Most people new to the gym dont give much thought to which direction the plates face on a barbell.
But why does anyone care?
Lets examine the controversy.
If youface the wrong direction in the squat rack, you could get hurt someday.
Wait, what does the direction the plates face even mean?
Okay, now were asking the real questions.
Some plates are the same on both sides, in which case the issue doesnt exist.
Well get to an exception in a minute.)
But there are plenty of plates thatdohave a front and a back.
The back is plain and smooth, with no lettering and no indentations.
The front has a lip around the edge, and the surface of the plate is recessed.
This is what well call the front.
So you load them so you could read the writing…right?
If only it were that simple.
Facing the plates outward makes them easier to read.
This is perfectly acceptable and logical to me, personally.
But there are tons of gyms where the tradition is to face the platesinward.
These tend to include powerlifting gyms, and gyms with an old-school feel.
If there seems to be a difference of opinion, do whatever the biggest or most experienced-looking person does.
Ready for a further difference of opinion?
Is that medium-sized one a 25 or a 35?
Is he using the 10-pound plates or did he steal my 5-kilogram ones?
And then there is the matter of competition loading.
Okay, howdothey load the bar in competitions?
(Powerlifting is the sport of the squat, bench press, and deadlift.)
To repeat: thefirstplate gets loaded facing in, and all other plates are loaded facing out.
This method maximizes the number of plates whose markings can be read from a distance.
Judges, loaders, and spectators all appreciate that.
Color-coding effectively communicates the weight of any plates whose markings cannot be seen.
Discs must be loaded so that both the on-duty Referees and Jury can identify the weight of each disc.
So bumper plates dont have a front and a back?
Others do not care.
(Redditor Afferbeck_ posteda collection of photos showing the inconsistency over the years.)
Can you give me a rule of thumb or something?
If the plates look the same(ish) on both sides, dont worry about it.
Otherwise, if the majority of people are loading them face-in, load them face-in.
