Bumper plates are designed with Olympic lifting in mind. They are the same diameter regardless of their weight and can be dropped from a height. Having all of your plates the same size means that you will be picking the bar up from the ground from the same height each time; making lifts with different plates fair in competition, more consistent during training and easier to teach when learning with lighter plates.

Standard rubber plates become physically larger as they get heavier and are not designed to be dropped. Some versions come with holes throughout the plate to allow for easier handling.