Powerlifting requires more than mastery of the squat, bench press and deadlift. Like all sports, powerlifting requires you have the right equipment to succeed. Standard, light training bars do not hold up to the weight and occasional abuse that powerlifters subject them to. Since the inception of powerlifting as an official sport in the early 1960s, there have been many changes to the bars, but the size roughly remains the same.
Standard Bar
A standard powerlifting bar is 28 mm thick and weighs 45 pounds. A bar used for international competition weighs 20 kilograms. Regardless of weight, the bars are 7 feet long. Each bar has rotating sleeves on the end that allow the plates to shift slightly, easing the strain of controlling heavy weights. Each bar has a diamond-shaped pattern cut into it, called knurling, that provides extra friction. The location of the knurling depends on the type of bar.
Power Bars
Power bars, such as the Texas power bar, are stiffer and less flexible than standard bars. This provides more stability in the squat and bench press. When you're walking a heavy squat out of a rack, a more flexible bar will whip back and forth, increasing both the difficulty of controlling the lift and the risk of injury. Texas power bars usually weigh 45 pounds, but some weigh 50 or 55 pounds. Only the 45-pound bar is legal in competition. These bars all have extra knurling in the center to help the bar dig into your shirt or singlet, decreasing the chance of the bar rolling when you squat.
Deadlifting Bars
Deadlifting bars are more flexible and slightly thinner than standard powerlifting bars, often only 25 millimeters thick. This makes them easier to hang onto. The knurling on the bar is often sharper, and combined with the greater flexibility of the bar, allows you to pull it off the floor with less strain on your hands. This is critical in competition, as straps or gloves are not allowed. A deadlift bar has no center knurling, as there is no need to scrape up your legs any more than necessary.
Training Bars
Many bars that cannot be used in competition are regularly used in training. The buffalo bar is a bar with a curve to it. This makes certain movements easier on the shoulders and elbows of larger lifters. The mastodon bar is an extremely heavy, inflexible bar used for those who regularly squat close to 1,000 pounds. A safety squat bar has a special yoke in the center that goes on either side of your neck. Powerlifters use this bar to work their backs more during training, as it raises your center of gravity when lifting.
References
- International Powerlifting Federation: Technical Rulebook
- "The Westside Barbell Book of Methods"; Louie Simmons; 2008
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