How much does a gym bar weigh?

The most common standard commercial Olympic barbell in our gym (also known as the Olympic bar) has a standard weight of 20 kilograms. But if it is a training pole of other specifications, the weight ranges from 5 kg to 20 kg, and there is no unified answer.

I didn't have this concept at all when I first started practicing squats. When I practiced squatting for the first time, I looked at the thin bar and thought it only weighed 10 kilograms. I hung a 10 kilogram plate on each side when I squatted. When the third leg gave out, I sat on the protective frame. When the coach next to me came to help me, he laughed for a long time and said, young man, you squat 40 kilograms right now. You are very brave. This is the first time I know that the bar actually weighs 20 kilograms.

The poles you usually see next to squat racks and bench press racks are about 2.2 meters in length and have a hole diameter of 50 mm on both ends. They are basically the international standard of 20 kilograms. However, there are exceptions. For example, some American brands of commercial poles are made according to the British standard and weigh 45 pounds, which is about 20.4 kilograms when converted, which is not much different. There are also poles produced by small factories that cut corners and may only be 18 or 19 kilograms. This is generally more common in small gyms.

Of course, not all long poles are 20kg. Nowadays, many gyms are equipped with Olympic poles for women. The length is generally about 1.8 meters, the shaft is thinner, and the grip is particularly friendly to friends with small hands. The weight is mostly 15kg. Novices use this to start when they first practice bench press and deadlift. It is much friendlier than directly going up to 20kg, and it is not easy to cause shoulder pain. I took my best friend to the gym before, and she couldn't even push the empty bar when bench pressing for the first time. After switching to a 15kg women's bar, she suddenly found a sense of strength.

If you are holding a short straight bar or curved bar that is more than one meter long and is placed in the corner of the free strength area, the weight will be even more uncertain. The lightest short straight bar for biceps training I have seen is only 5 kilograms, and the heavier one is only 10 kilograms. This type is generally used for isolation training. There is no need to add too heavy pieces, and the weight itself will not be too high. There is also the Elephant bar that is specially used for deadlift training. Because the shaft is longer and softer, the weight is 1-2 kg heavier than the ordinary Olympic bar. However, this type of bar is generally only found in powerlifting gyms and is rare in ordinary gyms.

Regarding the importance of calculating the bar very accurately, there are actually two schools of thought in the fitness circle. Old-school fitness enthusiasts are accustomed to calculating all Olympic bars as 20 kilograms, even if the actual difference is one or two kilograms, they don't care. After all, the impact of this error in daily training on muscle gain is almost negligible. It is also convenient when calculating weight, and there is no need to recalculate every time you change gyms. But some friends who compete in powerlifting competitions are very serious. Every time they change venues for training, the first thing they do is to ask the front desk for the weight of the bar, and they even bring a small portable scale. After all, if there is a 2kg difference in PR (personal best), the result will be a lot worse. I have suffered this loss before. Last year, I changed to a new gym to practice squats. I didn't ask about the weight of the bar. I followed my previous habit and squatted for 3 reps after adding weights. I thought I had finally broken the PR of 140 kilograms. However, when I was free, I took a scale and weighed the lower bar. It was only 18 kilograms, and the actual total weight was only 138. I was excited all night.

In fact, most of the time, you really don’t have to worry about this weight. A difference of one or two kilograms in normal training will have very little difference in stimulating your muscles. If you really have to rush for results or compete in competitions, just ask the staff at the venue. Fitness is a matter of getting comfortable and comfortable, so there is no point in fighting over such trivial matters, right?