Fractional weight plates: what they are, why use them and more

No doubt you’re familiar with a traditional iron weight plate, but what about fractional weight plates? These handy little gym companions have soared in popularity over the last few years as a way to push through plateaus and hit weightlifting goals.

But what is their actual purpose? Is there any benefit in increasing the weight you’re lifting by as little as 0.5kg when the general point of weight training is to get stronger?

They’re fair questions, so we’ve answered them as simply as possible on this page.

What are fractional weight plates?

Fractional weight plates are micro weight plates that can be added to a dumbbell, kettlebell or barbell to make it ever so slightly heavier. Unlike traditional weight plates that are measured in kilograms, fractional weight plates are defined by a matter of grams. Where you previously might have been forced into progressing from a 5kg dumbbell onto a 7.5kg dumbbell for a movement you find difficult, fractional weight plates make it possible to temper that increase so that you’re still lifting more than your last session but not so much to make your training unmanageable.

They do this by keeping an ultra-slim profile and sliding onto the handle of a dumbbell, kettlebell or barbell, making it easy to add or remove weight as you need.

Why do people use them?

To understand the appeal of fractional weight plates, you first need to understand the driving principle behind muscle-growth: progressive overload.

Progressive overload means that as you train, you should gradually increase either the weight you’re lifting or the number of reps that you’re completing. Essentially, you should be pushing your muscles over time.

The most common way that people do this is by training in a rep range and moving up to a higher weight as they reach the upper limit of that range. Here’s an example.

• You start doing lateral raises with a 5kg dumbbell in each hand. You aim for 8 reps each set.
• After a month, you can comfortably perform 12 reps using the 5kg dumbbell.
• You know you need to increase the weight, so you try the same exercise with a 7.5kg dumbbell and only manage 4 reps.
• To raise the weight while staying in that 8-12 rep range, you use fractional weight plates to add an additional 0.5kg or 1kg of resistance onto the 5kg dumbbell and successfully complete 8 reps.

That’s a quick but practical guide of how progressive overload works. It’s a cherry-picked example, sure, but it’s isolation movements like a lateral raise where fractional plates are worth their (albeit modest) weight in gold.

Some other exercises where you might find it beneficial to use fractional weight plates are…

ARMS

• Bicep curls
• Tricep extensions

ABS

• Russian twists

CHEST

• Chest flys

SHOULDERS

• Rear delt flys
• Front raises

How do they work?

Our fractional weight plates are manufactured entirely out of rubber. They’re heavy enough to do the job yet still pliable so that you can squeeze them onto a weight bar.

What equipment can I use fractional weight plates with?

You can use fractional plates with dumbbells, kettlebells and barbells.

For dumbbells, slide the plate onto the handle so that it sits on either end.

Place it on either side of a kettlebell handle so that you can still grip the weight comfortably in the middle.

If you’re using fractional plates on a barbell, put them on the handle rather than the sleeve where you load the rest of your weight plates, since the sleeve will be too thick to hold it.

Are there any negatives to fractional weight plates?

There are a couple of things to keep in mind with fractional plates, though they’re hardly a dealbreaker.

The first is that adding fractional plates to a dumbbell or kettlebell can make it feel slightly unbalanced. They aren’t securely attached to the bar like the rest of the weight, which you might notice as you lift. It’s a small thing to note, but worth highlighting so that you aren’t in for any surprises when you train.

The second thing to consider is that they reduce how much space you have on the handle. This isn’t likely to be a problem if you’re only using a single pair of fractional plates, but as soon as you start adding a 0.25kg and a 0.5kg plate, for example, then your hand placement might start feeling a bit cramped on the bar.

All things considered, though, fractional weight plates are well worth the hype in our eyes due to how accommodating they are towards progressive overload. They’re a versatile, reasonably-priced addition to a gym that can just as easily increase the weight of a 50kg dumbbell as it can a 5kg one. With that in mind, they’re a sound investment in our eyes.

Pick up a pair for yourself and start getting technical with your training.