Fractional/Change plates

[boardy404]

Hi all,

As someone who has had some hideous shoulder issues, i used to struggle with progressive overload on a lot of upper body push exercises.

Someome told me about fractional plates that let me move up very gradually once i was reaching a plateau. (For anyonr not sure what they are they are tiny 2" plates that range from 0.125kg up to 0.50kg)

I am wondering if anyone else has used these to get an idea of how common their usage is. I got my own set but its something i have never seen in a gym aside from when i whip them out my bag.

Cheers!

[BiGx5MurF]

I have a set, I don't get much use out of them. I prefer to work around shoulder issues using a football bar instead.

[boardy404]

I have a set, I don't get much use out of them. I prefer to work around shoulder issues using a football bar instead.

Yeah, I know what you mean, as the fear of going up a "normal" plate has subsided mine just kind of live in my gym bag taking up space.

Out of interest, how to you handle the transition on dumbbells? Most of the gyms i visit go in 2kg increments which can be a fairly big step up per hand.

[BiGx5MurF]

Yeah, I know what you mean, as the fear of going up a "normal" plate has subsided mine just kind of live in my gym bag taking up space.

Out of interest, how to you handle the transition on dumbbells? Most of the gyms i visit go in 2kg increments which can be a fairly big step up per hand.

I don't really go heavy on dumbbells anymore, mostly use them for accessory lifts. My current collection only goes up to 75 lbs a pair. Like I said, I only press heavy with a football bar now. I lose about 10-15% weight compared to a straight bar. But there's no strain on my shoulders at all. If I bench heavy with a straight bar, I'll only block bench, the reduced ROM keeps my shoulder from acting up as well.

[grapegorilla]

I use 1.25s to allow continuous 2.5 increases on bench and overhead press.

Gym I go to also has them.

[rlundregan]

I have a set of fractional plates......I like them, but I don't use them much in the way that you are talking about. There are times when it is helpful to increase the weight on a lift by less than 5 lbs. I usually add my Ivanko COT 1.25 collars to the bar to add weight for most of those lifts. Occasionally I like to add even smaller increments. I should be clear that fractionals are nice to have, and they have helped me to sustain progress a bit longer when I have used them.

I mostly use fractional plates when I am following a program that uses a lot of percentage work, like 5/3/1. Fractional plates aren't strictly necessary there either, but it is nice to be able to follow the program closely. If a particular movement in my program calls for me to lift 253.5 lbs, I can do that.