Competition and recreational weight lifting continue to bring about advancement in the design of barbells. The days of tightening small bolts to secure free weights are all but gone as is the problem of loose weights that once plagued home workouts. Today's designs include permanent stops and collars that resemble knock-off hubs on a race car. The best barbells are manufactured with rubber or etched grips that provide friction and limit the need for chalk.
Barbells
The concept of a barbell is relatively basic. Free weights, also referred to as plates, sleeve onto the ends of a steel bar that has integral stops near each end. According to Cross Fit Journal, "A barbell is made out of a material known as Drawn Over Mandrel (DOM) tubing, a type of machine tubing that is made out of flat stock." The integral stops serve as backing at the inner side of the free weights, and collars fit against the outer side of the weights to hold them into place on the bar.
With most designs, the collars are spring clips or polished steel nuts. Weightlifters grip the bar with both hands evenly spaced and then perform lifting exercises. The amount of weight a bar is intended to hold will often dictate the level of manufacturing that is necessary.
Iron Company
The Olympic barbell set produced by Iron Company might be best described as a no-frills beast. The 7-foot, chrome steel bar, which features etched grips, is engineered for spring collars that allow easy change of plates. This type of function is appreciated in competitions where gradual increases in weight take place during fast-paced elimination rounds. The Olympic barbell set includes 520 pounds of plates that range from 2.5 pounds to 45 pounds. The Iron Company Olympic barbell set is modestly priced compared to other sets with similar features.
Ivanko
The amount of weight involved in Olympic competitions can literally bend steel. Ivanko produces barbells and collars from high-grade steel alloys designed to flex under the strain of weights in excess of 500 pounds. In addition to strength, the manufacturer boasts attention to workmanship in the production of its barbells.
Ivanko employs a locking collar system that is essential with heavy lifting as well as a forged inner collar that gives the barbell a distinctive big-bar appearance. Promotional literature claims, "Ivanko's intense level of engineering and workmanship may seem a little out of the ordinary." The design of Ivanko barbells has the look of serious competition that involves serious amounts of weight.
Iron Grip
Iron Grip manufactures top-of-the-line, heavy-duty bars that have up to 5 degrees of flex and return. The barbells' shafts, which are slightly larger in diameter than typical shafts, provide a feature that uses shoulder bolts and durable nylon-impregnated threads for exceptional stability of the plates.
Iron Grip barbells employ their patented "Quicklee-T" quick-release technology into the collars. The barbells are engineered with grooves that eliminate any rotation of collars and plates during lifting exercises. The design of the Iron Grip barbell and barbell set is both efficient and energetic.
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