Putting together a solid home-fitness setup is really only complete with a good set of weight plates. While they’re often added to a barbell or dumbbell bar, they also make great fitness tools in their own right. Many of our CORTEX cast-iron plates are built with a Tri-Grip design to allow for easy handling when used independently. Others will come with a lip (thicker edge) for easier gripping. Weight plates can be used by themselves, or added to a barbell or dumbbell bar, as well as plate-loaded weight machines.
Weight plates can serve a variety of functions but are generally beneficial for incorporating extra weight into an exercise for focused muscle growth, increased intensity and functional strength training. Great strength building exercises include lunges, squat presses, lateral raises or plate push ups. If cardio is more your jam, you may want to use something lighter, such as 5kg weight plates or 10kg weight plates, to incorporate into high intensity movement for that added burn. Standard weight plates are often used in High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT), which aims to increase your heart rate in as short a time as possible. Adding a weight to the mix is a fantastic way to accelerate the workout to the next level, and can deliver great results.
Standard weight plates are a highly adaptable piece of equipment, and allow you to accelerate most workouts to achieve your fitness goals. It’s important to take into account your own level and what you want to achieve before purchasing a pair yourself, as there are different types to suit different purposes.
You can check out our guide on buying weight plates for your home gym here.