fraction plate help

TNASTYII

TNASTYII

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where can i find some cheap fration plates at? or can i find some magnetic washers or something so i can add 2.5 lbs to an excercise instead of 5lbs
 
KLaw666

KLaw666

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ironcompany.com
i think they have 1.25s, but do u rly need anything less than 5lb increments??
 
vette00

vette00

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where can i find some cheap fration plates at? or can i find some magnetic washers or something so i can add 2.5 lbs to an excercise instead of 5lbs
R u talking about for the db?
 
TNASTYII

TNASTYII

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nvm...no i wasnt. for breaking a plateu. sometimes you cant just go in and lift another 5lbs heavier each week....i rigged up some stuff so nvm
 
datBtrue

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This was originally posted by Trance in Dave Draper's forum. I have made these micro-weights and use them often to keep the poundages moving upward.

Many times we’ve all reached sticking points in our weight lifting where the weight is more than our current strength. Or at least the available plates are just too much for that next increase. My smallest regular sized Olympic plates are 2.5 lbs, and to balance out the bar that’s a 5 lb increase in a possible new weight increase. While it may be impossible to make that 5 lb increase, it may be possible to push through the new threshold an additional pound or two at a time. Unfortunately, I don’t have any 1 lb plates.

Of course, this problem has already been solved by using what are termed "micro-weights". Through the technique of "microloading", weight increases can be accomplished with micro-weights as small as an ounce up to any weight increase up to the aforementioned 2.5 lb plates most all of us already have.

Microloading works by increasing resistance by very small amounts -- half a pound, one pound, two pounds, etc. While it’s not much weight in the grand scheme of things, it may be just enough to stimulate your system into lifting more than it did the workout before. Microloading works by adding steady increases, however small, to your workouts.

There are a few companies already selling micro-weights. One of the more popular sources is PDA (Piedmont Design Associates). They sell a fractional plate in a variety of different weight sizes. While PDA’s products are always of the highest quality, the one drawback is they can also be rather expensive. Their complete fractional plate collection is no different. Great quality, high price.

Another solution that is commonly suggested is using magnets or large industrial bolt washers. In addition to trying to find the desired weight or sizes, the problem with these is that it can be a bit cumbersome to achieve the weights needed using these in any quantity. Magnets near the weights we are wanting can also become rather expensive as well.

One of the better ways, and at ridiculously low costs, is using a simple chain and spring link combination, like this:

images.jpeg


Of course, this isn’t exactly an original idea on my part, but you can accomplish the principle of providing yourself with micro-weights at an affordable cost, and I can provide the actual part numbers and weights involved from my construction.

All you need is the desired length(s) of 5/16 " chain, and the spring links as shown in the photo above.

From "Home Depot", the part numbers are:

#163630, 5/16 inch Chain, $2.03 per foot
#150178, Spring Link, $0.97 each, multitude of colors for the fashion conscious

Important: Each individual link of the 5/16" chain weighs exactly 1.5 ounces.

The smallest loop you can make to fit an Olympic bar is 6 links. This will weigh 9 ounces, plus 1 ounce for the spring link, brings a total weight of 10 ounces.

Now, of course, you can add additional links to have a multitude of microweight loads based on the length of the chain you choose to use. Just remember that each link is 1.5 ounces, and calculate the desired weight you want from there. You might want to make a number of sets of varying microweight sizes.

One tip, if you don’t have the equipment at home to cut the chains to your desired weight sizes (lengths), the personnel at Home Depot will more than happily cut your chain to the desired sizes at the time of purchase. I’m sure any Lowe’s or other hardware stores will do the same for you.

Another tip, if you’re using more than 7-8 links in your chain, you can twist the chain links before you attach the second end of the chain to the spring link to take up the slack before you slide it over the Olympic bar to help keep it snuggly on the bar, and lessen the rattling … or not.

images2.jpeg


There you have it, a set of adjustable microweights, for less than $5-7 at most any hardware store.

 
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