Weight plates are great for barbell exercises, but these plates are resistance tools that serve a greater purpose. You do not always need to use them on barbells to make use of them.
Weight Plate Exercises for Workout
Here are seven weight plate exercises using only a weight plate that can be beneficial to build up the physique for men:
1) Shoulder Raise
It goes without saying that your shoulders play an important role in your overall appearance. A well-built pair of shoulders can make a significant difference when it comes to your upper body.
To do the exercise:
Grip the weight plate from two sides, and use a plate whose resistance you can bear. Raise your arms while keeping them extended, and ensure to lift from your shoulders. The pressure should fall on your lateral and anterior deltoids.
2) Squat Reach
The squat reach is one of the weight plate exercises that works on your quads and slightly on your shoulders as well.
To do it:
Grip the weight plate from both sides. As you move to a squat, extend your arms forward. When you move upwards from the squat to the starting position, bring the plate close to your chest or torso.
3) Weighted Plank
Planks are a common core exercise and are usually done to strengthen the core muscles along with developing their proper shape.
To do the exercise:
Place the weight plate on your back before moving to the plank position. If you can’t place it yourself, move to a plank position, and ask someone to place the plate on your back. While you’re doing the exercise, ensure to have your core engaged, and don’t use a plate, which can push down on your back more than your core muscles can take.
4) Landmine Press
Landmine press is a weight plate exercise that works on your pectoral muscles. It can be done using a plate, dumbbell, or even a barbell.
To do the exercise:
Take a plate you can grip with both hands, and place them on either side of the plate. Use the plate hole to grip the weight plate. Push the plate upwards by extending your arms, using your chest to push it upwards. Control the negative when you bring the plate towards yourself to keep constant pressure on your chest.
5) Halo
The halo is an overexerting exercise for your shoulders. It’s one of the weight plate exercises that’s extremely effective for improving mobility and flexibility in your shoulders.
To do the exercise:
Grip the weight plate on both sides, and hold it in front of you. To get into motion, twist the plate from your sides to your back and to the side again. After completing one rep, the weight plate should be in front of your chest again.
6) Overhead Squat
Squats are extremely good for your lower body. Adding resistance to squats make it a better calorie-burning workout.
To do the exercise:
Hold the weight plate with both hands, and extend it overhead. Proceed to do squats while holding the resistance overhead.
7) Crunch
Crunches are extremely important for core muscles. Several weight plate exercises can be used as variations for crunches.
To do the exercise:
Hold the plate in front of you, and extend your arms upwards when doing crunches. In another variation, you can hold the weight plate behind your neck.
You can also do Russian twists with a weight plate when focusing on core exercises.
When Should You Begin Weight Plate Training?
When you begin resistance training, it should be with bodyweight training. As you advance, your focus should shift to dumbbells, barbells, and machines.
However, everyone progresses at their own pace, and there’s no fixed timeline for when you should add weight plates to your training. Ideally, it should be when you’re comfortably working with your bodyweight, and your muscles are ready for the next level of resistance.
0 votes
