BULLDOG kilogram technique bumper plate
Before, the “Crossfit bonanza”; it was very hard to find bumper plates and barbells that could meet weightlifting training standards. Only professional certified brands would have provided this equipment. Most of the purchase experience was through an email/phone call where orders were placed, and production will take several months. Many of the clients were Weightlifting federations or Club Associations trying to buy equipment good enough that could handle professional use.
After the 2012 Olympics, weightlifting became more popular or familiar, especially while CrossFit was taking off as well. However, decent barbells and bumper plates became known only in pounds, while the kilogram plates were only iron casted weights or powerlifting bars with a 29mm diameter and no needle bearing.
By the time Olympic weightlifting caught more people’s attention, it was very hard to find the correct tools to teach and coach these Olympic movements. For this reason, some technique bars and plates were introduced to the market, couple brands manufactured aluminum barbells and plastic HDPE plates. However, the feedback on these technique weights has been poor. Many plastic plates are too loud, and they just cannot handle “the beat” out of teenagers and adults who are learning the sport.
Nowadays, crumb rubber plates arrive as an additional solution, but they also break apart very easily, especially when the athlete drops the weight or doesn’t follow the barbell from the ground to overhead. Some brands and manufacturers have tried reducing the diameter on the 5kg plates, which is something useful for impact, but this doesn’t necessarily mean it will resist the consistent drop or bar force resistance every time someone who is learning uses the barbell. These reduced diameter bumper plates will be useful when there are other weight plates in the bar but aren’t that good enough by themselves. For this reason, we have created a very durable 5kg rubber technique plate.
5kg bumpers plates are common as change plates or fractional weights, which are used to work on scaling weights to hit a PR or adapt working loads. However, the 5kg change plates are usually a 9.84 inches diameter, which it makes it too hard for someone who is learning to do an initial lifting position, since they must move the bar from the ground to overhead. This involves mobility and great skills. The technique plates on the other hand, have a 17.71 inches diameter, providing the correct bar height appropriate to keep a good body shape and posture, since the bar is closer to the shins (similar as normal weights). However, as I mentioned earlier, these plates get broken easier.
After almost ten years of seeing thousands of broken plates from hundreds of brands, we have created a 16.9 inches diameter 5KG RUBBER TECHNIQUE PLATE. There are three main reasons why we do have the best rubber technique plate in the US. This technique plate is different from any other plate since it has a unique design, material resistance and can be dropped with the bar without been too loud while protecting the plate and the barbell.
We have designed a great 5KG BULLDOG RUBBER TECHNIQUE PLATE with curved edges that will take on long training sessions helping kids and adults on learning the barbell skills while scaling up their weights. The round edges reduce the ground impact zone in the plate, which allows to distribute better the oscillating force into the mass every time the barbell drops and hits the ground. Most technique plates have flat edges, generating an easy break or plate cuts when impacting any surface. For this principal reason, our kilogram technique plates will differ from any other. In addition, our internal design combines rubber with grey iron cast soul hub generating robustness and sturdiness from the inside by creating a durable nucleus. Most technique plates around the world only have an inox bushing central insertion hub not anchored or structured to the plate, which is very easy to come off or get loose after 6 months of training. For this reason, most companies in the US will give a 90 day warranty, which at the end of the days isn’t an intelligent investment since you are trying to build a lifting community or team that could transition from learning to compete, and buying technique plates that won’t last doesn’t help scaling your program and would become a complete liability by generating extra costs.
Our second reason why our 5KG BULLDOG RUBBER TECHNIQUE PLATE is the best technique plate in the USA is our high-quality blended rubber construction. This 5kg Rubber technique plate is made of high resistant SBR and Colombian NR rubber. For more than 20 years our bumper manufacturer has worked with natural rubber from south American farms, specifically in Colombia. Developing over the years a great latex formulation with specific hardness, tensile and elasticity, while most bumper plates manufacturers around the world get their natural rubber from Vietnam or south China and blend it in with different additives to reduce costs and make profits. It is very common to hear or read the expression “virgin rubber”; however, in the sporting goods industry, most manufacturers cut corners by adding synthetic rubber and accelerators to create cheap blends that will end up in fitness products. Virgin rubber doesn’t exist perse, it is latex, and it comes from trees. For business purposes most manufacturers lie to their clients (brands) so they can maximize profits, which ends up having an impact on consumer’s pockets. We work directly with our own workshop and know exactly how our 5kg rubber technique plates are made and what kind of rubber is used to make them.
Also, it is common to find crumb rubber plates, which are usually NBR (nitril butadiene) diluted in polyurethane and vulcanized at high temperature. This type of technique rubber plate is very fragile and cannot take serious hours of training since it does not hold itself for very long and it starts to peel off. This type of crumb bumper plate is perceived as supper affordable but is literally built from recycled tire rubber glued with synthetic rubber. These plates aren’t solid and compared to ours, they aren’t built to last.
Finally, our 5KG BULLDOG Rubber Technique Plate isn’t as loud as the plastic technique plates out there. Some gym owners might not care about the noise, but their neighbors and clients might do. Our Rubber Technique plate is as loud as a regular rubber bumper plate. However, due to its unique design, the noise and impact to the ground is reduced in almost 30% than regular bumper plates. Through the years, many gym owners with weightlifting training areas have decided to add thicker rubber tiles or built in extremely high platforms to avoid the loud crash sound of their plastic technique plates; however, these gym investments do not reduce the sound neither protect the equipment durability. Our 5KG RUBBER TECHNIQUE PLATE can be drop in the pavement and will generate the same sound as in a built-in rubber/wooden platform.
In conclusion, our 5kg BULLDOG Rubber Technique Plate is a sturdy bumper plate that will provide great support for coaches and clubs looking into developing a grassroots program. In addition, our technique plate is a great long-term investment, since we do have a 5-year warranty, compared to 90-days warranty, which is the industry standard.
We do understand weightlifting is growing every day, specially post pandemic. Snatch, Clean and Jerk; became common Olympic lifting movements at many facilities. However, teaching these movements and sport training requires the correct equipment, which could be a challenge for many coaches and gym owners who struggle finding durable equipment and protecting their investments. Our design as well as our internal engineering is different from the 99% of other kilogram technique plates around the world. Compared the prices per kilogram but also consider the way they are made of and how durable our 5KG RUBBER TECHNIQUE PLATES are compared to many brands out there.
Andres Castillo
Owner
BWE LLC