How it works
Take the bar off the total and halve what is left: that is what goes on each side. Then fill each side from the heaviest plate down, taking a plate whenever it still fits. This is the same method as the plate calculator in the Kilos app.
each side = (total − bar) ÷ 2For 100 kg on a 20 kg bar, each side gets 40 kg: two 20s. For 142.5 kg, each side gets 61.25 kg: three 20s and a 1.25. If the plates you have cannot make the total exactly, the calculator says by how much it is short and what it loads instead.
Which bar do you have?
- Olympic bar, 20 kg. The standard 2.2 m bar in most gyms. In pounds it is usually counted as 45 lb, which is 20.4 kg.
- Women’s bar, 15 kg (35 lb). Shorter, with a thinner grip.
- Short and EZ bars. Their weight varies a lot between makers, often 7 to 10 kg. If the bar is not marked, weigh it once or ask the staff.
- Machines with a sled (leg press, hack squat) have a starting weight too, and it is rarely printed. Logging only the plates is fine, as long as you do it the same way every time.
Collars, and kg against lb
Spring clips weigh almost nothing and are not counted. Competition collars weigh 2.5 kg each, so if you use them, add 5 kg to the bar. One kilogram is 2.2046 pounds: 100 kg is 220.5 lb, and 225 lb, two 45s a side, is 102.1 kg. Pick the unit your plates are marked in; mixing kg and lb plates on one bar is how totals go wrong.
Not sure what weight to load?
The one rep max calculator turns a recent set into training weights, then come back here to load them.