What Are The Best Bumper Plates for Home Gyms 2023?

Perhaps you’re interested in purchasing some bumper plates for use in your home gym?

If so, you’ve come to the right place. This guide will tell you how to select bumper plates, and will also provide you with a compilation of the 5 best bumper plate sets on the market in 2023.

What are Bumper Plates?

Barbell plates come in a number of different types, but perhaps the safest type of barbell plates are bumper plates.

Bumper plates are made out of a soft rubber-like material which possesses some give, and which doesn’t do much damage to the floor when dropped.

Because these plates aren’t made out of metal or ceramic, they themselves are not damaged when dropped from lofty heights.

These types of plates are commonly used in CrossFit but are also the standard plates used in Olympic weightlifting.

Both of these disciplines involved lifting heavy weights which must be dropped after each lift is completed.

Therefore, bumper plates are ideally designed for their purposes.

Bumper plates come at all different price ranges and at all different levels of quality, some of which are designed mostly for use in home gyms, and some of which are designed to be used in formal competition.

Benefits of Bumper Plates

In general, the two main types of weight plates are steel plates and rubber bumper plates.

While they essentially serve the same purpose (to put additional weight on a barbell), they are different in a number of ways.

Let’s discuss the benefits that you’ll get from bumper plates, but won’t get from steel plates.

Unlike with steel plates, bumper plates all measure in at the same diameter. This allows them to be lined up uniformly across the bar so that they will fall even when dropped.

Because of this, and along with their soft, rubberized construction, bumper plates are much safer to drop from lofty heights.

This makes them perfect for heavy overhead lifts such as clean jerks and military presses.

Essentially, bumper plates can take a much bigger beating than can steel weight plates.

What to Consider When Choosing Bumper Plates

While all bumper plates serve the same basic purpose, that doesn’t mean that they are all of the same quality.

There are a number of different things that separate each individual set of bumper plates.

In addition to their weight, you must also consider their size specs, price, and overall construction.

Weight

Obviously, the most important thing to consider when purchasing a set of bumper plates is how much they weigh.

Some bumper plates come in full sets which include 10, 15, 25, 35, and 45-pound plates.

Others must be bought individually in order for you to accumulate a full set.

Just make sure of what exactly you’re buying before you make a purchase.

You don’t want to spend $300.00 on two bumper plates when you thought you were buying an entire set.

Size Specs

While most bumper plates you look at will be the same standard size, there are some which are slightly different.

The official diameter of IPF and IWF bumper plates is 450 mm.

The official barbell hole diameter of IPF and IWF bumper plates is 50.8 mm.

It’s recommended that you buy bumper plates that are of these sizes.

By doing this, you ensure that you can buy standard, like-sized bumper plates in the future.

Construction

In general, bumper plates are made out of strong, heavy rubber which can withstand quite a beating.

Competition-level bumper plates are typically made completely out of rubber while low-end, home-use bumper plates are typically made out of both rubber and steel.

A rubber exterior lines a steel interior. While these low-end plates aren’t quite as strong as all-rubber plates, they are still reasonably durable, and for a better price.

Price

As with any product you purchase, it’s important to consider the overall cost of your bumper plates.

Obviously, higher-end bumper plates are going to cost you a little more. However, they will probably also last you a lot longer due to their increased durability.

It’s important to consider your personal budget and make an informed choice based on that.

If you don’t have a great deal of money to spend in the short-term, you might be better off by purchasing some cheaper low-end plates.

They will still be reasonably durable, and should still last for years and years of use.

The Five Best Bumper Plates

X Training Equipment Bumper Plates

First, let’s review the X Training Equipment Bumper Plates.

These plates come in a variety of sizes. You can order them in individual pairs of 10, 15, 25, 35, or 45 pounds, or order an entire set containing pairs of each weight.

Made out of a soft, but sturdy rubber, they can fall on the ground from reasonable heights without damaging themselves or their surroundings.

Equipped with steel bar inserts, they attach tightly to the barbell, reducing overall movement.

Coming with a 180-day warranty, these bumper plates are durable, easy to put on the bar, and relatively inexpensive.

PROS

Can order pairs of all different weights
Soft, but sturdy construction
Reasonably priced
Equipped with steel inserts to reduce bar slippage
Officially sized for Olympic lifting and CrossFit

CONS

They possess a strong odor upon arrival

Rep Fitness Bumper Plates

Next, let’s review the Rep Fitness Bumper Plates.

These bumper plates can be purchased in pairs of 5, 10, 25, 35, and 45 pounds, and in sets totaling 160 pounds, 210 pounds, 230 pounds, and 250 pounds.

Overall, they are fairly reasonably priced regardless of how many plates you buy.

Made out of soft, but sturdy rubber, they are designed to be dropped from 8 feet over 15,000 times.

Each of these plates is equipped with a steel insert which allows them to clamp snugly to the bar, reducing overall movement during lifts.

With a 1-year warranty on the 10-pound and 15-pound plates, and a 3-year warranty on the 25, 35, and 45-pound weights, Rep Fitness stands behind their product.

PROS

Can order pairs of all different weights
Soft, but tough construction
Designed with metal plates to clamp to the bar snugly
Reasonably priced
Officially sized

CONS

Possess a very strong odor

OneFitWonder Bumper Plates

Unlike the previous two bumper plates we reviewed, these OneFitWonder Bumper Plates can only be purchased as a set.

In total, a set of these plates includes pairs of 10, 15, 25, and 45 pounds.

Each plate is made out of tough rubber which can withstand high falls without damaging itself or its surroundings.

Officially sized and equipped with a steel insert, each plate fits snugly and securely to the bar, ensuring that it moves very little during lifts.

Available for a mid-level price, these bumper plates provide superb value.

PROS

Safe and sturdy rubber construction
Equipped with steel inserts for snug attachment
Officially sized
Reasonably priced

CONS

Can’t be bought as individual weight pairs
Possess a strong odor upon arrival

CAP Barbell Bumper Plates

These CAP Barbell Bumper Plates are priced reasonably but are only available in pairs of different weights.

For instance, you can purchase two 20-pound plates together, but you can’t purchase an entire set featuring plates of all different weights.

Still, they possess a superb rubber construction, making them durable and safe in the confines of your home gym.

Equipped with steel attachments, they fit snugly to an official sized Olympic bar, moving as little as possible during lifts.

PROS

Can buy plate pairs of all weights
Made out of tough, safe rubber
Possess steel inserts for a snug fit to the bar
Reasonably priced

CONS

Possess a strong odor upon arrival
Can’t be bought as a set

CFF Rubber Bumper Plates

The last bumper plates we will review are the CFF Rubber Bumper Plates.

These plates can be bought in pairs of 10, 15, 25, 35, and 45 pounds, but can not be bought in a full set.

They are a little more expensive than the other plates on our list.

Made out of tough, yet soft rubber, these plates can be dropped from lofty heights without suffering or inflicting much damage.

Officially sized, and equipped with steel inserts, they will fit snugly to all Olympic sized barbells.

PROS

Can buy plate pairs of all weights
Built to IWF specs

CONS

Relatively expensive
Possess a strong odor upon arrival

Our Recommendation

Stocking a home gym can be very costly. Because of this, you want to buy equipment that will reduce long-term costs as much as possible.

Metal weight plates are not only relatively fragile but can also do a great deal of damage to their surroundings.

This is why bumper plates are the ideal weight plates to use for a home gym. They can be dropped from high heights without being damaged, and without damaging their surroundings.

Currently, the best bumper plates on the market are the X Training Equipment Bumper Plates.

Coming in pairs of all different weights as well as in a full set, these plates are tough, padded, and reasonably priced.

If you’re into CrossFit or Olympic style lifting and are looking to add to your home gym, the X Training Equipment Bumper Plates are your best bet.