When selecting a barbell for your garage or basement gym, you’ll typically end up choosing between two basic categories: Power bars and Olympic weightlifting bars. Knowing the differences and which will work better for you is important for many reasons.
The best type of barbell for most basement and garage gym owners is a power bar. It’s well-suited for almost every type of lift and can serve as the only bar you’ll need in your gym. Olympic weightlifting bars are much more specialized and only suitable for people doing very specific types of movements.
A note on the word “Olympic.”
The term “Olympic barbell” specifically refers to the diameter of the sleeve on the ends of the bar where the weights are mounted. An “Olympic” barbell has 1.96″ (50mm) diameter sleeves.
This terminology is used to differentiate from a “standard” barbell where the ends of the bar are only 1″ in diameter. Standard bars are not recommended and therefore are very limited in their availability.
“Olympic barbell” is a term that can be used to describe both power bars and Olympic weightlifting bars. When you are shopping for your barbell, knowing this will help make sure you consider all the appropriate options for you.
In other words, don’t get thrown off when you see the term “Olympic power bar.” This simply means you are looking at a power bar that has 50mm diameter sleeves.
Key Features of a Power Bar
A “power bar” is a barbell designed for the basic movements involved in powerlifting. These are the bench press, deadlift, and squat. These three movements inform every design feature found on most power bars.
The key features you’ll find on a power bar are:
- Low “whip” (see my full explanation of this term here). Basically, power bars are more rigid and flex less. Bar rigidity is caused by a combination of the steel’s tensile strength and the diameter of the bar. Since 95% or more of home gym owners are not lifting heavy enough for this spec to make a difference, it’s not all that important.
- 29mm or larger shaft diameter. Occasionally you’ll see power bars at 28.5mm, but never smaller. This larger diameter adds to the bar’s stiffness and makes it easier to grip in some cases.
- More aggressive knurling (see my complete guide on barbell knurl here). Just how aggressive will depend on the bar you buy, but on the whole, powerlifting movements require more grip from the bar and the aggressive knurl on power bars helps with this.
- Center knurl. Having a section of knurling at the center of the bar allows for both bar alignment and bar stability/grip when doing squats. The knurl will grab onto your back where the bar sits and help prevent it from slipping or moving around.
- Knurl rings are 32″ apart. This is a standardized distance determined by the IPF (International Powerlifting Federation). Knurl rings are smooth rings that appear within the knurling on either side of a barbell and help to align your grip. Unless you are competing, the distance between the rings won’t matter to you at all.
- Bushings for sleeve spin. Bushings will allow the bar sleeves to spin freely, but not nearly as much as the bearings found in Olympic bars. It’s critical in any type of lifting that the sleeve rotates freely. That prevents the weights from spinning the bar in your hand and causing you to lose your grip. It’s an important safety feature. Since powerlifting doesn’t involve overly explosive movements, a moderate bar spin works great, and bearings aren’t needed.
Key Features of an Olympic Weightlifting Bar
An Olympic weightlifting bar is designed for the basic movements involved in Olympic weightlifting. Those movements are the snatch and the clean and jerk. The features of an Olympic weightlifting bar are designed to aid in those two Olympic weightlifting events.
The features you’ll find on an Olympic weightlifting bar are:
- High “whip.” Whip can help an expert lifter lift more weight by using the bar’s flex to aid in the initial pull and momentum of the lift. Most home gym owners will never notice the whip of their bar. For a full explanation of bar whip, see my article here.
- 28mm shaft diameter. This smaller diameter adds whip to the bar.
- More passive knurling. Because Olympic lifting requires fast, aggressive movements, a less aggressive knurl allows the bar to move in your hand without taking a layer of skin off with it. This reduces the overall grip of the bar and is a trade-off.
- No center knurl. Because the bar will rest on and move across the chest during the clean and jerk, a center knurl tends to cause discomfort and chafing. For this reason, most Olympic weightlifting bars have no center knurl.
- Knurl rings 36″ apart. This is a standardized measurement determined by the IWF (International Weightlifting Federation). If you are competing, you’ll want your bar to match this, so the bars you use in competition will match. If you aren’t competing, the actual distance between the rings doesn’t matter.
- Bearings for sleeve spin. Because of the explosive nature of Olympic weightlifting, it’s desirable to have the bar sleeves spin effortlessly. This is where bearings come in. They allow much freer spin than bushings. They also add significantly to the price of the barbell.
Why a Power Bar is the Best Choice for Most Garage and Basement Gym Owners.
Olympic weightlifting movements (and by default, many CrossFit workouts) are highly technical. They require a good deal of coaching to do them safely.