Barbells

Our barbells are built for your heavy compound work including squats, cleans, and deadlifts. Load the plates, find your grip, and get to work. Whether you're building a home gym or fitting out a commercial fitness space, we offer a wide selection, including Olympic barbell bars, storage, barbell packages, and mounted racks.

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How much weight can a standard Olympic barbell hold?

Our Northern 20kg Olympic barbell can handle up to 700kg. Unless you are an elite powerlifter, our Olympic barbells can easily handle your 150kg bumper plate set during your snatches, cleans and jerks.

What is a barbell?

A barbell is a long metal bar designed to hold weight plates like cast iron plates or bumper plates and is used for strength training exercises like squats, deadlifts, and bench press.

Can I use weight plates without a barbell?

Weight plates can be used without a barbell for exercises like Russian twists, weighted lunges, overhead presses, and plate carries, making them a versatile strength training tool.

Do I really need to use collars or clips on the bar?

Yes, every single time. During a set, plates can slide outward on the sleeve, so using a barbell collar protects you from injury or unbalanced lifts. So make sure to lock them down on both sides before doing any lifts.

What is the advantage of EZ bar instead of a straight barbell?

EZ bar promotes joint safety, comfort, and muscle isolation. When you use a straight barbell for bicep curls, your wrists are forced into a completely flat, palms-up position. This also creates strain on the wrists and forearms. The zig-zag bends of an EZ bar let you use a natural, angled grip that instantly takes the stress off your wrists and elbows. It forces your triceps to do the work. And lastly, you can do effective bicep curls with an EZ bar.

Will any weight plate fit any barbell?

Always check the hole size on your weight plates and the barbell sleeves. Standard Olympic barbells barbell sleeves are 2 inches (50mm) in diameter, and the plates have a matching 2-inch center hole. Northern cast iron plates and bumper plates has a 2-inch center hole.

Which is better the 15kg or 20kg barbell?

If you are doing standard powerlifting or general strength routines, the 20kg bar is your best choice. But if you are focusing on explosive Olympic lifts or want a grip that’s easier to manage, choose a 15 kg barbell.

Are dumbbells or barbells better for strength training?

Both are effective, but dumbbells offer more range of motion and muscle isolation, while barbells allow for heavier lifting and compound movements like squats and deadlifts.

What’s the difference between dumbbells and barbells?

Both dumbbells and barbells are effective for strength training. Dumbbells generally offer greater freedom of movement and are better for targeting individual muscle groups, while barbells are better for heavier lifts and overall strength development due to their stability and ability to load more weight.

Some other key differences are:
Dumbbells allow for unilateral movement, improving balance and muscle activation.

Barbells (including barbell weight sets and barbell bars) are better for lifting heavier loads and compound movements like deadlifts and bench presses.

A barbell and weights set is ideal for strength training, while a set of dumbbells offers more flexibility for various exercises.

For most home gyms and workout routines, dumbbells are the better option; however, for more advanced strength training and conditioning, consider adding barbells to your home gym setup.

How to tell 15kg bar from 20kg?

The easiest way to tell a 15kg bar from a 20kg bar is by looking at three main things: the length, the thickness, and the knurling. The 20kg bar has a thicker shaft, 28mm, while the 15kg barbell has only 25mm. Most standard 20kg Olympic bars feature a centre knurl (rough patch in the middle of the bar), while 15kg bars almost never have this. A 20kg bar is also 7.2 feet, while the 15kg bar is almost 6.6 feet.

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