Later guide

Iron vs bumper plates

Buy plates in pairs, after the rack. Iron if you set the bar down. Bumpers if the bar will hit the floor. Put floor mats down before that drop.

That is the whole choice for a garage or spare room, once you are past adjustable dumbbells and a power stand. Named examples: REP Old School Iron Plates and REP Black Bumper Plates. Both are sold in pairs. Details are on the plates page. Confirm the current listing before you order. No mat brand is named here.

The stance

If the bar stays in your hands or on the safeties, iron is the pick. REP's Old School plates are cast iron with a 52 mm center hole for Olympic bars. REP says not to drop them. They can damage the bar, the plates, and the floor. They are also loud. Fine if nobody is under the room.

If deadlifts hit concrete, or there is a room under you, buy bumpers. REP Black Bumper Plates are built to be dropped, and they fit 2-inch Olympic bars. REP still says to use mats or a platform. A bumper plate does not make bare concrete a good place to dump the bar. Put the mats down before you drop the bar or set up a stand.

Do not mix iron and bumpers on the same bar. REP says the diameters can differ, and a drop then loads the larger plate.

How to buy them

1. Put floor mats down first if the bar will hit the floor or if a stand is going on that patch.
2. Decide iron or bumper before you open a cart. One style on the bar.
3. Buy pairs, not a single plate and a promise to match it later.
4. Confirm pair versus boxed set on the listing. Do not invent a set total here.
5. Assume a 7-foot Olympic bar with 2-inch sleeves. Confirm sleeve length if you still need the bar.

What this guide does not decide

It does not name a poundage pile or a price. How many pairs depends on what you already lift. Check the current listing.