Most people may choose barbells If they can only use one piece of equipment for fitness in their whole life. A barbell is such a versatile tool with which many workouts can be performed.
Squat/Deadlift/Overhead press/Curl/Row/......
Those workouts can help you work on most muscles of your body, abs, pecs, glutes, biceps ,triceps, quadriceps, etc. The barbell is the best choice no matter you want to gain strength or just want to make yourself look better.
Nowadays there are so many kinds of barbells on the market, but the Olympic barbell is the most commonly used
What is an Olympic barbell?
Definitely, the Olympic barbell is a kind of barbell used for Olympic weightlifting competition, but it’s also use in many fitness categories for different reasons.
The parts of an Olympic barbell:
Shaft:The grip section of the barbell. It is 28millimetres (1.1in) in diameter, and 1.31metres (4.3ft) in length.
Sleeves:The out ends of the bar where you load weight plates onto. They are 1.96 inches (50mm) in diameter.
Bearings/Bushings:Mechanical structure inside the bar that allows the sleeves to rotate. Bearings can make the sleeves spin faster than bushings.
Collar:Structure that prevents the weight plates from sliding towards the shaft.
Knurling:The cross-hatch pattern on the shaft increase friction between the bar and your hand to allow the you to better grip the shaft.
Knurling Marks:The smooth rings on the bar are about 36 inches apart. They are useful to help you grip the same place every time you exercise.
Fasteners:There is usually some kind of fastener that holds the sleeve in place that’s attached to the shaft.
End caps:A circular piece of plastic or metal at the end of the sleeves. It helps hold the sleeves in place.
How to choose an Olympic barbell?
Some people may think that the most expensive thing is the best thing, they say you have to up your budget to get a good bar. The price determines the quality, that make sense, but the best may not be the most suitable.
If you are a beginner, to spend too much on barbell is such a waste of money!I'm not saying you should buy super cheap barbells, those are usually of poor quality. You can buy a high quality Olympic barbells at low price. $500+ barbells are nice but no more functional than $200+ barbells if you won't use it in competiton.
So how to choose a high quality Olympic barbell?
Though you have known the parts of an Olympic barbell, In order to purchase a high quality Olympic barbell that could be used for years, you need to know more about it.
Dimensions:
A men’s Olympic bar:
Length:2.2 m(7.2ft)
Weight: 20 kg(44.1 lb)
Shaft diameter:28 mm(1.1 in)/28.5mm/29mm
Sleeve diameter: 1.96 in(50 mm)
A women’s Olympic bar:
Length:2.01 m (6.6ft)
Weight:15kg (33lb)
Shaft diameter:25 mm(0.98 in)
Sleeve diameter:1.96 in(50 mm)
These are the stats an Olympic barbell should have. Additionally, these are what you need to pay attention to.
Material:The material of the barbell determines the weight capacity of the barbell, Generally, the Olympic barbell are made out of high tensile strength stainless steel. Tensile strength will range from 125k to 200k and even more.
Knurling:It is the cross-hatch pattern on the shaft that increase friction between the bar and your hand to allow you to better grip the shaft. If the knurling is aggressive, it will help you grip the bar better, but the skin of your fingers and palms may wear down。
Sleeves:It's where you load the weight plates. It will spin when you are lifting to help you keep the weights themselves from rotating in your hand. Good sleeves protect you well.
A good barbell can really help you a lot. If you still have no ideas about what to buy. This 7feet Olympic weightlifting bar may be a good choice for you.
