Explanation of All the Bars in the Gym
The first step in lifting a barbell is to place weights on the barbell. Some gyms only have one type of barbell, and it weighs 45 pounds , and that’s all you need to know. But this is not the only type, and if your gym has different bars of different shapes and weights, it can get confusing.
Check the end of the rod first
If you’re wondering what kind of bar you’re looking at or how much it weighs, always check the end of it. Sometimes you’ll find a label with the brand name, a description of what the bar is, and its weight. For example, on this end there is a little text that says, “Rogue Ohio Deadlift Bar.” 27mm. 20 kg.” Now you know that it weighs 44 pounds (20 kg) and that it has a handle that is 27mm wide, just over an inch, which is a little thinner than a regular power bar. Big! Problem solved.
But on many rods, all you’ll see at the end is a rusty bolt. If the barbell is seven feet long, it probably weighs 44 or 45 pounds. However, if you are suspicious, do not trust anyone. I’ve heard passersby say, “Oh yeah, that one weighs 55 pounds,” for both the standard 45-pound bar and the monster 69-pound trap bar.
There’s an easy way to find out how much any candy bar weighs: weigh it. Almost every gym has a bathroom scale lying around somewhere, so you can weigh yourself while holding a barbell, and then weigh yourself without it and subtract your own weight. (Ask the front desk staff to help you if carrying it with you to weigh it will be awkward. They may either know the weight or help you put it on the scale.
However, these are the most common streaks you are likely to encounter:
Standard 44- and 45-pound bars
This is a family of slightly different items, but I grouped them together because they are about the same size and weight and can be used interchangeably for many exercises. Some weigh 44 pounds (because it’s 20 kilograms, and 20-pound barbells are the standard in international competition), and some weigh 45 pounds (which is essentially the same thing, but more American). Honestly: don’t worry about the difference. A 50-pound barbell loaded with two 45-pound plates technically weighs 134 pounds, but everyone in the gym will say it’s 135 pounds, and you might as well agree.
These 45 pound bars are the most common ones you will see in the gym. They are seven feet long, the part you hold is about an inch in diameter, and the part where the weight plates are about two inches in diameter. They are sometimes called “Olympic” bars to distinguish them from the “standard” bars that used to be common and which can still be purchased as home exercise equipment. (Ironically, “standard” handlebars with one-inch sleeves are no longer standard. But the name stuck.)
There are several different types of 44 and 45 pound bars in this category:
-
Men’s Olympic barbells weigh 20 kg (about 44 pounds) and are 7.2 feet long. The collars (the wider parts at the ends) rotate easily. If you load them with a lot of weight, you will find that they are “flimsy”, meaning the bar tends to bend or bounce easily. They are designed with two Olympic lifts in mind: the snatch and the clean and jerk. But you can use them for any exercise you like, which is why you’ll find them in gyms where no one does Olympic lifts.
-
Power bars , used for squats, bench presses, deadlifts, etc., are the same size and shape as men’s Olympic bars. They tend to be stiffer (less movable) and the collars probably won’t rotate as easily. If they don’t weigh 44 pounds, they will be 45.
-
Deadlift bars can be slightly longer than regular power bars, as well as being thinner and more flexible. They usually still weigh 45 pounds.
-
Squat bars are the wild card here. Typically the bar in a squat rack is a regular power bar. But sometimes it will be a specialized squat bar that is thicker and stiffer and weighs 50 pounds, and sometimes 55 or more.
Women’s Olympic parallel bars
Women’s bars are lighter and slightly thinner than men’s Olympic bars, but they are also noticeably shorter—about eight inches shorter. They weigh 15 kg or 33 lbs.
Women’s Olympic barbells are designed for use by women during snatch, clean and jerk and clean and jerk competitions . They have two main advantages over a men’s bar (if you are a woman of average height):
-
They are thinner, making them easier to grip, especially with the hook grip that Oly lifters typically use.
-
They are more “fragile” so the bar doesn’t require as much weight to bend and bounce. This makes a difference in Olympic lifts (like when you use a rebound to help you with a power clean) and means virtually nothing for other lifts.
Since they are designed for Olympic weightlifting, you will likely only see these bars in Olympic weightlifting gyms and CrossFit gyms (and similar functional fitness centers). You’re unlikely to see these bars in your average commercial gym.
Training bars and curl bars
These rods are lighter and can be smaller than the ones discussed above. In Olympic weightlifting, there are training bars (often weighing 5 or 10 kg, i.e. 11 or 22 pounds) that allow you to work with something lighter if you are not ready for a full-size bar. They can be the same sizes as a women’s Olympic barbell and are used by children learning the exercises. Again, you’re unlikely to see them outside of an Olympic weightlifting gym, but who knows. They will be clearly marked on the end cap and typically should not exceed a total weight of 50 pounds.
Curl bars are much more common in general-purpose gyms, and they are exactly what they sound like: shorter, smaller bars designed to perform bicep curls and other movements that don’t require a full-size bar. At my gym, they are not stored with the regular bars, but rather stored next to the dumbbell racks. The bars often, but not always, weigh 25 pounds. Check the label or weigh them to be sure.
EZ-chest on uneven bars
These are fidgety . They are used as bars for exercises that use light weights. Their handles are designed in such a way that you can choose the position that is most comfortable for your wrists. They can weigh 25 pounds or less; this one weighs 15 pounds.
Traps and other oddly shaped things.
There are many other bars with unusual shapes and different weights. One is a trap or hexagon, a hexagon large enough for you to stand inside of it. (It’s primarily used for trap bar deadlifts, where your hands are at your sides and you don’t have to worry about hitting the bar on your shin.) Some trap bars weigh 45 pounds, but some weigh more. and some less.
There are also football bars, also called Swiss bars or multi-grip bars, that allow you to use a neutral grip for the bench press or other pressing movements. Sometimes they weigh 45 pounds, but then again, sometimes they don’t. You can also find safety squat bars, curved bars, and other specialty items depending on your gym. Fancy rods are not standardized, so their weight is what it turned out to be when the rod manufacturer welded all the parts together. And if in doubt, weigh it yourself.