Know Exactly Which Plates to Load on Each Side
Enter the weight you want on the bar and get the plates for each side, in kilograms or pounds.
This tool was built by Serge (MSc) using standard barbell and plate weights. My background is a lifelong natural lifter with over a decade of drug-free training and a science background (MSc).
My tools are for educational purposes and give practical guidance, not professional advice.
Doing plate maths between sets slows you down, especially with odd numbers. Type the total weight you want on the bar and the tool shows you which plates go on each side.
It works in kilograms and pounds, starts from a standard Olympic bar, and lets you change the bar weight if yours is different.
| Plate | Per side |
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Why I Work Out the Plates First
I check the plates before a heavy set, because a miscounted pair is an easy mistake when you are tired. Working it out first takes a few seconds and saves you from loading, unloading, and loading again.
I recommend the same habit to everyone, especially in a busy gym where you do not want to stand around doing sums. Know the plates, load both sides the same, and get on with your set.
How the Plates Are Chosen
The tool takes your target, subtracts the bar, and splits the rest evenly between the two sides. It then starts with the heaviest plate and fits as many of each as it can on one side.
That mirrors how you load a bar in the gym, big plates first and smaller ones to fine-tune the weight.
When Something Is Left Over
The result shows one side of the bar, so load the same plates on the other side. If a small amount is left over, your plate set cannot make that exact weight, and the nearest number you can load is the one to use.
Smaller plates such as 1.25 kg or 2.5 lb let you make finer jumps, which is why many lifters keep a pair in their bag.
Loading Safely
The tool assumes a matched pair of every plate and a standard bar. If you use a specialty bar, change the bar weight field to match it.
Always load both sides evenly and use collars so the weight stays balanced through the whole set.
Plan the Rest of Your Session
If you are not sure what to load, the one-rep max calculator turns a recent set into working weights, and the warm-up set calculator lays out the lighter sets that lead up to them.
When a program is written in the other unit, the kg to lbs converter switches the numbers for you before you come back here to load them.