The hooks that hold the weight plates in place are heavy duty 2" long square hooks that are coated with PVC material. The hooks are actually L-shaped and have a threaded screw portion that's 1" long.
It is a bit difficult to screw in these hooks especially into hardwood and so use a power drill to bore a hole so it will be easier to screw the square hook in with just a pair of pliers or vise grips.
I have different sized weight plates in my home gym. Here's my current small inventory:
- 25 lbs. - 6 pcs.
- 10 lbs. - 8 pcs.
- 5 lbs. - 4 pcs.
- 1.25 lbs. - 8 pcs.
If you have different sized plates like the one above, you can optimally position the L-hooks or square hooks around the rack.
Side Hooks for Heavy Plates
Notice most of the weight plates are hung at the sides of the weight and dumbbell rack as seen below.
Two 25 lb. plates are among these. Since these are heavy plates, position their square hooks so the plates also REST on parts of the rack that have wood supports.
This removes too much stress on the square hooks which may prematurely deform because of the plates' weight.
In the above picture, the top heavy plate is hung from its hook but also rests on the edge of the dumbbell rack's baseboard. The bottom plate, on the other hand, rests on a block of wood on the floor. The other plates, 10 lbs. and a couple of 5 lbs., are hung solely on the square hooks.
Reinforced Front Hooks for Hanging Plates
Two pieces of 25 lb. plates are hung at the front of the weight and dumbbell rack. In addition to the square hook, add a couple of heavy duty wood screws of the same length. Wrap these three (1 square hook and 2 wood screws) with duct tape.
The photo below shows the hook setup (painted gray, like the rest of the rack) for one of the 25 lb. weight plate that will be hung in the front.
The additional wood screws reinforces the square hook and the 25 lb. plate can be hung directly from these. As an aside, notice the red plastic mat under the bottom board.
The plastic mat raises the the wooden rack from the floor. This is especially useful if the floor gets wet. The plastic mat prevents the wood from getting wet.
Inner Hooks for Small Plates and Collars
Position several hooks at the inner portion of the rack to hold the smaller sized plates. The smaller sized plates will be unobtrusive as you use the dumbbells on the dumbbell rack. The photo below shows a couple of 1.25 lb. plate hanging from one of the inner square hooks.
In addition to small plates, you can also hang other barbell and dumbbell paraphernalia on the inner hooks like collars and clips. By hanging the weight plates on different areas around the rack, the combined weight adds stability to the entire rack structure.
Go back to the Weights and Dumbbell Rack
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