Bumper Plates Or Technique Plates For Recovery Training?

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Michiganian
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Bumper Plates Or Technique Plates For Recovery Training?

#1

Post by Michiganian » Thu Feb 02, 2023 8:25 pm

Please bear with me.

Just started training with free weights in the last few months. A bit over a week ago, working up to 90 lbs. of plates deadlifting, working with less weight to get my form perfected, first, I'd been elevating the bar to the standard height with stacks of old catalogs and magazines under the plates. One time, setting the bar down, the right side went rolling off the stack. Had to grab and stop it before it rolled off and damaged something nearby.

Pulled a back muscle. Pretty badly, because I'm still recovering from it.

When I'm ready to start lifting again I don't wish to chance repeating that. I was thinking maybe a set of either bumper plates or technique plates to get the bar to the correct DL height off the floor.

Problem is: From what I"m reading: None of those products seem robust enough to handle a 45 lb. Olympic bar plus additional regular plates so I can gradually work back up to regular 45 lb. Olympic plates on the bar. I"m thinking I'm going to want to start real light, like maybe only 20-30 lbs. (10-15 lbs./side) of plates, and work up to 70 lbs. (35 lbs./side) before moving up to the 45 lb. plates.

Suggestions?

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Re: Bumper Plates Or Technique Plates For Recovery Training?

#2

Post by James » Thu Feb 02, 2023 9:23 pm

Are you in a home gym or an actual gym?

I think rogue and some others sell 10-35 lbs bumbers that can take deadlifts by themselves as long as you don't drop them from lock out.

You could try RDLs out of a rack instead of the floor. Unrack the bar touch it to the floor/spacer every rep and rerack it at the end of the set. You could also just pull it off the floor as a first rep deficit.

Get a horse stall mat and cut it up into squares. Cut four thin strips and attach them to two of the squares as stoppers. Stack them up to the height you want with the stripped ones on top. This would work with plywood too.

Rack pulls from pins at the height you want you're not going to mess up the bar with less than 135.

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Hardartery
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Re: Bumper Plates Or Technique Plates For Recovery Training?

#3

Post by Hardartery » Thu Feb 02, 2023 9:42 pm

First, you should never drop a bar in training intentionally, especially as a someone starting out. You should absolutely be in total control of the eccentric at all times, it's going to do more for your development than the concentric and help you avoid injury. I know that it's big on the social media platforms to drop stuff and act all cranked up. That's stupid, and happening for clicks not for anything else. That said, training plates are perfectly capable of handling being set down, as are even the cheaper low weight bumpers. Either way, you are fine. Just don't act like a moron dropping stuff from lockout.
It doesn't hurt to cut up a 4 x 4 post and nail a 2 x 4 across each end of a row of them and make a sturdy little block that the weights can't roll off of. They don't have to look like crap, weightlifting halls ahve made blosck like that for decades before places like Rogue and Eleiko started selling the fancy version.

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Re: Bumper Plates Or Technique Plates For Recovery Training?

#4

Post by Allentown » Fri Feb 03, 2023 4:35 am

A set of 25lb bumpers would be a good purchase that you'll use for lots of things. Weights below that just RDL, or start the first rep from the floor then RDL/lower to approximately the right height. The height isn't that important.

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Re: Bumper Plates Or Technique Plates For Recovery Training?

#5

Post by augeleven » Fri Feb 03, 2023 5:44 am

When I started stronglifts I started deadlifting with just bar and some wood rounds I got at Home Depot.

https://www.homedepot.com/p/Edge-Glued- ... /204510767

I used them for a bit, but they mostly just sit around now. Sometimes I use them for standing on for deficits. But at ~$30 for a pair (provided you already have a 2” hole saw bit…). It’s a lot cheaper than bumper or technique plates.

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Clearwater47
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Re: Bumper Plates Or Technique Plates For Recovery Training?

#6

Post by Clearwater47 » Fri Feb 03, 2023 7:25 am

The round boards is something I never thought of before. Cool idea.

Bumper plates can absolutely work just fine. I have 10 pound bumpers and at one point had my son deadlifting with just those on the bar. Just need to be smart. As mentioned already, don't drop the bar. That's really about it. Also, take the plates off when you're done otherwise they will bend if you just let them sit like that for several hours, but the time it takes to do your deadlifts won't cause any issues at all.

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Re: Bumper Plates Or Technique Plates For Recovery Training?

#7

Post by Michiganian » Fri Feb 03, 2023 8:22 am

James wrote: Thu Feb 02, 2023 9:23 pm Are you in a home gym or an actual gym?
Home gym. With very limited space right now. (I'm correcting that.)
James wrote: Thu Feb 02, 2023 9:23 pm I think rogue and some others sell 10-35 lbs bumbers that can take deadlifts by themselves as long as you don't drop them from lock out.
Vulcan has some economical black bumper plates they claim can be dropped, with the bar alone, from lockout and take it. They even have an attached video showing one attached to a torture-test machine dropping a plate from a good deal higher than that, repeatedly.
James wrote: Thu Feb 02, 2023 9:23 pm You could try RDLs out of a rack instead of the floor.
Unfortunately, no rack yet. Need to make room for it. But, yeah, I planned to re-start with RDLs, anyway.
James wrote: Thu Feb 02, 2023 9:23 pm Get a horse stall mat and ...
Good idea, save for two problems: Space is so tight I've nowhere to put them out-of-the-way when they're not in-use and, the last time I bought horse stall mats they stank to high heaven.
Hardartery wrote: Thu Feb 02, 2023 9:42 pm First, you should never drop a bar in training intentionally, especially as a someone starting out.
I wasn't then and hadn't intended to going forward.

The problem occurred on the last rep, when I was getting tired, and didn't control the bar quite as well on the eccentric.
Hardartery wrote: Thu Feb 02, 2023 9:42 pm That said, training plates are perfectly capable of handling being set down, as are even the cheaper low weight bumpers. Either way, you are fine. Just don't act like a moron dropping stuff from lockout.
So you feel quality bumper plates or tech plates will handle being set down, maybe even a bit "firmly," with another 50-60 lbs. on the bar, as long as I don't literally drop the bar?
Hardartery wrote: Thu Feb 02, 2023 9:42 pm It doesn't hurt to cut up a 4 x 4 post and ...
That had occurred to me, too. Same problem as the horse mats: Literally no place to get 'em out of the way when not in-use--the space I have now is that cramped.
Allentown wrote: Fri Feb 03, 2023 4:35 am A set of 25lb bumpers would be a good purchase that you'll use for lots of things. Weights below that just RDL, or start the first rep from the floor then RDL/lower to approximately the right height. The height isn't that important.
Yeah, I figured probably 25 lbs. if I went with bumper plates. 10 lb. bumper plates don't appear very substantial and 15 lb. are probably marginal.
augeleven wrote: Fri Feb 03, 2023 5:44 am When I started stronglifts I started deadlifting with just bar and some wood rounds I got at Home Depot.
Hmmm... Might be an idea.

Thanks for the comments and suggestions, everybody!

I have a bit of time to figure this out. The back is getting a bit better day-by-day, but, I imagine it's going to be another couple weeks before I'll be ready.

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Re: Bumper Plates Or Technique Plates For Recovery Training?

#8

Post by Hardartery » Fri Feb 03, 2023 10:08 am

Michiganian wrote: Fri Feb 03, 2023 8:22 am
Hardartery wrote: Thu Feb 02, 2023 9:42 pm First, you should never drop a bar in training intentionally, especially as a someone starting out.
I wasn't then and hadn't intended to going forward.

The problem occurred on the last rep, when I was getting tired, and didn't control the bar quite as well on the eccentric.
Hardartery wrote: Thu Feb 02, 2023 9:42 pm That said, training plates are perfectly capable of handling being set down, as are even the cheaper low weight bumpers. Either way, you are fine. Just don't act like a moron dropping stuff from lockout.
So you feel quality bumper plates or tech plates will handle being set down, maybe even a bit "firmly," with another 50-60 lbs. on the bar, as long as I don't literally drop the bar?
Hardartery wrote: Thu Feb 02, 2023 9:42 pm It doesn't hurt to cut up a 4 x 4 post and ...
That had occurred to me, too. Same problem as the horse mats: Literally no place to get 'em out of the way when not in-use--the space I have now is that cramped.


Hmmm... Might be an idea.

Thanks for the comments and suggestions, everybody!

I have a bit of time to figure this out. The back is getting a bit better day-by-day, but, I imagine it's going to be another couple weeks before I'll be ready.
In my experience, even cheap bumpers were fine for a fair amount of abuse. We had a single set of 25's that my training partner liked to use when we did overhead. On a log, Axle, whatever we were doing, dropping from full extension (He is 6'-7, I am 6'-0) with 300 lbs or so total on the implement being used. We dropped as much as 360 or so from shoulder height with those 25's at the end of the implement taking the beating. Eventually the metal center rings got a little loose in the plates. You will not abuse yours the way we did, my partner in particular (He didn't like doing eccentrics). My wife did deads with a standard bar and plywood disks on it for height (Like what @augeleven suggested but I just cut up a piece of leftover plywood I had) and she failed to destroy them even with little change plates added until she got up to a full plate.
Are you the guy that appears to be lifting in a living room or something in his training log? Definitely go bumpers if you are in a finished living space.

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Re: Bumper Plates Or Technique Plates For Recovery Training?

#9

Post by Michiganian » Fri Feb 03, 2023 10:26 am

Hardartery wrote: Fri Feb 03, 2023 10:08 am In my experience, even cheap bumpers were fine for a fair amount of abuse. ... You will not abuse yours the way we did, ...
That's good to know. And, no, I won't be abusing mine quite that badly Image
Hardartery wrote: Fri Feb 03, 2023 10:08 am Are you the guy that appears to be lifting in a living room or something in his training log? Definitely go bumpers if you are in a finished living space.
No, I'm working out in our basement. Concrete floor with old school thin rubber-backed carpet tiles. I'm using Rep's rubber-coated grip plates.

I'm eventually going to acquire a set of Rubber Deadlift Mats because I figure even those rubber-coated plates would otherwise eventually destroy the carpet tiles after enough reps.

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Re: Bumper Plates Or Technique Plates For Recovery Training?

#10

Post by Hardartery » Fri Feb 03, 2023 10:30 am

Michiganian wrote: Fri Feb 03, 2023 10:26 am
Hardartery wrote: Fri Feb 03, 2023 10:08 am In my experience, even cheap bumpers were fine for a fair amount of abuse. ... You will not abuse yours the way we did, ...
That's good to know. And, no, I won't be abusing mine quite that badly Image
Hardartery wrote: Fri Feb 03, 2023 10:08 am Are you the guy that appears to be lifting in a living room or something in his training log? Definitely go bumpers if you are in a finished living space.
No, I'm working out in our basement. Concrete floor with old school thin rubber-backed carpet tiles. I'm using Rep's rubber-coated grip plates.

I'm eventually going to acquire a set of Rubber Deadlift Mats because I figure even those rubber-coated plates would otherwise eventually destroy the carpet tiles after enough reps.
I'll be honest, the biggest reason for rubber mats IMO is that it save the plates getting beat up. I know that's not why people buy them, but that's really what the mats accomplish in addition to noise reduction.

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Re: Bumper Plates Or Technique Plates For Recovery Training?

#11

Post by Michiganian » Fri Feb 03, 2023 10:36 am

Hardartery wrote: Fri Feb 03, 2023 10:30 am I'll be honest, the biggest reason for rubber mats IMO is that it save the plates getting beat up. I know that's not why people buy them, but that's really what the mats accomplish in addition to noise reduction.
I know that's why most people buy them. But, in my case, I expect plates repeatedly landing on the same spots on thin, rubber-backed carpet tiles over concrete would be bound to eventually damage the carpet tiles. And they're so old there's no way I'd ever find replacements.

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Re: Bumper Plates Or Technique Plates For Recovery Training?

#12

Post by Michiganian » Mon Feb 06, 2023 10:45 am

Update

After doing a lot of research, followed by a lengthy email exchange with Vulcan Strength, I ordered a pair of Vulcan Black 10 lb. bumper plates. They assured me those bumper plates would hold up to what I wanted to do.

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Re: Bumper Plates Or Technique Plates For Recovery Training?

#13

Post by Michiganian » Fri Feb 10, 2023 9:46 am

Plates received :)

Image

Back is still a bit questionable, but, I'm going to try some RDLs with just the bar and those plates later today.

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Re: Bumper Plates Or Technique Plates For Recovery Training?

#14

Post by Michiganian » Wed Mar 15, 2023 8:13 am

Here we are, a month later, and I figured I'd post an update.

Vulcan's 10 lb. bumper plates have been everything Vulcan promised me they'd be. I've had up to 35 lbs./side of rubber-coated plates on the bar with them, doing RDLs. After the last rep I've been more-or-less dropping the bar from about mid-shin height. The Vulcan bumper plates have handled that just fine.

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