Hexagonal plates are driving me crazy

**aelephant** · 12-13-2010, 06:10 AM

I'm in China and don't have access to a great gym. The gym I do have access to has two locations. One location has hexagonal plates that are almost completely unusable to me doing ground exercises. The other location has "more round" plates, but they still have a bunch of flat sides & tend to roll around too much when I set them down after a big lift.

I'm used to using plates that are big circles, not this multi-sided sh!t.

I feel like every time I set it down after a deadlift or a row, it rolls around so much I have to reset everything for proper form.

Anyone have any advice?

**Gnadenlos** · 12-13-2010, 06:18 AM

Originally Posted by aelephant

I'm in China and don't have access to a great gym. The gym I do have access to has two locations. One location has hexagonal plates that are almost completely unusable to me doing ground exercises. The other location has "more round" plates, but they still have a bunch of flat sides & tend to roll around too much when I set them down after a big lift.

I'm used to using plates that are big circles, not this multi-sided sh!t.

I feel like every time I set it down after a deadlift or a row, it rolls around so much I have to reset everything for proper form.

Anyone have any advice?

Is it really that difficult to reset them after a lift? If you're going super heavy, you should have a long rest period anyway. If you're not going super heavy, why set the weights down?

**Bostongeorge617** · 12-13-2010, 06:20 AM

I have similar plates at my gym, like these:

They don't keep me from doing exercises. I have to lower with more control on deadlifts, but it ain't that big of a deal. If they get slightly skewed, it's ok since I come from a dead start each time and taking a second to re-align isn't a biggie to me. Maybe you can just...

**chazzy1864** · 12-13-2010, 06:45 AM

I actually kind of like the decagonal iron grip plates. Yes they shift forward/backward each lift, but it forces you to dead the weight and get a good reset before pulling.

I would rather have that, than trying to find a perfectly level surface to keep my bar from rolling away from me before my lifts. :-/

**aelephant** · 12-13-2010, 07:07 AM

Originally Posted by Bostongeorge617

Maybe you can just...

LOL, that is the plan.

Tomorrow I'm in for deadlifts. My strategy so far has been to take a few seconds rest while I reset my feet under the bar for each rep. I typically do 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 reps for warm-ups, then load my weight up and do a set of 5 reps. I guess I feel strange because I'm used to not having to reset between reps on most exercises. I would feel weird if I racked the bar between each rep of bench press, for example.

**Mattman1217** · 12-13-2010, 07:41 AM

I can't think of a single good reason for stop sign plates.
Maybe an engineer who was not a lifter thought it looked cool?
Perhaps it's to discourage people from deadlifting?

Having your bar go for a walk after each rep?......Nah, no thanks.
This is one of the reasons globo gyms usually stink for doing the big lifts.

**Mattman1217** · 12-13-2010, 07:51 AM

Originally Posted by chazzy1864

I would rather have that, than trying to find a perfectly level surface to keep my bar from rolling away from me before my lifts. :-/

If your gym was any good it would have a level surface set aside just for deads, and cleans.
I assume your gym like mine, and most others, does not have a lifting platform.
Thats why most commercial gyms are poo.
They would rather use that space for more machines that do the same thing as the other machines of a different brand that they already have wasting space in another room at my gym.
Not to hate on Hammer strength, and Life fittness equiptment, but there is some major useless overlap at my gym, and hardly any room to do deads, and cleans.
I'm sure I'm not alone.

**chazzy1864** · 12-13-2010, 08:06 AM

Originally Posted by Mattman1217

If your gym was any good it would have a level surface set aside just for deads, and cleans.
I assume your gym like mine, and most others, does not have a lifting platform.
Thats why most commercial gyms are poo.
They would rather use that space for more machines that do the same thing as the other machines of a different brand that they already have wasting space in another room at my gym.
Not to hate on Hammer strength, and Life fittness equiptment, but there is some major useless overlap at my gym, and hardly any room to do deads, and cleans.
I'm sure I'm not alone.

Thgere is space to do deads, and it has all the equpiment i need. Just the padded floors eventually get small indentions in them. nothing major but enough so a plate will roll.

**URL** · 12-13-2010, 08:11 AM

if your talking about deadlifts, try switching to stiff-legged deadlifts. that could help solve the problem

**Tyciol** · 12-13-2010, 12:13 PM

I'd think that hexagonal plates would be LESS inclined to roll. What you're calling rolling, it's probably tipping like you set it down on a corner and it tips towards the closest edge to settle.