This might seem an odd question, and it's something i've never questioned myself until today!

In my gym there are two kinds of plates. The majority of the plates are I guess what you'd call standard platess. They are just a bit larger than dinner plate sized at 20kg. The rim of the plate is encased in rubber.

The other types of plate are larger in diameter. They are plain exposed iron. I'm assuming they are what you'd call olympic plates? They're are the type of plates that powerlifters use.

When i deadlift I have been using the larger plates. I'll be honest it's more of a mental thing I guess, I just feel more comfortable using these plates. When I deadlift using these plates when I stand behind the bar, the bar comes a fraction below midway up my shin which I haven't felt is too high (I wear decent work boots to squat and deadlift in and they have a reasonably thick sole). I'm 5'6".

I was doing my deads today and one of the guys in the gym came over to me and starting telling me how I would be off using the smaller diameter plates. His reasoning was that because i'm a shorter guy, using the 'big' plates means i'm not getting the full ROM at the bottom and I am in fact doing 3/4 of a deadlift. I guess me using the smaller plates is equivalent to a 6 footer using the big plates!!

Am i wrong in using the big plates? What do you guys use?

I use the regular diameter, 45 pound plates. I could use smaller plates, but I have no reason to.

There are already deadlifts that can be done by standing on a thick mat or a thick plate that elevate you up to several inches. This is the same idea as using a lower diameter plate. You start with the bar further down your legs and you have to pull for a longer distance to get it locked out.

I prefer to use the standard sizes and learn how to manipulate how much weight I can put up. Just by varying things in my form I can make a significant difference of a hundred pounds in what I can DL. Does that mean I'm cheating? Not according to PL rules. My quads, glutes, back, quads and traps tend to agree that it is much harder and more satisfying than pulling half that amount from several inches lower to the ground.

Basically, it's all up to you. You can do both to mix them up, but I think that so long as you stay consistent with whatever you're doing, you'll have good results.

Records are set on standard Olympic sized plates in both powerlifting and Olympic weightlifting. The height the barbell sits at on your legs does not matter because you have a similar mechanical advantage or disadvantage as other people who are your height. If you want to compare your stats with others then use the equipment everyone else is using. While training (i.e. not maxing), use whichever set of plates you want.

Basically, it's all up to you. You can do both to mix them up, but I think that so long as you stay consistent with whatever you're doing, you'll have good results.

While training (i.e. not maxing), use whichever set of plates you want.

That's good enough for me! I'll carry on as I was. Perhaps I shouldn't have listened too much to the interfering busybody in the first place and had enough confidence in what i was already doing!! haha!

starting telling me how I would be off using the smaller diameter plates. His reasoning was that because i'm a shorter guy, using the 'big' plates means i'm not getting the full ROM at the bottom and I am in fact doing 3/4 of a deadlift. I guess me using the smaller plates is equivalent to a 6 footer using the big plates!!

You are slightly better off using smaller plates but it's not really that big a deal - not really enough to take notice. If you eventually decide you really care you can just borrow one of those aerobic step platforms and stand on that - it makes the plate size immaterial.

You are slightly better off using smaller plates but it's not really that big a deal - not really enough to take notice. If you eventually decide you really care you can just borrow one of those aerobic step platforms and stand on that - it makes the plate size immaterial.

Anyone know what one of those little aerobic stands is rated at? They tossed the wooden platform at my gym and I've been thinking about just using the plastic aerobics step platform. It looks like it would break though. Me+weight is over 500 pounds. Anyone use one with this much load?

Anyone know what one of those little aerobic stands is rated at? They tossed the wooden platform at my gym and I've been thinking about just using the plastic aerobics step platform. It looks like it would break though. Me+weight is over 500 pounds. Anyone use one with this much load?

I've looked before when I was thinking of using them to box squat. Most I found were rated at 200-250 lbs (which makes me wonder about some of the people you see doing aerobic on them...).

Real world? Who knows?

Anyone know what one of those little aerobic stands is rated at? They tossed the wooden platform at my gym and I've been thinking about just using the plastic aerobics step platform. It looks like it would break though. Me+weight is over 500 pounds. Anyone use one with this much load?

The weight you will use will still likely be over the weight limit for those aerobic steps, but also keep in mind that increasing your ROM will decrease the amount of weight you can use. In a squat, for example, every 1" of vertical descent with the barbell can be worth 20-30 lbs -- more or less depending on the strength of the lifter. The same goes when elevating your self while pulling from the floor.

Are those like the little stepstools rated for 300lbs? Even novices
here are going to exceed that (body weight + plates) quickly.

I'd take a 2x4 or 4x4 and chop it into 2' pieces. Then screw the
pieces into a 1'x2' 3/4" piece of plywood acting as the top surface
(holding the segments together). That should give you a lift of up
to 4.25" inches. If you need to go higher, use 2x4s or 4x4s
running perpendicular to the bottom layer instead of the plywood,
for a maximum lift of 7 inches.

Something like that would hold 5000 pounds easily. At the maximum
thickness of 7 inches it would probably weigh as much as a 45 lb plate,
but you are a weightlifter, right?:D

Anyone know what one of those little aerobic stands is rated at? They tossed the wooden platform at my gym and I've been thinking about just using the plastic aerobics step platform. It looks like it would break though. Me+weight is over 500 pounds. Anyone use one with this much load?

We've had about 700# total on the ones in my gym (which I think are Reebok? not sure). That was a guy who is surely over 200# doing SLDL with 455#, plus doing these rocking reps he does at the top of his SLDL.

Now I'm just around 200# and I have pulled 405# on the platform, and failed at 455# on it a few times.

Neither of these cases seemed to cause any noticable motion of the platform. Seemed like quite a bit more could have gone on there.

By the way we are using just the top step, not the extender squares. Like the green thing in this picture:

http://www.newyorkbarbells.com/step2.gif

Yeah I checked in the gym today. We were using "The Step", as in the picture.