Barbell Plate Calculator
Stop doing plate math between sets. Enter your target weight and bar, and get the exact per-side loadout.
Load per side
25 · 15
Loaded total: 100 kg
How it works
The calculator subtracts the bar from your target, halves the remainder, and fills each side greedily from the heaviest plate down, the same way you'd load it at the rack.
If your gym's plate set can't hit the exact target, it loads the closest weight below and tells you the difference. Toggle microplates if your gym has them.
Getting the most out of it
Know your bar
Standard men's bars are 20 kg / 45 lb; many gyms also have 15 kg / 35 lb bars. Everything downstream depends on this number.
Microplates buy progress
When adding 2.5 kg to a press stalls you, a pair of 0.5 kg microplates keeps progressive overload alive.
Load big plates first
Fewer, bigger plates beat many small ones: quicker to load, easier to count, safer on the collars.
FAQ
Yes. Enter the total weight you want on the bar; the calculator handles subtracting the bar before splitting plates per side.
Most straight bars are 20 kg (45 lb). Women's bars are typically 15 kg (33-35 lb); specialty bars vary, so check the label on the sleeve.
Plate sets have a resolution limit: without microplates, 2.5 kg (5 lb) jumps are the smallest total change possible. The calculator shows the nearest loadable weight.
Fractional plates from 0.25-1.25 kg that allow tiny jumps, most useful on slow-progressing lifts like overhead press and curls.
Liftoff loads the bar for you.
The plate calculator is built into the tracker. Tap any set weight and see the loadout, mid-workout.
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