Types of Weightlifting Bars You Should Know
Straight Bar
The straight bar is a straight steel pole, and if you have ever been to a gym, you have most definitely seen one. It can be used for various workouts such as squat, deadlift, bench press and overhead press.
A straight bar can be a great choice if you just get started in the gym and don’t have a large budget. However, as you get stronger, dive into variant exercises and plan on pushing heavier weights, you might need a more specialized bar.
Olympic Bar
Olympic bar is designed to meet the IWF's (International Weightlifting Federation) competition criteria, intended to support Olympic athletes' weightlifting demands while also lowering the risk of injury. A standard “Olympic” bar that follows the specification guidelines for either the IPF or IWF. This means a 2200 mm (~7.2 ft) long bar with 50 mm (~2 in) sleeves weighing 20 kg (~44 lb).
Olympic bar has more aggressive knurling since both the clean & jerk and snatch require an athlete to have a strong grip. The center knurling will often be smooth, so there’s not a hard catch on the neck during the clean & jerk, front squat, and clean variations. The rotation is another reason why some people prefer an Olympic bar. Since the sleeves rotate, the amount of torque produced by the plates is reduced, resulting in a more stable grip and less stress on one’s wrists and elbows. This is especially important when performing fast movements like the clean & jerks, snatches, and so on, where the barbell must rotate quickly. It's also useful for exercises like squats and deadlifts where one’s grip needs to rotate slightly.
Olympic bar is designed for weightlifting purpose. If you’re a weightlifting athlete, or train a heavy weightlifting style, you'll want to invest in an Olympic bar.
EZ Curl Bar
The EZ curl bar is a weightlifting bar variation that is often used to isolate muscles during bicep curls and triceps extensions. It varies from the standard bar in that it is shorter and lighter in weight. Since your wrists are more pronated and less tension is put on them, doing a bicep curl with an angled hand placement is much more comfortable. One’s wrists and forearms will take a more neutral, less supinated position thanks to the curved grip profile of the bar. This reduces the risk of injury during workouts.
Hex Bar/ Trap Bar
The hex bar is mainly used by weight lifters for squats, dead lifts, and shrugs. The hexagon is welded in the center with two handles, allowing you to stand in the opening and pick up the bar by the handles, so it provides a linear bar path and keeps the weight centered with the body’s midline during lifts. That means the weight is closer to one’s center of gravity, and the bar puts less shear force on the lumbar spine, reducing pressure on your lower back and targeting your quadriceps.
Results show that the quads, glutes, and hamstrings are activated and engaged during either barbell deadlift or trap barbell deadlift, but more when people use a trap bar. Therefore, if building a lifted booty or increasing your power is your goals, the hex bar can be your new best friend.
Yoke Bar
Yoke Bar helps you concentrate on lower-body strength while keeping your body upright for a squat. It comes with a foam pad that sits around your neck and two rubber gripped handles that stretch over each shoulder, making it easy to hold the handles directly. The main advantage is that it reduces stress on one’s upper body, particularly the shoulders, wrists and elbows.
Besides, one’s spine would be more vertical while squatting with the yoke bar. This position decreases forces on the lower back while also allowing for more range of motion through hips, knees and ankles. With yoke bar, you can perform Back Squat, Front Squat, Zercher Squat, Good Morning, Calf Raises, Lunge, etc.
Tricep Bar
Although the tricep bar is most widely used to target the triceps, it can also be used to target the biceps, anterior deltoids, chest, and other muscles.
Because of its vertical grips, the tricep Bar is unlike every other bar. The rectangular frame has two crosswise parallel grips that provide ideal positioning for Tricep Extensions, Bench Presses, and a variety of other exercises. It helps you maximize your gains.
Finally, the type of weightlifting bar you choose is determined by your goals and experience. RitFit offers different sizes of standard straight bar, EZ curl bar, Olympic bar and Yoke bar for beginners, intermediate, and elite athletes. Choose the weightlifting bar that best suit your fitness style and incorporate them into your daily routine.
