One of the more popular videos on my channel is "How I finally Benched 315" and some of the comments are stating that bumper plates are lighter than metal plates. Another comment is "If it ain't steel, it ain't real" and while that's a nice catch phrase, my experience tells me this is not true.
Unfortunately the scale I have at the gym is not 100% accurate, but it is precise, as made evident by the fact that I tested these weights 3 different times and found their weight to be consistent. What you'll find is that in most gyms, there is some variation in both metal AND bumper plates. Sometimes bumper plates are a little heavier or a little lighter, and the same applies for your standard gym plate.
If you can bench 315 with standard bumper plates, you can do the same with metal plates.
The exception to this is with calibrated plates. So if you're someone who is trying to squeeze out the smallest bit of progressive overload in your training, or you're a highly competitive powerlifter, you'll probably need some calibrated plates. These are very expensive, and for 99.9% of gym goers, not entirely necessary.
Metal plates are great when you're a big time squatter or deadlifter and you run out of room on the bar with bumper plates. It's also good for minimizing whip on the bar for people moving serious weight.
Bumper plates are good to save the gym floor when cleaning, snatching, and deadlifting.
Both plates have their time and place to be used, but generally speaking one isn't lighter than the other and they both have a small level of inaccuracy in my experience.
22 апр 2024
