When trainees purchase plates weighing less than 5kg for the gym, many of them may be unsure of what criteria they should use to choose a product.
On this page, I (Manager Kamino) will write about the characteristics, advantages and disadvantages of each plate that I felt after actually using them at the gym.
Rubber-coated change plate

Weight options: 5kg, 2.5kg, 2kg, 1.5kg, 1.25kg, 1kg, 0.5kg
Surface treatment: Rubber coating
Thickness: Slightly thick
Features
- Color-coded for easy weight checking
- The rubber coating itself is colored, so the paint will not peel off with use, but dirt and discoloration are unavoidable.
- The inside of the hole is also rubber coated, so there is some resistance when attaching and detaching, but there is no metallic noise.
Powerlifting Competition Plates

Surface treatment: Paint or hard chrome plating
Thickness: Slightly thin
Features
- Color-coded for easy weight checking
・Painted types may peel off with use.
- The inside of the hole is also metal, so it is easy to attach and remove, but it makes a metallic noise.
Plated change plate

Weight options: 5kg, 2.5kg, 2kg, 1.5kg, 1.25kg, 1kg, 0.5kg
Surface treatment: hard chrome plating
Thickness: Thinnest
Features
・The mirror finish gives it a luxurious feel, but it is not color-coded, making it difficult to tell the weight
- The surface is hard chrome plated, so there is little risk of paint peeling or discoloration, and it is also resistant to dirt.
- The inside of the hole is also metal, so it is easy to attach and remove, but it makes a metallic noise.
[How it deteriorates when used]

Used hard at the Power Gym
Rubber-coated change plate (left side of photo)
Powerlifting competition plate (center photo)
Plated change plate (right side of photo)
Appearance comparison
The surface of rubber-coated change plates becomes dirty, whereas powerlifting competition plates are painted directly onto the steel, so the paint starts to peel off.
Plated change plates hardly deteriorate in appearance.
The plated type change plate is the slowest in terms of appearance deterioration.
Comparing rubber-coated change plates with powerlifting competition plates, the appearance of the rubber-coated change plates seems to deteriorate more slowly. To a certain extent, dirt on the rubber can be cleaned with a cleaner.
Furthermore, even for powerlifting competition plates weighing less than 1.25 kg, hard chrome plated plates seem to be much less susceptible to deterioration than painted plates.
[Noise Difference]
Powerlifting competition plates and plated change plates have metal insides as well, so they inevitably make a metallic noise.
In contrast, the rubber-coated type change plate has a rubber coating all the way to the inside of the holes, so it produces significantly less noise.
For those who are concerned about noise, we offer a rubber-coated change plate with coating all the way to the inside of the holes.
[Weight selection]
I think most people generally adjust the weight in increments of 2.5 kg.
For adjustment in 2.5kg increments
A convenient combination is two pieces each of 5kg, 2.5kg, and 1.25kg (17.5kg in total).
For those who want to adjust the weight in 1kg increments
We recommend a combination of 2 each of the following: 5kg, 2.5kg, 2kg, 1.5kg, 1kg, and 0.5kg (total 25kg).
About 5kg bumper plate
The 5kg plate is also available as a 45cm diameter bumper plate.
Bumper plates are made to be dropped from above, so if they are too thin it is difficult to ensure their strength, and it is rare to find a 45cm diameter bumper plate that weighs 5kg, but the GYMWAY Competition Bumper Plate 5kg uses a lightweight aluminium centre hub (the metal part in the middle) which ensures the thickness and strength required for drops.
It can be used in CrossFit gyms and weightlifting gyms, and is also useful for women and beginners doing floor deadlifts.
