Fractional Plates

By novice gains, I mean being able to increase weight every workout. 
 
I was mistaken when I said "linear (novice)".  They are not the same thing.

"True genius, in many fields of human endeavor, is often revealed in elegant simplicity."

- A smart man

Journal: http://www.wannabebigforums.com/showthread.php?t=117358

ORIGINAL: NBSFighter

It's not just for novices.  I believe I remember smoundzou saying a while back that he broke through plateaus using homemade fractional weight with chains or something.

chains are a GREAT way to increase strength on benchpress.    and also.. chains are completely different from the standard fractional plates.

here's why...

fractional plates stay the same weight completely  throughout the lift....

with chains on both side of the barbell,  when you LOWER the weight down to your chest,  more and more chain actually HITS the floor, so the bottom of your lift is lighter. 
and when you go to press the barbell upwards, more and more chain comes OFF the floor, adding more weight to the barbell.  

it's a really cool thing to do, and yes, it can help you break plateau's.    i love doing them, but my gym doesn't have chains. i guess you could bring some if you wanted, but you need some long BIG ones... (don't make that perverted)

Plus.. everyone stares at you when you put chains on the barbell, and benchpress, b/c you're making noise as the chains hit the floor and most people have never seen this technique utilized before

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ORIGINAL: rippedchick

ORIGINAL: coldfire

ORIGINAL: rippedchick

My opinion: Fractional plates are completely goofy except for competitions.

Why?

Because you can progress in so many ways that don't require fractional plates. Move the bar just slightly faster and you've added that half pound. Add an extra rep and you've added 3 pounds. Do a couple negatives at the end of the set. Add another set. Drop the weight and work for speed.

The are so many ways to progress that fractional plates are worthless IMHO. If you can't add 5lbs (chips), then do the things above until you can. Busting out tiny plates isn't going to get you there any faster than these other options.

If I saw a guy start loading fractional plates I would laugh. - But again that's just my opinion.

You can do many things to add 5lbs, but if you can add 2lbs 3 times a week that's a faster progress. Why waste training time?

If I saw someone trying to add an extra rep instead of adding some pounds, I would laugh. That is stupid.

ORIGINAL: TheSilverFox

ORIGINAL: NBSFighter

It's not just for novices.  I believe I remember smoundzou saying a while back that he broke through plateaus using homemade fractional weight with chains or something.

chains are a GREAT way to increase strength on benchpress.    and also.. chains are completely different from the standard fractional plates.

here's why...

fractional plates stay the same weight completely  throughout the lift....

with chains on both side of the barbell,  when you LOWER the weight down to your chest,  more and more chain actually HITS the floor, so the bottom of your lift is lighter. 
and when you go to press the barbell upwards, more and more chain comes OFF the floor, adding more weight to the barbell.  

it's a really cool thing to do, and yes, it can help you break plateau's.    i love doing them, but my gym doesn't have chains. i guess you could bring some if you wanted, but you need some long BIG ones... (don't make that perverted)

Plus.. everyone stares at you when you put chains on the barbell, and benchpress, b/c you're making noise as the chains hit the floor and most people have never seen this technique utilized before

I think what nbs is refering to is a few links of a chain to make a fractional weight. You can weigh links and put together say 8 to make 1/2 lb weights.

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ORIGINAL: coldfire



If I saw someone trying to add an extra rep instead of adding some pounds, I would laugh. That is stupid.

 
whats wrong with squeezing out that extra rep if you can?

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ORIGINAL: coldfire

ORIGINAL: rippedchick

ORIGINAL: coldfire

ORIGINAL: rippedchick

My opinion: Fractional plates are completely goofy except for competitions.

Why?

Because you can progress in so many ways that don't require fractional plates. Move the bar just slightly faster and you've added that half pound. Add an extra rep and you've added 3 pounds. Do a couple negatives at the end of the set. Add another set. Drop the weight and work for speed.

The are so many ways to progress that fractional plates are worthless IMHO. If you can't add 5lbs (chips), then do the things above until you can. Busting out tiny plates isn't going to get you there any faster than these other options.

If I saw a guy start loading fractional plates I would laugh. - But again that's just my opinion.

You can do many things to add 5lbs, but if you can add 2lbs 3 times a week that's a faster progress. Why waste training time?

If I saw someone trying to add an extra rep instead of adding some pounds, I would laugh. That is stupid.

A) That doesn't make any sense. If you could add 2lbs 3 times a week then you could add 5lbs a week simply by using the other techniques. They work.

B) No one would laugh at someone for pushing out another rep. That doesn't make any sense either. And smound has mentioned many times about progression by pushing out an extra rep or two. Danmirage as well.

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ORIGINAL: bulkingup

ORIGINAL: coldfire



If I saw someone trying to add an extra rep instead of adding some pounds, I would laugh. That is stupid.

whats wrong with squeezing out that extra rep if you can?

Nothing, if you can. But if you can't add 5lbs you certainly can't get another rep.

ORIGINAL: coldfire

ORIGINAL: bulkingup

ORIGINAL: coldfire



If I saw someone trying to add an extra rep instead of adding some pounds, I would laugh. That is stupid.

whats wrong with squeezing out that extra rep if you can?

Nothing, if you can. But if you can't add 5lbs you certainly can't get another rep.

Thats how I know its time to increase weight.
when I first increase I'm usually in the 6-8 rep range...when i get to the 10-12 range...I add weight.

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ORIGINAL: rippedchick
A) That doesn't make any sense. If you could add 2lbs 3 times a week then you could add 5lbs a week simply by using the other techniques. They work.

Now, why would I bother changing techniques, adding volume, messing with the program instead of adding some weight just because someone thinks it's funny.

Besides, 2lbs 3 times a week is better progress than 5lbs a week.

B) No one would laugh at someone for pushing out another rep. That doesn't make any sense either. And smound has mentioned many times about progression by pushing out an extra rep or two. Danmirage as well.

Adding reps instead of weight is silly. It is a much bigger jump than adding 5lbs. Say you start with 8 reps and 100lbs bench and add rep each workout, until you get to 12 reps and then add weight. This brings you to 540lbs 1RM in 40 weeks. Silly.

Ironically, microloading helps weaker people more, because 5lbs is a bigger percentage of their lift. So in your case I would reconsider laughing about it.

Adding a rep does add a lot more weight. That's why there are other aformentioned techniques that create a smaller change.

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ORIGINAL: rippedchick

That's why there are other aformentioned techniques that create a smaller change.

And waste more time...

ORIGINAL: coldfire

ORIGINAL: rippedchick

That's why there are other aformentioned techniques that create a smaller change.

And waste more time...

It's not a waste of time if it works. Sometimes I think you argue just to argue.

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I do that all the time.

"True genius, in many fields of human endeavor, is often revealed in elegant simplicity."

- A smart man

Journal: http://www.wannabebigforums.com/showthread.php?t=117358

ORIGINAL: rippedchick

ORIGINAL: coldfire

ORIGINAL: rippedchick

That's why there are other aformentioned techniques that create a smaller change.

And waste more time...

It's not a waste of time if it works. Sometimes I think you argue just to argue.

If you waste a week instead of two days to add weight, then it is a waste of time. You are the one that is arguing with the facts.

ORIGINAL: rippedchick

ORIGINAL: coldfire

ORIGINAL: rippedchick

That's why there are other aformentioned techniques that create a smaller change.

And waste more time...

It's not a waste of time if it works. Sometimes I think you argue just to argue.

+1. agreed... with the weight topic, and the arguing

My name is FOX.... and I approve this message.

ORIGINAL: TheSilverFox

ORIGINAL: rippedchick

ORIGINAL: coldfire

ORIGINAL: rippedchick

That's why there are other aformentioned techniques that create a smaller change.

And waste more time...

It's not a waste of time if it works. Sometimes I think you argue just to argue.

+1. agreed... with the weight topic, and the arguing

Yes, you all got me. I enjoy arguing about stupid things that even a child can understand.

If I added 5lbs in a month, while I had the ability to add them in a week then I wasted 3 weeks. Is that so hard to understand?

ORIGINAL: coldfire

ORIGINAL: TheSilverFox

ORIGINAL: rippedchick

ORIGINAL: coldfire

ORIGINAL: rippedchick

That's why there are other aformentioned techniques that create a smaller change.

And waste more time...

It's not a waste of time if it works. Sometimes I think you argue just to argue.

+1. agreed... with the weight topic, and the arguing

Yes, you all got me. I enjoy arguing about stupid things that even a child can understand.

If I added 5lbs in a month, while I had the ability to add them in a week then I wasted 3 weeks. Is that so hard to understand?

perturbed are we?

My name is FOX.... and I approve this message.

just another thing to think about...Unless you are using the same bar and weights each time, the weight is going to vary a tiny bit each time you workout anyway and your extra 2 lbs could be the same weight you did last time.

working on explosive phase
vertical: 35
weight: 206

Big 3: 300/440/515

Strength and growth come only through continuous effort and struggle.

i think 1/2 pound and especially anything lower than that (1/16th pound, seriously?) are pretty pointless, especially with barbells where the weight can easily differ that much anyway.

but i like to use 2.5lb. wrist straps with dumbells because going up 5lb. is really a 10lb. increase which isnt exactly easy. occasionally i'll use the 1lb. wrist straps but not that often

i dont do it much but i like the method mentioned by bulking up..getting a weight say 8x and by the time you get 12 add weight.

ORIGINAL: RollingStone

just another thing to think about...Unless you are using the same bar and weights each time, the weight is going to vary a tiny bit each time you workout anyway and your extra 2 lbs could be the same weight you did last time.

True. Microloading is useful only if you can either write the real weight on the plates, or make sure you use the same plates every time.

ORIGINAL: coldfire

ORIGINAL: RollingStone

just another thing to think about...Unless you are using the same bar and weights each time, the weight is going to vary a tiny bit each time you workout anyway and your extra 2 lbs could be the same weight you did last time.

True. Microloading is useful only if you can either write the real weight on the plates, or make sure you use the same plates every time.

coldfire agreed with me

working on explosive phase
vertical: 35
weight: 206

Big 3: 300/440/515

Strength and growth come only through continuous effort and struggle.

ORIGINAL: rippedchick

ORIGINAL: coldfire

ORIGINAL: rippedchick

My opinion: Fractional plates are completely goofy except for competitions.

Why?

Because you can progress in so many ways that don't require fractional plates. Move the bar just slightly faster and you've added that half pound. Add an extra rep and you've added 3 pounds. Do a couple negatives at the end of the set. Add another set. Drop the weight and work for speed.

Why though, if you could continue by adding 2.5 pounds, would you change up your routine?

Those might be good if you stalled completely, but why change something that's working?  If I can add 2.5 pounds to my squat each workout that's 7.5 pounds per week.  That's solid progress.

Whereas if I did an extra set, or extra rep, it might take me a week just to be able to push out the extra 5 pounds.

The methods you listed a great, if you can't add any weight.  When you're at a complete standstill you need to change some things up, but 7.5 pounds a week is solid progress, any way you look at it.

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