This is a comparison between the Rogue Urethane plate and the fractional plates including pros, cons and alternatives. Follow the links for more details
The Rogue fractional plates will set you back about $33 dollars. These plates are especially good to use for lifters who want to microload. This overview has originally been published in the article "Which rogue plates to buy" which you can find on this blog.
Rogue
Fractional plates come in pairs of 0.125kg and 0.250kg. They are a helpful tool for the most advanced athletes to steadily increase the weight being lifted. They can also be used on beginning athletes or anyone who is facing a plateau. These plates allow you to increase the weight on the
bar in increments which are smaller than 2.5kg and therefore provide more options for your training.
These plates get easily lost or stolen. Also most people in your gym will not know how to use them probably and scatter them all over the place as they are so small.
Overview of the Urethane plates
The
Rogue Urethane plates are the second most expensive ones in the Rogue portfolio per kg. What you get in return are the longest lasting, all weather plates you can obtain from Rogue. These plates are 450mm in diameter and made to IWF specs. They have a chrome insert and dead bounce on the drop. The chrome piece provides easy loading on the
bar and reduced friction on the sleeves. This is the plate to buy if your last
competition plates fell apart at the chrome insert.
Weight / Color / Diameter / Thickness / Price per pair
55LB / Red / 450mm / 58mm / $310
45LB / Blue / 450mm / 53mm / $260
35LB / Yellow / 450mm / 48mm / $220
25LB / Green / 450mm / 40mm / $160
10LB / Black / 450mm / 20mm / $70
Available sets
210lb, 2x 25-35-45LB $750
300LB, 2x 25-35-4x45LB $1050
320LB, 2x 25-35-45-55LB $1100
340LB, 2x 10-25-35-45-55 $1150
Pros of the Urethane plates
This is an all-purpose plate which will last a long time and is hard. It will take the abuse of many users of different experience levels and still look good. This is a great plate for high demands and someone who does not want to replace the plates as often compared to other plates with a chrome insert.
Cons of the Urethane plates
The biggest con is the high price. If you go for
Olympic or
bumper plates you will get a lot more kilograms per $$$. You might be buying twice in this scenario and you will also know that you took the cheap road to success. I personally stopped doing this and it yields great results.
Alternatives to the Urethane plates
C
ompetition plates will not last as long as they have a tendency to pull apart between the rubber and the chrome insert. They also bounce more. Still, if you want to get as close as possible to the real world championships, then these are the plates to go for instead with the slight risk that they might fall apart after years of heavy use.
The
black training plates are a great design from rogue which combines the
bumper plate effectiveness with the excellence of Rogue's
competition grade plates. You will find color coding and extra touches to make the plates more user-friendly and robust. This is the elegant choice of the professional.
Calibrated steel plates are the plates for anyone who wants to put the maximum amount of weight possible on the
bar while still having color-coded plates. These plates are also approved by the IPF and are used in competition. If you want to get serious about
powerlifting, this should be your choice.