Equipment
A single weight plate is a handy piece of equipment on its own. Held by the rim, it trains grip and forearms; held at the chest, it adds load to core and rotation exercises.
Written by the GymStreak coaching teamUpdated
01
Plates are the discs that load barbells and some machines, commonly from 1.25 kg up to 25 kg (or 2.5 to 45 lb). Their wide shape makes them awkward to grip, which is exactly why plate curls are a good forearm exercise, and easy to hold at the chest during twists.
02
Plate twists add resistance to a seated rotation for the obliques: keep the plate close and turn from the torso. Reverse plate curls, gripping the rim palms-down, train the forearm extensors, brachioradialis and biceps. Start with a light plate; the grip, not the arm, is usually the limiting factor.
03
Use plate exercises as finishers for core or arm training, or when the dumbbell rack is busy. Increase difficulty by moving to a heavier plate or adding reps.
Free GymStreak calculators that go with weight plate training.
GymStreak's AI personal trainer builds a workout plan from your goal, schedule and equipment, shows every exercise with an animated demo and logs your sets.
