How to Make Olympic Concrete Weight Plates Homemade Guide

Hey folks,

Gyms are shutting down all over the world thanks to Covid. Additionally, gym equipment prices are outrageous, however, there is still hope! In this guide, I'll teach you how to make strong and smooth concrete weight plates so you can work out from home!

For more in-depth details and visual demonstration, watch my instructional Youtube video.

If you're looking for exact mold measurements for 5 plate size: 45, 35, 25, 10, and 5-pound plates. Consider purchasing my ebook for a small price. Included, you'll find step-by-step instructions (with pictures) on every detail of the concrete plate construction process along with a sleeve holder, plate extractor design, and more in-depth instruction. Thanks!

Supplies

Section 1: Plate Mold

3/4 inch plywood
Aluminum flashing
Construction Glue (PL is the strongest)
Spray bottle

Section 2: Plate Sleeve

2 inch PVC or ABS

Section 3: Concrete

Bucket for mixing concrete
Drill
Mixing paddle
Commercial Grade Concrete
Concrete Fiber Reinforcement (like this)
water

Section 4: Plate Extraction

(2) 2x6x24 inch lumber
Mallet

Section 5: Surface Grinding (optional)

Angle Grinder
Diamond Grinding Wheel
Dust Shroud attachment
Shopvac
1.5-inch abs pipe

Step 1: Plate Mold

To get the circular shape of the concrete plates, we need to create a mold. It's a very simple design that's cheap to make and can be reused. The base is plywood and the walls are aluminum flashing.

Mold Assembly

Cut the aluminum flashing into a rectangular strip
Shape it into a cylinder
Wrap the ends with aluminum tape a few times
Cut the plywood into a square large enough to hold the cylinder
center the aluminum cylinder on the plywood
Apply construction glue all the way around on the inside and outside

Air Holes

Drill 3/8 inch hole in the base of the plywood. This will make extracting the plates much easier.

Release agent

Fill a spray bottle with cheap oil and spray the base and inner walls before every use.

Step 2: Plate Sleeve

The center sleeve hole insert of the plate can be made from 2 inch ABS or PVC. This makes the plates compatible with the Olympic standard so you can use them on a standard barbell.

Cutting ABS:

Use a circular saw with a wood or plastics blade

Cutting PVC:

Use a circular saw with a cheap 140 teeth blade installed backwards or a plastics blade.

Step 3: Concrete

Water to concrete ratio

Follow the instructions for water ratio on your concrete bag.

Fiber Reinforcement

Add fiber strand reinforcement in the mix to strengthen the plates.

Mixing:

Add water first
Add fiber strands
Add concrete in small quantities. Mixing in between

Pouring

Pour concrete into the mold until it reaches the cylinder wall height.

Curing

Let the mold cure for at least 12 hours but not longer than 24h or it will be very difficult to separate it from the mold.

Step 4: Plate Extraction

The plate extraction process is demonstrated here.

Process:

Start by laying two 2x6 on their sides facing up
Place a soft material between the boards to catch the plate when it falls
Place mold down on the edges of the boards.
Tilt the mold upside down
Lightly tap the backside of the mold with a mallet until the plate falls out

Curing

Let the extracted plate cure for another 24h hours before moving on to the next step

Step 5: Surface Grinding

If you want smooth and comfortable plates, this is how you grind the surfaces of your plates.

Side and edge grinding:

secure a 1.5 inch ABS tube on a surface
Insert Concrete plate in the tube
Spin the plate by hand
Turn on the grinder and lower the grinding wheel on the surface (demonstrated here)
Grind the side of the plate
Bevel the edges
Do the other side of the plate

Plate Pile

Start a pile of plates from heaviest to lightest.

Surface Grinding

Starting from the top of the pile, grind the surface slowly until it's smooth.
Flip the plate and do the other side

Conclusion

Feel free to ask questions below concerning anything concrete plate related. I will try my best to answer them.