All the Different Bars at the Gym, Explained

For example,this onehas a little endcap that says The Rogue Ohio Deadlift Bar.

If the bar is seven feet long, itprobablyweighs 44 or 45 pounds.

(How to know if it’s seven feet long?

Stand it on end, and compare to your own height.

If youre suspicious, though, trust no one.

Theres a simple way to find out how much any bar weighs: weigh it.

(Ask the front desk staff for help if carrying it around to weigh it would be awkward.

Honestly: dont worry about the difference.

These 45(ish) pound bars are the most common ones you’ll see in the gym.

(Ironically, “standard” bars with their one-inch sleeves are no longer standard.

But the name has stuck.)

The sleeves (the wider parts on the ends) spin easily.

These are designed with the two Olympic lifts in mind, the snatch and the clean and jerk.

If theyre not 44 pounds, theyll be 45.

Deadlift barsmay be a bit longer than a typical power bar, and may be thinner and more whippy.

They are usually still 45 pounds.

Squat barsare a wild card here.

Normally, the bar in a squat rack will be a regular power bar.

They weigh 15kg, or 33 pounds.

Womens Olympic bars existfor women to use when competing in the snatch and clean and jerk.

You’re not too likely to see these bars in your average commercial gym.

But there are also shorter bars meant for lighter lifts, often four or five feet long.

(But not anEZ-curl bar, which I’ll discuss in the next section.)

Curl bars are often, but not always, 25 pounds.

Check for a label or weigh one to be sure.

EZ-curl bars

These arethe wiggly ones.

Theyre used like curl bars, for exercises that use smallish amounts of weight.

They may be 25 pounds or less;this oneis 15 pounds.

One is the trap bar or hex bar, a hexagon big enough that you stand inside of it.

Some trap bars are 45 pounds, but some are more and some are less.

Sometimes theyre 45 pounds, but again, sometimes they arent.

You may also find safety squat bars, cambered bars, and other specialty items depending on your gym.

Others are made from solid metal and may be around 80 pounds.

As always, when in doubt, weigh it.