Load it right, warm up fast
Take the weight on your program, subtract the bar (and collars, if you use them), and halve it: that's what goes on each side. Racked does the arithmetic with the fewest plates, heaviest on the inside, and shows the bar the way it looks on the platform.
The warm-ups are the part most calculators get wrong. A set at exactly 60% often means fiddling with four small plates. Racked picks loads close to the percentage that use a few big plates, and tells you what to add between sets so you rarely strip anything.
Questions
How do you calculate plates per side?
Subtract the bar and collars from the total and divide by two. 225 lb on a 45 lb bar leaves 180, so 90 lb a side: two 45s.
How much is a 45 lb bar with two plates?
135 lb with one 45 on each side, 225 with two, 315 with three, 405 with four.
How much does a barbell weigh in kg?
A men's Olympic bar is 20 kg, a women's bar 15 kg. Competition collars add 2.5 kg each.
What warm-up sets should I do?
A common ramp: empty bar 2 × 5, then about 40% × 5, 60% × 3 and 80% × 2 of your work set. Round each to a load that is easy to build from the last.
What colour is a 20 kg plate?
Blue. IWF colours are red 25 kg, blue 20, yellow 15, green 10, white 5.
What if I can't make the exact weight?
Racked loads the closest weight it can with your plates and tells you the nearest load above and below, so you can choose.