I am working out during the summer to get stronger, bigger, and faster for basketball. I got most of my routine ready. I juts need the equipment. I will be working out at home in my basement so I need to buy equipment.
I have some questions though. They regard olympic plates vs. standard plates.
Please answer my questions. It will really help me out.
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What is the difference between olympic and standard weight plates? I know they look different, but is ther any other differenece? Why do olympic plates look bigger? Do olympic plates usually come in heavier weights than standard?
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Do olympic plates need a special barbell bar? Can you put olympic plates on a standard barbell bar? What about dumbells? Are there two different kind of dumbell bars? One for olympic, ohter for standard? Can olympic bars, hold more weight than standard bars?
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Are olympic plates better than standard plates? Which do you prefer?
I know there are alot of questions, but I really need them answered. I’m a newb so I dont really know much. Please help me out.
Thanks.
Olympic plates have larger diameter holes - olympic style bars have larger sleeves on the ends to put them on. Standard bars have the smaller diameter end, and the plates have the smaller holes.
I’d go olympic - though my experience with standard bars is limited, I haven’t seen any that can support any significant amount of weight for the big lifts. They’d bend too easily on the ends. Also, olympic bars usually have rotating collars, which allows for cleans and other explosive work without doing a number on your wrists.
Have fun-
Dan
I have standard plates at home and lift on olympics a my friends house. One difference I have noticed is that the standards don’t seem to be as uniformly ballanced over the area of the plate. In other words they spin on the bar until the thickest, heaviest point is at the bottom when they are on the bar.
There are variations in weight of the plates with either type at +/- a half pound or so. I think Ivanko plates are supposed to be the most accurate, but I have never weighed them so I can’t say so for a fact.
There are different bars for each, with the olympic bars and plates being the ones with the big hole and collars and the standards being the smaller. So, you can put olympic plates on a standard bar, although it isn’t recomended, but you can not put standard plates on an olympic bar. There are also a lot of different, more specific bars comming out for the olympic plates. Safety Squat, fat bars, cambered bars, etc.
If I had it to do over I would start out with olympics. I got a whole bunch of standard plates and don’t realy want to convert to olympics now, because I already have a ton of standards. The only real reason for this is that the standards don’t look right any more. But Heavy is Heavy, any way you slice it.
If you are planning on lifting a long time and realy building a wieght room, I would go with the olympics. If it doesn’t matter that much, just get what you can at a local garage sale.
No you can’t fit olympic plates on a standard bar. I’d definitely go olympic.
Trust me, when your 20 years old and deadlifting 300 lbs you’re not going to be doing that with a standard bar.
They fit, just not very well, and currently I have pulled and squatted 320-350 on a standard bar, although it does bend and flap a good bit when it is loaded like that.
I’m 14 years old. And I will be using the equipment for maybe a year before I go to a gym. I might not need such heavy weights. Should I still get an olympic?
Yea, its not like they get all used up and run out of heavy.
Olympics are a good choice.
[quote]Baller1950 wrote:
I’m 14 years old. And I will be using the equipment for maybe a year before I go to a gym. I might not need such heavy weights. Should I still get an olympic?[/quote]
It’s a wise investment and will last you many years. You may even like it more than going to a gym. And having your own setup means you can lift when you want and never have to worry about being told you can’t do certain lifts or have someone hogging the weights.