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( Barbell)
A barbell is a piece of exercise equipment used in weight training, weightlifting and powerlifting. It consists of a steel bar that is 5 to 7 feet. The central portion varies in diameter, but is close to one inch (2.54 cm), and is engraved with a knurled crosshatch pattern 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). An Olympic or weightlifting barbell consists of a standardized bar, plates and collars. In contrast to powerlifting barbells, Olympic barbells must have rotating outer ends to prevent the bar from twisting the lifter's arms and wrists. A men's Olympic bar is a chrome-vanadium steel bar that is 2.2 m (7.3 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 where men and women compete at the highest level - the Commonwealth Games, Pan-American Games, World Championships, and the Olympics. 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. The International Powerlifting federation does not, however, allow the use of longer or thicker bars.
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Barbell Subcategories
Barbell Articles
Good Tool For Weight Training by Raymond Lee
You can increase your strength in many ways. There are, for example, tools like tubing, swiss balls, body weight, and free weights that all work perfectly well in building muscle strength and endurance. For the sake of simplicity, however, I am going...
Exercise The Right Way - The Barbell Bent-Over Row by Rick Mitchell
Other articles in this series looked at a number of exercises, mainly from the perspective of developing a comprehensive muscle building program. Sometimes we take things for granted, especially when it comes to performing the basic e...
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