Barbell Basics | Anatomy of a Barbell | Barbell Buyer's Guide

Phil covers the basics of an Olympic barbell - sleeves, collars, shaft, knurling, diameter, score marks, etc. He also talks about what to look for - and NOT look for - when purchasing a barbell.
Phil's favorite general purpose barbell:
Starting Strength Bar by Texas Power Bars (mentioned in the video)
texaspowerbars...
(Testify doesn't make any money from recommending this bar)
The Starting Strength Bar is bare steel, and as such, it will require some maintenance every now and then. If you'd like a 28.5 mm diameter bar (i.e., like the SS bar) with a zinc coating for corrosion protection, I'd recommend looking at the Standard Olympic Barbell from The Strength Co.:
amzn.to/3S1JAoU
The Strength Co. also makes the best training plates in the business - accurate, precise, and they fit the bar exceptionally well:
amzn.to/3g86mOx
When training on a barbell, using chalk should be a given. Training without chalk is silly. Get and use chalk.
Spider Chalk (it's our favorite at Testify):
amzn.to/3DKkFTm
At Testify Strength & Conditioning, we offer small group training, private coaching (in-person or remotely via Zoom), online coaching, and form checks. Would you like to get quality coaching from a Starting Strength Coach? If so, click the link below to get started today:
testifysc.com/...
Testify Strength & Conditioning is the only Starting Strength Affiliate Gym in Nebraska and the best strength training facility in Omaha.
testifysc.com/
Train with Testify
testifysc.com/...
(small group, 1-on-1, and online coaching available)
Follow us on . . .
Instagram: @testifystrengthconditioning
Twitter: @TestifySC
Testify gear
testifysc.com/...
Testify events
testifysc.com/...
----------------------------------------
Some links in the description may be affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, Testify earns from qualifying purchases.

[@carps_gym]

Solid informational video. Nice one Phil!

[@TestifySC]

Thanks very much!

[@jib6984ify]

Excellent and very helpful information, thank you.

[@TestifySC]

You’re welcome, and I’m glad it was helpful!

[@megaprofessionalz9944]

Very good info, definitely confirms the 86in barbell I bought off Facebook marketplace is way to long and wrong for my new bench press.... I knew it felt longer than what I use at LA Fitness 🤦🏾‍♂️

[@TestifySC]

Thanks for the kind words! Also, just a heads up - the 86"-long barbell you bought sounds about right in terms of length. IWF specs are 220 cm which is about 86.6 inches, and most "olympic" barbells (i.e., the barbells I discuss in this video) are right around the 86.5" - 86.75" range.

[@PatrickHutton]

That's a great introduction to barbells. However you don't quite reach Mark Rippetoe's level. There are three things you need to do to reach his level. 1) Get his accent, as a Brit I can barely understand what he's saying, but it's great to listen to. 2) Somehow I think he could make a 24 minute talk on brown paper bags sound interesting. 3) At some point in the talk as a stern aside you need to advise against doing curls.

[@TestifySC]

Thanks for the comment, and it's true - I can't hold a candle to Rip's presentation :-)

[@upwardbarbell]

Thank you for this.

[@TestifySC]

You’re very welcome.

[@bertcloutier8718]

great information thanks

[@TestifySC]

Thanks for the kind words, Bert, and you’re welcome!

[@InnerLifePhotography]

tell me one thing; is this written in any holy scripture that men cannot use 15 kg barbell or women’s bar.? i mean here in my country there is a huge price difference between women’s and men’s 20 kg bar.!! what’s your opinion?

[@TestifySC]

Solid question, and the issue is the durability of the bar. A 15 kg bar has significantly more flex than a 20 kg bar due to the difference in diameter (25 mm vs 28-29 mm). As result, a 15 kg bar doesn't hold up well long term to heavier loads on lifts such as the squat, deadlift, bench, and press. This is exacerbated by the fact that, on a lift such as a squat, the plates rest on the bar even between sets when the bar rests on the hooks of the rack. Load a convenient weight such as 100 kg or 225 lb on a 15 kg bar as it sits on the hooks, and you'll already notice more flex in the 15 kg bar, and this gets more significant as the weight increases. As a result of all of this, a 15 kg bar used in regular strength training will bend over time unless only lighter weights are used.

[@InnerLifePhotography]

@@TestifySC okay and one more question; i am watching that you are using mostly bumper plates instead of olympic plates. does they make any difference because bumper plates are mostly used in weightlifting competitions internationally where they clean and jerk and throw it on the ground. what’s your advice to use which plates ( for bodybuilders ).??

[@TestifySC]

Our plates at home (in our garage gym) are kilogram plates, so I mostly train in kilos at the gym so I don't need to go back and forth between different units. Our kilo plates at Testify are all bumpers since these are the plates we use during the snatch and clean-and-jerk (both in training and competition), so this is why you usually see me using kilo plates. Beyond that, if you're not performing the olympic lifts, you don't need bumper plates (although you certainly can use them), and metal plates are cheaper.

[@Ian-bc8sk]

Love this series Phil. I have an outside gym in GB, what would you recommend for that kind of environment?

[@TestifySC]

Thanks for the kind words, Ian. Does your gym have a roof over it, i.e., something to keep direct precipitation off the barbell (even though it’s still exposed to humidity)?

[@Ian-bc8sk]

@@TestifySC Yes & no 🙂. I have an overhang while I squat but it's open where I deadlift. The barbell is kept inside in a heated shed when not in use. It does get wet but I do dry it off after.

[@Douglas_Mutale]

Got the one on top can you do a video on how to disassemble it and clean it out repair

[@TestifySC]

The Ohio Power Bar from Rogue? We could probably do that - I'm not sure when just yet, but I've been meaning to do one like that at some point.

[@Douglas_Mutale]

@@TestifySC that will be helpful I'll show you a picture of mine and what is broken

[@shadmandogar7349]

Good content. What one barbell do you recommend for all types of barbell workouts. But with 56 inch shaft length. Sleeve length can be small. Please recommend only one hybrid multiple usage.

[@TestifySC]

Thanks for the kind words. For a general purpose bar, I'd recommend the Starting Strength Bar by Texas Power Bars, but that's a standard Olympic bar, so it's well over 56 inches. My apologies - I don't have experience with the length of bar you're describing. The shorter bars that we have (5 kg, 10 kg, and 15 kg) are all in the mid-60s (inches) or longer.

[@shadmandogar7349]

@@TestifySC thank you for response. The shaft length is collar to collar distance not total distance. Any recommendations but big shaft. Apologies my english is not good

[@TestifySC]

No worries, and your English is just fine. My apologies - I somehow glossed over "shaft length" and thought you were referring to the total length. I'm not aware of any bars with a 56 inch shaft as most bars have a 131 cm shaft (roughly 51.6 inches), although a number of manufacturers make specialty bars with a shorter shaft length. That being said, it's possible that such a bar exists - I just don't know of any.

[@johnwest5458]

I've seen like 20 barbell videos and no one exactly no one states the difference weight of the different barbells

[@TestifySC]

Are you saying we did this well or we missed it? We cover this topic from about 4:08 - 5:00, but I just want to make sure I understand your comment correctly.

[@johnwest5458]

​​​@@TestifySC you did a little better than all the others but still haven't discussed all the different weights for barbell's. All the videos Ive seen cover the length and difference between female and male bars and such but there are 65 lb bars out there and maybe heavier. But I'm not sure that's why I went to you tube and sought out all the self proclaimed experts but none absolutely none have discussed the men's 65 lb bars and up. I just can not find any videos on this. I'm still learning about bars but again I thought to use KZbin experts per say but it's like no one knows or to them it's not relevant but it is.

[@teacopem]

​@@johnwest5458they're all 45 lbs