filters
-
Commercial Equipment
-
Strength Equipment
-
Cardio Equipment
-
Boxing & MMA
-
Gym & Fitness Accessories
-
Weights, Dumbells & Barbells
-
Kettlebells, Slam & Wall Balls
-
Package Deals
-
Sports, Health & Recovery
At Southside Fitness, we offer a wide selection of bumper weight plates designed for durability, safety, and performance in both home gyms and commercial training environments. Bumper plates are an essential piece of strength training equipment, especially for Olympic lifting, CrossFit, and functional training, as they are built with a solid rubber construction that allows for safe dropping during lifts without damaging the barbell or flooring.
Our bumper weights are available in a variety of sizes and weight increments, making them suitable for everyone from beginners learning proper form to advanced lifters pushing heavy loads. They feature a consistent diameter across all weights, ensuring a smooth and controlled lift while maintaining correct barbell height from the floor.
We stock premium-quality bumper plates from trusted brands, offering options for training facilities, schools, clubs, and serious home gyms. Whether you need a full set for heavy lifting or individual plates to expand your current collection, Southside Fitness provides the best value, quality, and service to help you get the most out of your training.
Gym and Olympic Bumper Plates
Prioritising safety? Us too. Every member of the Southside Fitness team knows how important it is to protect yourself and others from injury during a workout, whether you’re in a busy gym or working out at home.
One of our favourite ways to keep safety in mind is by incorporating Olympic bumper plates into your equipment stack. By helping to prevent bounce when you’re working from a steady height, you can protect yourself, others, and nearby equipment from damage if they come into contact with the weights during failure or AMRAP rounds.
Read on below to learn more about our top recommendations as to when you should incorporate bumper weights so you’re getting the most out of your gym workout each day and keeping safety in mind.
When to Use Bumper Plates
Whether you’re new to the gym or a seasoned pro, the benefits of using bumper plates are endless. Among our top recommended uses for incorporating gym bumper plates into your workout routine, we suggest:
- Safety is Key: Safety should always be top of mind during every workout, but sometimes it’s even more critical than others—if you’re working out on an unprotected surface (like concrete floors), Olympic bumper plates are a must. Protecting the floor and people from damage during failure or a dropped weight, bumper plates prevent the weights from rolling or damaging any surface area when they hit the ground.
- When You’re Working Out Above Hip Height: If you’re planning on bench rows, you may be fine using standard weight plates or barbells. Planning on drastically increasing your weight load and potentially dropping weights from above hip level? Make sure you’re using bumper plates to prevent bounces after they hit the floor.
- CrossFit: Love a CrossFit workout? Us too. Some workouts are designed to use weights and drop them quickly before moving on to the next sprint or exercise. In this case (especially as many CrossFit workouts are done in groups), Olympic bumper plates will prevent floor damage, protect feet, and stop the weights from rolling when they’re dropped and left behind.
We get it—bumper weights might seem like an added luxury at first, but we always recommend that every good gym fitout concerned with safety consider these among their first buys. Read on below to review some of the commonly asked questions we get at Southside Fitness each day to make sure you feel well informed before making a decision.
Gym Bumper Plates FAQs
Want more detail? Here are some of the most commonly asked questions Southside Fitness receives about safely using bumper plates.
What's the difference between bumper plates & weight plates?
Bumper plates are traditionally the same diameter but vary in their thickness and construction. Bumper plates are rubber, can be dropped and are more suitable for Olympic style lifts. Rubber coated and hammertone weight plates are often both a unique weight and size (diameter) differentiating lower-level weights from their larger, heavier counterparts.
Can you deadlift on concrete with bumper plates?
Short answer, No! Doing that will damage your floor, plates, and barbell. We recommend using rubber flooring, preferably a minimum of 15mm thickness.
Is it worth getting bumper plates?
Definitely! If you’re looking for safe and effective weight plates to add to your workout routine and gym equipment, bumper plates are a great way to increase your weight bearing capacity while considering your floor and gym size.
Are bumper plates quieter?
In theory, yes. Because they are made from rubber, there is less noise when loading and lifting. However, because they are used in Olympic lifts that often involve dropping, then the exercise can be very noisy. We recommend the use of rubber flooring for protection and noise reduction.
