She Strengthens

Unlock the Power of Weight Plates: 7 Exercises to Strengthen Your Body

Weight plates are more than just a means to load a barbell or decorate a rack. They can be a valuable tool in your fitness journey, helping you tone, tighten, bulk, and hulk. According to NASM-certified trainer John Gardner, “They’re an excellent tool to help add extra weights to your fitness routine.”

The Benefits of Training with Weight Plates

Resistance training with weight plates offers numerous benefits, including:

• Increased muscle mass
• Stronger bones
• More resilient joints
• Faster metabolism
• Improved balance
• Reduced injury risk
• Boosted mood
• Better disposition

Does Weight Type Matter?

When it comes to weight plates, the type of exercise you do will depend on the shape, size, material, and handle positions of your equipment. However, any time you add weight to an exercise, it’s a good thing. Certified strength and conditioning specialist Jake Harcoff notes that “any time you add weight to an exercise, it’s a good thing… a very good thing.”

7 Weight Plate Exercises to Incorporate

1. Lat Raises: This exercise targets the deltoid, lat, and shoulder muscles. Hold two light weight plates with your palms facing down and lift them out to the sides until your body forms a “T” shape. Lower with control and repeat.

2. Halos: This dynamic exercise targets the core muscles. Hold a weight plate overhead with bent elbows and rotate it in a full circular motion around your head. Do 8-10 reps in one direction before reversing directions.

3. Plate Squat: This exercise helps improve squat form by forcing the body to stay upright. Hold a lightweight plate at chest height and press it out in front of you while you squat. Lower until your hips drop below the crease of your knees and press back up to standing.

4. Chest Supported Rows: This exercise targets the rear deltoid, traps, rhomboids, and lats muscles, helping to offset the overuse of frontside muscles from everyday activities. Lie stomach-down on an incline bench and pull two weight plates up along your body using your pulling muscles.

5. Pinch-Grip Row: This exercise targets the grip muscles. Grab two light weight plates, sandwiching a plate between your fingers and thumb on each hand, and pull elbows behind you. Squeeze your lats together before slowly lowering the plates back to the starting position.

6. Low-to-High Plate Rotation: This full-body movement dynamically targets the legs, trunk rotators, and shoulders in the transverse plane. Hold a plate in the middle of your abdomen and rotate it to your left hip as you lower into a squat. Press through your foot to return to standing and rotate off your left back foot to press the weight overhead.

7. Ground-to-Overhead: This full-body movement works your leg muscles, glutes, core, arms, shoulders, and back. Stand with feet shoulder-width apart and hold a weight plate between your feet. Pull the plate up along your body into a front rack position before pressing it overhead. Lower the plate back to the starting position and repeat.

Getting Started

Remember to start slowly and progress at your own pace. The resistance you build over time will help your body develop in the ways it needs to and help you avoid injury. With these 7 exercises, you’ll be well on your way to unlocking the power of weight plates and achieving your fitness goals.