Scrolling the Rogue Fitness “Plates” page for this first time? Feels like a kid in a candy store, doesn’t it?
But…”steel”
“competition”
“bumper”
What does it all mean?
Weight plates come in a number of different shapes, sizes, and intended uses. The plates you use for barbell bicep curls (in the squat rack, of course) are no-gos for heavy push jerks.
Today, we’re going to declare a winner in the bumper plates vs iron plates rivalry and determine which are best for your garage gym and for your CrossFit barbell(s).
(hint: it’s bumper plates!)
I’ve lifted with every combination of weight plate. Sometimes with great results. Other times with…noisy and painful results.
Use my experiences to skip out on all of those “oh crap, oh crap, oh crap, oh crap!” moments where you find you and your barbell in no man’s land!
Table of Contents
What are Bumper Plates?
Bumper plates are similar to many other types of weight plates as they are primarily comprised of steel or iron.
The main factor that differentiates them from other plates is the extremely thick layer of hard rubber coating. This coating “pads” the metal interior, significantly blunting both impact and noise when the plates are dropped to the ground.
The impact-reducing qualities of bumper plates make them the preferred plates for sports where weights are regularly dropped to the ground. Olympic Weightlifting and CrossFit immediately come to mind. Nobody wants to risk injury (or severe discomfort) trying to slowly lower a 315-pound barbell to the ground after a successful clean and jerk!
As you might expect, there is a bit of variation in bumper plate attributes. The plates you use in training are generally different than what you use in a competition.
You’re most likely to come across one of these four main categories of bumper plates:
- Technique bumper plates
- Crumb bumper plates
- Standard bumper plates
- Competition bumper plates
Let’s go over each in detail.
Technique Bumper Plates
Most CrossFit