I was introduced to the concept of "microloading" through the writings of Stuart McRobert Build Muscle Lose Fat Look Great: Everything You Need to Know to Transform Your Body(which I highly recommend). Previously, when weight training, I would work up to my best lifting poundages and would remain there indefinately. I now cycle my training intensity to build a gaining monentum troughout the cycle. As I reach my previous best poundages I make use of these "little gems" to nudge myself beyond prior sticking points in weight. I own both sizes of the PlateMate hexagonal weights(2pr. ea. of the 1 1/4lb'ers & the 5/8lb'ers). I own a complete set of hexagonal dumbells from 5lbs. to 50lbs. in 5lb. increments. Sometimes that 5lb. jump (10lbs. between the 2 'bells) is quite substantial. For instance on strict DB curls I would master the 15lb. 'bells and move up to the 20lb'ers where my form would completely break down to "cheat" the weight up out of necessity. I had always wished that someone would make an 18lb. 'bell. Now I just slap on a pr. of 1 /14lb PlateMates on ea. of my 15lb'ers and voila, 17 1/2 pound dumbbells. I'll even add the 5/8lb PlateMates to the outside of the 1 1/4lb units. Now I have 18 3/4lb. 'bells. You can see how in this manner the Jump from 15lb to 20lb now becomes something achievable through manageable, small increments of progressive weights. My only negative observation would be the lack of a 1 7/8lb. PlateMate. When stacking the small one onto the big one it makes for a pretty wide overall package and care must be taken during certain lifts to avoid knocking off the little ones. (They have some type of coating, maybe rubber, that makes the magnets hold a little weaker when stacked in this manner.) Overall experience was very satisfying, and I highly recommend this product to anyone interested in gaining strength or muscle.Click Here to see more reviews about: PlateMates (Pair)
Product Description:
Plate Mate Hex (Pair) at Power Systems, Inc.
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