Weight Plates for Working Out at Home

Building your home gym is a fulfilling passion project that makes working out so much more convenient. However, nobody said it was easy. You have to carefully consider which equipment you'll bring into your home, down to the fine details, like which weight plates you'll use.

Finding the right type of weight plate set in Canada depends on your needs - do you need to minimize floor noise? How many plates makes it worth investing in a weight plate tree? How heavy should you go for your preferred workout?

But we know this is a lot to think about at once, so we're here to help. In our buyer's guide to the best weight plates in Canada, we cover:

• The type of plates that are right for you
• How to store your plates
• The best weight plate sets in Canada - we offer a full rundown of what are bumper plates vs. dumbbell plates plus other options and which you should choose
• Your most common questions about buying weight plates in Canada

Let's get to it!

What Weight Plates Should I Choose for Home Workouts?

What's the best size and weight for a home workout? There's no single answer - you can match the type of barbell training you do at the gym at home.

So, this isn't an exact science. But there are a few important factors you must consider, such as:

• The space you've got to work with
• Considerations like noise (if you live in an apartment building, you may want to avoid banging heavy metal weight plates down on the floor)
• The type of workout you're planning
• Your budget

Let's start with a guide to choosing how heavy your weight plates should be. 

Choosing Weights

Barbell weights are a great choice because of their flexibility - you can add extras until you reach your level. Remember that it's best to buy barbell plates in Canada in bundles of two to keep the barbell balanced.

Here's a rough guide to using each level of heaviness. Note that the measurements given are for only 1 plate, e.g. a 10lb weight plate usually indicates lifting 20lbs with one weight plate on each side.

• 5lb: These weigh barely anything - by themselves. When they're rounding out a barbell from 145 to 150lbs, a little goes a long way. Essential additions for any home barbell set.
• 5lb: Like the 2.5lb versions, these help you make incremental increases in your strength training. They're also great for aerobic exercises and adding a little extra when you do lunges or squats.
• 10lb: Perfect for warm-up exercises and practicing endurance. 2 x 10lb weight plates can add substantial heft to a big barbell, or work perfectly on their own on a one-hand barbell.
• 15lb: This is when you start hearing a thud if you put them down too heavily. A 2 x 15lb one-hand barbell is a very respectable tool for curls.
• 25lb: 2x25lb plates on a long barbell gives you a great bar for lifting with both arms, whether it's standing or bench pressing. Oh - we know you can bench more than that. There's a lot to be said for long sets at lighter weights. Still, keep reading if you're here for those big lifts.
• 35lb: 35lb is an excellent weight for an all-around strength workout. It's a good staple to have at the base of your barbell if you want to go for heavy lifts, but even alone it's a challenge for intensive sessions. This weight is ideal if you're on a budget and don't want to invest in a full set but still want flexibility, e.g. 2x35lb, 2x10lb, 2x5lb.
• 45lb: We're getting into the big leagues here. Pressing 90lbs+ with just 2 weights is a good start, and then you can crank it up with extras to get to your desired level. 45lb plates are a popular standard for home workouts for a good reason.
• 55lb: Carrying some serious heft, 2x55lbs will get you a stern workout without the addition of any other weights. However, they make an ideal centre for adding other weights if you're serious about the big lifts.

Of course, choosing your weight is about more than just lbs; it's about the design. You might prefer cast iron if you favour pressing. Meanwhile, if deadlifts are an important part of your routine, rubber weight plates are essential. 

You can discover more about the different styles below - let's now move on to where to store your home gym equipment.

Storing Weights

Piling weights up on the floor isn't the best idea for several reasons:

1. They can topple over if unbalanced
2. They leave a dent in carpets
3. They can scratch or impact laminate flooring
4. They present a tripping hazard
5. You have to return to the area where they're stored and hunker down every time you want to switch

Ask any gym owner: safety and organization are of utmost importance in exercise spaces. Ensuring that your home gym follows these principles is essential, which is why we strongly recommend using a plate tree.

These storage systems allow easy access and keep your workout area safe and tidy. 

What Weight Plates Should I Choose for Home Workouts?

Now you know some general factors for how to choose weight plates, it's time to figure out the type of weight plates that are best for your home gym! Below, we'll offer details on some of the types of weight plates and the best models to consider.

Virgin Rubber Olympic Grip Plates

These virgin rubber weight plates are encased in top-quality virgin rubber. Virgin rubber weight plates tend to have a far smoother surface than when using recycled materials and hold their attractive sheen for longer. More importantly, virgin rubber holds its shape and structure better, meaning that you can expect longer life from your rubber weight plate set.

Beneath the rubber is a cast-iron weight plate, with the density of the cast-iron providing optimal storage size for how heavy it is. The virgin rubber offers a good barrier between the metal and the floor. The centre hole is measured to the standard for Olympic plates in Canada (2" rather than the 1" you'll find on some standard models) and has a smooth steel sleeve for easy fitting.

Each is sold individually. They are available in the following sizes:

• 5lb
• 5lb
• 10lb
• 25lb
• 35lb
• 45lb

Pros

• Durable virgin rubber plates
• Wide range of sizes
• 2" sleeve makes fitting easy

Cons

• Not as soundproof as bumper plates

Verdict

These weight plates are an excellent choice for users who enjoy a diverse workout. The availability of rubber weight plates in the lower size ranges is a blessing, as many suppliers only offer exposed metal versions at this size. This means that you can guarantee that your smaller attachments won't cause a stir if they fall while you're adjusting the heaviness of the barbell.

These virgin rubber weight plates have a huge range and are beautifully designed for any home gym - an all-around solid choice.

Virgin Rubber HD Olympic Bumper Plates

So what are bumper plates? Training bumper Olympic plates are specially designed to reduce noise between plates, especially in super-heavy lifts.

These York plates benefit from a hard, thick layer of virgin rubber that prevents the cast-iron cores of the attachments from knocking against each other. Bumper plates are an excellent way to reduce noise when you're training in an apartment building or above the first floor of your home - they don't clank together like other models and can be set down easily with almost no sound.

The ultra-thick rubber also offers additional protection from grinding against other attachments, meaning that bumper plate sets in Canada have an extremely long life. The thick layer also prevents them from causing damage to laminate floors, although they will still cause dents in carpeted areas because of their weight.

As Olympic weight plate in Canada, they benefit from a 2" reinforced steel sleeve. They will slide easily onto a barbell. The reinforced steel also prevents wear and tear from repeated sliding on and off, meaning that these are an excellent choice for anyone who needs to routinely change their weights for different exercises.

These york plates are available in:

• 10lb
• 15lb
• 25lb
• 35lb
• 45lb
• 55lb

Pros

• Very soundproof compared to non-bumper plate sets
• Wide heaviness range
• Olympic 2" reinforced steel sleeve

Cons

• No miniature options

Verdict

While they may lack the tiny weights, the thick rubber enables this bumper plate set in Canada to work well with other types and create an impressively versatile array of home gym equipment. A must-have, especially for anyone who needs to keep their home gym quiet.

Cast Iron Olympic Plates - Powder Coated

These cast-iron plates don't mess around. They're real heavy metal, and they're here to let you know it with their impressive weight-size ratio. This makes them much easier to store but could be a concern if you're worried about dropping a barbell that might put a dent in your floor.

Cast-iron weight plates feel somehow more brutal when they're not coated with rubber, even with a range as low as 5lb. Maybe it's the clunk of the weights against each other or on the ground. Maybe it's just their gorgeous, raw, powerful appearance. The powder coating only adds to the formidable feel of this equipment.

These cast-iron weight plates display their information on the side, letting you know what you're lifting and asking: can you do it? With 4x45lbs cast-iron weight plates loaded onto your barbell jeering at you at the end of a long set, you know the response. 

Pros

• Excellent weight-to-size ratio
• The gorgeous, lasting exterior appearance
• Accessible from 5lb upwards

Cons

• Noisier than bumper plates
• Heavy and damaging if dropped on sensitive surfaces

Verdict

We love these cast iron Olympic plates because they help you keep track of the progress you're making. It's another reason we love these Olympic weight plates in Canada; it's really helpful to have a visual reminder of what you're lifting.

Plate Trees

A plate tree is the ideal organization system for a home gym. Any gym owner would approve; it's got room for everything.

Weight posts allow you to store everything from 45lb weight plates to the humble 2.5lb on the same rack. They're all within easy access without having to bend down. If you think we're making too much of this “bending down” thing, we're not: just because your squat form is impeccable, it doesn't mean that you're not ruining your back with unnecessarily weird movements when it comes to picking stuff up off the floor.

Besides the health benefits of not having to bend down every single time you lift an accessory, it's ideal to access your kit quickly. If you're taking 20 or 30 seconds between sets, every second counts in retooling yourself without expending too much energy. You need that for the set ahead.

Pros

• Takes up very little space
• Has 6 storage posts
• Great way to increase safety and organization in smaller buildings

Cons

• Need to ensure you buy a model that fits all your plates

Verdict

Aside from its huge number of functions, a weight plate tree is an attractive addition to your exercise space and takes up very little room. This makes it perfect for anyone living in an apartment or home with limited space.

Models range from fairly simple construction to high-end designs that have a variety of posts for all your different weights. Make your workout smoother and avoid clutter in your exercise space by using a weight tree.

Personal Power Plate

The personal power plate is a serious investment. Its constant 35hz vibrations with a weight of over 40lbs offer an undeniable route to muscle growth. We call it a serious investment because it produces demonstrable results.

The vibrations are designed to bring your muscles to life and constantly stimulate them, promoting growth in a way that can't be achieved with regular workouts. We understand the old-school suspicion that no technology will ever beat a proper, sweat-filled workout, but we urge you: give it a try before you write it off. It's plenty sweaty and plenty effective.

That's why we're recommending it. It works, and well. It can operate from any Canadian power supply, making it a great alternative to a weight plate set in Canada.

Pros

• Intuitive toning
• Excellent for muscle building
• Easy to use

Cons

• Costly compared to regular sets

Verdict

Modern technology is constantly throwing up surprises, for better or worse, but this is one of the better ones. Using vibrations to tone muscles during a workout sounds outlandish at first, but the proof is in the results. If you're ready to make a big investment in toning your body, this is where you should start.

Orion Olympic Weight Tree

The Orion Olympic weight tree looks pretty functional at first glance, we're not going to lie. We took a look at it and thought “huh, that sure is some metal with prongs." But then we discovered how many weights we could store on its versatile body and realized we were missing out.

The deceptive factor is that so much of its storage space is on the floor. The floor is a big no-no where carpet or laminate are concerned, but the Orion Olympic weight tree keeps your weights off the floor and has a peg to hold them in place. There's no risk except for tripping, and it's easy enough to store this mainframe well out of the way of your bathroom.

Pros

• Small and tactile
• Sturdy and not easy to scratch
• Well-balanced
• Affordable

Cons

• Fewer posts than other systems

Verdict

This weight tree is built to store Olympic weights, meaning that your beloved weight plates will fit on snugly without jangling or dangling. This tree is also not going to fall over in a storm. Unless you deliberately overload it with your huge collection of 45lb plates on one side, it's very steady.

340lb Virgin Rubber HD Olympic Bumper Plate Set

And so we get to the bulk set. The beautiful and highly-organized pile of weights every gym-goer wants, and why not? Neatness, safety, and observation are key tenets of a successful gym owner. If you want to be serious about fitness, get serious about these: that's why the neat pile of the 340lb Virgin Rubber HD Olympic Bumper Plate Set appeals to you. 

Every weight from 10-55lb, fitting neatly onto the same Olympic barbell. You've got almost limitless adaptation, perfect fittings, and top-quality virgin rubber. If you were ever wondering what are bumper plates, look at these. They're the ultimate.

This set is just utterly gorgeous and represents the home gym lover's full starter pack. Augment it with others throughout the range listed above, but this is where you should begin.

Pros

• High-quality virgin rubber
• Fits together easily
• Offers full flexibility over your workout

Cons

• More costly in the short-term than buying single weights

Verdict

Why wouldn't you want the full range of Olympic plates, Canada? This set provides you with an extremely high maximum capacity but also allows you to alter your load incrementally. Having many plates at your disposal means that you can set up different barbells ready for their purpose before you start, rather than having to move plates between barbells mid-workout.

A great choice for setting up your home gym for years of successful workouts.

FAQ

How many weight plates do I need?

It's not the number, it's the power. And the balance. As long as your weight plates are balanced in terms of gravity on each side, the correct weight is what you feel is taking you one step further in terms of strength. What makes you grit your teeth.

Where to buy weight plates?

You should buy virgin rubber weight plates wherever possible, and only purchase weights from a reputable vendor: if you buy a gym kit from a vendor, and it feels light in the post, investigate before opening it. 

However, if you purchase weight plates from Northern Fitness, you never have to worry about taking home a lackluster product. Our equipment is always 100% top-quality and delivered to you on time, in full.

Conclusion

We don't think you can go wrong with any of these weight plates and plate trees in Canada. Each product demonstrates the design,  durability, and versatility you need to achieve a well-rounded and effective workout. 

Now that you know which weight plates see you need in Canada, you're probably wondering where you can shop for these products. 

We make purchasing each of these products easy; find York plates, dumbbell plates, and weight plates in Canada at the best prices at Northern Fitness. We strive for diversity in our collection, so you can find the exact weight plates in Toronto you need for your unique workout. 

Buy weight plates from Northern Fitness today and bring home the equipment you need to meet your fitness goals!