Battle of the Boards!

If you are going to train with a band and a bar and lift heavy there is no getting around it, you’re going to need a board. Boards come in many shapes and sizes, and I am reviewing some of the most popular ones here. The prices are from the time of this writing and are subject to change. 

The contestants:

From Brandon Witters

All Brandon Witters Products are available here.

The HDPE Footplate 129.99

Pros:

• Great price 
• Not too heavy
• Not too thick
• Solid board under foot with no flex 
• Virtually no wear on bands

Cons:

• Only one size

The Split Squat Board 39.95

Pros:

• Light 
• Keeps you close to the earth
• Very secure and easy to adjust mid set
• Prevents pressure on mid foot from band

Cons:

• Could be slightly longer to fit full foot. My foot is huge. 

The MasterPlate 249.95

Pros:

• Super light!
• Super thin!
• No flex at all
• Gentle on bands
• A marvel in engineering and made by hand in USA. 

Cons:

• Only one size.
• Slightly less stable than heavier boards but really not a problem. 
• Expensive.

From Floyd Reed

All Floyd Reed plates available here.

The American Muscle Plate 185.00

Pros:

• Soft edges are very comfortable
• Can also be used for split squats, or other movements using the inner channel
• No wear on bands
• Extremely stable. 
• Beautifully cut. 

Cons:

• Heavy
• Expensive 
• Thick

The BigFoot Plate 280.00

Pros:

• All same pros as above except a different size! Awesome. This size is perfect for someone with big feet like me. 

Cons:

• All the same cons as American Muscle Plate, but also big so hard to pack for travel.

Floyd Reed makes an even wider plate than BigFoot, The Surfboard, but I have not tried it. I imagine it’s very similar to the above, but allows for much wider squats.

From X3

I added Nylon Tape (you can purchase some here: one pice along each lip, then two layers running the entire length of the channel) to help prevent Band Tearing

The Metal Plate bundled 

Only available bundled with X3 System. This sucks. I reviewed it as part of the X3 System here. You can fix it with Nylon Tape but it still has harsh angles and flexes a lot during heavy lifts. 

The Verdict

There is no clear winner overall. But there is a clear loser: The metal plate from the X3 System is downright awful.  So which should you get? It all depends on what you value most.

For budget:

The HDPE Plate by Brandon Witters

The price is right and it’s great. Easy on bands and feels good and stable underfoot even though it’s light. 

For Portability: 

The Master Plate by Brandon Witters

This thing is only 3.5 lbs and super thin. This is my go to travel plate. 

For Comfort:

All Floyd Reed Plates

The curved edges and custom sizes make this a winner in this category. If they weren’t so heavy they’d win overall. 

For Split Squats:

The Split Squat Plate by Brandon Witters

While Floyd Reed can be used for Split Squats, the Witters plate keeps you closer to the floor with a more secure fit.

**UPDATE**

Since writing this article I invented a Footplate to rule them all:

Check it out at HarambeSystem.com