Can you drop weights on concrete?

Alright Fringe Fam… We know some of you are wondering, “Can I lift weights on concrete? Will that damage my plates or the floor?” We’ve got the scoop about lifting and dropping your bumper plates on concrete.

Here’s the thing about rubber mats in your garage gym. They might make your gym a little bit nicer… but you don’t need them. With great bumper plates, you can absolutely lift and drop your bumper plates on concrete. Every single bumper plate we have and sell at Fringe Sport can be lifted and dropped on concrete.

We know the worry about dropping or lifting on concrete often lies with damaging the bumpers, the concrete, or the barbell you’re using. The good news is, with great bumper plates, none of that is going to happen. Even if you have a slightly lower quality bumper plate, you won’t damage your concrete or your barbell. If there is any damage done by lifting and dropping on concrete, it’s going to be to the lower quality bumper itself.

If you only have iron plates instead of rubber bumper plates, things change a little bit in that case. In the past, PK lifted for years with metal weights on his concrete floor, and nothing was ever damaged. Here’s what can happen: if you’re loading your bar with several 45lb metal plates and deadlifting, you’re putting hundreds of pounds back down on the ground with some force, especially if you’re one of those heavy deadlifters who drops the bar off to the ground at the top of the lift. You’ve got a lot of iron and a lot of weight coming down, so there is a slight risk to chipping or cracking your concrete floor. Additionally, it’s not great for the barbell. Rubber bumpers dissipate force away from the bar, while iron plates transmit that force directly into the bar.

If you’ve got a concrete floor in your garage or gym, there’s a few things you can do about it. The first is that you can get yourself a set of quality rubber bumper plates (your barbell, your concrete floor, and your family and neighbors will thank you). You can also get some rubber matting for the floor, and that will help dissipate some of the force from your weights and bar, regardless of using iron or rubber plates. 

Here’s our pro tip: horse stall mats, sold at farm supply stores, are relatively inexpensive and high quality flooring for your gym floor. If you’d rather forgo the horse stall mats, there’s another option for you: carpet remnants. We know this sounds weird, but carpet remnants, even just the pieces that don’t make the cut when being installed, create a soft barrier between the concrete and your weights. You can cut a few rectangles of carpet, stack ‘em up, and then when you set up, set the ends of your barbell on the carpet remnants to muffle sound and protect your plates, bar, and the floor.

Another thing you can do to protect your concrete floor, plates, and barbell is to get yourself a drop pad. A drop pad is made out of foam and is specifically designed to catch a bar and plates. Drop pads work very similarly to carpet remnants - they’ll muffle sound, and protect your bar, plates, and flooring.

With all that being said, remember that matting is *not* totally necessary especially if it’s out of your budget. Get yourself a quality set of rubber bumper plates instead, and you’re off to get your gainz.

Comments, questions? Leave ‘em below! Don’t forget that you can email us at team@fringesport.com or send us a message in our chat feature on the website. We’re always here to help you build strength and an amazing garage or community gym. Like us on Facebook, follow us on Instagram, and don’t forget to join our private, positive Facebook group!

As always, lift heavy, lift happy :)