How to do a Plate Flips
Reviewed by Jim Parker, CPT, B.A. Kinesiology
About Plate Flips
Plates
Workouts with Plate Flips
Instructions for Proper Form
Plate Flip is an explosive exercise that forces you to toss a relatively light plate into the air, and then catch the opposite side of the lip in the same hand. By tossing the plate into the air, this becomes a more explosive exercise than simply moving the weight up and down. In addition, the catch helps you improve coordination, as well as stability and control as you have to slow the plate down in order to actually catch it.
- Stand in a location away from other exercisers with your feet roughly shoulder-width apart and a slight bend in your knees.
- Grasp the top of a bumper plate in one hand. Squeeze the lip of the bumper plate and hold it in front of you with your palms facing you.
- Engage your shoulders to explosively raise the weight up. Allow the bottom of the bumper plate to rotate up and away from you.
- Release the bumper plate and allow it to rotate in the air.
- Catch the top of the bumper plate after it flips and squeeze the lip of the plate.
- If you feel you are going to drop the bumper plate while it is still in your grasp, hinge into a squat position and place the weight on the floor.
- If you feel you are going to drop the bumper plate on the catch, step back and allow the weight to hit the floor. Do not try to recatch if you fumble an attempt.
- Maintain good posture by keeping your core engaged and your chest up.
- You should feel this exercise primarily in your forearms.
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Alternative Exercises to Plate Flips
1. Palms-Up Dumbbell Wrist Curl
87.6 mSCORESWAPPED 542 TIMESAn isolation exercise targeting the forearms. This is a great exercise for improving grip strength, or building muscle mass in your forearms.
2. Palms-Down Dumbbell Wrist Curl
87.4 mSCORESWAPPED 531 TIMESPalms Down Dumbbell Wrist Curls is an isolation exercise that hits your forearms. By securing your forearm against the pad, you ensure that only your wrist is able to perform the movement. Using a dumbbell allows you to target each side independently, as well as adding a bit more instability to the exercise.
3. Plate Pinch
38.5 mSCORESWAPPED 499 TIMESA grip strength exercise involving holding weight plates between the fingers and thumb. This is a great exercise for improving grip strength.
- Intermediate
- Forearms
- Plates
4. Palms-Up Barbell Wrist Curl
68.4 mSCORESWAPPED 434 TIMESAn isolation exercise targeting the forearms. This is a great exercise for improving grip strength, or building muscle mass in your forearms.
5. Palms-Down Barbell Wrist Curl
69.9 mSCORESWAPPED 401 TIMESPalms Down Barbell Wrist Curl is an isolation exercise that targets the forearm. By positioning your forearm against a bench or other flat surface, you restrict any motion to your wrist. The use of a barbell helps to add some stability to the movement, as well as allowing you to perform the exercise with both sides moving a single weight.
6. Cable Wrist Curl
53 mSCORESWAPPED 298 TIMESTargets the forearm flexors, improving grip strength and forearm muscle development. Using a cable machine adds a consistent resistance throughout the movement, providing a more effective workout than free weights.
- Beginner
- Forearms
- Rope Cable
- Flat Bench
- Hi-Lo Pulley Cable
7. Kettlebell Single Arm Farmer Walk
40.3 mSCORESWAPPED 184 TIMESA functional exercise focusing on grip strength, core stability, and unilateral strength. This exercise engages the entire body, particularly the core and forearm muscles. Unlike the standard variation, by holding the weight in one hand, you drastically increase the need to recruit your core for stability.
- Beginner
- Forearms
- Kettlebells
8. Single Arm Farmer Walk
36 mSCORESWAPPED 169 TIMESThis exercise is a unilateral variation of the Farmer’s Walk. Like the standard Farmer’s Walk this exercise focuses on grip strength, core stability, and overall strength endurance. In addition, by holding the weight in a single hand, you drastically increase the demand for recruiting your core for stability.
9. Single Arm Bottoms-up Kettlebell Clean
80.6 mSCORESWAPPED 132 TIMESThis exercise is a variation on the Clean. Similar to the Clean, this compound explosive movement targets a wide range of muscle groups. By loading the weight on a single side, there is added instability to the movement. Additionally positioning the kettlebell with the bottom up forces you to keep the weight inline with your forearms.
- Intermediate
- Forearms
- Kettlebells
10. Handle Band Reverse Curl
28.9 mSCORESWAPPED 126 TIMESThis exercise is a variation on the standard curl. Like the standard curl, this exercise primarily targets your biceps, however there is a much greater need to recruit your forearms due to the reverse grip. The use of a handle band increases the resistance as you progress through the movement.
- Beginner
- Forearms
- Handle Bands