Which to buy first, bumpers or iron plates?

[AFFerree]

Hey folks, I wanted to get y'alls opinion on something. I've finally started strength training. Bought a Rogue Westside 2.0 power bar and build a power rack out of 4x4s. My home gym is almost complete, but now I've run into a dilemma. Should I buy iron/steel plates or bumpers? My training goal is strongman, perhaps competitively one day, mainly because I love the practicality of it. Since one of the main competitive exercises is the clean and press, would it be wise to bite the bullet and buy bumpers right off the bat or is that so far off from a beginner that just focusing on the strength basics like bench, deadlift, squat and overhead press would be better?

[NotThatUgly]

if you can afford it, buy all bumpers.

[dannyautrey]

I just bought my first barbell/weight set and I went with bumpers first. Number 1 reason is that I'm trying to.get better at the oly lifts. Other than that, I'm sure ill be able to find iron locally at garage sales where I wont be able to find bumpers.

Buy about 225lbs of bumpers or so, then fill the rest out with iron as you can.

[scotpak1979]

Agree with above. Get at least 4-6 heavy bumper plates and make sure they are the correct diameter. Then just go for cheap iron plates. I found that the cheapest ones tend to be a bit smaller than olympic bumpers which i think is handy as its easier getting them on.

[vksak]

im weak af but i rkn bumper

[Iceman1800]

I'd go with bumpers too. You should be able to get some good deals with the holiday season starting up. Shop around. I got 4-45# bumper plates delivered for $215 a couple years ago.

[dannyautrey]

Agree with above. Get at least 4-6 heavy bumper plates and make sure they are the correct diameter. Then just go for cheap iron plates. I found that the cheapest ones tend to be a bit smaller than olympic bumpers which i think is handy as its easier getting them on.

I wouldn't intentionally get smaller plates. The leverage they'll have on the bar will deteriorate the bar and bumpers over time.

I don't know where you live, but rogue's High Gravity bumpers aren't bad on price. You can get 230lbs for about $375, or get a bar and bumper set for 595 and free shipping. The hi temp plates are even cheaper, but they're the real thick ones(only a problem if you plan on trying to load over 5 of them a side and don't use anything else).

[Trix11]

My Gym has both Bumper and Steel Plates. Bumpers will probably last longer and be less torturous to your floors and equipment. Because of weight distribution, I tend to lift more on bumpers as opposed to thinner plates.

[AFFerree]

I figured as much, but still, I'm thankful for the input.

[Garage Rat]

Just remember with bumpers(depending on what you buy)you can only put so many on the bar.
They twice the thickness as iron plates.
You could get stronger than what you can put on the bar on something like deadlift or squat.
Agree they are good for oly lifts.
You could just buy iron plates and get some good rubber matting.

[Poptartgainz]

I'd start with 2-4 45lb bumpers and iron change plates (more cost effective) and then get some iron 45s when you need them.

As to your second question (I'm not really qualified to speak to this but...) if you have no prior lifting expieriance I would start on a basic strength program like starting strength. After you have a decent strength based you can do more strongman-specific work. Just my 2 cents

[lifterut]

Just remember with bumpers(depending on what you buy)you can only put so many on the bar.
They twice the thickness as iron plates.
You could get stronger than what you can put on the bar on something like deadlift or squat.
Agree they are good for oly lifts.
You could just buy iron plates and get some good rubber matting.

That's what I was thinking. Bumpers wouldn't even get me halfway through my squat workout(sets of 410, 470, 525 tomorrow).

[grouchyjarhead]

If you can afford bumpers, get them. Eventually you'll want some iron though especially to test your deadlift strength, as bumpers can actually make a deadlift easier since you're overloading the bar so when you do your initial pull you can actually pull higher before all the weight's off the floor.

The Wichita Falls Novice Program would be a good choice for you with two minor alterations. Instead of alternating press and bench each workout, I'd push press one workout and strict press the other and stick to benching only once a week if you're focused solely on strongman. Clean all of your presses from the floor. I'd also have you rotating front squats and back squats as both are important in strongman.

So something like this....

Monday
Back squat/front squat 3x5 (alternating)
Push press 3x5
Chin-ups: 3 sets to failure or add weight if completing more than 15 reps

Wednesday
Front squat/back squat 3x5 (alternating)
Bench press 3x5
Deadlift 1x5/Powerclean 5x3 (alternating)

Friday
Back squat/front squat 3x5 (alternating)
Strict press 3x5
Pull-ups: 3 sets to failure or add weight if completing more than 15 reps

That would just be my personal recommendation. I'd add some gripwork in at the end of each session also. Maybe hangs for time on Monday, plate pinches on Wednesday, and farmer's walks on Friday.