Barbells

[wal]

After watching Mark Rippetoes's explanation on barbells it makes mine old standard barbell look like a real piece of junk, about as useful as a garden stake in a tomato patch. Anybody use standard barbells with the 30mm hole plates? Still gravity does not care whether it is lifted by one of those fancy u-beaut power lifting barbells or a piece of round section like I have got, its just as heavy, but not as efficient though.

[Apple-Man]

I have the same problem, a shitty bar. I'm looking to do something about it, but until I can, I go with what I have.

Honestly, while I believe that quality bars are important, I don't think they are THAT important in the grand scheme of things. If you want to train, you can train with anything. As long as the equipment doesn't put you in danger, it's useful enough. Does your barbell give you the workload you require, without putting you in danger? If yes, then I say it is getting the job done.

[wal]

Well I have put 150Kgs on it, it did not appear to bend, then again I was not looking at it. I have enough plates to put 200 Kgs on it (that is if I could lift it) but I think that might be stretching the load limit. I have no idea what the limit for these 27mm standard bars is. Any idea? Even Rippetoes's bent bars would be a whole lot better and probably safer, but I think I would fail before my bar did anyway.

[Apple-Man]

Sorry, no idea how much they can handle.

[Les Hahn]

The Texas Power Bar, also featured in the video, is rated up to 1500lbs. It could still bend if you drop it, but the bar is rated to take that much weight. The Texas Squat Bar (8' long) is rated up to 2000lbs! This is the bar they use in a lot of PLing competitions.

[Dastardly]

Im interested in what these old standard bars are actually like. Starr mentioned them in his recent article, that guys used to train even deadlifts with them. Im shocked that a standard bar would even be able to handle 140kg as I can see flexing in an olympic bar at that weight.

[Philbert]

There is no difference in capacity between a 27 mm standard bar and a 27 mm oly bar as long as they are made with the same quality of steel. The sleeves on the oly bar are there to allow the bar to rotate without rotating the weights during the olympic lifts, they contribute nothing to strength at the point of greatest stress (the center). Use it until you bend it deadlifting, then you will know how strong it is, and you can hang it on the wall as a memento.

[MEbigUsmall]

its probably more important for olympic lifts.

[wal]

So what does an OLY bar weigh compared with a standard bar?

[Tamara Reynolds]

So what does an OLY bar weigh compared with a standard bar?

Men's Oly bars weigh 20kg. Women's weigh 15kg. Junior's weigh 10kg.