The Barbell…Purchase #1 of the Home Gym

When you’re a weightlifter, with goals and desires to get stronger, healthier, more muscular and/or more athletic. The feeling of a barbell in your hands is a powerful feeling. Especially when you grab that barbell with purpose. My first experience with weights was with a home set when I was 13. I’ve since worked out in many gyms; some run-down places, some big box places, school gyms, you name it. Maybe because I started at home, for me, nothing beats a home gym. I built a home gym in 2017, and I only wish I had done it sooner. If you can swing it in anyway, it’s the best investment you could make.

Anyway, this is for those people. Back to the barbell… For us lifters, I compare the bar to a musician’s guitar. Buy the right one, and you’ll have it for life, and as long as you maintain the thing, should be good forever. So, when making this purchase, do it right. Tons of sites providing research on all the bars on the market. These guys at Garage Gym Reviews do a great job giving you every detail you could imagine about barbells. And this guy Basement Brandon also has tons of good info on bars and equipment. Check them out if you’re in the market.

I would say the min price you’ll pay is about $275 and when you factor tax and shipping, you need to think about spending at least $325. And from there, they can go as high as $1200 for the “professional” level bars, used in like the Olympics. But you’ll never need that so you should not spend over $500. Tons of great choices around that number and below.

Here’s a link to a video I made about the 3 barbells I own. And these are them…

1.       Rogue Ohio Bar (20KG) – Maroon Cerakote / Chrome Sleeves.

2.       Rogue Power Bar (45LB) – Army Green Cerakote / Chrome Sleeves.

3.       Eleiko Weightlifting Bar (20KG) – Chrome Coated Shaft / Chrome Sleeves.

I use the power bar for squatting and deadlifting. The center knurl on that bar is very nice for squats. And the overall knurling on the bar shaft is pretty amazing for deadlifts. Great grip, without tearing up your hands. The only challenge for some might be the girth of the barbell at 29mm, but I would think that’s only an issue if you have small hands.

The Ohio Bar, which is Rogue’s most common and most sold barbell gives you little bit of all. It’s the first bar I bought, and I used it for everything till I expanded. Now, I use it for my pressing exercises like bench press and overhead press. Easier on the hands and a tiny bit thinner of a shaft at 28.5 mm.

The Eleiko bar was a Covid purchase. I use it for cleans but really not necessary unless you’re into the Olympic Style lifts, of the snatch and clean and jerk. It does have a great feel, and spins very well.

Lastly, I’ll say…getting a new barbell for a lifter is like a kid getting a new bike or gaming console. That’s the best way to describe the feeling.