I have a confession to make to all of my readers. There was something I should have done years ago that I put off until a couple of weeks ago.
Yes, it pains me to admit this embarrassing fact, but you deserve to know. I am sharing this with you so that you don’t make the same mistake that I made for several years.
Are you ready? I think I am . . .
I can’t always make 5 pound jumps in my training sessions. Meaning, if I benched 145 pounds last week, I may not be capable of benching 150 this week. Think about it: the smallest plates at most gyms are 2.5 pound plates, which makes for a 5 pound weight increase on the bar. Hell, it took me a couple of months to increase my bench press from 145 pounds to 150 pounds. And a 5 pound jump on a standing overhead press can feel more like a 15 pound increase when I’m training with low reps.
Also, being an advanced trainee, it gets very difficult to increase the weights on a weekly basis; even just a 5 pound weight increase.
So I finally found the solution – fractional plates. Fractional plates are smaller plates that weigh 1/4 pound, 1/2 pound, 3/4 pound, and 1 pound each. This allows me to increase the weight on the bar by as little as a 1/2 pound.
Who could benefit from fractional plates? In my opinion, beginners don’t need to worry about adding a mere 1/2 or 1 pound increase to the bar. Beginners are able to make greater jumps in weight because they lack the neuromuscular efficiency and strength of an intermediate and advanced trainee, and that means they’ll see quicker gains in the weight room.
The two groups that can benefit most from fractional plates are advanced lifters and women. Advanced lifters know how big of a struggle a mere 5 pounds on the bar can make a lift. At times like this it’s better to take things slower, and increase the weight by 1 pound or so. That way you still get to overload the movement, but not so much that you can’t complete the lift safely and with proper form.
Advanced lifters can use fractional plates to continue to make steady gains on the big, basic exercises. For instance, if you add 1 pound to your overhead press each week, that’s a total of 5 pounds in just 5 weeks. For an advanced lifter, that’s a tremendous achievement.
Women can also benefit from fractional plates. As an example, many women struggle to press overhead a standard 45 pound barbell. If a woman can press that weight 5 times with perfect form (and that is her target rep range), she will want to increase the weight for her next training session. Adding 5% more weight to the bar would be a manageable load. In this case, increasing the weight by 5% is a total of 2.25 pounds. With the standard plates at a gym, you can’t make that small of a jump. Adding the smallest weight increase possible with 2.5 pound plates would be a 10% weight increase, even though it is “only 5 pounds”.
Her solution would be to use fractional plates and increase the total weight by 2 pounds, taking her from 45 to 47 pounds, which is approximately a 5% weight increase.
Sorry if that got a little confusing, but the main point I am making is that smaller increases in weight are an excellent way to continue to make progress in the gym. This is especially true to advanced trainees, and women who are serious about getting stronger and transforming their bodies.
Like I have said many times before, improving your performance is the ultimate way to transform your body. Fractional plates are just another great tool to keep in your strength training tool bag.
While I regret having waited so long to get these plates, I’m glad I finally made the $50 investment. I got my plates from Iron Woody Fitness, but I’ve also read about people buying washers that fit barbells from a hardware store, and then putting those together.
If you’ve been struggling to add weight to the bar in your training sessions or you want to make smaller weight increases, then get yourself some fractional plates and start making progress again. Progress one pound at a time may not look like much at first, but the small gains add up over time.
Don’t underestimate the value of slow and steady progress as you become more advanced. Constantly adding weight to the bar, even if it’s just a 1/2 pound, means you are improving your performance. Improving your performance makes you stronger. Getting stronger means you can improve your body composition and physical appearance. Well, as long as you are eating smart. But you’re already doing that, right?