I live 5 miles from a really great used sporting goods store made my home gym with used equipment made my own pulley system and my own squat rack 65.5 years old still lifting
Bro, the cast iron plates don’t come seasoned. You just gotta break em in a bit, follow these steps: Scrub plate well in hot soapy water. Dry thoroughly. Spread a thin layer of melted shortening or vegetable oil over the plate. Place it upside down on a middle oven rack at 375°. (Place foil on a lower rack to catch drips.) Bake 1 hour; let cool in the oven.
Me: is content with home gym, total is 1200$ Brandon: I'd rather spend a little money more long term Me: ok, ur right Also Me: total after new purchases, 10,000$
My York new standard plates are pretty good. All my 45’s are within 2% based on my digital scale. York rep told me me they switched foundries recently and the standard plates are molded very accurately and they will be moving the milled plates to that facility too. The Rep recommended them over their milled for the price savings. I’m very happy with them.
Yes, please do a bumper plate video. Cost vs quality comparison like this one, as well as the different materials used and their benefits. Love your videos and thank you for letting the world know about Strong Arm bars.
The old cast iron plates from the 70's are more accurate. I bought a pair of Cap plates, poor quality to say the least. My 40 year old Weider kilo set is surprisingly accurate.
That's not always true if you ever weighed the old York plates back in The early 90s they were certainly not accurate, and that comes from having weighed them as they get weighed for comps .
I am still using my weider plates I bought when in high school '78. Surprisingly accurate, a 10lb plate is 10lb plate. I got the 'fancy' ones with the gold finish. LOL!. Still using the wooden bench I built in wood shop class. Working my way to a 4 x my age bench next Jan, 2022 when I will turn 60. - Cheers
I have weighed a bunch of metal plates at the gym I go to. I just weighed them on the scales and wrote on them what they actually are. The diameter is all the same for most 45 pounds plates but They vary from 41 pounds to 47 pounds. When you are benching in the 500-700 pound range a few pounds can really throw you off.
I have collected a 600 plus lb set of 12 sided Marcy grip plates I restored in hammertone gray. Very proud of these even if slightly heavier than stamped weight.
Last month, I bought 12 45lb cast iron plates from Titan Fitness. They were on sale, and had (and still have) free shipping and arrived in a couple of days. They are stated spec'd within 2% weight, "448 mm" in diameter and with a 50.5mm center hole. I found all of this to be true once they arrived. I weighed each plate and found them within 1% if I'm not mistaken. Center holes I measured with a caliper and found them all to be 50.55 to 50.7 mm, and the 2 mm difference in the plate diameter seemed to be just to say they aren't 450 (compared to the two old standard 45's I had - they seemed to match up exactly). I had a couple of small chips in the finish, and one of the center holes seemed a little rough (turned out to just be a finish imperfections). I still can't tell if I lucked out or if they are really that good, but I was impressed with the purchase. The boxes called them "calibrated" plates, but they seem like they mean they were machined after casting. I was going to get the York G-2 cast iron grip plates (which were\are also on sale) but weren't spec'd to a percentage and would have run an extra $125 in shipping. However the price with shipping is currently less than the non-sale price of the Titans. Not that you are looking for them, nor do I still think you'd seriously look at them now, but I thought the info was relevant to the video topic.
Glad to hear! I remember when they first came out with these, they advertised them as regular diameter but were actually only 15" so they pulled them all from the site.
I got pretty lucky with the CAP plates I bought, they're all within a couple of lbs of each other. The price was hard to pass up, so I bit the bullet on them.
@@davideldridge1124 yeah, and it will wobble like crazy. Ive had 325kg on the bar with mostly comp steel plated. Felt more comfortable than 250kg in bumper plates (equipped benchpress). And that was with a powerbar.
I have the 360lb set of echo bumpers. They are only off by ounces and both plates weigh the exact same. I also have iron plates from rogue they range from 43.5-44.8 lbs, not terrible.
Do one about dinner plates? Plain or patented, floral or abstract, China or earthenware, these are the question we need answers to. Nice video. I think the morale of the story is you get what you pay for.
Great video. I found the best bang for the buck is if you can find used old York American cast steel plates. Milled ones are a bonus. Actually cobbled a set together at my firehouse gym from all the weights at the different stations in town. Especially when they have a nice patina to them. Pretty much all cast plates come out of China nowadays. I think Iron Grip is the last American company casting general usage plates.
This gonna lead us eventually to what you decided to go with? I learned something new today.....didn’t realize that cast & milled were actually different.
I'll get there, not sure these videos will be a clear path like the rack series though, people just seemed to want to know why I did/didn't go with certain plates.
@@blairbennett3493 On craigslist Boston if you search for Olympic plates it's a guy named Tom. Great guy and he typically has pallets of plates and other gear. Sorry I can't be more descript I haven't got his information handy
I have a standard diameter 45lb bumper plate. All my iron plates are smaller than that, so deadlift is at the right high, but i hace a deadlift bar so i don't get the full benefit of it. Works for my home gym
@@BasementBrandon I am about to have the same setup as 24mrich. deadlift bar, 2 45 rogue bumpers at standard height, the rest of my 45's are Weider iron cast with smaller diameter. Why does 24mrich say "don't get the full benefit of it"? would a deadlift bar's efficiency somehow be impacted by there being weights that don't touch the ground? Hopefully you can clear this up for me because I hope that's not the case. I understand the impact going to the 2 bigger plates could damage them over time but unfortunately I don't have any other options at the moment. Ive seen people drop 700+ with a similar setup without damaging the larger plates before... so hoping I will have the same luck as them. Any feedback would be appreciated!
@@chrisweintraub3245 I think the thought was that since all plates aren’t touching you won’t get as much whip (benefit of deadlift bar) but in my experience it has no impact.
I’ve got 45lb, 35lb , 25lbs, 10lbs and 2.5lbs all standard barbell weight plates and they do the job. Those weights has help built me a great body and has got me very strong! These were pasted down from my grandpa, they are still in great condition and I still use them now. I feel no need to buy expensive weights when these are perfect in my opinion but what works for me might not work for anyone else…
I want to see a video of best number plates that are not too pricey or cheap bumpers that are not tire crumb. Thanks love the content been watching you for years.
Understand the concept of plates having variable weight differences, but as long as they match , such as brand. I'm good with it. Thanks for the great information
Over weight plates can be drilled with a press to lighten them and create uniformity, but it's probably more trouble than it's worth. I do like the vintage small plates for loading dumbbell handles, they have a nice look in a home gym.
Basically: if you’re just trying to get big at home and not participate in professional competitions you’re okay going the cheap route, but consider that cast iron plates can be wrong by usually ~5 pounds (up or down)
Around 2015 I picked up some used Weider plates and an Olympic bar for $200 cad. 22, 33, 44 lbs. I finally refinished then this weekend. Time to weigh them and see how accurate they are. The only issue I have is I purchased a tree to hold them and these weights scrape up the arms and also are chipping away at the plastic end caps. Otherwise no issues.
2" difference in diameter =/= 2" difference in distance of bar from ground... It would be only a 1" difference, but your point is still valid, since an inch could be significant on a heavy deadlift.
@@BasementBrandon Right, but the difference in distance from the floor would be the same as the difference in radius, not diameter... It would be half the difference in diameter, just as the radius is half the diameter. Once more, your point is valid, your math is just off. I'm currently pulling with a cheap set that is just under 16", but that only puts me less than an inch closer to the floor than the olympic standard. I got a cheap 300 lb. set (just started lifting this year at 56 y/o), and I need some more weight. I'm trying to decide whether it makes sense to spring for a beefier set rather than just buying plates because my bar is only rated at 300 lbs. I thought about getting another 300 lb. set for $200 for the plates, then see how long it takes to destroy the cheap bar, but that will leave me almost certainly needing to still get a better bar, but stuck with a bunch of cheap plates... I'm poor, so money is an issue. I don't even have a rack yet, so I'm loading squats from my bench, which is not even close to optimum. I have to lift it from pretty low, and can't get directly under the bar to do so.
Yes please do the machined and calibrated. As I'm rebuilding, I'm leaning toward calibrated for best accuracy, so would love your thoughts, and hell why not bumpers too :)
Well, I dunno. Bought all my 45 and 100lb Oly plates (4x100 and 14x45) on craigslist and they all seem to be the same diameter. My old Weider 44's are a tad smaller so I put them on last.
I have a bunch of plates that are over the rated weight, and a few below. Got them stickered so i use the lower ones on my weaker days and higher ones on the stronger days. It all comes down to budget though. Who wouldn't want 2 full sets of calibrated zink coated plates
I didn't know about the diameter thing. But I think for me it's just another thing to look out for when buying used. The weight variance is not a big deal because you can weigh plates and just buy the ones within a pound or less.
I care about all that but I have no other choice but to get the cast iron. 3 kids one on the way no way I can get some of them nice ones. Maybe I'll put it on my bucket list. I will say for the cheap ones that I do have I guess I got lucky because they all the same size the center hole same size and they do weigh on point. Bedside to it is like you said my deadlift I have to control it all the way down and I cannot bench too much because I'll be afraid to drop my weights off onto the floor, well cuz it could be ugly. But I do appreciate you for your heartbreaking but honest truth about the weights.
i have one set of cheapies,”vtx”, and i use them thusly. deadlift day i put 3 yorks and then when i get to 4 plates i slide on the cheapies which have a smaller diameter and go on oh so easy, and there you have it friends!!!!
As far as getting plates for SBD using a Rogue Ohio power bar, what's the best bang for the buck on 45s? Most important thing to me is the center hole tolerance/slop on the bar while deadlifting.
@@BasementBrandon Thanks for the reply!! I've had my eyes on the Rogue deep dish and the Hansu deep dish. Think I'd be happy moving to either of those from my old school cast plates I have now?
Man, I have an entire gym in my basement: rack, cable machine, lat pull, etc. I bought all of my equipment in 2000 and for weight plates I got CAP cast iron. Never had a problem with them. Also, I spent about $15,000.00 for my gym equipment and that was in 2000. Cast iron plates were 47 cents/lb where steel plates were close to 4-5 dollars/lb. I couldn't afford any more. If I bought my stuff now, I know it would easily run over $30,000.00+.
Cheap plates are the worst. I bought cheap cast iron plates a few months back because they were on sale. I had to wait 2 months for them to arrive because they were out of stock. When I used them for the first time I noticed that the bar felt miss loaded so I weighed the plates. The lightest one was 20kg (44.1lbs) and the heaviest was 22.5kg (49.6lbs). The average weight was 21.1kg (46.5lbs). I contacted the company about this and they let me send the stuff back and get all my money back. The whole process of sending the weights back took about 6 hours. I basically waited 2 months for 6 hours of work. Never in my life will I ever buy cheap weights again :/ Usually I like the higher end stuff when it comes to training and I don't mind spending extra. The reason I went cheap was because there is a lot of people on the internet saying that "weight is weight" and "what weight you use don't matter". I would like to take this opportunity to tell those people tho go F themselves :P I 100% agree with Brandon on this one.
sam wroblewski It would not feel right to have nice equipment with garbage plates. Kinda like building a 3k computer with a 20 dollar mouse and keyboard :P
@@hampusbrydling6459 not really. Gains are gains I'm in this to put in work, not flex on Instagram. If you're not competing or practicing Olympic lifts the equipment starts mattering less and less. Order of importance goes bar > rack > weights.
Why are eleiko plates so much thinner yet weigh the same or more than standard weights of the same diameter? What are they made of? Some cast iron seems to be denser than others.
@@BasementBrandon I've been looking into this and have come to the conclusion that competition plates are thinner because they are made out of cast steel and not cast iron. Conventional plates are cast iron. Cast steel is heavier and denser. That's why they are able to be thinner.
Is it ok as long as one pair (or more) of the weights are 45cm in diameter? The set I'm looking at is 45 at the higher weights, but gets smaller as it goes lower.
I had a few cast iron plates that were fine, pretty accurate, a bit small, but uniform. Needed another set a few years later, same manufacturer, same shop. They are smaller, have a different color, and one plate is 1 kg too light. My OCD is raging hard even by looking at the plates on the bar.
More videos!!! Also it would be really nice to have a , home gym build if you live in Europe, there is not that much info running around. Saw some good reviews on ATX racks but thats about it. Great Vids !
Hey Brandon, any experience with Bells of Steel? They’re a Canadian company and have the cheapest prices I’ve found plus free shipping. I have their reverse hyper (they call it “back swing”) machine and love it so far. Might be popular amongst the budget-conscious folk like myself. Thanks man
How much does a tight fitting plate reduce the volume of the bar hitting the plate? I've noticed that my deadlifts are insanely loud even with my rubber tiles and trying to control the bar. what I just figured out earlier is that its the bar hitting the plate. Trying to solve this.
Great advice all around. Being that I was buying during COVID, quality plates were unobtainable even online in a lot of cases. Also, a lot of the used CAP plates were going for $3 per pound which beyond stupid. I go a hold of a smaller set used for $1.50, cast Sports Authority. They do exhibit some of the problems discussed but I am ok with it given they are pandemic plates. I can’t wait to buy some decent machines plates from Rogue once they are actually in stock.
Hi Brandon, have you noticed if the metal insert on bumper plates or the iron plates cause a difference in more or less wear and tear on the barbell sleeves?
Ha, this video made me run down stairs and weigh my plates. I have "standard" cast Iron plates that I ordered from Rogue. Went with cast Iron because of the low cost and because I like the sound of metal plates clanging. Anyway all mine seem to be a pound or two heavier than what they are supposed to weigh.
Brandon Campbell Diamond that’s a good point, and thanks for the reply. I started a channel recently so I’m trying to pick up little tips like that from successful youtubers.
Will you please do a review on bumper plates budget bumper plates and high quality bumper plates reviews thanks appreciate your videos keep up the good work two health and fitness
Great video. My plates at the moment (REP V2) have an overall diameter of 17.5 inches. It is about a quarter inch off of comp specs. I have a set of comp bumpers and when I lay them on top of the comp bumpers the difference in diameter is there but not glaring. That is why I have been looking at strength co plates. What do you think? Issue or non issue?
I wish watched this video before I started building my home gym. I didn’t buy a lot so that’s ok. I started buying used Olympic 2” weight plates. They are from the 70-80s. And they are machined. Troy and AFS plate weights. Well used but I’m prob gonna refurb them to remove the rust.
Hi Brandon, How do you even go about finding plates when everything is sold out online? I don't want to pay for shipping, and the only two sites I've come across that offer free shipping are Fringesport and Vulcan Strength.
Even sites that offer "free shipping" usually has those fees built into the product cost. Stuff doesn't last long in stock these days so you have to check daily.
Yeah. I bought a cheap, home gym. I assumed everything was "standard" and after a few workouts started strutting around the house marveling at how quickly I was gettin' powerful. Then I weighed my cheap, Chinese bar and realized it was only 37 pounds. Wind outta my sails. So, being the OCD guy I am, I bought a brand new Ohio Bar. Now I'm lifting my cheap, non-standard, too short, cast iron plates in style....
Benefit of using cheap plates: I immediately added 8 pounds to all my lifts when I took the time to weigh my VTX pos 45s. The cheap Rogue plates I bought were right on the money...No gains at all.
@@BasementBrandon Hmmm. Only a $50 difference in price. That makes it a difficult choice. The Rep one looks more like the Rogue ab2 bench. Which is$800.
@@BasementBrandon ya man I failed a lift recently with cast iron plates and I wondered why it felt so heavy. This has convinced me to use machined or calibrated plates at my gym.
When buying weights at walmart, grab a scale from the bathroom department and bring it to the weights. Save yourself the trip. Lol
😝
i understand its not cool to reply to old comments but i thank you a lot for your incredible idea
That’s if you trust the accuracy of a bathroom scale. ☝️🥴
@@EnlightenedRogue24 both very good points 👍
I'll actually did that, saved a ton of money cause I just need them to be accurate in the weight :)
I live 5 miles from a really great used sporting goods store made my home gym with used equipment made my own pulley system and my own squat rack 65.5 years old still lifting
Nice dude!
Bro, the cast iron plates don’t come seasoned. You just gotta break em in a bit, follow these steps:
Scrub plate well in hot soapy water.
Dry thoroughly.
Spread a thin layer of melted shortening or vegetable oil over the plate.
Place it upside down on a middle oven rack at 375°. (Place foil on a lower rack to catch drips.)
Bake 1 hour; let cool in the oven.
sounds like a better use for them
😂
now I know what I was doing wrong
Make them more rust resistant, and if done correctly, theyll be a beautiful shiny black :)
I mean it works with cast iron pans, why not with plates!
Me: is content with home gym, total is 1200$
Brandon: I'd rather spend a little money more long term
Me: ok, ur right
Also Me: total after new purchases, 10,000$
Erick Heera I feel this
Haha easy for it to get out of hand!
Thats alil culty
*People in the USA right now* $1200 you say? 🧐
@tahlin how do i get a mold for them
I am shocked at how many comments Brandon reads and replied to. It’s impressive. I don’t know how you have time for all of them.
Hah if I keep up on them for a few minutes each day it's not that bad!
You definitely gotta do the bumper plate video now🤷🏽♂️
Looks like it.
😱
@@BasementBrandon Fringe Sport bumpers too! They've got a crazy durable design.
ALL THE VIDEOS. I'M EATING THESE UP LIKE BREAKFAST. I promise Im not yelling. Just excited. I love you, dad.
hey now
My York new standard plates are pretty good. All my 45’s are within 2% based on my digital scale. York rep told me me they switched foundries recently and the standard plates are molded very accurately and they will be moving the milled plates to that facility too. The Rep recommended them over their milled for the price savings. I’m very happy with them.
Good to know!
You got a link for purchase on those plates !!
Yes, please do a bumper plate video. Cost vs quality comparison like this one, as well as the different materials used and their benefits. Love your videos and thank you for letting the world know about Strong Arm bars.
Thanks Robert!
I want all the videos MR. Diamond
Hey now
The old cast iron plates from the 70's are more accurate. I bought a pair of Cap plates, poor quality to say the least. My 40 year old Weider kilo set is surprisingly accurate.
Agree, the old plates (even machined/milled) seemed to be so much better.
That's not always true if you ever weighed the old York plates back in The early 90s they were certainly not accurate, and that comes from having weighed them as they get weighed for comps .
I am still using my weider plates I bought when in high school '78. Surprisingly accurate, a 10lb plate is 10lb plate. I got the 'fancy' ones with the gold finish. LOL!.
Still using the wooden bench I built in wood shop class. Working my way to a 4 x my age bench next Jan, 2022 when I will turn 60. - Cheers
Great vid! I’ve weighed so many cast irons and they’re always off! I explain that to my clients all the time! Same with the dumbbells.
You know I never even considered dumbbells being off!
I have weighed a bunch of metal plates at the gym I go to. I just weighed them on the scales and wrote on them what they actually are. The diameter is all the same for most 45 pounds plates but They vary from 41 pounds to 47 pounds. When you are benching in the 500-700 pound range a few pounds can really throw you off.
Wouldn't know :(
I have collected a 600 plus lb set of 12 sided Marcy grip plates I restored in hammertone gray. Very proud of these even if slightly heavier than stamped weight.
Nicely done!
Please teach us about bumber plates. q: Are they as or even more variable than iron?
Depends on the type! But I can probably do a video.
Brandon Campbell Diamond yes pls! Thanks!!
Only down fall to bumpers they bounce to much doing deadlifts
Yeah, count me into the bumper plate video-wanting camp.
Not that I haven't already bought bumper plates, but, well...
Haha will do
Last month, I bought 12 45lb cast iron plates from Titan Fitness. They were on sale, and had (and still have) free shipping and arrived in a couple of days. They are stated spec'd within 2% weight, "448 mm" in diameter and with a 50.5mm center hole. I found all of this to be true once they arrived. I weighed each plate and found them within 1% if I'm not mistaken. Center holes I measured with a caliper and found them all to be 50.55 to 50.7 mm, and the 2 mm difference in the plate diameter seemed to be just to say they aren't 450 (compared to the two old standard 45's I had - they seemed to match up exactly). I had a couple of small chips in the finish, and one of the center holes seemed a little rough (turned out to just be a finish imperfections). I still can't tell if I lucked out or if they are really that good, but I was impressed with the purchase. The boxes called them "calibrated" plates, but they seem like they mean they were machined after casting. I was going to get the York G-2 cast iron grip plates (which were\are also on sale) but weren't spec'd to a percentage and would have run an extra $125 in shipping. However the price with shipping is currently less than the non-sale price of the Titans.
Not that you are looking for them, nor do I still think you'd seriously look at them now, but I thought the info was relevant to the video topic.
Glad to hear! I remember when they first came out with these, they advertised them as regular diameter but were actually only 15" so they pulled them all from the site.
Please do a video on bumpers from Rogue 🤞👍
Dakota Platz yes!
I can likely do that, anything specific you'd like to see?
@@BasementBrandon At least something on Comp vs Training. Maybe something about that urethane stuff
I agree, Rogue echo bumpers 👍
Eleiko too
I got pretty lucky with the CAP plates I bought, they're all within a couple of lbs of each other. The price was hard to pass up, so I bit the bullet on them.
Nice!
Rogue echo bumpers, 1% weight difference and I believe $129 for a pair of 45s. Cheap af
But you can't fit much weight on the bar with them
You can fit 605lbs on a bar with them. Not a huge amount but with even 2 calibrated plates it can easily hold enough.
Def some good value.
@@davideldridge1124 yeah, and it will wobble like crazy. Ive had 325kg on the bar with mostly comp steel plated. Felt more comfortable than 250kg in bumper plates (equipped benchpress). And that was with a powerbar.
I have the 360lb set of echo bumpers. They are only off by ounces and both plates weigh the exact same. I also have iron plates from rogue they range from 43.5-44.8 lbs, not terrible.
Do one about dinner plates? Plain or patented, floral or abstract, China or earthenware, these are the question we need answers to.
Nice video. I think the morale of the story is you get what you pay for.
Paper plates FTW
@@BasementBrandon paper plates suffer from a lack of rigidity, inches matter here Brandon. No one wants a floppy... plate 👍
Good information as always, I was originally going to go with the cheaper plates, but will not be doing that now, thx!
All depends on what you want to get out of it!
Great video. I found the best bang for the buck is if you can find used old York American cast steel plates. Milled ones are a bonus. Actually cobbled a set together at my firehouse gym from all the weights at the different stations in town. Especially when they have a nice patina to them. Pretty much all cast plates come out of China nowadays. I think Iron Grip is the last American company casting general usage plates.
Right on!
Bumper plates next please! What are your thoughts on Titan Fitness bumper plates?
I've heard good things actually
Hi Temp bumper plates. Work great for my routine. Involves a little bit of dropping, but not excessive.
S E my issue there is you can’t fit more than 4 per side, so pretty limited in progression.
Brandon Campbell Diamond that’s because you are an animal!
But I agree, for powerlifting it is not ideal.
This gonna lead us eventually to what you decided to go with? I learned something new today.....didn’t realize that cast & milled were actually different.
I'll get there, not sure these videos will be a clear path like the rack series though, people just seemed to want to know why I did/didn't go with certain plates.
There are a few guys near Boston that I get my plates from. They buy in bulk and sell used plates fairly cheap. Look on craigslist
Right on
@@BasementBrandon Often times they've got decent stuff. I got some nice Ivanko revolvers from them 😉
@@stevemf11 who is it? Im moving to Boston and will be looking for some gear soon
@@blairbennett3493 On craigslist Boston if you search for Olympic plates it's a guy named Tom. Great guy and he typically has pallets of plates and other gear. Sorry I can't be more descript I haven't got his information handy
Steve thanks a bunch! That helps
Yess. We need a bumper plate video too
Gotcha
I have a standard diameter 45lb bumper plate. All my iron plates are smaller than that, so deadlift is at the right high, but i hace a deadlift bar so i don't get the full benefit of it. Works for my home gym
I had issues with a set up like that (the captain america plates), as when the weight got heavy all the impact just went to the 2 bigger plates.
@@BasementBrandon I am about to have the same setup as 24mrich. deadlift bar, 2 45 rogue bumpers at standard height, the rest of my 45's are Weider iron cast with smaller diameter. Why does 24mrich say "don't get the full benefit of it"? would a deadlift bar's efficiency somehow be impacted by there being weights that don't touch the ground? Hopefully you can clear this up for me because I hope that's not the case. I understand the impact going to the 2 bigger plates could damage them over time but unfortunately I don't have any other options at the moment. Ive seen people drop 700+ with a similar setup without damaging the larger plates before... so hoping I will have the same luck as them. Any feedback would be appreciated!
@@chrisweintraub3245 I think the thought was that since all plates aren’t touching you won’t get as much whip (benefit of deadlift bar) but in my experience it has no impact.
Once I weighed some plates on a bad scale. Talk about total mess!:)
Hah yeah that's a good point, most people dont' have calibrated scales anyways!
I’ve got 45lb, 35lb , 25lbs, 10lbs and 2.5lbs all standard barbell weight plates and they do the job. Those weights has help built me a great body and has got me very strong! These were pasted down from my grandpa, they are still in great condition and I still use them now. I feel no need to buy expensive weights when these are perfect in my opinion but what works for me might not work for anyone else…
some people starting new might not have that option, but totally get it!
I want to see a video of best number plates that are not too pricey or cheap bumpers that are not tire crumb. Thanks love the content been watching you for years.
Great suggestion!
Understand the concept of plates having variable weight differences, but as long as they match , such as brand. I'm good with it. Thanks for the great information
Yeah def doesn't matter for all!
The problem is that they never match. You end up with a different amount of weight on each side of the bar.
Over weight plates can be drilled with a press to lighten them and create uniformity, but it's probably more trouble than it's worth. I do like the vintage small plates for loading dumbbell handles, they have a nice look in a home gym.
If you take the time to drill you could always calibrate them yourself too, as you mention, prob not worth it thought!
I bought a pair of cast iron from REP and one is 44.6, the other 45.4, pretty happy with that. 129.99 free shipping and no tax.
Right on!
Basically: if you’re just trying to get big at home and not participate in professional competitions you’re okay going the cheap route, but consider that cast iron plates can be wrong by usually ~5 pounds (up or down)
Really just depends like most things in life.
Around 2015 I picked up some used Weider plates and an Olympic bar for $200 cad. 22, 33, 44 lbs. I finally refinished then this weekend. Time to weigh them and see how accurate they are. The only issue I have is I purchased a tree to hold them and these weights scrape up the arms and also are chipping away at the plastic end caps. Otherwise no issues.
Nice!
2" difference in diameter =/= 2" difference in distance of bar from ground... It would be only a 1" difference, but your point is still valid, since an inch could be significant on a heavy deadlift.
I'm using rough numbers. Some plates are more or less than a 2" difference
@@BasementBrandon
Right, but the difference in distance from the floor would be the same as the difference in radius, not diameter... It would be half the difference in diameter, just as the radius is half the diameter. Once more, your point is valid, your math is just off. I'm currently pulling with a cheap set that is just under 16", but that only puts me less than an inch closer to the floor than the olympic standard. I got a cheap 300 lb. set (just started lifting this year at 56 y/o), and I need some more weight. I'm trying to decide whether it makes sense to spring for a beefier set rather than just buying plates because my bar is only rated at 300 lbs. I thought about getting another 300 lb. set for $200 for the plates, then see how long it takes to destroy the cheap bar, but that will leave me almost certainly needing to still get a better bar, but stuck with a bunch of cheap plates... I'm poor, so money is an issue. I don't even have a rack yet, so I'm loading squats from my bench, which is not even close to optimum. I have to lift it from pretty low, and can't get directly under the bar to do so.
Yes please do the machined and calibrated. As I'm rebuilding, I'm leaning toward calibrated for best accuracy, so would love your thoughts, and hell why not bumpers too :)
Lol
A reduction in diameter of 2.00" will only drop you 1.00"...
You get the point
You and Coop have helped me a lot in my purchases, Thanks
Glad to help
Well, I dunno. Bought all my 45 and 100lb Oly plates (4x100 and 14x45) on craigslist and they all seem to be the same diameter. My old Weider 44's are a tad smaller so I put them on last.
Yeah those old Weiders are notorious for being smaller!
I have a bunch of plates that are over the rated weight, and a few below. Got them stickered so i use the lower ones on my weaker days and higher ones on the stronger days.
It all comes down to budget though. Who wouldn't want 2 full sets of calibrated zink coated plates
appreciate the response
talk about bumpers. me weightlift. me like bumpers
Will do
I didn't know about the diameter thing. But I think for me it's just another thing to look out for when buying used. The weight variance is not a big deal because you can weigh plates and just buy the ones within a pound or less.
Def true.
Finally! I’ve been waiting for the plate videos.
Hah will get to them all eventually!
Me: Standard plates are 45 centimeters
Brandon: 450 m i l i m e t e r s
Every millimeter matters!
I care about all that but I have no other choice but to get the cast iron. 3 kids one on the way no way I can get some of them nice ones. Maybe I'll put it on my bucket list. I will say for the cheap ones that I do have I guess I got lucky because they all the same size the center hole same size and they do weigh on point. Bedside to it is like you said my deadlift I have to control it all the way down and I cannot bench too much because I'll be afraid to drop my weights off onto the floor, well cuz it could be ugly. But I do appreciate you for your heartbreaking but honest truth about the weights.
Awesome to hear, congrats on the 4th!
Love the Crowder reference😂
I missed it. What was it?
Darren Cunningham it’s about 20 seconds into the video
It's the "change my mind" guy :)
@@BasementBrandon Duh. Thanks guys!
i have one set of cheapies,”vtx”, and i use them thusly. deadlift day i put 3 yorks and then when i get to 4 plates i slide on the cheapies which have a smaller diameter and go on oh so easy, and there you have it friends!!!!
Haha smart thinking! VTX is owned by Troy I believe.
I just purchased 2 sets of Rogue Olympic plate, the standard barbell. I'm very happy, the plates fit snug over the bar and the weight is dead on...
nice!
Dig the video! Bumpers next!
Haha will likely get to it at some point.
As far as getting plates for SBD using a Rogue Ohio power bar, what's the best bang for the buck on 45s? Most important thing to me is the center hole tolerance/slop on the bar while deadlifting.
finding some well priced machined plates IMO. The better plates will list their tolerance in the specs.
@@BasementBrandon Thanks for the reply!! I've had my eyes on the Rogue deep dish and the Hansu deep dish. Think I'd be happy moving to either of those from my old school cast plates I have now?
@@eriatarka1983 maybe. if you really want new plates yes. If yours are passible now, it prob won't be that much of an upgrade.
@@BasementBrandon The situation is that I've gotten too strong for the number of plates I have (good problem to have I suppose).
The jokes, the inches... hahahah oh man. You don’t find anyone else doing humor and gym reviews like this hahah
Niche market :)
Thumbs up just for the Crowder nod 👍 Nice place info as well though.
Thanks man!
Calibrated plates have a calibration plug. Is there a DIY option for calibrating cast iron plates?
Could prob just use some magnets I guess?
@@BasementBrandon I have BOS cast iron plates on the way. I’ll report back.
bumper plates. I work out solo and I want to be able to dump them if I need to
Gotcha
Please make a bumper video
Will try to get to that.
Just sold my 35 lbs pair for $159. Adding that towards the 6 shooters when in stock!
Damn it!
You’ll definitely need to use the rogue stock bot to have a chance at buying those. Probably won’t even be in stock for a minute.
Man, I have an entire gym in my basement: rack, cable machine, lat pull, etc. I bought all of my equipment in 2000 and for weight plates I got CAP cast iron. Never had a problem with them. Also, I spent about $15,000.00 for my gym equipment and that was in 2000. Cast iron plates were 47 cents/lb where steel plates were close to 4-5 dollars/lb. I couldn't afford any more. If I bought my stuff now, I know it would easily run over $30,000.00+.
I think you could come in under those numbers if you shopped around, some great offerings these days, just depends on what kind of build you want!
2:33 What type of plate would you use for snatch?
bumpers
Cheap plates are the worst. I bought cheap cast iron plates a few months back because they were on sale. I had to wait 2 months for them to arrive because they were out of stock. When I used them for the first time I noticed that the bar felt miss loaded so I weighed the plates. The lightest one was 20kg (44.1lbs) and the heaviest was 22.5kg (49.6lbs). The average weight was 21.1kg (46.5lbs). I contacted the company about this and they let me send the stuff back and get all my money back. The whole process of sending the weights back took about 6 hours. I basically waited 2 months for 6 hours of work. Never in my life will I ever buy cheap weights again :/
Usually I like the higher end stuff when it comes to training and I don't mind spending extra. The reason I went cheap was because there is a lot of people on the internet saying that "weight is weight" and "what weight you use don't matter". I would like to take this opportunity to tell those people tho go F themselves :P I 100% agree with Brandon on this one.
Hampus Brydling which brand?
Or, go to used sporting goods stores and make sure the weight of the matching plates is equal.
Brandon Campbell Diamond Some imported no name plates :/
sam wroblewski It would not feel right to have nice equipment with garbage plates. Kinda like building a 3k computer with a 20 dollar mouse and keyboard :P
@@hampusbrydling6459 not really. Gains are gains I'm in this to put in work, not flex on Instagram. If you're not competing or practicing Olympic lifts the equipment starts mattering less and less. Order of importance goes bar > rack > weights.
For garage gyms... how often do you have to maintain weights, bars, etc??
Weights not much, bars depends on the finish and your environment.
Why are eleiko plates so much thinner yet weigh the same or more than standard weights of the same diameter? What are they made of? Some cast iron seems to be denser than others.
Comp plates are thinner and more accurate
@@BasementBrandon
I've been looking into this and have come to the conclusion that competition plates are thinner because they are made out of cast steel and not cast iron. Conventional plates are cast iron. Cast steel is heavier and denser. That's why they are able to be thinner.
Is it ok as long as one pair (or more) of the weights are 45cm in diameter? The set I'm looking at is 45 at the higher weights, but gets smaller as it goes lower.
In the long run it shouldn't matter too much if at all.
I had a few cast iron plates that were fine, pretty accurate, a bit small, but uniform. Needed another set a few years later, same manufacturer, same shop. They are smaller, have a different color, and one plate is 1 kg too light. My OCD is raging hard even by looking at the plates on the bar.
Hah that would drive me nuts.
Thanks for the video Brandon. Very helpful
Thanks DC!
More videos!!! Also it would be really nice to have a , home gym build if you live in Europe, there is not that much info running around. Saw some good reviews on ATX racks but thats about it.
Great Vids !
I've heard good things about ATX
I have some cap plates... Does that wobble shit all the time... Unless I have at least three plates on each side.
appreciate the feedback
Hey Brandon, any experience with Bells of Steel? They’re a Canadian company and have the cheapest prices I’ve found plus free shipping. I have their reverse hyper (they call it “back swing”) machine and love it so far. Might be popular amongst the budget-conscious folk like myself. Thanks man
I have a few of bells/strongarm bars actually! Also have heard great things about the strongarm calibratred plates.
My old University used to have cheap plates to the point where I would have to pick up a bunch of 45s before finding a pair that were the same.
Def know the feel!
How much does a tight fitting plate reduce the volume of the bar hitting the plate? I've noticed that my deadlifts are insanely loud even with my rubber tiles and trying to control the bar. what I just figured out earlier is that its the bar hitting the plate. Trying to solve this.
It can def help, but easiest/cheapest solution is to control the descent more.
Would you say Rogue bumper are higher in the spectrum of better than cast iron plates? With diameter, stated weight, finish?
They can be, but they are also pricier and take up too much room on the bar IMO
Great advice all around. Being that I was buying during COVID, quality plates were unobtainable even online in a lot of cases. Also, a lot of the used CAP plates were going for $3 per pound which beyond stupid. I go a hold of a smaller set used for $1.50, cast Sports Authority. They do exhibit some of the problems discussed but I am ok with it given they are pandemic plates. I can’t wait to buy some decent machines plates from Rogue once they are actually in stock.
Right on! In this market you get what you can while you can!
Does the same go for dumbells ? Because I feel like the weight is always different
Not to my knowledge
Shout out to louder with Crowder👍🏻🇺🇸
Hah thought it fit here
Thanks for the info!
You bet!
Hi Brandon, have you noticed if the metal insert on bumper plates or the iron plates cause a difference in more or less wear and tear on the barbell sleeves?
I haven't!
you should try telling xmark that the diameter should be 17.5". They claim that 16.5 is the standard.
Yikes they have a bunch of funky plates as is (bumps, angles, etc)
Ha, this video made me run down stairs and weigh my plates. I have "standard" cast Iron plates that I ordered from Rogue. Went with cast Iron because of the low cost and because I like the sound of metal plates clanging. Anyway all mine seem to be a pound or two heavier than what they are supposed to weigh.
Same here except my 50's, they weigh 49.6.
That's not too bad IMO, better to be lifting more than less! If they're within a pound it should be a 2% variance, which is the sweet spot.
i managed to get 2” cap plates. 505 lbs for $300. .60/lb is a steal
Nice.
What is your opinion on the REP Fitness Equalizer plates and/or REP Cast Iron plates?
The equalizer plates look good from a spec/price standpoint. They've just had issues keeping them in stock.
Good video. Here's a question not related to plates: when editing, do you set the volume higher on purpose?
I set it so that it peaks around -3db, which is considered average. I find people often don't set the volume properly (too low).
Brandon Campbell Diamond that’s a good point, and thanks for the reply. I started a channel recently so I’m trying to pick up little tips like that from successful youtubers.
Will you please do a review on bumper plates budget bumper plates and high quality bumper plates reviews thanks appreciate your videos keep up the good work two health and fitness
Check out the channel "As Many Reviews As Possible" he recently did a video that covered most of the above!
Can you self adjust a plate?
You could with weighted magnets or something I"m sure. Just not worth the hassle IMO
what about concrete weights if measured out correctly
Tend to break easily and need to be very large
Great video. My plates at the moment (REP V2) have an overall diameter of 17.5 inches. It is about a quarter inch off of comp specs. I have a set of comp bumpers and when I lay them on top of the comp bumpers the difference in diameter is there but not glaring. That is why I have been looking at strength co plates. What do you think? Issue or non issue?
Don't think it's a big issue TBH!
I would like to see a video on bumper plates, thank you
Will put it on my list.
Well thought out video. Thanks for the break down
Thanks for taking a look!
I wish watched this video before I started building my home gym. I didn’t buy a lot so that’s ok. I started buying used Olympic 2” weight plates. They are from the 70-80s. And they are machined. Troy and AFS plate weights. Well used but I’m prob gonna refurb them to remove the rust.
Troy is solid.
Hi Brandon,
How do you even go about finding plates when everything is sold out online? I don't want to pay for shipping, and the only two sites I've come across that offer free shipping are Fringesport and Vulcan Strength.
Even sites that offer "free shipping" usually has those fees built into the product cost. Stuff doesn't last long in stock these days so you have to check daily.
Yeah. I bought a cheap, home gym. I assumed everything was "standard" and after a few workouts started strutting around the house marveling at how quickly I was gettin' powerful. Then I weighed my cheap, Chinese bar and realized it was only 37 pounds. Wind outta my sails. So, being the OCD guy I am, I bought a brand new Ohio Bar. Now I'm lifting my cheap, non-standard, too short, cast iron plates in style....
Haha all good, just keep movin!
or at walmart just grab a scale in the home section and weigh them right there. or bring a scale with you wherever you buy.
I know some who have done this.
What if i put something under the irregular plates so to put it at about the same eight from the ground?
Do what you got to do!
Benefit of using cheap plates: I immediately added 8 pounds to all my lifts when I took the time to weigh my VTX pos 45s. The cheap Rogue plates I bought were right on the money...No gains at all.
Lol
Last time I was this early Brandon still rocked CrossFit plates. What do you think about the Rep Fitness zero gap incline bench?
Wild Bill looks dope but their nice stuff is creeping up in price. It’s $500 before shipping and that’s near Rogues zero gap offering
@@BasementBrandon Hmmm. Only a $50 difference in price. That makes it a difficult choice. The Rep one looks more like the Rogue ab2 bench. Which is$800.
Please do a video on those painted decorative dinner plates that old people hang on their walls.
You mean you want to see my nascar plate collection?
Got my hands on a gym that went out of business and made the choice to only buy dumbell that are over 100 lbs for rowing
Nice!
This was super informative!
Glad it was helpful!
@@BasementBrandon ya man I failed a lift recently with cast iron plates and I wondered why it felt so heavy. This has convinced me to use machined or calibrated plates at my gym.
Is the York 300lb Barbell set good?
Eh, if it's available. To be honest York has seriously dropped in quality over the decades. Their older stuff is better than the new stuff.