Shopping for weights is the most frustrating part of making a home gym. Well, these weight plates are super costly, and you have to buy quite a few. But why are gym weights so expensive?
There are a few reasons why gym weights are expensive. Excessive shipping charges, increased price of raw materials, and the global pandemic right are some crucial facts regulating the price range of gym weights.
Now, here we’ll not just talk about why these gym weights can break your bank. Rather, we’ll tell how you can cut down the price. We’ll also discuss the cost differences between some weight types.
Why Are Gym Weights So Expensive These Days?
When you are into strength workouts, you will need to do free weight exercises with barbells or dumbbells. Without weight training, your bodybuilding routine will be hampered. Thus, affordable or not, you have to buy fitness equipment.
Well, after doing some research, we could figure out the reasons behind their high costs. Let’s get into that part, shall we?
Raw Materials
Weight plates are mostly made with cast iron, steel, rubber, concrete, and even plastic. But the ones made with steel, rubber, and iron are the most popular ones among gym-goers.
These weights are super heavy to serve their purpose. Hence, you will need a high-density material in a huge quantity to make them. And these heavyweight materials cost more than plastic and concrete, which plays a vital role in increasing the price of gym weights. For this reason, concrete dumbbells are quite famous among frugal gym-goers.
Quality
The weights have to maintain a certain build quality. If the standard of these plates is below average, you may get them within a low price tag. But they won’t even last for a week. You can get cheap dumbbells for sure, but they will start cracking in no time.
To make the weight plates usable and durable, the manufacturer has to make these things with a top-notch finish without any cracks or damages. And due to this quality control, the weight cannot be bought within an inexpensive price tag.
Shipping and Handling Costs
When you buy a bulky product, the shipping charge becomes bigger, right?
As one pointed out regarding costs, “Raw materials cost money to ship to the manufacturer. The manufacturer needs to machine the dumbbells to spec, then do quality control, then ship to the distributor.”
Well, the same thing happens with the seller when they transport these weight plates from one place to another. Therefore, the shipping and handling charges add up to the total cost. And so, you have to pay a bigger shipping charge to receive this gym equipment.
Moreover, to deliver the weights to your house, the sellers have to find someone to lift heavyweights. Hence, considering all these facts, you will have to buy plates with a heftier check.
Amount of Plates
When buying a whole set of weights, you have to buy plates with different weight limits, such as 2.5, 5, 10, 25, and 45 lbs. plates. And these different weights come from the separate production line, which also increases the price range.
You may think that the lighter plates will be less expensive options, but the production cost remains almost the same. Thus, it doesn’t matter if you buy lighter or heavier weights; you will have to pay a similar price.
World Situation
During a pandemic, all the gyms were closed. And as people stopped going to the gym, they started to exercise at home. Therefore, gym equipment became high-demand products, and the supply chain was disrupted. When the prices have become higher than the average cost, gym enthusiasts experienced a sticker shock.
During a normal situation, the manufacturers would have increased the production to balance the supply and demand. But most equipment is made in China, so that wasn’t possible because of the global lockdowns. Hence, we had to buy exercise equipment with more money.
How to Save Money on Weights?
Yes, these weight plates are pretty expensive, but that doesn’t mean you won’t continue exercising. So let us give you some tips on saving money on dumbbells, barbells, or other free weights.
As a brand new weight plate costs money more than the older ones, you can go for the hand-me-down product. Well, second-hand sporting goods have cheaper price tags, so you can consider buying them for your home gyms.
To buy the used equipment, you can browse Craiglist or Facebook Marketplace to get what you want. As weight plates don’t get damaged pretty easily, you can go for second-hand ones without any hesitation.
Furthermore, many online and physical shops sell products at discounted prices. So keep your eyes open during holiday seasons to grab some good deals.
Types of Weight Plates and Their Cost Differences
As we revealed before, the prices of weights differ from material to material. Let’s see which equipment is less costly than the other so you can purchase them with full confidence,
Plastic
Weights made of plastic are the cheapest; there’s no doubt about that. Firstly, plastic as a dumbbell material or barbell isn’t that heavy. And even if they are massive, plastic is quite a cheap material to buy in bulk. So if you want something cheap, you can go for it. Just be warned, some plastic weights can cause cancer if ingested, so keep them away from pets.
Steel
Among all the weights, steel ones are the priciest. Steel weights have to go through lots of processing to get shaped for lifting; hence, they tend to be more on the more expensive side.
Furthermore, steel plates are the most durable ones; thus, they offer greater value for the price.
Iron
This is the second most expensive material for weights. As the manufacturers have to source it from foreign countries, they are more on the pricey side.
However, the process of shaping the material for making weights isn’t super costly. For this reason, we can get them at a lower price than the steel-made ones.
Are Gym Weights Worth the Expensive Price?
The differences between gym hobby and lifestyle can influence whether gym weights are worth their expensive price. For those truly committed to fitness, investing in quality weights enables effective strength training and long-term progress. However, for those who view the gym as a casual pastime, cheaper alternatives or gym memberships might be more suitable. Ultimately, individual priorities and dedication determine the worth of expensive gym weights.
Alternative to Gym Equipment for Weight Lifting
Some of us don’t have a higher budget for making home gyms and think we cannot do strength training or full body workouts without a power rack or a personal trainer. But that’s not the case.
Now it is time to tell you about the alternatives you can use for weight training. And these things are easily available at home, so you don’t have to go the extra mile to collect them.
Bodyweight Exercises
Exercise equipment isn’t a must-have to build strength. You don’t necessarily have to buy dumbbells and a squat rack for a few hundred dollars. You can do pushups, wall pushups, sit-ups, or planks, whichever you prefer.
These core exercises can also give you the same benefits you will get from lifting weights, you don’t have to buy dumbbells or that. Hence, without getting disappointed, you can keep doing these at home.
Water Bottles Instead of Adjustable Dumbbells
If you don’t have any dumbbells at home, you can use water-filled bottles as substitutes and do some heavy lifting. And you can increase or decrease the weights by adding/reducing water to the bottle; it will act as an adjustable dumbbell.
Books
Yes, you can also use your books for weight lifting as well. So if you have any encyclopedia or Dan Brown books, just put them in a bag and start working out.
Paint Cans
Did you just finish renovating and have some paint cans in your outhouse? Fill them with water and when they have enough weights, start lifting right away.
Bags of Sands
You can either purchase pre-filled sandbags or make a DIY one to save some money. However, if you are making them on your own, use a durable sack or duffle bag for doing it. Otherwise, it will burst while exercising, and you don’t want that.
The Bottom Line
So here is the explanation of why gym weights are so expensive. As you can see, there are some rock-solid reasons behind the higher prices; you can either save some bucks to buy them or try an alternative, whichever suits you the best.
