Weight Plates as Dumbbells

[SaraFit]

I'm thinking of getting a a barbell but I need some heavier weights for back (rows, etc) too. I was thinking of getting the barbell plates that have openings (such as this: http://www.walmart.com/ip/Cap-Barbell-2-Black-Grip-Plates/11925487) in them and then also using them as dumbbells. Does anyone else do this? Or would the difference in weight distribution work muscles differently?

 

[JeanneMarie]

Maybe it's because I have small hands, or maybe it's because I broke my wrist a year ago and my grip still isn't up to par, but there is NO way I could grip the barbell plate as easy as I can a dumbbell.

Have you thought about that? The heavier you go, the tougher it will be to hold a plate.

 

[alydinva]

I got the adjustable dumbbells in the link below. I can use the plates from my Troy Lite barbell if I need to go above what came with the set.

CAP Barbell Adjustable Dumbbell Set (40 Pounds): Amazon.com: Sports & Outdoors

 

[Jenniferlove]

I think they are a great concept; the way the openings for gripping are they just might be okay. Possibly a little awkward.
They probably would increase your grip strength and redistribute the weight as JeanneMarie and you mentioned.
I wonder if you could try them and if they don't work you can return them.

 

[Shantabulous]

I think the plates are OK for some exercises, but the higher in weight you go, the harder it will be to lift with good form. I use my 25lb plate for triceps overhead extensions and it works fine. I know they would work good for one arm rows, too as the weight would just be an extension of your arm. However, when you get into such things as bicep curls and overhead presses, it may be a bit taxing on your wrists as the weight will be distributed differently. It's good to have both a barbell set and a free weight set, tho (I use power blocks and they are awesome and so convenient) so it wouldn't hurt to start out with a barbell set, then add on free weights as you find necessary.

 

[SaraFit]

Thanks, I saw some smaller versions at walmart (called kettleplates) but they only went up to 5 or 10 pounds in the store so I didn't even think to try them. I'm going to go to a couple places tomorrow hopefully and see how much this is going to cost and check out the larger grip plates. Unfortunately I have discovered the sport of olympic lifting while looking at all the barbell options and I'm afraid I have a new obsession, oops, so I may just go ahead and get a couple dumbbells since I believe I'd need bumper plates for the barbell. The adjustable dumbbells look nice but they are so pricy for the ones above 20 pounds.

Wait..Score just found a post on cl for 20 and 25 pairs of dumbbells plus weight plates and bars for $50 - those babies are gonna be mine.