Olympic Bars
Upgrade your home gym or commercial gym set-up with an Olympic bar from GymEquipment.co.uk today. Olympic weight bars are simply metal bars, typically measuring 7ft long and weighing 45lbs. They are used in all weightlifting competitions and can handle 800, or even 1000lbs. As you would expect, the bar is used mainly for heavy exercises, including deadlifts, squats, and bench presses. They get their name from being used in Olympic weightlifting events, namely the clean and jerk and the snatch. Shop the full collection below.
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If you’re looking to upgrade your gym set-up and test your strength to the max, an Olympic weight bar could be the perfect option for you. The versatile free weight equipment in this range can be used for a variety of strength exercises, including all types of clean and snatches, squats, deadlifts, bench presses, and military presses.
Olympic bars vs barbells
An Olympic lifting bar has fixed specifications that determine its length, weight and the size and location of its textured grips. The men’s Olympic bar is 7.2ft in length and has a weight of 44.1lb. At the outer ends the diameter of the bar is 1.9685 inches, the diameter of the grip portion of the bar is 1.1024 inches, and the grips are spaced 35.83 inches apart. Women’s bars on the other hand are slightly smaller and lighter: females use a 6.7ft Olympic bar with a weight of 33lb.
Each Olympic bar also comes with sleeves that can rotate when the main part of the bar is stationary. This rotation reduces the torque of the weight on the lifter.
Olympic EZ curl bars
This type of Olympic weightlifting bar is also known as the revolving curl bar. Essentially, Olympic EZ bars are wiggly-shaped barbells which affect your grip as various angles are built in. These bar types can be a good option if you are concerned about injury to your wrists or elbows. They also make it easier for triceps work when you're lying on a bench. This is a useful addition if you like your arm workouts.
The right Olympic bar for you
If you are mainly into static movements like presses and squats then you need to look for stiff Olympic bars without a great deal of flex. These are sometimes also called power bars. And the weights on these bars can be extremely high. They will also have a 28mm grip, some will even have a 30mm grip and all will have medium to heavy knurling.
If you are performing Olympic lifts then you need a bar with more whip and collars that spin freely. Good bars will also have needle bearings in the collar. The whip will help absorb some of the weight and will also act like a spring helping to get the weight moving upwards. The needle bearing or free collars are also important so you don’t hurt your wrists.
Looking to complete your Olympic training set-up? Make sure to browse our collection of Olympic weight plates, as well as our Olympic barbell weight sets. We also have a great choice of other weights to browse, including barbells, bumper plates, dumbbells, and more.
Shop the range of Olympic bars for sale at GymEquipment.co.uk today. In the process of setting up a new gym, or ready for an upgrade? Make sure to check out our gym design service too, for our advice and expertise.