Does It Matter How You Look at Barbell Pancakes?
Most beginners in the gym don’t think about which way the weight plates are facing. But serious lifters have a very strong opinion on this, and over time, you will need to pick a side too. But why does anyone care? Let’s take a look at the controversy.
It is important to understand that this is not a critical issue when it comes to safety or a good workout. If you look in the wrong direction in a squat rack , you could get hurt someday. If you turn the plates the wrong way on the bar, the worst thing that can happen is getting lectured by someone who has an exaggerated sense of the importance of tradition. In truth, it’s a bit like the endless debate about whether toilet paper should be on top of the roll or hanging down the back .
Wait, what does “the direction the plates are facing” even mean?
Okay, now we’re asking the real questions. Some plates are the same on both sides, in which case the problem does not exist. (Mostly. Maybe. We’ll get to the exception in a minute.)
You also don’t need to worry about this issue if your gym uses shock absorbing plates (inflatable); they are almost the same on both sides. Or if your gym uses plastic-coated plates with handle cutouts that also don’t have distinguishable front and back pieces.
But there are many cymbals that have a front and a back. The reverse side is even and smooth, without inscriptions and recesses. The front part has a protrusion along the edge, and the surface of the plate is recessed. Inside this recessed area there is usually a label showing how much the plate weighs, as well as a stamp showing who made the plate. This is what we will call the front.
So you download them to read the text… right?
Ha! If only it were that easy. The signs are facing outward to make them easier to read. For me personally, this is quite acceptable and logical. But there are a lot of gyms where it is customary to put pancakes face in .
These typically include powerlifting gyms and old school style gyms. If there are iron plates around, chances are you’re in one of those places anyway, but that’s not always the case. If you want to blend in with the rest, take a look around the gym before loading up on the barbell. If you feel like there’s a difference of opinion, do what the biggest or most experienced-looking person does.
If you ask people why they load dishes backwards, the answer is usually “it’s just the way we do it”. One argument is that you can grab the edge of the cymbal more easily when it is on the rack facing out and on the bar it is facing in . This makes sense when you’re doing a squat or bench press, but deadlifts are easier to do when your lip is out: just put the plates on the bar the same way you put them on the rack.
If you want a simpler explanation, there’s always the superstition that loading plates face- in keeps the force inside the bar .
Are you ready for more controversy? Even if you agree that all 45lb (large) plates should be loaded face in, you will have to decide which direction to place the smaller plates: 25kg, 10kg, and so on. My husband learned the plate setting method at the powerlifting gym, and at our home gym I sometimes see him squat with a few full size plates as well as a set of mystery plates. Is this an average size 25 or 35? Is he using 10lb plates or has he stolen 5kg from me? I think it would be nice to turn the small plates outward, but I’m not going to disregard the traditions of his people.
And then there is the question of competitive load.
Okay, how do they load the barbell in competitions ?
Take, for example, the International Powerlifting Federation, which uses color-coded thin steel plates that have an edge and lettering on one side. (Powerlifting is the squat, bench press, and deadlift .) The rulebook says:
7. All discs must be clearly marked by their weight and loaded in sequence: heavier discs are placed closer to the center and smaller discs with decreasing weight are positioned so that the judges can read the weight on each disc.
8. The first and heaviest disc mounted on the boom should be loaded face in; with the rest of the discs loaded face out.
To repeat, the first plate is loaded face in and all other plates are loaded face out.
This method maximizes the number of plates that can be read from a distance. Judges, loaders and spectators appreciate it all. The largest plates (25 kilograms) are large and red; other plates are of a different color and are usually smaller in diameter. If you have a few red ones and a few smaller ones, it’s easy to tell by the size, color, and labeling how much is on the bar.
Weightlifting (the sport of the snatch and clean and jerk) used to be like this when one-sided plates were used. But these days, standard equipment is a set of equally sized bumper plates marked on both sides. The color coding effectively communicates the weight of any inserts whose markings are not visible. As such, the International Weightlifting Federation does not specify which direction the plates should face:
The bar is loaded with the heaviest discs first and then the lighter discs are loaded in descending order of weight towards the outer edge of the bar. The discs must be loaded so that the judges and juries on duty can determine the weight of each disc.
That is, the bumper does not have a front and rear?
Mainly. Modern bumper plates are marked on both sides, but sometimes the design can distinguish the front from the back. If there is a metal disc in the center, hardware may be visible on one side of the plate and not on the other. Some meeting organizers instruct their movers to hide equipment so that only the smooth, shiny side is visible (using the mnemonic “hide your nuts”). Others don’t care. (Editor Afferbeck_ posted a collection of photos showing discrepancies between years .)
Can you give me a rule of thumb or something like that?
Certainly.
- If the plates look the same on both sides, don’t worry about it.
- If you’re in a fancy powerlifting gym with fancy, colored, calibrated pancakes, load the first one face in and the rest face out.
- Otherwise, if most people download them face to face, download them face to face.
- Whether you’re alone in the gym or working out at home, it really doesn’t matter.
If you weren’t aware of this controversy before, I hope I’ve enlightened you. And if you had a strong opinion, I hope that I have opened your eyes to the points of view of others and confused you a little. (Sorry.) Feel free to share in the comments any reasons or superstitions I missed.