Calculators / Plate calculator
Plate calculator
A plate calculator turns a target bar weight into the plates to put on each side. Pick the bar, tick the plates your gym has, type the weight — the bar is drawn loaded and the label reads the way the Zyra Workouts app prints it. Works in kg or lb; nothing you type is sent anywhere.
(2×20 + 1×5) × 2 + 20 kg bar = 110 kg
How the math works
- per side = (target − bar) ÷ 2
- for each plate size, largest first: while per side ≥ plate → add plate, subtract it
- remainder > 0 → the target cannot be built from this inventory; the label describes the closest load below it
Worked example: 110 − 20 = 90; ÷ 2 = 45 per side. 25 ≥ 20 → one 20 (5 left); 5 < 15, 5 < 10; 5 ≥ 5 → one 5 (0 left). Result: (2×20 + 1×5) × 2 + 20 kg bar = 110 kg. The order matters only for the label: the greedy pass never picks two 10s where one 20 fits.
Common loads on a 20 kg bar
| Total | Per side | Label |
|---|---|---|
| 40 kg | 10 | (1×10) × 2 + 20 kg bar = 40 kg |
| 50 kg | 15 | (1×15) × 2 + 20 kg bar = 50 kg |
| 60 kg | 20 | (1×20) × 2 + 20 kg bar = 60 kg |
| 62.5 kg | 20 + 1.25 | (1×20 + 1×1.25) × 2 + 20 kg bar = 62.5 kg |
| 70 kg | 20 + 5 | (1×20 + 1×5) × 2 + 20 kg bar = 70 kg |
| 80 kg | 20 + 10 | (1×20 + 1×10) × 2 + 20 kg bar = 80 kg |
| 90 kg | 20 + 15 | (1×20 + 1×15) × 2 + 20 kg bar = 90 kg |
| 100 kg | 20 + 20 | (2×20) × 2 + 20 kg bar = 100 kg |
| 110 kg | 20 + 20 + 5 | (2×20 + 1×5) × 2 + 20 kg bar = 110 kg |
| 120 kg | 20 + 20 + 10 | (2×20 + 1×10) × 2 + 20 kg bar = 120 kg |
| 140 kg | 20 + 20 + 20 | (3×20) × 2 + 20 kg bar = 140 kg |
| 160 kg | 20 + 20 + 20 + 10 | (3×20 + 1×10) × 2 + 20 kg bar = 160 kg |
| 180 kg | 20 + 20 + 20 + 20 | (4×20) × 2 + 20 kg bar = 180 kg |
Full inventory (20, 15, 10, 5, 2.5, 1.25 kg). The per-exercise load charts print the same per-side column for every 5% of a 1RM: Back Squat · Bench Press (Barbell) · Conventional Deadlift · Overhead Press (Barbell).
Frequently asked
How do I calculate plates per side?
Subtract the bar, halve the rest, then fill from the largest plate down. For 110 kg on a 20 kg bar: (110 − 20) ÷ 2 = 45 kg per side = 2 × 20 + 1 × 5. The app writes it as (2×20 + 1×5) × 2 + 20 kg bar = 110 kg.
What does "cannot be loaded exactly" mean?
After the greedy pass some weight is left over per side that none of your ticked plates can make — 1.25 kg when you have no 1.25 plates, for instance. The calculator then shows the closest load below the target and names the plate that would close the gap.
Which plates does the calculator assume?
By default the full set the Zyra Workouts app offers: 20, 15, 10, 5, 2.5, 1.25 kg on a 20 kg bar. In lb mode: 45, 35, 25, 10, 5, 2.5 lb on a 45 lb bar. Untick anything your gym does not have and the math follows.
Why greedy from the largest plate?
It gives the fewest plates and the composition lifters expect (two 20s and a 5, not nine 5s). It is the same rule the app uses to render a loaded bar, so the label here matches what the app shows for the same weight and inventory.
Does the bar count toward the total?
Yes — every number on this page is the total on the bar, bar included. A 20 kg bar with a 20 kg plate each side is 60 kg, not 40.
Related calculators
Your gym's plates, remembered
Zyra Workouts keeps your bar and plate inventory in its gym settings, snaps every progression step to a load you can build, and flags one you cannot. It is in development and not yet on the App Store.
Zyra is a training and nutrition tracking tool. Nothing on this page is medical advice, a diagnosis, or an individual prescription. The numbers are estimates from published formulas and the apps' own rules — consult a qualified professional for decisions about your health, and a coach for your training.