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Barbell

 
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A barbell is a piece of exercise equipment
Exercise equipment

Exercise equipment is any object used in exercise. This can include balls, treadmills, weight training, light bench,stationary bikes, track shoes, jungle gyms, Hydraulic resistance or protective equipment such as a back brace....
 used in weight training
Weight training

Weight training is a common type of strength training for developing the physical strength and size of skeletal muscles. It uses the force of gravity to oppose the force generated by muscle through Muscle contraction#Concentric contraction or Muscle contraction#Eccentric contraction....
, weightlifting
Weightlifting

Weightlifting, also called Weightlifting at the Summer Olympics or Olympic-style weightlifting, is a sport in which participants attempt a maximum weight single lift of a barbell loaded with weight plates....
 and powerlifting
Powerlifting

Powerlifting is a strength sport, consisting of three events: the squat , the bench press, and the deadlift. Powerlifting resembles the sport of weightlifting, as both disciplines involve lifting heavy weights in three attempts....
. It consists of a metal
Metal

In chemistry, a metal is a chemical element whose atoms readily lose electrons to form positive ions , and form metallic bonds between other metal atoms and ionic bonds between nonmetal atoms....
 bar
Bar

Bar may refer to:*The Aramaic word for "Son" .* A stick, pole, or handrail made of structural steel** Grab bar** Rebar* An ingot or gold bar...
 that is 5 to long. The central portion varies in diameter, but is close to one inch
Inch

An inch is the name of a Units of measurement of length in a number of different systems, including Imperial units, and United States customary units....
 (2.54 cm), and is engraved with a knurled
Knurling

Knurling is a manufacturing process, typically conducted on a Lathe , whereby a visually-attractive diamond-shaped pattern is cut or rolled into metal....
 crosshatch pattern
Pattern

A pattern, from the French language patron, is a type of theme of recurring events of or objects, sometimes referred to as elements of a set....
 to help lifters get a good grip.






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Bench Press
A barbell is a piece of exercise equipment
Exercise equipment

Exercise equipment is any object used in exercise. This can include balls, treadmills, weight training, light bench,stationary bikes, track shoes, jungle gyms, Hydraulic resistance or protective equipment such as a back brace....
 used in weight training
Weight training

Weight training is a common type of strength training for developing the physical strength and size of skeletal muscles. It uses the force of gravity to oppose the force generated by muscle through Muscle contraction#Concentric contraction or Muscle contraction#Eccentric contraction....
, weightlifting
Weightlifting

Weightlifting, also called Weightlifting at the Summer Olympics or Olympic-style weightlifting, is a sport in which participants attempt a maximum weight single lift of a barbell loaded with weight plates....
 and powerlifting
Powerlifting

Powerlifting is a strength sport, consisting of three events: the squat , the bench press, and the deadlift. Powerlifting resembles the sport of weightlifting, as both disciplines involve lifting heavy weights in three attempts....
. It consists of a metal
Metal

In chemistry, a metal is a chemical element whose atoms readily lose electrons to form positive ions , and form metallic bonds between other metal atoms and ionic bonds between nonmetal atoms....
 bar
Bar

Bar may refer to:*The Aramaic word for "Son" .* A stick, pole, or handrail made of structural steel** Grab bar** Rebar* An ingot or gold bar...
 that is 5 to long. The central portion varies in diameter, but is close to one inch
Inch

An inch is the name of a Units of measurement of length in a number of different systems, including Imperial units, and United States customary units....
 (2.54 cm), and is engraved with a knurled
Knurling

Knurling is a manufacturing process, typically conducted on a Lathe , whereby a visually-attractive diamond-shaped pattern is cut or rolled into metal....
 crosshatch pattern
Pattern

A pattern, from the French language patron, is a type of theme of recurring events of or objects, sometimes referred to as elements of a set....
 to help lifters get a good grip. Disc weights (plates) are slid onto the outer portions of the barbell to obtain the desired total weight. These weights are often secured with collars to prevent them from sliding off during the exercise (which can result in injuries
Injury

Injury or bodily injury is damage or harm caused to the structure or Purpose of the body caused by an outside wiktionary:agent or force, which may be physical or chemical....
).

Olympic barbells

An Olympic or weightlifting
Weightlifting

Weightlifting, also called Weightlifting at the Summer Olympics or Olympic-style weightlifting, is a sport in which participants attempt a maximum weight single lift of a barbell loaded with weight plates....
 barbell consists of a bar in which the sleeves rotate. This enables the discs to spin on their own axis, which eliminates the rotational-inertia effect placed upon the lifter during such explosive lifting and enables him/her to descend under the bar with ease.

Men's bar

A men's Olympic bar is a metal bar that is 2.2 m (7.22 ft) long and weighs 20 kg (44.1 lbs). The outer ends are 50 mm in diameter, while the grip section is 28 mm. The bars have grip marks spaced 910 mm apart to allow intuitive grip width measurement. It is the standard used in competitive weightlifting
Weightlifting

Weightlifting, also called Weightlifting at the Summer Olympics or Olympic-style weightlifting, is a sport in which participants attempt a maximum weight single lift of a barbell loaded with weight plates....
 where men and women compete at the highest level - the Commonwealth Games, Pan-American Games, World Championships, and the Olympics
Olympic Games

The Olympic Games are an international multi-sport event established for both summer and winter sports. There have been two generations of the Olympic Games; the first were the Ancient Olympic Games held at Olympia, Greece, Greece....
. The total weight of the barbell varies based on the type and number of plates loaded onto the ends the bar and the lift being performed.

In addition to regular Olympic bars, powerlifting often requires use of sturdier bars to better accommodate the heavier weights being used in the sport. These bars can be longer (to allow loading of more plates) and thicker (to deform less under load). Additionally, powerlifting bars have their grip marks spaced closer, at 810 mm. This closer spacing is used to check legal grip width in the bench press
Bench press

The bench press is a strength training exercise in which, while lying on his back, the person performing the bench press lowers a weight to the level of the chest, then pushes it back up until the arm is straight and the elbows locked ....
. The International Powerlifting federation does not, however, allow the use of longer or thicker bars.

Women's bar

A women's Olympic bar is similar to the men's bar, but is shorter (2.05 m) and lighter (15 kg / 33.07 lbs) with a thinner grip section (25 mm). Also in contrast to the men's bar, the women's bar does not sport a center knurl.

Plates

Olympic plates are color coded according to weight, and the plates that are 10 kg or heavier are 450 mm in diameter with a center hole of 51 mm, while those lighter than 10kg can vary in diameter. Competition plates are milled to strict tolerances, and are made to closely fit onto the large ends of the bar. 10 kg and heavier plates are constructed with a rubber bumper design to allow safe dropping, while the smaller plates are either rubber coated or metal throughout.

The plates are colored as follows:

  • 25 kg: red
  • 20 kg: blue
  • 15 kg: yellow
  • 10 kg: green
  • 5 kg: white
  • 2.5 kg: red
  • 2 kg: blue
  • 1.5 kg: yellow
  • 1 kg: green
  • 0.5 kg: white


Additionally, different plates are used outside of IWF sanctioned competition, most prominently in powerlifting
Powerlifting

Powerlifting is a strength sport, consisting of three events: the squat , the bench press, and the deadlift. Powerlifting resembles the sport of weightlifting, as both disciplines involve lifting heavy weights in three attempts....
. These include:

  • 50 kg: green
  • 45 kg: gold (fairly rare, typically only used in some powerlifting federations, including the IPA, WDFPF and their affiliates)


Plates used in training need not conform to IWF or powerlifting specifications, and can be of any color. Often they do not have bumpers and are typically cast iron. In training, larger 450 mm versions exist of the lighter 5 kg and 2.5 kg plates to accommodate proper lifting position for young and beginning athletes. These can be aluminum or plastic with bumper edges.

Collars

Standard collars can be of any material, usually metal, and they can weigh up to 2.5 kg each for both men and women.

A bar with a pair of collars, the plates not counted, can weigh as much as 25 kg for men and 20 kg for women depending on the collars.

Other types


Standard Barbell

Standard plates have a central hole that is one inch (25 mm) wide. Standard barbells are one inch wide all the way along. Standard barbells typically weigh 10 kg, roughly equivalent to . In some countries or regions, 30 mm bars are also quite common.

EZ Curl Bar

The EZ curl bar is a variant of the barbell that is often used for bicep curls and lying triceps extensions
Lying triceps extensions

Lying triceps extensions, also known as skull crushers and French extensions are a Weight training used in many different forms of weight lifting....
. Its zigzag grips allow the user's wrists and forearms to take a more neutral position. This reduces the risk of repetitive stress injury in these exercises.

See also

  • Dumbbell
    Dumbbell

    A dumbbell is a piece of equipment used in weight training, and is a type of weight. They can be used individually or in pairs ....
  • Kettlebell
    Kettlebell

    The kettlebell or girya is a traditional Russian cast iron weight looking somewhat like a round shot with a handle. The kettlebell has become a popular exercise tool in the United States due largely to the efforts of strength and flexibility coach Pavel Tsatsouline and also by World Champion and world record holder Valery Fedorenko....
  • Trap bar
    Trap bar

    The trap bar is an implement used in weight training. It is an assemblage of bars welded into a shape which lies flat in a plane, comprised of:...