best for them.
Yep, I have tri grip plates that are great.
I know! I literally just bought an entire set of Urethane Coated Plates and they are my FAVORITE set to use. They look beautiful, feel amazing and are just a joy to use and own. I also own a set of bumper plates and a few sets of various traditional Olympic steel plates. The urethane coated are the best.... I have an entire set of urethane coated dumbbells also... It is the way to go... urethane coated over steel or rubber any day.... just my opinion as a user and collector of fitness equipment for the past 30 years... I also worked at FItness Depot early in my 20's.. just my thoughts and opinion.
The iron sound is so good it have a scent, the scent of strenght, the scent of power.
I have 3 sets of the Rogue 6 Shooters and I love them. I also recently added a set of Competition bumpers (45,35,25). That is really all I need for my Olympic lifting needs and I have the steel 10s, 5s, and 2.5s to add if needed for Olympic lifting. Best of both worlds.
I got the Fray Fitness bumpers plates. I have been very impressed with them. If you are not extremely strong and aren’t dropping weight from chest high, I feel like you can go with cheaper weight like Fray or Everyday Essentials. For the average home gym owner I think that getting something cheaper is best. I have had these bumpers for about a year and I am going to order another pair of 45s since I have gotten stronger. It’s okay with starting your home gym to just get as much as you really need and then get more over time.
I love my Rogue six shooter plates. They are easy to grab and you can use the for a lot of movements because of the grips. Also no arguing about whether to put the writing inside or out when you load them :). I do mostly SBD type movements so I don't need to be able to drop them like bumpers, plus I love the sound of the iron chattering and clinking when you have multiple plates on the bar. How often do you buy plates or gym equipment? Not a place to cheap out.
PU Coated Gripper Plates for my homegym, and here's why: You can handle them easily in tight spaces, they make no noise, last forever without much wear, they are somewhat slim and look decent.
I had this question when I started my home gym and went down the path of cheap bumper plates and wasn’t happy with the product at all. I purchased some iron plates (from Strength Co.) and I haven’t looked back, very high quality and holds up well being thrown around. Had them for a year now and still look brand new! By quality!
Love the clank of an iron plate. Strength Co and Rogue deep dish are my go to plates
Bumper plates were very rare before the 2000s. In the 80s and 90s I never saw them in any of the hard core gyms I went to.
I have completed my gym with vintage machined York and Ivanco plates.
I like steel hitting steel as I lift.
@@ulf. Gee, in all my years ,I've never seen cast iron plates with rubber edges.
Not certain this is the whole explanation , but the explosion of CrossFit increased the demand for plates that could be dropped from overhead which was previously mostly needed for Olympic lifting.
Add in that CrossFit requires everyone to be able to do these movements simultaneously in a way Oly lifting doesn’t and they needed a solution that was reasonably priced and didn’t require special platforms. Thus bumpers took off. Now cheap quality bumpers are priced similarly to iron/steel.
I've got bumpers for $1-.80 per pound many times the last couple years. Even got color coded plates at that 80c price. Admittedly this is also because I sometimes obsessively keep an eye on the market and flip equipment from time to time. I even got a completely different rack when buying a piece of equipment on closeout, but wasn't upset since it was worth a good amount more than what I purchased
I own rubber bumper, urethane coated, and a few types of steel plates. My home gym is pretty decent.... I've been collecting for over 20 years. My favorite (and most recently acquired) plates are the urethane coated. It matches my entire set of urethane coated dumb bells which still don't have a scratch on them after close to 20 years. They feel and look beautiful and are a joy to use. I was lucky enough to pickup a brand new set of the urethane coated dumbbells from 5 - 40 pounds. It included a gorgeous solid steel stand for the set all for $500 CAD from Costco years ago. Haven't seen a price that good for a set of dumbbells ever again. I buy almost all of my fitness equipment used / second hand. It has to be a super good deal for me to pick it up new... Northern Lights has some of the best made equipment for the best prices if anyone is curious. Canadian brand. Rock Solid.
I'm cheap, so I have a combo a 190lb Homegrown crumb bumper plates with the 265lb set from Dicks (you get a barbell too, but I don't suggest using it!). As I go along, I may opt for higher quality sets, like maybe a Fringe Sport set, but for now, this is fine.
I went with bumpers. Only reason was to protect the hardwood floor from any accidental drops, even though I have it mostly covered with thick rubber matting. But if it were a garage/concrete floor I'd likely have went with iron.
Iron nothing beats its durability or the sound they make. I've owned Ivanko plates and dumbbells since the early 90s.
The depiction of Weight Width Variances is exceptionally clear and informative!
I love the sound and smell of iron plates. They just make me feel like I'm an old time bodybuilder like John Grimek or Charles Atlas.
The Strength Co.'s made in America iron plates have always been the Go-To plates for us. The rest are all second fiddle
Iron plates baby old school 💪🏽👍🏼
Ivanko RUBO's
Kinda rare but I have a large set.
Accurate, thickness of an iron plate but very good amount of cushioning (NOT like a bumper plate) but soft enough for deadlifts and very little noise. Easy to grip also. LOVE EM'!!!
I like the sound of IRON & these plates Lifting feel would be awesome
Homegrown lifting plates are a really good value.
Love the sound of iron. I remember the first time I benched 225 and could hear the plates rattle. Point of pride. Right of passage.
Sleeping on ironmasters again. I bought their rubber coated Olympic plates with grip handles and I love them. I mainly do powerlifting type lifts, so these give me the durability of cast iron with some of the noise reduction from bumper. And they're easy to manipulate because they have handles!
Fringe "Contrast" bumpers are pretty dope and you can often find them on sale and they frequently offer coupons that stack with the sale. I bought a 250lb set of those to start my home gym because their sale+coupon compared so favorably to local used weight prices (which are absurd, very close to new weight prices). The second hand market is USUALLY a great way to save money, though, bumper or iron, especially if you're willing to clean up rust.
Hey Coop, long time listener, first time commenter. I grew up with standard size weights and that's all i wanted until recently. this weekend I bought my first set of Olympic plates. I prefer iron over rubber because they are more compact and the iron clanging has a good sound to it. I also bought a squat cage that you reviewed , a $250 amazon pick, because of the testing you did i was confident in the product. thanks...
Bought rubber bumper plates for the first time and the siZe kept haunting me, so I returned all but one, for misc use). Just went ahead and bought steel/ IRON plates FOR THE REASONS YOU MENTIONED @7:25-7:35😅
I was wondering what you think of REP’s rubber coated iron plates. The diameter on the 45lb plates is a little smaller, but I don’t really care about that. They seem nice and quiet as well, and are priced reasonably.
Other aspects that might've been useful to discuss is which ones are easier to grip/manipulate. For instances, competition plates look hard to carry, grip and manipulate if are not placed in a rack. I'd really like to buy those but appears that 55lb are not that many vendors or are out of stock. Also I wouldn't like to struggle to carry the plates, so I wonder how easy is to grab them
Another interesting plate to talk about is the rogue 70 lb wagon wheel: size, grip
I'm extremely pleased with my luck on plates. I have two Tonic Performance sets, one coloured virgin rubber, one hi-temp style (from Costco Canada, bought a year apart) and the 4-45's are dead on 45.0 lbs. And, all the sub 45 plates across the two sets are exactly the same weight - perfect. Have four 45's from Gorila Fitness in Canada, Ox Bumpers, and they are fantastic and bang on 45.0 lbs and phenomenal quality. Wish I had bought more. Recently scored Bells of Steel E-Coat Deep Dish plates for half price and flat shipping as they are discontinued; scored 500 lbs and they are all within the 1% tolerance... some minor dings to fix with high gloss touch up automotive paint but pleased nonetheless. My steel change plates are the BoS in 2.5 and 5 machined gray ones... also excellent, no coating issues. HOWEVER, if cost was no object, I would have bought Strengthcos perhaps, but not feasible to my remote Canadian location.
I got a pair of red 25 kg. Orion plates from Northern Fitness. $249/pair, $327 CAD, total, tax & shipping. If you live close to Whitby/Mississauga, and pick them up yourself, it's $281 out the door. No better price anywhere.
I needed thinner plates for my belt squat set up. A pair of these (110lbs) take up the same bar space as ONE 45lb. rubber grip plate, plus they are calibrated to within +/- 10g... less than an ounce!
I love these plates and am working on getting a couple more of them.
IF you want to save bar space, want THIN professional calibrated plates, can't beat Orion.
Nobody has them cheaper anywhere.
The thing is, they are not 'sanctioned' by federations, and THAT'S why you pay double the price for Rogue. They have to pay premium for that 'sanctioned' privilege.
Why bother with that for the home gym?
Love the iron. Like to leave a little space between iron plates for the music it makes when you move the bar.
Storage is definitely another factor. I use the PR-1100 rack in a small one car garage and I can fit as many plates as I want of every weight on that thing (with plate storage add on) since they are iron. No additional storage required to consume precious real estate.
I just started my home gym
I went with American Barbell. They are expensive but they are top game. They look good and feels good
I plan on doing a lot of deadlifts, power cleans so as much as I like the sound of iron I think having mostly bumper plates is a better choice, at least in the beginning.
Nothing better than cold, hard iron in the hand baby!
Consider local options. A place near me sells them for 0.5 a pound used, metal ones. Some of them are rusty but you can find ones in pretty good condition.
I started my boy out on Olympic lifts. I picked up an Olympic bar for him from Rogue's Boneyard, and then bought Everyday Essentials bumper plates with the larger center hub (10's, 25's & 45's). The 25's have been used the most for 3 years now, and I'd say they work great and have held up perfectly fine. I need to get another pair of 45's at some point, but the price on these particular plates have recently gone up significantly.
My shoulders do not allow me to do the Olympic lifts, and I am more of a powerlifter, therefore I'm not frequently dropping plates from overhead. I much prefer the iron. The commercial gym by our house went to rubber coated iron plates, and they're just not the same. I was was recently gifted the Rogue deep-dish Arnold plates, and they are the most awesome plate I have ever used!!
Not related to the plates themselves, but I do NOT care for the Olympic bearing bar on all lifts. The easy spin of the sleeves is quite noticeable...especially on bench. As the weight gets heavier I'm having to use wrist wraps when using that bar. My next purchase is probably going to be a proper power bar.
Coop's been helping me more than I would have thought,thanks for all your home gym advice!.
Nothing better than the sound of iron plates!
10lbs and below I use iron. 15 and above I use bumpers. I don’t lift super heavy so the width isn’t an issue for me.
This makes me sad 😭
For the budget-minded: Signature Fitness cheap amazon plates have worked fine for me (home gym use). I'm not dropping steel plates anyway. Otherwise, I'd go for the standard rogue 45lb plates, at 155 dollars per pair, that's pretty hard to beat imo.
Haven't had any issues with the CAP barbell bumpers either, but I'm not dropping from overhead anymore (I use to bumpers honestly to protect my floor). I'm happy with my cheap amazon plates, they're not stuck outside in the rain, and I could care less if the paint chips a bit.
Now, if I didn't care about cost, yeah I'd probably get the Strength Co, after shipping a pair of 45's is 20 bucks less than the deep dish.
Strength Co entirely slept on 😳
I got my first plates (and bar) today. They are Rogue bumper 2.0 (colored ones) with an Ohio bar because there was a guy selling them for a good price on Facebook marketplace. Have only tried them out on a few deadlifts, but like them so far. I hate my equipment making noise, so I'm glad I've found bumpers.
The home gym is slowly coming together finally. So ready to cancel my gym membership.
I wish width was a problem Even on a one rep max deadlift the crum rubber plates aren't an issue haha... one day!
Love the sound of iron. Bumpers are bulky, difficult to grip and just go thud when deadlifting. Meh. I went with StrengthCo plates - great finish and accurate. Good hardware makes training more enjoyable.
I love iron clanging sound but rubber coated tri holed ones are easier to grab
Don’t let analysis by paralysis stop you from getting going. Anything is way better than nothing. Get strong now. If feel, fit and durability are priorities- the heirloom quality Strength Co plates are the best.
I got a set of Fringe rubber plates thinking i would be doing more oly lifts before switching to more powerlifting movements. Yeah, I might get a few iron 45's if my deadlift goes up much more.
I mix, 45 fat bumpers for when the bar is contacting the ground, iron for everything else.
Titan Fitness plates are great bumpers, free shipping when I purchased them (maybe if you spend enough) and one of my 45s got lost in shipping and the USA manufacturer shipped me another no questions asked.
I have both, mostly iron plates though. I do have a set of bumpers for Olympic lifts and deadlift. My iron plates are a mix of used plates but my bumpers are all fringe sport.
I have a bunch of crumb rubber from when I did more oly lifting, but I rarely do that anymore so transitioning over to iron since I do more powerlifting and have gotten stronger. I'm running into not enough room for the rubber plates on the bar so need something slim. Love the thorough video, Coop, think I'll go Rogue or Rep iron. Thanks!
I use a combo of both, the first 2 on deadlifts are bumpers and then irons from there. Loading a squat or bench with bumpers is annoying and you run out of room on the bar.
I really like the slight clinking when you pull iron plates up and down.
I for my basement gym, I prefer a mix. I love the sound of metal clanging together on squats, but, with only a 1” thick weight room floor, for deadlifting, I appreciate one or two bumper plates to lessen the sound on the “downstroke”. That said, for deadlifts, adding the smaller diameter iron plates (once you’ve already loaded some bumpers) is easier than having to lift or jack the bar to add full diameter bumpers. Again, give me a mix.
The deep dish plates are okay (trendy) but I think you are underrating the coolness of The Strength Co plates. You can fit more of them on a bar and they have a cool design based on old school iron, and they are impeccably finished and e-coated shiny black. The 45s are killer but even the 1.25lb ones look really good. Also made in 🇺🇸!
As casual lifter - almost any weights are acceptable - CAP sells a generic weight plate that's less than a buck a pound from amazon. They seem fine even though they do smell like a tire lol (bumper plates)
anyone have a good recommendation for bumper plates that hold up well for use in an outdoor gym? I know coop mentioned the high temps in the video just didn't know if anyone else had any thoughts. thank you and great vid as always coop!
The sound of irons cool when I had a good nights sleep and my glycogen stores are high. When I’m tired and cutting weight there are few things more grating to my ears than the sound of the iron 😂
Strength Co iron plates
Weight it Out new bumpers coming out are gonna be game changers!
I love the clank. I'm not dropping anything. I enjoy smooth control and there is just something about loading iron on the bar. I have a few different brands. Cap, barbell, Titan, and fray. I was most disappointed in the Fray cast iron. They fit tight on my barbell and storage horns. I contacted fray and they said "yeh, well, manufacturers are different, sorry for your luck". I really want some of those "pretty" Rogue or rep you spoke of at the end, but I'm on a CAP budget. Lol. Oh, the Titans I have are really nice and prolly my favorite.
I actually really want that puffy jacket, where did you get it?
I really feel like the best way to go are training bumper plates (similar width but a bit cheaper than competition plates). It sucks to be restricted by either the width of your bumper plates or the brittleness/floor impact of iron.
I have the everyday essentials from Walmart haha. So happy with them AND WALMART SENT ME AN EXTRA SET OF EACH ! So I bought a 150lb set and got 300lbs in the mail 😂👍 thank you Walmart ... I've. Noticed this happens a lot with them
Karma will catch up with you. It always does.
Bumpers are more versatile if you intend to involve some Oly lifting in your regimen. 630 pounds is gonna be plenty for the non-professional trainee. Just get some extra iron/calibrated plates if you ever progress above that.
Coop, that jacket is unreal! Where did you find it? I came for advice on what plates to buy and left wanting advice on where to find a new jacket.
I went with Rep’s rubber coated iron plates because of the cut outs for ease of moving them around.
I like the sound of iron.
I have both iron and bumper. I started with bumper plates. But, I found that I prefer iron. I have a set of Rogue MilSpec bumper plates, a set of Vulcan Alpha bumper plates, and a set of Strength Co iron plates. Eventually, the goal is to add another plate tree. One for bumper plates and one for iron plates. I want to get some more Strength Co plates.