Our product picks are editor-tested, expert-approved. We may earn a commission through links on our site. Why Trust Us? RONA AHDOUT; MH Illustration 7 min read NO MATTER WHY or how you lift, the universal system of arithmetic for gym bros is plate math. Train for even a little while, and you quickly learn to identify the weight on the bar from the plates loaded on either end. It creates a shorthand among lifting partners as they load and unload weights. For example, “Throw on 275”, your buddy says, and you instinctively know to add two 45s and a 25. But lurking on your local plate tree is a denominator that doesn’t quite fit: the 35-pound weight plate. Add a 35 onto the bar, and your brain seems to short-circuit as you scramble to add up this lesser-used member of the weight plate ecosystem. They’re disruptive to the plate math algorithm; they take up more space on plate trees and power racks, and, above all else, they don’t solve a loading problem that can’t be accomplished with other plates.…