Microplates: why small weight jumps matter

Your overhead press has been stuck at 40kg for three weeks. Every session, you load 42.5kg, grind through three sets, and fail on the fourth. You deload, build back up, and stall at 42.5kg again.

The problem isn’t your effort. It isn’t your recovery. It isn’t your programming. The problem is that 2.5kg is too big of a jump for this lift at this stage. And the solution costs less than a month of protein powder.

The math that explains your plateau

Percentage increases matter more than absolute numbers

When you’re squatting 100kg, adding 2.5kg is a 2.5% increase. That’s manageable. Your body can adapt to a 2.5% jump between sessions.

But when you’re overhead pressing 40kg, adding 2.5kg is a 6.25% increase. That’s enormous. For perspective, an advanced lifter adding 6.25% to their squat in a single session would be miraculous. Yet we expect beginner lifters to do exactly that on their press, three times per week.

Here’s how the same 2.5kg jump looks across different lifts and weights:

Lift	Current weight	+2.5kg	% increase
Deadlift	120kg	122.5kg	2.1%
Squat	80kg	82.5kg	3.1%
Bench Press	60kg	62.5kg	4.2%
Barbell Row	50kg	52.5kg	5.0%
Overhead Press	40kg	42.5kg	6.25%

This table explains why the overhead press stalls first for almost everyone. It’s not because the press is inherently harder to progress (though it does involve smaller muscles). It’s because the standard minimum jump is a disproportionately large percentage of the working weight.

The solution is smaller jumps

If 2.5kg is too much, the answer isn’t to deload repeatedly and hope something changes. The answer is to make the jump smaller.

With microplates, you can add as little as 0.5kg or 1.25kg per session. A 1.25kg jump on a 40kg press is 3.1% - exactly the same relative difficulty as adding 2.5kg to an 80kg squat. Suddenly the lift that was impossible to progress becomes straightforward again.

What microplates are

Microplates are small weight plates, typically ranging from 0.25kg to 1.25kg per plate. Since you load one plate on each side of the barbell, the total weight added is double the individual plate weight.

Common sizes

Plate weight (each)	Total added to bar	Best for
0.25kg	0.5kg	Very fine increments, late-stage OHP
0.5kg	1.0kg	OHP progression, light bench work
0.625kg	1.25kg	Most versatile - works for all upper body lifts
1.0kg	2.0kg	Bridge between microplates and standard 1.25kg plates
1.25kg	2.5kg	This is the standard small plate most gyms already have

For a 5x5 program, a pair of 0.5kg or 0.625kg plates covers most needs. If you want maximum flexibility, a set with multiple sizes gives you the option to fine-tune increments for different lifts.

Types of microplates

Standard plates: Small metal discs with a center hole, just like regular plates but lighter. They sit on the barbell sleeve like any other plate. These are the most common and most affordable.

Magnetic plates: Flat magnets that stick directly to the barbell’s steel sleeve. The advantage is that they stay put without clips and work on any barbell diameter. The disadvantage is that they can shift if the bar is dropped or racked aggressively. They’re also slightly more expensive.

Rubber-coated plates: Standard microplates with a rubber coating to reduce noise and protect the plates and bar. Slightly more expensive, functionally identical to plain steel.

Any type works. Standard steel plates are the best value.

Which lifts need microplates

Overhead press: first priority

The overhead press is almost always the first lift to stall, and it benefits the most from fractional loading. The muscles involved (anterior deltoids, upper chest, triceps) are relatively small, and the lift doesn’t allow for much technical compensation when strength is the limiting factor.

Most lifters begin to struggle with 2.5kg jumps on the press somewhere between 30-50kg. Switching to 1.0-1.25kg jumps at this point can extend linear progression by 4-8 weeks or more.

For a detailed breakdown of press progression strategies, see the overhead press guide.

Bench press: second priority

The bench press stalls later than the press but earlier than squat or deadlift. The muscles involved are larger (pectorals, anterior deltoids, triceps), but the lift is still fundamentally an upper body movement with limited total muscle mass contribution.

Most male lifters start needing smaller jumps between 60-80kg. Women often benefit from microplates on bench much earlier, sometimes from the very beginning.

If your bench has stalled and a deload brings you back to the same wall, try 1.25kg jumps before you conclude you’ve exhausted your linear progression. You might have months of progress left with smaller increments.

Barbell row: sometimes helpful

The barbell row is a bit unpredictable. Some lifters progress it easily with 2.5kg jumps for months. Others stall earlier, partly because form degradation makes it hard to tell whether you’ve genuinely failed or just started cheating the movement.

If your row stalls and your form is solid, microplates can help. But make sure the issue is actually the weight and not your technique breaking down.

Squat and deadlift: usually not needed

Squats and deadlifts involve the largest muscle groups in your body (quadriceps, glutes, hamstrings, entire posterior chain). These muscles can handle 2.5kg jumps for much longer than upper body muscles can.

Most lifters complete their entire beginner phase of squat and deadlift progression using standard plates. By the time 2.5kg jumps become too large for these lifts, you’ve likely progressed past the point where linear progression works anyway, and it’s time for a different programming approach like Madcow or the Texas Method.

Exception: Smaller lifters, particularly women under 55-60kg bodyweight, may benefit from 1.25kg squat jumps earlier in their progression. If your squat stalls at a weight where you feel you still have room to grow, try smaller jumps before switching programs.

The compounding effect of small jumps

The math over time

“Only 1.25kg per session” sounds pathetically small. Let’s see what it actually produces over time.

On a 5x5 program, you train each lift approximately three times every two weeks (alternating A/B workouts). For the overhead press specifically, that’s about 6 sessions per month.

With 1.25kg jumps:

• Per session: +1.25kg
• Per month (6 sessions): +7.5kg
• Per 3 months (18 sessions): +22.5kg
• Per 6 months (36 sessions): +45kg

Versus stalling completely:

• Per session: +0kg
• Per month: +0kg
• Per 3 months: +0kg with multiple frustrating deloads
• Per 6 months: maybe +5kg if lucky, more likely the same weight

A 40kg overhead press progressed with 1.25kg jumps for three months becomes 62.5kg. That same press, stalled at 42.5kg with repeated 2.5kg attempts and deloads, might reach 45kg in the same period.

The “small” jumps produced four times more progress. Slow and steady doesn’t just win the race - it’s the only thing that finishes it.

Small jumps still compound

Linear progression is powerful precisely because the gains stack. Each 1.25kg you add becomes the new baseline for the next 1.25kg. Over months, these tiny increments produce large absolute changes.

Consider this: if you add 1.25kg to your press every session for six months, that’s 45kg of total progress. Nobody would call a 45kg press improvement “small.” The individual steps were small. The accumulated result is significant.

This is the same principle behind progressive overload at any scale - the key is consistency of the stimulus, not the size of each individual increase.

Where to buy microplates

Online retailers

Microplates are widely available from fitness equipment retailers and general online marketplaces. Search for “fractional plates,” “microplates,” or “micro loading plates” followed by the weight you want.

Price range: $15-40 for a set, depending on type and material. A basic pair of steel 0.5kg plates can cost as little as $10-15. A full set with multiple sizes typically runs $25-40.

What to look for:

• Correct diameter for your barbell (Olympic/50mm is standard in commercial gyms)
• Reasonable accuracy (within 2-5% of stated weight is acceptable for microplates)
• Flat profile that won’t interfere with plate loading
• Material that won’t damage the bar (steel or rubber-coated)

Your gym may already have them

Before buying, ask at your gym’s front desk. Some facilities have microplates available but don’t keep them on the plate tree. They might be in a storage closet or behind the counter.

DIY options

If budget is a concern, there are functional alternatives:

Washers from a hardware store: Large steel washers can be stacked to approximate specific weights. Buy a variety, weigh them on a kitchen scale, and stack enough to get your target increment. Thread them onto the bar like regular plates. Cost: a few dollars.

Chain links: Short lengths of chain can be draped over the barbell. Not precise, but functional. A 30cm piece of heavy chain weighs roughly 0.5-1kg.

Ankle weights: The adjustable kind with removable sand bars can be wrapped around the barbell. Unconventional but it works in a pinch.

These DIY methods lack the precision and convenience of proper microplates, but they get the job done. If you’re serious about training long-term, invest in real plates. They last forever and pay for themselves in extended progression.

How to implement fractional loading

Step 1: Identify the stalled lift

Look at your training log. Which lift has stalled at a 2.5kg jump but hasn’t been through multiple deloads yet? That’s your candidate for microplates.

If you’re already mid-deload cycle, finish the deload and restart progression with smaller jumps. If you’re stuck at a plateau after deloading, switch to fractional loading immediately.

Step 2: Choose your increment

For most lifters, 1.25kg total (one 0.625kg plate per side) is the sweet spot. It’s small enough to sustain progression but large enough that you’re still making meaningful progress.

If 1.25kg still feels too aggressive (rare, but possible at very high relative loads), drop to 1.0kg or even 0.5kg total.

Step 3: Progress normally, just smaller

Everything else about your program stays the same. Five sets of five. Same rest periods. Same form cues. Same deload rules. The only change is the size of the jump.

Complete 5x5 at 40kg? Next session: 41.25kg. Complete 5x5 at 41.25kg? Next session: 42.5kg.

Step 4: Know when even microplates aren’t enough

Eventually, even 1.25kg jumps will stall. When you’ve deloaded on a lift twice while using microplates and still can’t push past the same weight, you’ve likely exhausted your linear progression for that lift.

This isn’t failure. This is the natural endpoint that every lifter reaches. It means your body has adapted beyond what session-to-session weight increases can drive, and you need a more sophisticated progression model - weekly rather than session-based, which programs like Madcow 5x5 or the Texas Method provide.

The microplates extended your linear gains by weeks or months beyond what would have been possible with standard plates. That’s a win.

A real example

Consider a male lifter who starts 5x5 with a 20kg overhead press.

Without microplates:

• Weeks 1-8: Adds 2.5kg per session (20kg to 50kg) - smooth sailing
• Weeks 9-10: Stalls at 52.5kg. Deloads to 47.5kg.
• Weeks 11-13: Rebuilds to 52.5kg. Stalls again.
• Weeks 14-15: Deloads again. Rebuilds. Stalls at 55kg.
• Week 16: Considers switching programs. Total OHP progress: 20kg to 55kg.

With microplates (introduced at first stall):

• Weeks 1-8: Adds 2.5kg per session (20kg to 50kg) - same as above
• Week 9: Switches to 1.25kg jumps at 50kg
• Weeks 9-18: Adds 1.25kg per session (50kg to 65kg) - steady progress
• Weeks 19-20: Stalls at 66.25kg. First deload with microplates.
• Weeks 21-24: Rebuilds and pushes to 70kg.
• Week 24: Total OHP progress: 20kg to 70kg.

Same program. Same effort. Same lifter. 15kg more progress, simply because the jumps matched what the body could actually adapt to.

The bottom line

Microplates are the cheapest, simplest, most effective equipment investment you’ll make as a lifter. A $20-30 purchase that extends your linear progression by weeks or months, adds kilograms to your lifts that would otherwise be left on the table, and solves the single most common reason upper body lifts stall on 5x5.

Buy a pair. Bring them to the gym. Add weight in increments your body can actually handle. Watch the numbers climb.

Small jumps, made consistently, produce big results. That’s the entire principle behind progressive overload, and microplates are the tool that keeps that principle working when standard plates can’t. For technique guides on every lift these plates will help you progress, see the exercise guide.

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