Weightlifting Bars - Part 1
What do you have and what do you need?
I was in VA this weekend visiting some family and while I was there, I also took a lifting bar to my cousin. My dad asked me how I could have enough bars to spare one, and then the inevitable, “Why do you have so many? Aren’t they all the same?”
I asked him why he carried 14 golf clubs in his golf bag, and he said that they were all different. My response was, “Are they? You use them all to hit the ball down the fairway so they’re kinda all the same” And he replied, “Yeah but I use them all in different circumstances for different things, you know that.”
Lawyered.
I had already been thinking a lot recently about how many weightlifting bars a person should have, should they have any use for a weightlifting bar at all & should they have their own gym to train in. But provided they do, how many bars should someone own? How many are needed?
I recently ran a poll on Twitter that lasted for a few days and had over 150 responses. The categories were 1, 2-3, 4-5, or 6+. Curl bars were not allowed to be counted in the total. 38% of responses chose 2-3, while 32% chose 1. 70% of all responses had less than 3 bars, out of 156 people; 157 if you count my wife, be we share the same total.
I think we all can safely say that the correct answer is 1. You only need one bar; that’s the bare minimum you need to accomplish the things you want to accomplish while training, and it’s also the maximum number you need to accomplish the things you want to accomplish in training.
But how many do you want? How many would you like the have? Are there any you wish you had that you don’t (Trap Bar for me)? What different types of bars could a person benefit from? How many is too many? And is there a point of diminished returns?
Personally, I currently have 9. I have a 10th on the way and an 11th that is currently on loan to a friend. Is this excessive? Quite possibly, yes. Is it also awesome? Same answer.
Here is a list of the bars I have:
Eleiko Olympic Bar - 2001 model
Eleiko Olympic Bar - 2011
Werksan Olympic Bar
Intek Power Bar - My Favorite
Intek Dual Purpose Bar – A CrossFit type bar
Elitefts Yoke Bar
Marrs-Bar
Eusaka Olympic bar - landmine use only
Tsunami Bar
Fat Bar – short one from Donnie Thompson
Buffalo Bar - on loan
Does having access to 9-11 different weightlifting bars help me and my training? Absolutely. And here’s why. I can set up different exercises without having to move them around too much in a confined space such as a garage gym. I can also leave certain bars dedicated to certain lifts and it tends to make my workouts a little more efficient. It also allows me to specialize a little more, and since I have a more advanced training age, that is preferable to me.
The real questions are these: Do I use all 9 of my weightlifting bars? No, I do not. There are a few of them I’ve never touched, still in plastic or their shipping tubes. Does using even 5-6 bars make the workouts more complicated than they might otherwise be? Sometimes I think so. Am I allowed more freedom using more bars? Yes. Do I have to be as creative as someone using 1-3? Absolutely not.
To me, bars are like tennis shoes or T-shirts. Once you get them broken in the way you like them, I’m hard-pressed to get rid of them or try a different one. I’ve got a great Olympic bar that I love, so I see no need in even trying the newer model. My power bar is exactly what I want, so unless I try a Yoke or Marrs, I am going to keep squatting with the one I like. I guess I keep them in case something happens to one, and I am kind of a hoarder of equipment anyway.
Coming Next Week: Part 2 of this post, where we dive into each bar I have and its uses. Stay tuned.
Keith Gray