Picking Plates - Don't Buy Bumpers 

5:00 to skip me trying to talk you out of buying bumpers.

Not one mention of filling the bar with 25s and 10s and making a 225lbs clean and jerk looking like 500lbs for IG...

I love the sound of metal plates when I'm training.

I buy them for the pretty colors.

10 pound bumper plates making cross fitters look strong since 1999

I work out in my living room with wife upstairs or in the adjacent room. I find that bumpers are just quieter overall.

As someone who will never pick up more than 600 pounds (what should be fine with comp plates), I feel like it lets me get the most use of my sleeve capacity 🤣.

Shhhh! ...I was planning on selling my "LIGHTLY USED" bumpers. You're going to chase away potential buyers.

I love how you're so calculated and thorough with your videos/ explanations. Seriously a one-stop shop for anyone who's looking to have fitness equipment at their home.

I've got some Rogue Echos with the 2.4" thickness and 1% tolerance for $1.33 per pound. They were cheaper than Rogue's machined plates, they fit on the bar beautifully, they're quiet enough that I can lift while my baby is napping, and so far I haven't needed a deadlift platform-I've been lifting on ceramic tile over concrete. If I ever deadlift more than 600 pounds, I might need to get a couple thin metal plates… but I'd be too stoked about going so far beyond my predicted genetic strength potential that I wouldn't really care. Totally stoked with bumper plates, especially considering that they're cheaper than machined plates.

Okay but how are you gonna get all those sweet IG likes squatting 375lbs without the bumper plates making it look like 600 is on the bar?

if you do any olympic style exercise in your workout, they are worth it. last thing you wanna be doing is dropping those iron cast plates flat on the ground.

Been watching your content on and off throughout the years. Finally decided to invest in a home gym. Your videos are amazing and full of great advice!

Never once heard him mention, “And you can buy 3/4” 4x6 stall mats and lay them on your floor to really deaden any sound from metal plates!” I use these and drop 90lb DBells on them and u barely heard a thud

Just buy two 20 or 15 kg bumpers for power clean/snatch and add 5/10kg steel plates when you get better. Normal people dont need 600 pounds in bumpers thats just silly.

This is great advice. It’s also easier to tell how much weight is loaded on the bar with iron plates since they aren’t all the same diameter. I went with Rep equalizers - accurate, look nice, easy to handle and great value.

Great video! I own 4 bumper plates to use for hip thrusts just for the convenience of being able to roll the bar over my legs. Most of my plates are the Dick’s Sporting Fitness Gear plates and the 45 are so small, I had to elevate them on steps or other plates. It really made me dread thrusting.

I have a set of the fringe sport comp bumpers and love them. Would recommend to anyone. I don’t do a lot of oly lifting but it’s nice to be able to work it into a routine. Another thing I like about the free shipping companies like Titan and Fringe Sport is that you can build or add elements to your gym piece by piece over time rather than being forced to buy in bulk to save in shipping.

I like to use my bumpers in the driveway. When it's a nice day I enjoy training outside. They're also good for strongman movements such as log press

Im an armwrestler but love to bring the big three into my workouts. Your videos are very informative

My Rogue (Echo) bumpers are almost dead on for stated weight. I love them for Benching and Squatting, but they are not great for Deadlifting because I cannot get enough weight on the bar.

that 45 cast iron clingy sound is the best part of lifting,I went to a gym with rubber coated plates,felt like a mute movie i had no damn drive in me.

Didn't even know what a bumper was before I started the video, but I love your content! So I stayed and watched the whole thing lol

When I bought my bumpers, it was because I intended to do some Oly lifts. I do occasionally do cleans and stuff like that. I went with the Echo bumpers for the reason you mentioned them. They were the best balance of thinness and price out there, plus it's not like Rogue does bad products, by and large. A year later, I still love the things, but I'm also planning on steel plates to add to it because I don't need all my weight on the few Oly lifts and I need more for the bench, squat, and deadlift. In other words, I pretty much agree with everything you said...even though I bought bumpers first. :)

I can't believe im to the point where I couldn't wait for this to come out... Thank you

Love my hi-temp plates for pulls from the floor. If I ever hit 405 I’ll get a pair of Rogue gorilla hi-temp bumpers; 65 lbs each. My garage is too wet for a wood platform, and I like to fool around with olympic lifts in my driveway. Hi-temps won’t get scuffed up from that.

You're awesome man. Answering every question I have and saving me money. I appreciate all of the info!

I was researching bumpers and you helped me see the light. Thank you!

I have both. I like bumpers for OHP and front squatting. Just in case I fail a rep and have to dump it.

Whoops.. just unboxed 240kg of bumpers.

Looking back now that I've built (phase one of) my home gym, there is so much solid advice in this video. At first I was considering bumpers as a redundancy to protect the floors from deadlifts and accidents, but this video had me reconsider. I ended up building some 3-layer 'ply, ply, stall mat' flooring and went with rubber coated iron plates due to a deal (relative to lockdown prices) in my area. Finding weight locally saved a few hundred dollars in shipping! Thanks for what you do Brandon! Your content is awesome

Thanks for doing all of this research! It's super helpful. 👍👍👍👍👍🤙

Agreed, I almost always use steel, but I like bumpers for the first plate in landmine work and for outdoor workouts. I only really use about 90 lbs of my 420 lbs of bumpers frequently, but I use most of my 650 lbs of iron all of the time. Bumpers are overrated unless you are an Olympic weightlifter.

Recycled materials, Rust free, Safer on Fingers, Softer on hands, Less Damage every where. I like Metal plates but Honestly preferred Bumper plates.

Good video BCD. I bought mine to protect my basement cement floor from an occasional hard descent on a deadlift - I don’t drop unless it’s to prevent injury. I’m no powerlifter, but can see why they aren’t desirable for that endeavor.

I went with high quality (thinner) bumpers because I workout early in the morning when wife and young kids are sleeping. For me this works but YMMV. I appreciate your take as always

Anyone else here cuz of rona

Thanks for the in depth reviews! It looks like the accuracy of the Echo plates are pretty good about 1%, which i like like the idea of. I guess If I get above 600 lbs, I would purchase some thinner calibrated plates and "chalk" it up as a badge of honor that I made it that far I suppose.

Thanks for the advice on not buying bumpers. I’m just getting into lifting and thought I’d need bumpers for my garage floor. After what you mentioned, I’m happy to not spend the extra cash on bumpers. Maybe in the future I’ll invest in them. And great thoughts on the different types and companies. Lots of good info I didn’t know until now. Thanks again!!

Great video and good points. I personally use bumpers since I don't have a garage atm and I'm lifting on a tiled floor. I don't know who put the tiles down so I don't trust that it was done properly and therefore suspect that the edges might be fragile. However, once I get to a place with a garage or basement with concrete floor I will most likely be moving to steel plates.

Really wish I had listened to you a long time ago when you sold your competition bumpers. I ended up selling my competition bumpers after a year of owning them and buying Rogue calibrated plates.

I find lighter bumper plates useful. A set of 10’s or 15’s (lbs.) are be useful for light deadlifts to estimate proper height. Those could be placed on the bar first the the rest of the weight added. This would only be useful up to 135 however. Just a thought. I agree with everything else

You also have to consider the use of bumper plates outdoors. I like to use them for sleds, yokes and farmers carry that’s used outdoor and in the streets. Steel plates would cause major damage to the pavement/ concrete when dropped. In my gym it’s steel plates in doors and bumper plates outdoors. You lightly touched on this subject, but warrants serious consideration in my opinion

I have recently started buying equipments for my first home gym. Starting off with bumpers... and will do steel plates later on. The company I am buying from are currently expeimenting designs for their branded iron plates so I will wait for those. Love your videos. On finding this video, 'better late than never'.

The sound of metal 45s clinging together when I'm deadlifting is music to my ears

Thank you for the information in this video. You just saved me $1,000 I had planned to spend on bumper plates but after watching your video I realize I don’t need them!

Very comprehensive, cheers! So fortunate to have access to a local guy with free pick-ups.

Thanks. I’m just starting out and watched video after video of people saying that if you are new to lifting, buy bumpers. I decided on Rep’s urethane coated equalizer plates. I really liked the look of them and the handles to make them easier to handle. They haven’t arrived yet but I’m looking forward to them. Not exactly cheaper than bumpers but they have pluses for me.

Im part of the minority. I love Olympic lifts

I’m actually setting up a garage gym, I’m still planning to get a pair of 55’s and 25’s. Just because I like doing cleans and starting deadlifts with a bumper, then load them metal babies.

Wow! Thank you for this info. I'm torn between buying bumpers or steels right now. I'm going to be working out at home outside most of the time. Was considering Hi-Temps for bumpers, followed by Rogue HGs or Fringe Bumpers. What's your though on on just investing in 15s, 35s, & 45s? I'm just starting out, but I want to buy for the long run.

Perfect explanation! Thank you so much for your efforts!

what about Pendlay Rows/Deadlift. if I warm up with 10s, 25s that need to be at shin level... it helps

I want to get bumpers for protection of my floors and I want something that looks pretty so it encourages me to workout, like the rogue or vulcan speckled ones

thanks for comparing these 4 companies. I've been on the fence about them but hadn't seen much comparison amongst the 4. Rogue & titan get solid time, but Fringe and Rep seem scarce.

thank goodness i watched this before purchasing... i dont even have the height space to do any overhead drops. Thank you!

Wow I didn’t realize that I missed the old basement set up lol

Yes. Yes. Yes. Crossfit has planted this bumper plate love, and the first thing you mentioned is what I always think: you probably don't need them! I have a few bumpers in my shed, because I am trying some classic lifts out on my patio like one handed snatch, bent press, etc.

I watched all of this, still bought bumpers and glad I did.

I’ve been going to the gym and I do a lot of cleans and split jerks also push press and snatch so should I get bumpers? I dot want to get metal and them break

I originally bought a 110kg bumper set..now I clean and jerk 130kg and need to buy another set

Hey Brandon, thanks for the video and info - subscribed!

I clean, and snatch once or twice a week doing my powerlifting training. I don't like box jumps etc, so this helps me do some explosive movements. I will also throw in med ball tosses etc to get more speed than doing the Oly movements. These are usually my first movements or "primers" as some people say.

For me it’s all cosmetic, I love the the bright vibrant colors & glossy/matte finish on each plate. They look so clean. The standard metal plates look dirty & gross.

Nice t-shirt! Huge fan of Matty and his brand! Spread HVIII, Always party!

Thanks for this great video. Got the info I needed in 90 sec. (The rest of the video was great too.)

My gym has both. I use the bumpers usually because there are about 12 variations of iron plates and I notice they vary in weight quite a bit. The bumpers are more consistent. At home i use iron, love the clanging

what are the best value (quality/price ratio) for olympic steel plates?

Love my Titan urethane bumpers and they were only like $700-something

Hey Brandon. Have you considered getting a backdrop (such as a canvas sheet as an example) to brighten up and cover the storage space in the garage? A suggestion only. Keep up the great work with the information and quality of your videos!

Thanks I found this info help, I was looking on get some. But I will stick with steel plates. How about drop pads?

I have both, use them for different lifts. Agree on and have the Rogue Echo. Thinnest you can get.

I think Im gonna start snatching with steel plates

What’s your opinion on getting mostly Echo bumpers but supplementing with a few Six-Shooters? Echos are actually the cheaper of the two and relatively thin for bumper plates. When you’ve loaded 4-5 bumpers and still need to add more weight for heavy sets, you could then add the iron plates so you don’t run out of sleeve space. I guess there could be the issue of the bumpers bearing more weight if they’re larger in diameter than the iron plates, but it should be fine as long as you’re using mostly bumpers and just adding one or two of the 45 lbs iron plates right?

I needed this video--was strongly considering picking up a bunch of Rogue Echo bumpers to make my weight set look and feel more consistent. Even though 2.4" is incredibly thin for budget-friendly, high-quality plates, there would have still been knock-on effects, like having to get a new trap bar to accommodate the extra width. I already do have a few of the Rogue Echo bumpers and, like you said, they're not that much quieter--the contact between the center metal ring and the bar still creates a good noise. I'll be going with some good ol' iron instead. Clang and bang forever.

Only one reason that I don't use bumper. "the price ;_;"

2:21 hahahahahah

I thought it was gonna be a troll but it is true, unless you're snatching or c&j don't need to buy it. Love this!

Great video. The only bumpers you need are 45s and only for dead/power cleans because those are really the only two movements where you might drop onto the floor. Squats, you will be using a rack. Bench, same. In fact, if you have any machines, bumpers suck because they take up way too much space on the measley little bars, e.g. leg ext/curl from Titan. You can only get 4 bumpers on there which is only 180. With the iron plates, you can load it up to the max (300 lbs). Same with their pec deck machine. If you do choose bumpers for dead and cleans, you can use regular iron plates in smaller increments until you hit 45 and then go up to the next bumper. Also, HIGHLY RECOMMEND building a platform: 2 sheets acx, one sheet sanded birch cut to 3x8', 3 stall mats from TSC. 8x8' platform for about $350-400. Easy peasy and a fraction of the cost of a brand name. Plus, art of manliness...

3:12 spine go snap

Deadlift on wooden floor with thin af rubber mats.. better keep the floor safe. Plus bumpers look thicc af so it looks heavier lmao

If you’re doing the Starting Strength program, you’re doing squat, bench, press, deadlift and cleans as the key exercises. I’d suggest getting a cheap set of bumpers for the cleans, like hi-temps 10-25-45 pairs, and then get iron plates for the rest. You can always add those bumpers on for extra weight if needed. You’ll probably be buying multiple iron sets of 45s and change plates, but can use your 10s and 25s in bumpers when needed.

Thanks for the information. Thanks to you pulled the trigger on Rouge RM4 now i am debating whether to get Rogue bumpers or the calibrated plates. I am afraid of the noise for deadlifts. Maybe get two sets of 45s bumpers and the remaining calibrated plates. Shipping is a killer on the calibrated while is free for the bumpers. P.S i do have gym rubber flooring.

What about rubber baby buggy bumpers?

I literally just think they look cool

One advantage of bumpers is the plates are same diameter from 10kg/25# through 25kg/55#.

I laughed out loud on "precautions". That was too funny

If it's not steel, then it not real.

Surprise, powerlifter who suggests powerlifting plates

I would agree. I do some power cleans and hang cleans but not over 225lbs, so two bumpers in my set is all I really need. One thing you did not mention, is that the overall diameter of the bumper is more than the steel. That means the bumper takes the pounding when you have it on along with a few metal wheels. Cost effective, at least for me!

Couple thoughts on bumpers. Only reason I got bumpers was Fringe had a sale on pairs of 15 and 10 and I wanted something that would let me do pendlay row warmups, and clean and snatch pulls at light weights, because I'm doing those for activation/warmup etc. I didn't want to to have to pull a short 25 off the floor. Having a 15 also is really handy since it's not a weight that you find as a metal plate. Also I think there's a misconception on what makes the noise when you drop the bar. It comes more from the sleeve and plate holes making contact, and the internals of the bar. The more snug and less slack the bar/plate contact is, the quieter the drop. Check out some of the Super training videos when they do deadlifts, those are pretty quiet. They don't use the big tire-like rubber bumpers, but the urethane type and those are nice. But even calibrared plates are quieter than a cheap bar and plates clanging together, as you're likely using a nicer bar and obviously nicer plates. On a side note, I have a boneyard bar and I notice that when I drop the bar now, it's louder than when it was new. I mean, it's still not like the cheap Cap bar I have that sounds like a bag of nails being dropped but still...

5% info 95% repition and air

What about if I want to buy only a pair or two of bumpers to put on the outmost plates for deadlifts? (Example 495 total on the bar for deadlifts, first 3 plates on each side are cast iron and last two are bumpers) Do you recommend

What’s your thoughts on the rep equalizer hex plate? I ordered a pair of 45s

I had hoped to buy some 5lb bumpers just to keep my other weights from hitting the flooring in my gym... Mainly for deadlifts... will this help?

Bumpers for life! I love slamming bumpers together on the bar and then back on their rack holders.

Great stuff man

what about using different brand bumper plates? would it cause damage to either the barbell, the bumper plates, or both? I recently purchased some 25 kg bumpers and they are slightly larger in diameter than my other bumpers...

This was very helpful thank you!

I have iron but doing my research for house gym when I get the crib but came to that realization yesterday.