Free tool
Barbell Plate Loading Calculator
Punch in a target load and we'll tell you exactly which plates go on each side of the bar — using the standard 20/15/10/5/2.5/1.25 kg set found in most Indian gyms.
1.0 plates / side
20 kg per side
What this number can’t tell you
One number, one day. The paid report turns it into a plan — the sections it feeds:
- 12-week program16 min
- Weekly checklists1 min
- Playbooks4 min
How we compute this
We work from the standard Indian gym plate set — 20, 15, 10, 5, 2.5 and 1.25 kg — and load each side with a greedy algorithm: take the largest plate that still fits under the remaining per-side weight, subtract it, and repeat until nothing's left or no plate is small enough to fit.
Per-side weight is (target load − bar weight) ÷ 2. That's what actually gets loaded onto each sleeve — the bar itself makes up the rest of the total.
Questions people ask
Enter 60 in the target load field above (with a 20kg Olympic bar selected) and the plate breakdown updates instantly, showing exactly which plates go on each side — no need to work it out by hand.