Free calculator

Barbell plate calculator

What goes on each side for 225 lb or 100 kg? Enter the weight, pick the bar and switch off the plates your gym doesn't have. The calculator finds the load with the fewest plates.

Bar
Plates in your gym · Tap to switch off
Each side25 + 15Total: 100 kg

How to use it

  1. 1

    Enter the weight

    The total on the bar, bar included — the one in your routine.

  2. 2

    Pick the bar and plates

    Olympic bar 20 kg / 45 lb, women's 15 kg / 35 lb, technique bar 10 kg. Switch off plates your gym doesn't have.

  3. 3

    Load it

    Plates for one side, heaviest first. If the weight can't be made exactly, you see the nearest below and above.

How it's counted

Bar weight plus plates on both sides, evenly. The calculator takes off the bar, splits the rest in two and picks plates for one side so there are as few as possible.

It assumes the gym has enough of each plate. Collars aren't counted: competition collars weigh 2.5 kg each, spring clips next to nothing — if yours are heavy, add them to the bar.

The lightest standard pair is 2 × 1.25 kg, so 2.5 kg is the natural step on a barbell. LiftChat uses the same step when it suggests your next weight on a barbell lift.

Your next weight is already on the card

In LiftChat weights come from your routine, and progression suggests the next step itself — on a barbell that's 2.5 kg, the lightest plate pair.

A new account gets 14 days of Standard right away: every feature, with half the assistant limit. No card and no auto-charge — after that you stay on the free plan, where workout logging has no limits.

How progression works →
Open in browser

Questions

How much does the bar weigh?

An Olympic men's bar is 20 kg (45 lb), a women's bar 15 kg (35 lb), a technique bar 10 kg. Short and EZ bars vary — pick “custom” and enter its weight.

Why can't my weight be loaded?

Plates go on in pairs, so the step is twice the lightest plate. With plates down to 1.25 kg the step is 2.5 kg: 101 kg can't be made, the nearest are 100 and 102.5 kg.

Are collars included?

No. If your collars are heavy (competition ones are 2.5 kg each), add them to the bar: 20 + 5 = 25 kg.

Does it work in pounds?

Switch to lb: a 45 or 35 lb bar, plates of 45, 35, 25, 10, 5 and 2.5 lb.