Barbells

Having gained a bit more space for my home gym I very quickly added a trap bar to the armoury. Why a trap bar? The diversity of lifts it offered intrigued me – lunges and trap bar deadlifts in particular – and the built in deadlift jack is just plain cool… So is it worth the money? Ultimately YES, if you have SPACE and budget. Here’s why: Best bits: Considerations: At a glance: the Bulldog Gear open hex trap bar The Bulldog Gear open trap bar is built around a robust, simple but effective design featuring high and low handles […]

Barbell shopping can be confusing – working out which bar you need (or want) without blowing your budget is tough, and working out just how much weight a 45lb Olympic barbell can hold is down right tricky as all manufacturers seem report it slightly differently! Here’s what I’ve found out about weight capacity from trawling online: Official weight limits will vary Not all 45lb Olympic barbells are created equal, and not all published weight limits are comparable. For example some quote a static load – the amount a barbell can hold still – while others quote weights that can be

I recently bought my first barbell with BEARINGS in the sleeves and boy – does that thing SPIN! It got me thinking – just WHY do barbells spin, and when is that actually useful? Here’s what you need to know. So, why do barbells spin? Olympic barbell sleeves spin to eliminate any torque from the weight plates spinning before it is applied to your wrists or elbows. This is essential for Olympic weightlifting movements such as cleans and highly desirable for most other lifts as well. Barbell spin is desirable… Most of the time… When moving a loaded barbell through

Whether you’ve bought a barbell yet or not – you’re clearly interested in finding out whether black oxide finished barbells rust.  Yes, yes they do rust. BUT it is manageable for most people to control, and the trade off is awesome bar feel as it’s one of the least invasive barbell finishes you can buy preserving the ‘bare steel’ feel when you go to grip & rip a deadlift!  Do black oxide barbells rust? Yes your barbell is still prone to rust if it’s finished in black oxide. This is one of the best coatings for bar feel – BUT

I find it incredibly frustrating when my grip on the bar feels WEAKER – and more often than not this is due to the barbell knurling getting gummed up with chalk and various other bits of gym-detritus. Knowing when and HOW to clean barbell knurling is key to keeping your equipment in tip top condition. After all you spent a lot of hard earned dough buying it – so now we need to look after it! Here’s what you need to know. How to clean your barbell knurling To clean barbell knurling use a nylon or similar stiff plastic-bristled brush

So you’ve seen the dreaded orange RUST appear on your barbell… So what now?! The first thing to tackle is whether it is SAFE to use a barbell that has rusted. Lets take a look at that now. Is it safe to use a rusty barbell? Yes it is safe to use a lightly rusted barbell. Rust is oxidation of the iron in the steel of the bar and in most situations is completely harmless to humans. At the most basic level, it is combination of iron and oxygen – both of which are in your body already! While they

So you’ve laid out quite a bit of money on a barbell – now you will want to look after it properly! The core architecture of a barbell is three pieces of metal (2x sleeves with the shaft) which means we meet an old foe – RUST! Treating rust is one thing – but it’s ALWAYS best to get ahead of the game to PREVENT rust from forming on your barbell in the first place. Here’s all you need to know about barbell rust prevention… Barbell rust prevention: How to… Prevent rust from forming on your barbell by brushing it

Bulldog offer a range of Box-branded barbells and I decided to take the 7ft, 20kg mens Olympic barbell for a spin (if you excuse the pun). The Box barbell is very affordable so I have high hopes that the Box 2.0 will be a high-quality entry level barbell for the UK market. Best bits: Considerations: What is the Box Bar 2.0 barbell all about? The Bulldog Gear Box Bar 2.0 is a 7ft, 20kg Olympic barbell aiming to deliver a ‘best bang for the buck’ experience to UK home and commercial gyms. It’s a generalist bar with both power and

The Bulldog Bar has intrigued me for a while. There isn’t much first hand experience published out there on this barbell so I thought I’d throw my money down and take the plunge so I could pull a review together to help anyone else looking for a decent barbell in the UK. Fortunately I’ve got a couple of other barbells in the garage gym so we can do some comparisons versus the competition to help us decide: Which is the best barbell available in the UK? So let’s take a look at what I’ve found out so far. Competitors: Bulldog Bar vs ATX RAM vs Rogue Ohio Power

So I have owned a Strength Shop Original 2028 black oxide bar since February 2015 – so a whopping 6 and a half years! That’s pretty crazy to me, not the least because the bar in some evolution has been on sale continually since then. Well done to Strength Shop for keeping this bar alive and kicking! I thought it was worth sharing my experience as detailed reviews of Strength Shop barbells are thin on the ground. Who is this bar made for? The 2028 bar is aimed at someone who is looking to build out a reasonable home gym to support non-Olympic weightlifting activities