Rubber weights vs. Iron weights

[FreedomFighter]

My friend and I are arguing over the difference between iron weights vs. rubber weights. Ive always lifted iron and tried a differewnt gym this evening(one w/rubber weights). The rubber weights feel about 20% lighter without a doubt. he claims there is no difference because a pound of weight is a pound of weight no matter what. I cant explain it, maybe it has something to do with gravity but the rubber weights just doesnt give me the pump or stretch that an iron weight has (and no its not in my head caused I tried rubber wts. 3 years ago for a week with the same result). So whats the deal?? Why is it like this? any physics majors here? Anyone agree?

 

[malice]

id say iron is heavier. the gym im at now has 120lb rubber dumbells(thats the heaviest, i know, gay). the old gym i was at had 115s iron dumbells and the 115s definitely feel heavier. its almost as if the rubber ones feel 5-10lbs lighter...

 

[drrman]

bro, in the real physics world you speak in KG(kilograms). weight or lbs change as gravitational effects change, a kg is a kg no matter where you are at....Force=massXaccelleration with force being measured in newtons, so a kilogram is always a kilogram. anyways, so much for the physics of it, that stuff is really irrellevant, if a rubber dumbell weighs 125lbs or 56.7kg, and a iron weighs the same, they are the same, thats simple, the density of the rubber is far less than the density of the steel, maybe getting a weird feel as the rubber touches at the top or as it touches your chest during presses, but they are the same weight, no way around it, the rubber ones are usually much larger which bothers me.

 

[Nico Cujo]

I've got olympic bumper weights and iron weights and they both weigh what is written on them.

 

[lwgy]

are you sure they are rubber all the way though? i thought my gym had rubber weights, but the rubber tore off on a dumbbell and it was iron underneath.

 

[JLAWz]

Personally, I cant lift as much with the rubber as i can with the iron.....IMO the rubber weights are too big and bulky.....My db press is @ 15lbs less with the rubber ones!!

 

[bigduck]

i have the same prob, my school has iron and my gym has rubber and i push more iron than rubber. i dont know what it is, but it will irritate me forever

 

[drrman]

yeh, they are iron covered in rubber, less likely to bend when dropped

 

[Atomic Punk]

I'll third the rubber over metal quote. No dbells are all rubber. In my opinion, it doesn't make any difference anyhow. I do prefer the caps on the end though, over top of the allen-key holes. That way, I dont have two circular impressions in my leg after setting them there for dbell lifts.

 

[JKerry]

rubber ones aren't as cold when you wear shorts. as the guy said before, a kg is a kg is a kg.

jkerry