We’ve finally added a barbell weight plate calculator to the workout app StrengthLog – and it’s completely free for all users.
This is a feature requested by a lot of lifters. While still in beta, and lots of tweaks and fixes coming to future releases, it might already be the best plate calc on the market!
Version 5.2 of the StrengthLog just went live, and it contains two major new features:
- The aforementioned weight plate calculator.
- Your very own in-app video library!
Continue reading to learn more about these new features. But first, go ahead and update now, the version is live for both Android and iPhone. Or download StrengthLog for free, using the links below:
What Is a Barbell Plate Calculator, and How Will It Improve Your Lifting?
It figures out which weight plates you should load on the barbell, to achieve the correct weight you want to lift. And it gives you a visual guide, to make it even easier.
Simple as that.
Most of the time you probably won’t need it, but for those times you do …
Let’s put it this way:
You’re using a 20 kg barbell and want to lift 100 kg. You add two 20 kg plates to each side, et voilà! Easy enough for most, even beginners.
But say you want to lift 147.5 kg, and also want to adhere to the formal competition style of loading the barbell with as few and as heavy plates as possible, plus the use of 2.5 kg competition collars?
The plate calc will instantly tell you to load each side with two 25 kg plates, one 10 kg plate, one 1.25 kg plate, and one 2.5 kg collar.
Kind of nice not having to do that math, while also trying to catch your breath between sets.
And that’s not even taking into consideration the existence of specialty barbells (like safety squat bars, EZ bars, and trap bars), that can weigh anywhere from a few kg to a custom weight such as 32 kg.
A good weight plate calculator will make life in the gym easier for you. And this one is a really good one, buddy.
To access the plate calculator, you need to be in an active workout. Tap the three dots to the right of the set weight, then tap Plate calculator.
Once you’re in the calculator, you can tap the gear icon to discover all possible settings, which includes the possibility to:
- Change the weight of the barbell.
- Change which types of plates you have access to, and in what quantity. You can also create new plates with custom weights.
- Specify if you want to include the weight of your collars or not in the calculation. You can also create your own collars, with custom weights.
- Create different profiles, to switch between depending on where you’re training.
- Switch between kg and lbs.
Give it a go and please let us know how we can make it even better for you, by sending your feedback to app@strengthlog.com.
To learn more about the plate calc, read this help article.
Also Introducing: The Video Library!
Since we launched StrengthLog, way back in 2018, users have been able to link videos from their social media (like Instagram) to sets in their training log. Now we’re greatly improving this feature, by ditching third-party storage and instead adding it directly to the app.
This means you’ll be able to build your own video library in the app, from this day forth.
At the moment, there are two ways to upload a video:
- During an active workout, by tapping the three dots on the set you want to link the video to, then tapping Link video.
- On the Records screen. Find your old PR in the app, tap that record and then tap the gray video symbol, to upload your old footage.
The fastest way to rewatch your old training videos, is to visit your Video library from the app’s settings screen.
Users of the free version will be able to upload approximately 150 MB of video, while premium users get an additional 2 GB of storage.
Please note that these numbers may be adjusted in the future, as we gain a better understanding of how the feature is being used and how it affects our costs. We will likely also add the ability to purchase additional storage space.
To learn more about the video library, read this help article.
Want to give these new features a try for yourself? Update the app through App Store or Google Play, or use the links below to download StrengthLog for free:
