Barbell

A U.S. Army soldier uses a barbell with Olympic plates (but no collars) to perform a bench press. He is accompanied by a spotter.

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 (approx. 2 metres) long. The central portion is one inch (2.54 cm) in diameter, and is engraved with a knurled crosshatch pattern to help lifters get a good grip. Cast iron 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).

There are two types of plates, and therefore two types of barbells:

Olympic plates have a central hole that is two inches (5.08 cm) wide. The outer portions of Olympic barbells are also two inches wide. Seven foot olympic barbell weights 20kg.
Standard plates have a central hole that is one inch (2.54 cm) wide. Standard barbells are one inch wide all the way along.

In the sport of weightlifting, a specially designed barbell with rotating sleeves is used in conjunction with rubber "bumper" plates. The barbell is designed to withstand thousands of drops onto a lifting platform from as high as arms-length overhead without bending or breaking; the rubber plates allow it to absorb the impact of the drop, helping to prevent damage to the barbell and the dropping surface. The rotating sleeves specifically allow the barbell to be used with the Olympic lifts, which involve dropping under a rising barbell while still remaining in contact with it -- a movement that could damage the wrists if the central portion of the barbell could not rotate independent of the weight sleeves on each end.

Exercises that can be performed with a barbell include:

The EZ curl bar is a variant of the barbell that is often used for the biceps curl exercise. Its zigzag grips allow the user's wrists to take a more natural orientation. This reduces the risk of repetitive stress injury in this exercise.

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