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Discs to load on the bar
No more mental math in the gym: enter your target load and get the combination of discs to put on each side.
How to read the result
The calculation indicates the discs to put on each side of the bar (to maintain balance). The total load is therefore: bar + 2 × (sum of the disks on one side).
Standard bars and their weights
- Men's Olympic bar: 20 kg, length 2.20 m, external diameter 28 mm.
- Women's Olympic bar: 15 kg, length 2.01 m, diameter 25 mm.
- Technical bar: 10 kg, shorter, to learn weightlifting movements.
- EZ bar: 6-8 kg, angled, for biceps/triceps exercises.
Metric vs. Imperial Discs
Metric (Europe, Asia): 25 / 20 / 15 / 10 / 5 / 2.5 / 1.25 / 0.5 kg. Imperial (USA): 45 / 35 / 25 / 15 / 10 / 5 / 2.5 lb. Conversions are not exact: 45 lb = 20.41 kg, not 20 kg. This is why the margins (world record, competition records) are noted in a single unit per federation.
Good loading practice
- Always start with the heaviest discs on the bar side, then stack the lighter one on the outside.
- Use collars (clip-ons or competition collars) above 60-70 kg to prevent the discs from moving.
- Perfect symmetry: an imbalance of 2.5 kg on a 100 kg squat modifies the trajectory and increases the risk of injury.
Quick conversion
To mentally estimate the total load in kg: (sum of one side) × 2 + weight of the bar. Example: a disc of 20 + a disc of 10 + a disc of 5 on one side → 35 × 2 + 20 = 90 kg.
Questions fréquentes
Because standard discs (25, 20, 15, etc.) cannot reconstitute all the charges per gram. With micro-discs (0.5 kg, 1.25 kg), we get as close as possible. Otherwise the table indicates the residual shortage.
For an Olympic bar: 2× 20 kg + 2× 10 kg + 2× 5 kg + 2× 2.5 kg + 2× 1.25 kg, i.e. ~78 kg with a 20 kg bar → 98 kg total. A good starter kit for the majority of amateur athletes.
No. A 20 kg bumper weighs 20 kg like a steel disc. But they are more bulky: with bumpers, you take up more space on the bar chuck. To consider for very large loads.