at the gym theres two different olympic bars. one all metal and another that has the bar in the middle thats metal but the ends where the weights go, from plastic. there are a few serious members there who just hate the all metal bar because its quite thick and hard to grip. yes the plastic one is less durable and ive seen 2 of 3 bars break because douchebags cant control the weight on the way down and drop it and eventually the pin that connects to the bar breaks.
just wondering whats the thickness of the bar as standard? trained in various gyms and the bar is just way thicker than it should be. I used to train at home a certain point and remember it wasnt like the one at the gym
You generally find two diameter sizes in “standard bars”, 28mm and 31mm
It seems very minimal, and it is, but they definitely do feel different in the hand, espeically on pulling movements (rows, deads, cleans, snatches, etc…) I would guess most “big box gyms” use the 31mm because they are generally both cheaper, and more durable.
As a reference, the Rogue Bar is 28mm, but their Beater Bar is 31mm… The 28mm is probably a better bar for most applications, but if its going to be used for a Cross Fit type facility that needs to withstand thousands of reps over it lifetime, the slightly thicker bar will hold up a bit better.
Pretty sure 28 mm is the standard for Olympic bars and IPF ones as well.
Then you get specialty bars like deadlift bars which I think are 27 mm (amazing how such a small decrement in diameter makes such a difference); and squat bars which are something like 35 mm, about a foot longer and five kg heavier. Those are used in federations like GPC, GPA, WPC, etc.
I bought cheap bar about a year ago and I think it would be 31 mm in diameter or so. Its definitely thicker than 28 mm, but thinner than a squat bar. The knurling is absolute garbage too, so the only real positive is that it’s a good grip workout.
Mark K0 - I had a bar with garbage knurling. I put it between two motors and used sandpaper to sand it down. It’s like the knurling on a high quality bar. It goes without saying be careful.It was on a very low speed. It’s like the knurling on a high quality bar now.
[quote]decimation wrote:
Mark K0 - I had a bar with garbage knurling. I put it between two motors and used sandpaper to sand it down. It’s like the knurling on a high quality bar. It goes without saying be careful.It was on a very low speed. It’s like the knurling on a high quality bar now.[/quote]
Cool, thanks. I’d need to get two motors but I can see how it’d work.
I looked around recently and I think I can get my hands on a considerably better bar for a better price than I thought possible. Might be easier in the long run, depends.
What kind of motor? Dumb question, but I’m a very un-mechanical kind of guy.