The WOD at Home team realizes that the WOD at Home community is more than just Americans, but is made-up of athletes from across the world! We have now added a pounds to kilograms calculator to the WOD at Home website’s footer to make translating the weights in the WODs as easy as possible for everyone.
Now for my Kilogram vs Pound rant;)
The whole pounds vs kilograms debate pisses me off!!! As a math major, the reality is that kilograms and meters makes more mathematical sense than pounds and miles. The other reality is that America uses pounds and miles, and are not going to be switching to the metric system like we should, so deal with it. What really confuses me is that equipment dealer in America sell in denominations that try and be equivalent to kilograms. Just look at barbell weights, bumper plate weights, and kettlebell weights.
1.5 pood kettlebell = 24 kilogram kettlebell = about 53 pound kettlebell.
20 kilogram barbell or bumper plate = 44.1 kilogram barbell or bumper plate
In America, barbells and bumper plates are sold as 45lbs. This is trying to be equivalent to what is used when measured in kilograms, which it is not. This makes adding up weights so much harder then it needs to be!
In America, because it does not look like we will be switching to the metric system, like we should, anytime soon, barbells should be 50lb and the 45lb bumper plate standard should be produced as 50lbs. This would make it easy to put on the correct amount of weight. If you are using pounds and converting to kilograms, then it does not matter how you put it on the bar, just the reality of the weight.
One last example, then I’ll shut-up;) Say an American puts “315lbs” on the bar. This will likely be a “45lb” bar, and 6 X “45lb” bumper plates. If the manufacturer actually created them in kg’s, like most do, but labeled them in lbs, like most do, then the Americans are not lifting 315lbs! They are lifting 44.1 pounds X 7 = 308lbs, not 45 pounds X 7 = 315lbs!
I love America, but chalk this one up to the rest of the world as they are lifting 2% more than us every work-out we use incorrectly labeled bars, plates, and kettlebells!!!
What can we do…nothing. Finish the work-out faster or do more reps to make up for it.