I often get asked how much the bars weigh in the gym and how much weight is on the bars.
I am going to give you quick guide and explain the different weights and uses of the bars in our gym!
The long bar is 45lbs.
Mostly used for bench press, squats and deadlifts. It’s one of the most common bar seen around gyms.
The short bar is 25lbs.
Mostly used for bent over rows, barbell rollouts and barbell single leg deadlifts.
The oddly shaped bar is called a Trap Bar and weighs 45lbs (some larger trap bars can weigh up to 65lbs). This is mainly used for deadlifts and squats.
This bar allows lifters to keep their hands more at their sides oppose to in front and keep their centre of gravity more balanced. It is good if you have low back issues because it takes away some of the stress in that area.
There are other bars that look similar to the long bars but weight 35lbs. We do not use these in our gym but they are commonly used for Olympic Weightlifting
(Clean and jerk, Snatch, Clean and press) as well as in Crossfit.
The piece we use to secure the weights on to the bar are called “Collars.” Depending on the material they can weight up to 5.5lbs.
-Kelli