*First* , the only dumb question is one that you don't ask. Always feel free to ask questions on this channel ❤️ *Second* , yeah, that and they don't have any "give." If you're doing functional exercises, most set-ups and returns involve being able to return the bar to the floor. - You'll either have to return the bar from overhead, shoulder, waist, above the knee, etc., and with no "give" to the concrete, there's no way to safely bail out from under it or drop it to the floor without first decelerating it yourself. - Most functional exercises utilize closed and open chain movements in unison and aren't usually meant to be decelerated to the floor under your own power. Instead, most of those exercises are explosive and thus meant to be accelerated by you and decelerated by gravity. *Conclusion:* the lack of "give" in concrete makes concrete terrible for functional movement patterns because of the increased risk of injury during deceleration and the risk of breaking something you've spent so long waiting to be finished.
@@TheIronMason You could do some olympic lifts like hang snatch high pulls, since you are always holding onto the bar every time you put them down, but yeah dropping the bar from overhead isn't a good idea with concrete
I made my own molds using plastic buckets and cutting them into 3 and 4 inch rings. Then I put the dry mix in them and weighed them to within 1 1/2 lbs of my goal weight…the water adds the rest of the weight. So far, I have made 6 and they are pretty damn close to my goal weight. I made 2 40 pounders, 2 25 pounders, 2 15 pounders and 2 10 pounders. I put wire mesh halfway into the pour and then finished filling and smoothing out the top. I let dry for 48 hrs and de molded them then waited another 48 hours and sanded them smooth then coated them with Flex Seal.
@@TheIronMason Nah, to many guys smarter than me making tutorials, besides I did not grow up in the tech era, I'm 69 and don't have the time nor the inclination to learn how to do TH-cam videos. I don't even know how to post a picture here.
there are horse water/. feed buckets that cost 7 to 10 dollars online. i used them for my cement weights. no need to spend 75 bucks per mold. there also 5 galon buckets for the smaller molds. or plastic eating bowls .( alittle larger) . for the 10 pounders. and normal bowls for the 5s.
Absolutely great review. Thanks for showing this, I’ve been wanting to make some concrete plates since I want an alternative to my gym because sometimes I can’t go due to many reasons. But, buying some plates definitely comes with a cost so maybe making your plates can become much more cost effective. Thank you.
It really depends on what type of training you enjoy doing. Weights are tools, so depending on what you're working on will determine how you use them and which would be most effective. Thank you for your kind words, I hope you get a lot of use with your weights!
@TheIronMason I also have been using ultra grey gasket maker on the pvc just a thin bead let it set and then when filling and vibrating set your hand flat on top of the 2in pipe to keep the seal from breaking and vibrating out of place. Also dropping the filled mold from 2 in or so onto a rubber mat repeatedly will get the air bubbles out super quick
Thanks Gianmarco! I guess it depends on what the material of the ground is made of? Grass, no problemo. A deadlift platform with rubber horse stall mats, no problemo. Concrete or a material the same or close to the same strength as the concrete? Probably not a good idea lol What kind of material are you going to be dropping them on? Also, probably not a good idea to drop 5's, 10's, or 15's made of concrete period, unless you already have some 25's or higher already on the bar. 👍
I have the molds from Sticks and Sones I have never had to grind my weights down! Not sure what you're doing, but the dry weight of the concrete is the finished dry weight of the plate! If you are weighing the plate only 3 or 4 days after demolding of course it is going to weigh heavy it is still full of water!
i have used them after a few days with no issues , any difference in weight from side to side i make with a small cast iron plates , after about a month i paint them
That will depend on the bar you have they do not all have the same length sleeve! A standard Olympic bar has 9 and 1/2 inc sleeves and will hold 5 plates plus a locking collar on each side! You can get bars with higher weight ratings and longer sleeves! So the answer is 4 or 5 or more depending on the sleeve length and locking collar you use!
You should be good if you let it dry 3-5 days as long as you don't plan on dropping them. Some of the outermost layer may come off a little bit from taking them off and on but you should be alright 👍
I think that's a great idea! Concrete weights are a great idea if you only plan on doing bodybuilding and strongman types of exercises. But for Olympic and CrossFit lifts I would not recommend concrete weights.
Have you seen the concrete weights made out of tires on here? Ever tried making them. I think that's an awesome idea. It's like making your own bumper plates.
I don’t understand why you need to leave it for over a month. I’ve made concrete weights before and I haven’t had to wait nearly that long. I’ve started using concrete weights two days after I make them and I’ve had no problems. Maybe that’s a little fast but I think over a month is way over kill. I would say if you think it really needs a month just be careful with the weights for the first month or so. I don’t see why you wouldn’t be able to use them and just not drop them for two months. I’ve made maces and dumbbells and have had No problems using them days after making them. Have you had them break if you use them to soon? Also, I’ve noticed that people that make these concrete plates. Don’t tend to put any chicken wire or anything else like that in their plates. If I were to make plates, I would add some sort of mesh on the inside for extra strength. Did you do this with yours?
That's a good question. I used them for CrossFit and Olympic style lifting. So, not only for Bench, Deadlift, Squat, and other general Bodybuilding exercises. I did not use chicken wire or re-rod because of cost and I'd felt that fiberglass and rubber coating would be strong enough reinforcement. Like I said in the video, I've got no problem with them if they're used for general weightlifting and bodybuilding, but if they're used in exercises that require a lot if dropping I don't necessarily believe they'd be strong enough to withstand that for a prolonged period of time. Plus, cost wise, it wasn't cheaper than rubber weights and the time cost was also factored into that.
You can use them before that but the concrete will not reach maximum strength for around 28 days. So to be sure that they will not break taking it easy on them until they reach full hardness is a good idea. Also, do not coat your weights until they are fully dry, you will know when that is as they will stop losing weight as the water content equalizes.
They actually still can break man even if you let them fully cure if you drop them or whatever, I like the idea of making your own weights if it's cheaper, if you can't find iron weights or whatever but I'm still afraid they're not gonna turn out right, not gonna weigh the right amount or that they're gonna crack, break or whatever.
Fear can be paralyzing, however; they are about 10 to 20 times less expensive than the equivalent plate in another form! So if you break one, make another!
DIY projects are great, but beyond a certain point, they become way more laborious and the final product may not be as good or durable. I am saying this in a general sense; if a carpet is extremely dirty then it's probably better to just throw it out than to wash it for hours because it will never be as good as a new one. Same thing with people making their own protein powders. It is so labour intensive, you're better off buying something from the store.
Good analogies! For me the cost vs. time to make them, in addition to the "sport specific" use limitations make getting rubber bumper plates a more practical solution.
Depends on if it has a rubber element. I'm not sure whether the urethane would hold up and not crack. I had intended to try it but went with truck liner instead for that very reason
You would need to get information from the place you are getting the urethane from. There are many different kinds with different durometer ratings. Some harder some very soft so consulting as to your purpose of the use is necessary to get a good result! you will also need to verify that it will not bond to whatever you are using as a mold.
If a person isn't an Olympic weightlifter there's no need to drop a loaded bar at all. I see this way too often in gyms now. If someone drops a deadlift from knee height or crashes the bar down, the bar is too heavy. End of.
Proper form dictates and supercedes your preferences of gym etiquette. You don't need to be an Olympic Athlete to train like or perform exercises to the standard. Education is key to understanding this concept. I encourage you to seek that education out young man
@@TheIronMason I'm very likely older than you and also have a long time behind me coaching weightlifting. Anyone crashing the bar down who isn't doing Olympic lifts is an oaf or ignorant.
@@cvspvr Listen up sonny, even the old boys with actual iron (rather than 'bumper plates' didn't smash down iron. People who did got kicked out. It's a gym, not your personal playground.
@@baronmeduse listen here, you oldhead, we're here to make gains, not handle the weights like they're fine china. handling the weights so daintily is like buying a ferrari, but never going over 50km/h out of "respect" for the car
@Jon VB Please remember I can only speak to my experience. Thank you for sharing yours! I encourage you to keep providing for your current and future family.
"in 2024" ...Naw. Sure, this made sense in 2020, even into 2022, but weights and fitness equipment in general has come down quite a bit in 2024, to the point that i'm getting premium rubber plates (iron Grip) for just under a buck Canadian now, still not even close to pre-Covid, but pretty decent all things considered. Mind you, I'm a little more diligent in scouring the classifieds for used equipment ...I was selling weights, benches, and racks, etc. long before 2020, in fact I was sitting on several tons of iron, urethane and rubber plates, as well as multiple racks, bars, benches, and three full sets of professional dumbbells going into 2020, because nothing was selling in 2019. Needless to say, 2020 was good to me, I bought a few new motorcycles with the money from weight sales, as well as a whole bunch of stock that I had no business getting into 😒 That said, instead of doing concrete work and hoping that I'm happy with the end product, I'd put my time into scouring the classifieds, and being ready to drive a few hours, to get real iron, or better yet, gym quality rubber or urethane plates ...a lot of people are ready to unload their 'Covid Gym', and they aren't getting close to what they paid for it.
I think functional training is a dumb idea in itself anyway. The more I read about it the more Im convinced it is a marketing BS and brings nothing new but money to their creators and the injury risk are tremendous. Body Biomechanics hat with functional training nothing to do and a good biomechanics understanding is the key for success.
Nobodies arguing against having good biomechanics that's the whole point. I use "functional" as an easily understood synonym. Thank you for bringing it all to our attention though. Your feedback and insight is appreciated
The pandemic ended a long time ago and weights are still expensive I refuse to pay those prices this is what happens when we sell all our metal to China I don’t give a f I’m going to build my own 😂
😂😂😂hahaha. For WHOM you grind your concrete weights? Its just and only for YOURSELF. So why should somebody put time and work in a concrete weight to grind it down to 50lbs? Thats absolute senseless. I am not talking about to train with weights anyway. If you want weights and you have no money, do whatever you want. Its your personal waste of time to grind those concrete weights down. 😅😅😅😅😅😅 What i would do with 4 hours of free time? I split it in half and do 2x2 hours finest workout on gymnast rings. ❤
Sure felt like that afterwards 😂 but they seriously are great molds lol not gonna lie. It's just the whole process and utility of concrete weights that I don't think are worth the effort
@@TheIronMason I'm kind of broke so i made my own pentagonal molds out of cardboard and duct tape stix and stone are abusing the weight plate problem and jacking up the prices on their molds even though you definitely don't need them
That 75$ mold and the cost of the concrete is about 4$ for each one can make any number of plates that would cost you 60$ to 120$ a piece for 45s. Doesn't sound like he got screwed to me!
They definitely are not the "thinnest" weights, but they might be the "cheapest" weights out there. Though, you'd have to make a LOT of them to be cost effective in comparison to some of the rubber or crumb rubber plates out there. 👍You could also thing them out by inserting metal rod inside.
This feels like a dumb question but what makes them bad for functional exercises? The extra risk of breaking or something else?
*First* , the only dumb question is one that you don't ask. Always feel free to ask questions on this channel ❤️
*Second* , yeah, that and they don't have any "give." If you're doing functional exercises, most set-ups and returns involve being able to return the bar to the floor.
- You'll either have to return the bar from overhead, shoulder, waist, above the knee, etc., and with no "give" to the concrete, there's no way to safely bail out from under it or drop it to the floor without first decelerating it yourself.
- Most functional exercises utilize closed and open chain movements in unison and aren't usually meant to be decelerated to the floor under your own power. Instead, most of those exercises are explosive and thus meant to be accelerated by you and decelerated by gravity.
*Conclusion:* the lack of "give" in concrete makes concrete terrible for functional movement patterns because of the increased risk of injury during deceleration and the risk of breaking something you've spent so long waiting to be finished.
@@TheIronMason You could do some olympic lifts like hang snatch high pulls, since you are always holding onto the bar every time you put them down, but yeah dropping the bar from overhead isn't a good idea with concrete
I made my own molds using plastic buckets and cutting them into 3 and 4 inch rings. Then I put the dry mix in them and weighed them to within 1 1/2 lbs of my goal weight…the water adds the rest of the weight. So far, I have made 6 and they are pretty damn close to my goal weight. I made 2 40 pounders, 2 25 pounders, 2 15 pounders and 2 10 pounders. I put wire mesh halfway into the pour and then finished filling and smoothing out the top. I let dry for 48 hrs and de molded them then waited another 48 hours and sanded them smooth then coated them with Flex Seal.
Well done my guy! That's pretty damn smart! Can't wait to see a tutorial from you on here. Feel free to post the link here in the comments 💪💯
@@TheIronMason Nah, to many guys smarter than me making tutorials, besides I did not grow up in the tech era, I'm 69 and don't have the time nor the inclination to learn how to do TH-cam videos. I don't even know how to post a picture here.
The 1/2 pound of water in the cement evaporates.
there are horse water/. feed buckets that cost 7 to 10 dollars online. i used them for my cement weights. no need to spend 75 bucks per mold. there also 5 galon buckets for the smaller molds. or plastic eating bowls .( alittle larger) . for the 10 pounders. and normal bowls for the 5s.
Thats actually a great tip! Thanks for watching and for sharing, I'm sure it will help someone in the community out! 💛
Absolutely great review. Thanks for showing this, I’ve been wanting to make some concrete plates since I want an alternative to my gym because sometimes I can’t go due to many reasons. But, buying some plates definitely comes with a cost so maybe making your plates can become much more cost effective. Thank you.
It really depends on what type of training you enjoy doing. Weights are tools, so depending on what you're working on will determine how you use them and which would be most effective. Thank you for your kind words, I hope you get a lot of use with your weights!
Ive been making these and actually preferred the 2in pvc pipe due to its better on the ends of your bars
That's a solid tip!
@TheIronMason I also have been using ultra grey gasket maker on the pvc just a thin bead let it set and then when filling and vibrating set your hand flat on top of the 2in pipe to keep the seal from breaking and vibrating out of place. Also dropping the filled mold from 2 in or so onto a rubber mat repeatedly will get the air bubbles out super quick
Great job and very informative. How resistant are the plates against impacts, for example, drop them on the ground with nothing to cushion the impact?
Thanks Gianmarco! I guess it depends on what the material of the ground is made of? Grass, no problemo. A deadlift platform with rubber horse stall mats, no problemo. Concrete or a material the same or close to the same strength as the concrete? Probably not a good idea lol What kind of material are you going to be dropping them on? Also, probably not a good idea to drop 5's, 10's, or 15's made of concrete period, unless you already have some 25's or higher already on the bar. 👍
I have the molds from Sticks and Sones I have never had to grind my weights down! Not sure what you're doing, but the dry weight of the concrete is the finished dry weight of the plate! If you are weighing the plate only 3 or 4 days after demolding of course it is going to weigh heavy it is still full of water!
Good to know!
i have used them after a few days with no issues , any difference in weight from side to side i make with a small cast iron plates , after about a month i paint them
Solid work!
How many 45s can you fit on each side?
Not sure, I have 4 of them. However they're almost the same size as standard 45lb crumb rubber bumper plates. So, 3-5 on each side?
@@TheIronMason thanks. Any material you think could make them thinner. Like more rebar or something?
That will depend on the bar you have they do not all have the same length sleeve! A standard Olympic bar has 9 and 1/2 inc sleeves and will hold 5 plates plus a locking collar on each side! You can get bars with higher weight ratings and longer sleeves! So the answer is 4 or 5 or more depending on the sleeve length and locking collar you use!
if you just want to lift them for bench press or other strength training motions, do you still need to let them cure for the full month?
You should be good if you let it dry 3-5 days as long as you don't plan on dropping them. Some of the outermost layer may come off a little bit from taking them off and on but you should be alright 👍
@@TheIronMason ty for the answer
I think it's a good idea to buy a couple plates and once you start getting stronger you start making concrete ones
I think that's a great idea! Concrete weights are a great idea if you only plan on doing bodybuilding and strongman types of exercises. But for Olympic and CrossFit lifts I would not recommend concrete weights.
Have you seen the concrete weights made out of tires on here? Ever tried making them. I think that's an awesome idea. It's like making your own bumper plates.
Cool idea! I haven't, but I'll give it a look!
i had the same idea, about pouring concret in small tires
@@zazugee How are you gonna get it out
@@victorstreet silly, the tires are like bumber plates, so not gonna pull them out
@@zazugee Ohh! I thought you meant use them as molds. haha :)
How well have they held up since making them?
I haven't used them since I bought my rubber plates
I don’t understand why you need to leave it for over a month. I’ve made concrete weights before and I haven’t had to wait nearly that long. I’ve started using concrete weights two days after I make them and I’ve had no problems. Maybe that’s a little fast but I think over a month is way over kill. I would say if you think it really needs a month just be careful with the weights for the first month or so. I don’t see why you wouldn’t be able to use them and just not drop them for two months. I’ve made maces and dumbbells and have had No problems using them days after making them. Have you had them break if you use them to soon? Also, I’ve noticed that people that make these concrete plates. Don’t tend to put any chicken wire or anything else like that in their plates. If I were to make plates, I would add some sort of mesh on the inside for extra strength. Did you do this with yours?
That's a good question. I used them for CrossFit and Olympic style lifting. So, not only for Bench, Deadlift, Squat, and other general Bodybuilding exercises. I did not use chicken wire or re-rod because of cost and I'd felt that fiberglass and rubber coating would be strong enough reinforcement. Like I said in the video, I've got no problem with them if they're used for general weightlifting and bodybuilding, but if they're used in exercises that require a lot if dropping I don't necessarily believe they'd be strong enough to withstand that for a prolonged period of time. Plus, cost wise, it wasn't cheaper than rubber weights and the time cost was also factored into that.
You can use them before that but the concrete will not reach maximum strength for around 28 days. So to be sure that they will not break taking it easy on them until they reach full hardness is a good idea. Also, do not coat your weights until they are fully dry, you will know when that is as they will stop losing weight as the water content equalizes.
Weigh the quickcrete before adding water this will be the weight after water is evaporates and such
Thanks dude!
They actually still can break man even if you let them fully cure if you drop them or whatever, I like the idea of making your own weights if it's cheaper, if you can't find iron weights or whatever but I'm still afraid they're not gonna turn out right, not gonna weigh the right amount or that they're gonna crack, break or whatever.
All good points!
Fear can be paralyzing, however; they are about 10 to 20 times less expensive than the equivalent plate in another form! So if you break one, make another!
DIY projects are great, but beyond a certain point, they become way more laborious and the final product may not be as good or durable. I am saying this in a general sense; if a carpet is extremely dirty then it's probably better to just throw it out than to wash it for hours because it will never be as good as a new one. Same thing with people making their own protein powders. It is so labour intensive, you're better off buying something from the store.
Good analogies! For me the cost vs. time to make them, in addition to the "sport specific" use limitations make getting rubber bumper plates a more practical solution.
depends, but some people can''t afford to buy expensive +40lb bumper plates, or it can be a fun project to learn about how to make concrete.
Could you cost these concrete plates with urethane? Do you think it would work?
Depends on if it has a rubber element. I'm not sure whether the urethane would hold up and not crack. I had intended to try it but went with truck liner instead for that very reason
You would need to get information from the place you are getting the urethane from. There are many different kinds with different durometer ratings. Some harder some very soft so consulting as to your purpose of the use is necessary to get a good result! you will also need to verify that it will not bond to whatever you are using as a mold.
If a person isn't an Olympic weightlifter there's no need to drop a loaded bar at all. I see this way too often in gyms now. If someone drops a deadlift from knee height or crashes the bar down, the bar is too heavy. End of.
Proper form dictates and supercedes your preferences of gym etiquette. You don't need to be an Olympic Athlete to train like or perform exercises to the standard. Education is key to understanding this concept. I encourage you to seek that education out young man
@@TheIronMason I'm very likely older than you and also have a long time behind me coaching weightlifting. Anyone crashing the bar down who isn't doing Olympic lifts is an oaf or ignorant.
oh, boo fucking hoo. it's a gym, not a fucking meditation sanctuary
@@cvspvr Listen up sonny, even the old boys with actual iron (rather than 'bumper plates' didn't smash down iron. People who did got kicked out. It's a gym, not your personal playground.
@@baronmeduse listen here, you oldhead, we're here to make gains, not handle the weights like they're fine china. handling the weights so daintily is like buying a ferrari, but never going over 50km/h out of "respect" for the car
If your spending that much time I would rather buy it. My time is more expensive then the plates. They look cool though
I totally agree lol thus, the follow-up 😂 waaay too much "time in" when you're trying to get jacked and tan.
There's a set of 5 molds on Amazon in 5lb, 10, 25, 35, 45 for $70. A week and a half you'll have 4 of each easily!
@Jon VB I drove to York barbells. ( only 40 minutes from my house )
And bought 4 deep dish. 45s are only 60 bucks
@@mallorywilkerson-elliston6770 could I get a link please. I can't seem to find them on Amazon 🙏🙏
@Jon VB Please remember I can only speak to my experience. Thank you for sharing yours! I encourage you to keep providing for your current and future family.
"in 2024" ...Naw. Sure, this made sense in 2020, even into 2022, but weights and fitness equipment in general has come down quite a bit in 2024, to the point that i'm getting premium rubber plates (iron Grip) for just under a buck Canadian now, still not even close to pre-Covid, but pretty decent all things considered. Mind you, I'm a little more diligent in scouring the classifieds for used equipment ...I was selling weights, benches, and racks, etc. long before 2020, in fact I was sitting on several tons of iron, urethane and rubber plates, as well as multiple racks, bars, benches, and three full sets of professional dumbbells going into 2020, because nothing was selling in 2019. Needless to say, 2020 was good to me, I bought a few new motorcycles with the money from weight sales, as well as a whole bunch of stock that I had no business getting into 😒
That said, instead of doing concrete work and hoping that I'm happy with the end product, I'd put my time into scouring the classifieds, and being ready to drive a few hours, to get real iron, or better yet, gym quality rubber or urethane plates ...a lot of people are ready to unload their 'Covid Gym', and they aren't getting close to what they paid for it.
Great work 💪
Fire
Thanks bruv! Hope you got some good value out of the review. I've got another video coming out next Friday same time.
I think functional training is a dumb idea in itself anyway. The more I read about it the more Im convinced it is a marketing BS and brings nothing new but money to their creators and the injury risk are tremendous. Body Biomechanics hat with functional training nothing to do and a good biomechanics understanding is the key for success.
Nobodies arguing against having good biomechanics that's the whole point. I use "functional" as an easily understood synonym. Thank you for bringing it all to our attention though. Your feedback and insight is appreciated
The pandemic ended a long time ago and weights are still expensive I refuse to pay those prices this is what happens when we sell all our metal to China I don’t give a f I’m going to build my own 😂
You're not wrong! 😂 I still remember when weights were $1 a pound
😂😂😂hahaha. For WHOM you grind your concrete weights? Its just and only for YOURSELF. So why should somebody put time and work in a concrete weight to grind it down to 50lbs? Thats absolute senseless. I am not talking about to train with weights anyway. If you want weights and you have no money, do whatever you want. Its your personal waste of time to grind those concrete weights down. 😅😅😅😅😅😅
What i would do with 4 hours of free time? I split it in half and do 2x2 hours finest workout on gymnast rings. ❤
Sounds like a good plan!
This doesn’t seem worth the time I would recommend just getting used plates on marketplace
My thoughts exactly! It's only worth the time, if, you have the time 👍
COMPLETE BS ABOUT GRINDING. make a proper mold, accept the weight you got instead of aiming for a very specific number and you should be fine.
Thanks for your feedback
@@TheIronMason other than that the video is amazing 🙂
yeah bro you got scammed by buying 75$ molds bro😂
Sure felt like that afterwards 😂 but they seriously are great molds lol not gonna lie. It's just the whole process and utility of concrete weights that I don't think are worth the effort
@@TheIronMason I'm kind of broke so i made my own pentagonal molds out of cardboard and duct tape
stix and stone are abusing the weight plate problem and jacking up the prices on their molds even though you definitely don't need them
That 75$ mold and the cost of the concrete is about 4$ for each one can make any number of plates that would cost you 60$ to 120$ a piece for 45s. Doesn't sound like he got screwed to me!
Molds are insanely overpriced... period
You've got that right!
Have you looked at the price of plates?
There too big
Make smaller ones
They definitely are not the "thinnest" weights, but they might be the "cheapest" weights out there. Though, you'd have to make a LOT of them to be cost effective in comparison to some of the rubber or crumb rubber plates out there. 👍You could also thing them out by inserting metal rod inside.
Just leave it at 52lbs
Nah, I'm good with just buying some rubbers. Practice safe weights and all that 🤙🏼